what is the best temperature in an aquarium for small goldfish?

Question

i purchased 4 small goldfish today the temperature started at 82-degrees then 84 and the water was warm when i touched it im not sure if it's the light that's making the tanks water warm or the heater that came with the tank i dont want them to be belly up in the mourning

Answer 1

Okay, first, for goldfish, ideal temperature is 70 degrees. Your tank is waaaayyy too warm. You need to reduce the temperature, but it needs to be done slowly so as not to stress the fish. Slowly turn down the heater little by little until you get it to 70 degrees. Turn it down to 75 for now, and in the morning, turn it down to 70. You can put a little ice in a bag and put that in the tank to help bring down the heat, but don't let the ice touch the fish and take it out from time to time to slow down the temperature drop to reduce shock. Next, for four goldfish, even at the minimum, you need to have a 40 gallon tank (10 gallons of water minimum per fish), and I'm betting you don't. If you don't, you need to get a bigger tank immediately or these fish won't live a week. I'm not certain if the pet store would take it back in exchange for a bigger one, but it can't hurt to ask. If you can't afford to buy a bigger aquarium, then you can buy a plastic storage container until you can afford to get a bigger aquarium. Those work great. While a filter is important, the most important thing right now is that these fish have air. You need an air pump that pumps 10X the amount of water in the tank. Therefore, if you have a 40 gallon tank/container, you need an air pump that pumps 400 gph. You don't have time to cycle the water, so for now, use bottled spring water. Not distilled water, spring water. Get some Stress-Coat and a Ph stabilizer for goldfish. It should be for a 7.0 Ph. Read this link about cycling water so that you can get the water for these fish in the proper parameters or they will die. This site is the best on the web for the care of goldfish. Read the articles. Check out everything on this site to learn how to take care of your fish. Goldfish are not an easy fish to take care of, but they are one of the most personable and fun fish there is if they are happy and healthy. Good luck and have fun!

Answer 2

room temperature (seventy two*F) must be wonderful yet yeah the do want sixty 8-70*F or so. A goldfish can proceed to exist at larger temperatures for short sessions of time. (ie: a while cooking). the main significant concern is to no longer substitute the temperature too rapid. Goldfish can die from marvel if the water temp transformations a type of levels and hour.

Answer 3

okay, first off, you have it too warm. like everyone says, turn your heater down. actually, you could just turn the heater off, they really don't need it. the water will not cool off fast enough to hurt them. trust me, i've kept goldfish for many years. You could actually pour a bit of cooler water on one side of the tank if it gets too warm, but i wouldn't worry about that right now.

they like between 64 and 70 degrees. colder, they start to go into a 'sleep' like state, kind of like hybernation. any warmer, then they grow faster, and it speeds up their metabolism. (meaning water changes every day....)

don't freak out about your tank size right now, if they're small, just check your ammonia and nitrAte and nitrite levels often, and do water changes at least 20% every week, or more if the tests show high levels of any of those. As long as you have at least a 10+ gallon, they'll be fine for at least a few months, if not a year or so. you will, ideally need a bigger tank for them in the future. (10-15 gallons PER fish until they're 5 -7 years old, then ideally, 20 gallons per fish after that.) Goldfish produce tons of waste and ammonia, and will grow to huge sizes, most to around 8-12" long.

They will be fine for now, but do check your levels. also, did you cycle your tank? if not, you need to get 'Cycle' or 'Bio-spira' from the store asap, so that your fish don't have to cycle the tank themselfs.

good luck, and have fun with your new friends.

email or IM me if you have any more questions.

Answer 4

I'd go with 75F. In general, if you want the fish to grow faster and have better metabolism, go with a warm tank. But you will have to do frequent water changes.
If you want the fish to grow slower and have less sufficient metabolisms, go 65F. This will mean for a slightly cleaner tank.
Don't go below 55F because they don't digest at all at this range.
You should have 40 gallons right now.

Answer 5

Gold fishes are not tropical fish, they prefer cooler temprature, around 65F - 70F will be ideal. Some can even stand for temprature below 50F. Now, turn your heater to a lower temprature.

Answer 6

Yes room temperature is fine, but tropical fish thrive at 77-78 F.

Answer 7

room temp. 50 - 70 o F

Answer 8

room temp is fine.