3 goldfish in a 5 gallon tank?

Question

I just got them yesterday. A comet, a black moors, and a calico fantail. I really want to keep them happy and healthy, but I have them in a 5 gallon tank.

I know the whole 10 gallon per fish thing through research today, but a 30 gallon tank just isn't possible for me right now. Would a ten gallon tank be ok? How long can I keep them in a 5 gallon tank before I get a larger one?

How much and how often should I replace the water in the tank? Would two liters at once a few times a week be ok?

Answer 1

It is really crowded, the rubber maid idea is a really good one... however if your fish are small and you start saving for a 30 gallon now, your fish might do ok. Is your tank fully cycled?(ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate>40ppm?) goldfish are pretty hardy little critters, they can handle alot. They are generally tolerant of wide range of water quality, but there are some things you need to watch for as far as your overcrowed tank goes, watch for clamping dorsal(back) fin, if they are pulling their doral fin close to thier body and holding it there, that is a sign stress, also frayed fins esp the caudal fin, if it looks like a strand or two of the caudal(tail)fin is frayed that is a sure sign that they are overcrowed. You might be ok for about 2 months or so. As long as you are vigilant about water quality, even so you might lose the moor, if you keep him in with the comet. He is a slow and clumsy swimmer compared to the comet even the fantail, so he might not be able to get the food that he needs. He would do best in a tank of only fancy goldfish. Get a test kit (freswater master test kit at drfostersmith for 15.99) test every other day for ammonia, nitrites & nitrates, if your tank is fully cycled then weekly testing should be enough. Read up on the nitrogen cycle in freshwater tanks, so you know what to look for. Ammonia spikes first, then nitrites, then ammonia drops to 0 and a few weeks later nitrites drop to 0, do small water changes every other day(1.5 gallon each) siphon the gravel once a week, dont change the filter cartridge until the tank is fully cycled. Don't forget to treat your water with a conditioner that removes chlorine & chloramines before you add the water to the tank, as these chemicals are toxic to your fish & kill off the benifical bacteria needed to break down the waste. Skip the 10 gal tank because you will just have to upgrade to a thirty gallon a few months later anyway. Just save for the 30gal, also check craigslist and the local swap sheet you can often find deals on cheaper setups that what you find at the petstore. Don't dispair, everybody makes mistakes. If the fish show signs of severe stress or overcrowding, before you have enough saved, then go for the rubbermaid idea untill you can get the thirty gal. Good luck to you & your fish

Answer 2

"Be ok" is a very relative term, so I can't say where you should put your guideline on fish health.

For most fish they have a general guideline of one inch of fish per gallon of water, and for goldfish two inches per gallon, so...

Is there a fishwater-safe bucket you can keep them in and return the five-gallon tank? Rubbermaid bins are uglier, but they can be a lot larger for a lot cheaper than most aquariums, until you get the cash.

When I had five baby comets in a ten-gallon tank, they thrived... but I only had them in there for a month or two, and I changed out half of the water every day, and I had a pretty decent filter. Even so, the ammonia did sometimes get a bit high, so I wouldn't have recommended staying where I was for longer than another month or so.

You've already researched, so you know they'll be eight inches or even a foot long once they're fully grown, but I would look into half water changes daily at the very least for now, and upgrading to a thirty-gallon tank as soon as possible.

Right now I have three commons and an oranda in a thirty-gallon tank and they do well with 25% water changes every other day -- but they're still growing, and only four inches long each. Come spring, I plan to acclimate them to a several-hundred-gallon pond outside.

Eventually, even one fish in that five gallon won't have the physical room to turn around, much less swim. So I would go by how fast your personal fish grow, make sure with those water changes!, and try to get a rubbermaid, or if that's not possible, a larger tank, as soon as financially possible.

Also, one thing to consider may be giving away one or more of them to a friend or two, or "loaning" one to an interested friend until you have more space for them.

Answer 3

I hate to tell you, but that is way over crowded. No single goldfish will be happy and healthy for long in a 5 gallon tank nor a 10 gallon for that matter. Your best bet is to try to return them tomorrow and swap them for some other fish that are more suitable for a 5 gallon tank. Get a few small tetras like neons, pinguins and the like add in a dwarf cory cat. Keep it to about 6-8 fish and you should be fine. When selecting your fish, if your not sure about them, ask how big they get when grown or look in a book there in the store. Keep it down to about 1 - 1 1/2 inch fish and they will be happier for sure.

As to the water, change out 1 to 1 1/2 gallons once a week and that will work best. (about 20 - 25% of the tank)

PS. Go back for goldfish when you can go for the 30 gallon or larger, far better way to go :)

Best of luck!

Answer 4

I know how you feel. The problem with goldfish is that they are HUGE waste producers. Because of this, their water gets dirty very fast and that causes algae and other gross fungi like things to grow. These things growing take oxygen out of the water that the fish need to breathe. So your issue is keeping your water clean and oxygen level up.

With a small tank, at least two liters a few times a week will be necessary. What you really should do is make it a daily habit, like every morning or every night, you should watch your fish for at least 15 minutes. Watch how they are swimming around, learn what their normal behavior is. Watch how they eat food. This way, you will be able to tell when they are NOT acting normal. After this daily observation, also check the rest of the tank quickly. See if the inside of the glass is getting slimy, make sure your fishies aren't gasping for air at the top of the tank, and make sure they don't have anything growing on them. If any of this is happening, a water change is necessary.

Two things are necessary for you to have. A good, strong air pump, and a filter. You also need to make sure you don't feed more than they eat, because loose food will rot in the tank and get it dirty faster. If you don't have a filter or air or both, water changes need to be even more frequent. If you are vigilant and keep a close eye on the tank, they will be fine, but it will require a lot of your time to keep up with it. A bigger tank costs more money, but will save you time in the long run, so you'll spend less time cleaning and more time enjoying.

Good luck with your fish!

Answer 5

10 gallons is better, but you aren't out of the danger zone. Get a liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. The ammonia and nitrite should be at zero at all times and the nitrate should stay below 20. Anytime you have positive readings for the ammonia and nitrite--the water is toxic and is burning your fish slowly inside and out. You will need to change the water almost daily until beneficial bacteria builds up to eat the ammonia. In a few weeks if the tank cycles well you may be able to change water only weekly. Don't clean the filter at all in the first weeks because this is where the bacteria lives. After the tank cycles you can rinse the filter media in old tank water the you remove. Always use a decholor product because chlorine hurts the fish and kills the good bacteria.

Answer 6

This "general rule" that everyone spouts about does not apply to goldfish. Right now your doing very good. But since these are probably comets, they can grow to over 12 inches long. In a little while a ten would be even too small for them. Golds make great pets but they are harder to take care of hen the pet stores lead you to believe. As massive producersof wast products, they can foul a tank minutes after it was cleaned. your filter is good for the size tank and doing partial water changes will really help. But these guys really need a twenty at the least. And when they really get big, a pond. If left too long in a small container, they will begin to get stunted. What that means is that their body will not grow as it should, but the internal organs will. Soon compressing the organs and eventually casuing death or server health problems.

Answer 7

If you really want the fish to be happy, you should return two of them to the pet store (they're usually pretty understanding as long as the fish are healthy) and put the remaining one in the ten gallon. Or, better yet, take all three of them back and exchange them for smaller fish like neon tetras or guppies. It's really best to research the fish before buying them as sometimes the fish stores will give you the wrong advice about your fish, especially if it's a big chain like Petsmart or Petco.

Answer 8

i keep small ones in my 5 gallon until they look too big for it and then they go to new homes. i gravel vacuum and change about 1/3 - 1/2 of the water about every 5 days. forget about cycling it won't work. the biggest problem really is the amount of waste a goldfish makes doesn't come close to the amount of beneficial bacteria you can grow in a 5 gallon. i can keep bettas in 2 1/2 with some java moss but the goldfish are a lot messier. i put in a couple bamboo shrimp and they seem to be very happy with all the goldfish funk in the water. i did just stick some plants in as an experiment but they are kind of small java ferns so i don't expect much. i put stress zyme in the changing water just to keep the ammonias down.

i keep a trash can with a lid on it full of water so when its time to change i have it and it is room temperature and ready to go.

Answer 9

Was it 10 gallon per fish or two. I know when I got my daughter some black moors they told me 2 gallons per fish of that type. I have a 10 gallon with 5 fish four little moors and one algy eater. I have good filtration system and I only put new water in when it evaporates down. I haven't had to do much else than that and they are doing great. The water is clear that is the most important part I think.

With the 5 gallon when every the water looks foggy change it. You need a good filtration system and a good source of oxygen.

Answer 10

the problem with goldfish, especially, is that they are major waste producers

3 in a 5 gallon tank is probably way too much, even with weekly water changes.

at this point, though, i would just keep an eye on the tank to make sure the water doesnt look like its full of fish poo

with a high-end filter and diligence on your part, your fish may do very well