Is tank too small?

Question

I went to Petco and had the "expert" there help me put together an aquarium. With his help I purchased a 5 gallon aquarium with a filter system, 2 2 inch Golfish, 1 3/4 inch goldfish, & 2 algae eaters about 1 inch each. I have an air pump hooked to a decoration in the tank and used jugged distilled water to fill the tank. Now everyone on here is saying I have too many fish and that my algae eaters will starve. Petco boy said they would eat what the goldfish do. Who's right?

Answer 1

Both. There is no algea for the algea eater, but I have had algea eaters who come up to eat the regular fish food and those that don't learn that behavior will starve. However if you have a regular pleco, they can get to 18 inches. The Siamese Algea eaters get up to 6 inches (I think, maybe more). Goldfish can get up to over a foot in length and are very dirty fish. The algea eaters are all warm water fish and the goldfish is a coldwater fish. They don't really go together.

Believe it or not, a larger tank is easier to take care of than your 5 gallon tank. A larger water volume is more stable. Any change in the 5 gallon can be quick and fatal. But you've fallen into the pet store trap. They sell you fish and a tank (that's too small). Your fish die, so you have to come back and get more. Those die. You get more and they tell you to change something (filter, tank size etc). So you spend more money and still your fish die. It goes on until 1. some one either tells you exactly what you need or 2. (and more liekly), you get frustrated with the whole aquarium thing and throw it all away.

The rule of thumb with starting an aquarium is to get the biggest tank you can afford (and fit into your space). Then research the species of fish you want to keep to be sure they can live with what you have (if they can't, find some that will). Get good filtration. Aqua-clear and MarineLand make some of the best HOBs (hang on back filters). Check out canisters (pretty easy to care for and excellent filtration especially for larger tanks). It may seem like a lot, but some effort in the beginning will give you a beautiful tank that you have to change water on anywhere from once a week (with dirty fish, like cichlids) to once an month with cleaner types, with a lot less frustration that will likely experience trying to keep these fish alive in a 5 gallon.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Everyone but the petco folks are right.
On a rare occasion I'll find someone working at a petstore who knows what they're talking about, but most of the time they just have no clue. You have to remember that these are just random joes being paid minimum wage to sell lots of fish to people who don't know any better.
Kudos to you for asking the right question and trying to sift through all the misinformation that exists right now!
Your goldfish may be small now, but I can assure you that if they survived to adulthood (which they won't in a 5 gallon tank, but anyway), they would be much, much bigger than that little tank. If they're common goldfish, they can easily grow longer than 12 inches. Even if they're the smaller fancies, they'll still hit 6-8". And all goldfish are very, very messy. They eat a lot and they poop constantly, rapidly fouling up water.
Algae eaters are just about as bad. Common Plecos that you buy as 2" babies can grow 1.5 feet long, and aren't suitable for anything smaller than 80 gallons. Plus, there's the misconception that algae eaters just clean the tank - this isn't true, they need to be fed and like any other fish, they poop and produce ammonia. And despite their reputation, they aren't janitors. They're just fish.
In a healthy environment, they would eat algae wafers, shrimp / carnivore pellets and/or driftwood, depending on the species.

My advice to you is to immediately return all your fish to Petco, because they will not live long in a 5 gallon tank. If you want to keep your 5 gallon tank, then go with smaller, less active fish, such as:
- 3 cherry barbs, or endlers, or guppies, or white cloud minnows
- One male or female betta
- Some red cherry shrimp or ghost shrimp
- 2 african dwarf frogs
- A pair of scarlet badis

You should not be using distilled water. Distilled water lacks the electrolytes, minerals and other nutrients that fish need to survive. Simply use tap water that has either been sitting out for 24 hours for the chlorine to dissipate, or that has been treated with a dechlorinator.

Answer 3

Your tank is too small. Generally, the 1 gallon of water per 1 inch of fish is accepted, but since goldfish are the goats of the fish world (but nastier), most goldfish experts recommend 10 gallons of water per goldfish until they get about 6" in length. At that point, very large tanks (55gal+) or a pond would be a more appropriate size. The algae eaters will need specialized food (algae wafers). If you have Chinese algae eaters (the small brown/white ones with stripes), they don't get very big. Plecos (brown w/ white spots) get very large and may attack other fish once they get large. Right now, you need at least a 20 gallon aquarium, and plan on getting a 55+ gallon aquarium if your goldfish live long and prosper.

Answer 4

It is over crowded, but you can manage. I'd take the algae eaters back if you're not going to feed them some veggies until the algae grows in, and talk to a manager there about someone telling you that you need 2 in a brand new 5 gallon tank if anyone gives you crap for it. You'll do fine if you take care of the tank, but it could be easier for you if you had a bigger one.

PS: The "1 inch of fish for every gallon of water" rule is dumb, people... Think about putting a 10" fish into a 10 gallon tank and go from there... or shoot, 2 5" fish. Get real and stop getting your facts from PetStore Patric - it's his 1st day.

Answer 5

Your tank is without a doubt overcrowded. goldfish get to be fairly big and normally require to either be kept alone or in a very big tank due to their size. Your algae eaters should be fine, however regardless, you always want to give them a pellet or two, to insure that they are getting enough food.

Algae eaters also can get quite big as well. It sounds that you are going to need at least a 30 gallon tank. Also, be careful of the temperature. goldfish can die or suffer in temperatures above 77 degrees. If the algae eaters are tropical, they will need to be in at least a 76-77 degree tank.

A good rule of thumb is to allow 1 gallon per maximum inch of growth of the fish. For example, a fish that will grow to be a max of 4 inches, you should allow 4 gallons...this means that with your 5 gallon tank, you would only be able to have one fish. There are obvious exceptions, such as neon tetras never grow to be that big, so you can have alot more without over crowding.

If you do not get a larger tank, or smaller fish, you will have a lot of problems with ammonia levels, oxygen and the fish will be very unhappy.

Answer 6

Petco has terrible employees that always suggest small tanks. I have seen more knowledge at Petsmart where I got advice to put my three goldfish in a 28 gallon tank. I would take it back or get a new tank and then return this tank after you use this water so as not to upset the fish too much. Also, I would not use distilled water, since I think it's too soft or lacks other minerals -- I use dechlorinator in tap water (I do use distilled for my cats and hamsters to drink tho).

Answer 7

Your tank is too small.

I have one of those gold fish starter kits that they sell a 5 gallon and I only have 2 small goldfish in there.

My 20 gallon tank only has 2 big goldfish (one at least 6" and another 5") and an algea eater and that's almost too small.

The rule is 1 gallon of water for 1" of fish. So the only ones I think you should have in there is the 2 bigger goldfish and even then, their going to get too big to keep in there. You'll need to get a bigger tank.

Answer 8

return the goldfish and get some white cloud minnows or mosquito fish (4 maybe?) and 2-3 ghost shrimp if you're worried about algae buildup. the ghost shrimp are scavengers and will eat whatever they can find, including fish flakes. they just need some shelter to hide in. you can have a pretty interesting 5 gallon with these guys. i don't think you need a heater with any of these guys.

you'll probably be happier overall with a larger tank and a low load of happy fish. i was worried about upgrading the size of my tank when i started out, but found some great deals (sometimes free!) on tanks in the local paper and on craigslist.

Answer 9

Goldfish are icky!! I have four small ones about 1 1/2 in a ten gallon and the tank needs changed constantly the water is always yucky. I am setting up a 55 gallon and putting my tropical community in there with a couple of the goldfish otherwise my four would not survive in the 10 gallon. Watch your water levels and its color and odor. You will realize if you have to change something.

Answer 10

2 algae eaters in a 5 gallon tank is a bit of overkill, and when I was working in a pet shop, I would usually recommend people not even get them until the tank had matured a bit so there was a bit of algae buildup for them to work on.
That being said, it's your tank and if you like them, you should go ahead and get them. They will eat fish food if there is not enough algae to sustain them, so they should be fine.