29 gallon goldfish tank?

Question

i am thinking about starting a 29 gallon goldfish tank. i want either 3 fancys, or two comets out of my pond. we have taken goldfish from our pond and put them in tanks and they lived fine before. my pond is huge. i mean like 1/4 acre, 6 ft deep in some areas. some koi and other goldfish are about 5-7 lbs, but all of the comets we put in almost 10 years ago are only around 6 inches.so i was thinking maybe two of my pond coments or 3 fancies. my room that my tank is in stays cold in the winter like 55-60 but i know the comets from my pond will live fine in this temp will the fancies?

thanks

what im asking is will the two comets who are already almost 10 year old and only 6 in outgrow my 29 gallon tank. and will 3 fancies survive the lower temps for the short periods of time?

also do the goldfish and koi eat the babies, i used to see babies like 5-6 years ago, but now i never do, just the same old happy big fish

Answer 1

A 29 would be fine for your small comets or for the fancies. I would start with smaller fancy golds. The temperature is not a big deal., a bigger issue in a 29 will be filtration. You really can't have enough filtration for goldfish. I would highly suggest that you go with good external, canister type filter and a biowheel over the back.

You'll have to keep up with water changes as well. A gold fish tank of that size, after a period of time will be prone to Nitrates build up if you don't keep up on water changes. , (not nitirite) it's an issue with established tanks where there is a large bioload like a gold fish tank.

BTW, I'm thinking that your coments in the outside pond, the ones the are 6" long.. my guess is that in a pond that big you're looking at the great X10 grand kids of the original fish you put in there. Coments will readlly breed in an pond that size and many will survive.

Good luck with the tank.

Answer 2

Sounds fine to me. The general rule for goldfish is 20 gallons for the first and 10 gallons per fish after that, sounds like you're right about there if you go with the 2 comets. You have an advantage as well in that if the fish you are using get too big, they can go right back into your pond. So, as long as you're careful, there's really no reason NOT to do it. If you go with the 3 fancys, you'll be doing more water changes etc.

Since you are going to have goldfish in an aquarium, you're going to need to do regular ammonia and nitrites (at a minimum) tests. You can buy ammonia test kits and nitrite test kits online. They usually are under 5.00 each, and last about 100 tests. You can also buy a freshwater master test kit which will run about 15.00 and will test nitrates and pH as well. If the ammonia gets above .5ppm or the nitrites get high (there should be instructions in the test kit) that's a good indication that a water change is needed.

If this is your first indoor aquarium, google "nitrogen cycle" and be sure you understand it (that's why youll be testing for ammonia and nitrites). I don't want to go into it here, because I think you may already know about it, but just in case, google it if you don't.

Remember too that goldfish are messy (produce a lot of waste) so regular pwc's (percent water changes) will be necessary.

Good luck!

I just saw your specific questions. If you are concerned about the temperatures, a heater will run you about 15 dollars for that size tank. It is a good idea to go ahead and get one, because a stable temperature is better for the fish (less stress which in turn means less problems (disesases, sickness, etc.). The fish in a smaller environment will be under a bit more stress already than a fish in the pond. So the added stress of a fluctuating temperature could be bad. You can have it set to keep the water temperature lower if you want. From what I've read, 68-72 is ideal for goldfish, so you could aim for that. They can tolerate lower temperatures though, which is why they are ideal for a pond. In short, I'd recommend getting a heater. It isn't too big of an expense, and it's better to be safe than sorry.

Something else to consider about temperature: While goldfish can live in colder temperatures, no fish does well when temperatures fluctuate rapidly. In a pond, while it may get cooler at night, the large body of water prevents rapid water temperature changes. In an aquarium, however, it's a completely different story. The water temperature is more susceptable to the temperature of the air around it. Also, deeper areas of ponds are more stable as far as temperature goes. They are surrounded by dirt, not by air, which an aquarium is. This is another argument to get a heater for the aquarium. Although goldfish can live without a heater, the stable temperature a heater will provide, in my opinion, is extremely important.

Comets generally grow a little bigger than 6 inches, but you say these are 10 years old? If you did put them in the tank and they outgrew it, they could always go back to the pond and be replaced by a smaller one right? Usually fish will keep growing despite their tank size. So it is a possibility that these comets will outgrow the tank. It's hard to say though, since you say they are already 10 years old... They may also be babies... but if they grow too big they can go back right?

Most fish generally eat anything that can fit into their mouths, babies included...

Answer 3

I rehomed a few of my fancies that I had in a ninety gallon and rather have two in a 30 gallon now. It is viable, however you need to be very punctual with water alterations. My events is not a weekly water difference. I run sponge filters at the goldfish tank due to the fact that they permit for satisfactory organic filtration. Every day, earlier than I flip off the lighting fixtures I spend five mins to do a rapid poop siphon from the backside. So small water alterations on a daily basis to take away fish poop continues my tank in satisfactory situation.

Answer 4

Yeh i believe ya ;)

Answer 5

Not quite sure what your question is