Two part fish question....?

Question

I recently purchased my children a 20 gallon aquarium and 3 of the fancy goldfish, and they appear to be doing well. Tip to tail each is currently about 2 inches.
My questions are:
When I was younger my tank not only had a filter but an aerator as well - this "full set-up" I purchased did come with one. Is the filtration system enough, or should I consider an aerator for better fish health and happiness?
My second question is what kind of fish co-habitate nicely with goldfish? My children have been eyeing up some neons and other tropicals but I have held off because of other fish already in the tank.

I keep tank temp at about 75-76 degrees.

Any advice would be appreciated - I want happy kids and happy fish....lol

Sorry - bad at proofreading this morning it should read the kit did NOT come with an aerator - sorry. Not enough coffee yet this morning.

Answer 1

Thats ok haven't had mine yet either.

As for the fish, gold fish are cold water and 75-76 is way too warm! Get rid of the heater. you have a number of options here with the gold fish for your gank.

As for the BS about the aireator, they are for decoration and to add to the price only. They do nothing but look good in the tank. so pitch it or unplug it, if you wish.

Here is a list of fish that can co-inhabate with your gold fish. remember to choose wisely and do not over populate the tank.

Drop the temps however to room temps 68 or so. Get rid of the heater.

here ya go:

Since you have a goldfish which is cold water fish you will need to find tank mates which require the same temperatures and requirements as your gold fish.

Since I don't know the size of your tank, here are a few suggestions:

The most common coldwater fish is the goldfish, followed closely by it's larger counterpart, the Koi. However there are many other interesting fish that do not require a heated tank. Many coldwater fish are large enough that are only suitable for ponds. However, can be kept in adaquate aquariums.

Barbs - Several readily available species of Barbs are tolerant of temperatures into the mid sixties, or even lower. All are easy to care for, and are suitable for a community aquarium. They include: the Gold Barb (Barbus schuberti), the Green Barb (Barbus semifasciolatus), the Rosy Barb (Barbus conchonius), and the Two Spot Barb (Barbus ticto).

Bloodfin Tetra - Both the standard Bloodfin (Aphyocharax anisitsi), and the False Bloodfin (Aphyocharax dentatus) tolerate temperatures as low as the mid sixties.
Bloodfins are offered in many pet shops, are easy to care for, and are quite hardy. They are active top dwellers and are best kept in schools.

Buenos Aires Tetra (Hemigrammus caudovittatus) - Easily found for sale, they will tolerate temperatures into the mid sixties. Standard varieties, as well as albino variants can be found. Like the Bloodfins, they are undemanding and easy to care for. They are suitable for a community tank, but will eat live plants voraciously.

Croaking Tetra (Coelurichthys microlepis) - Not often found for sale, they are an attractive fish that is worth shopping around for. Like other coldwater tetras, they are easy to care for and are suitable for community tanks.

Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) - As readily available as any fish, there are many attractive variations of this popular fish.

Hillstream Loaches - Although they are not often seen in pet shops, some species can be found for sale from time to time. Not all of them prefer cool temperatures, but most will tolerate temps that fall into the mid to upper sixties.

Native Fish - A variety of North American native fish are now being sold in the aquarium trade. Virtually all of them tolerate cool water. Availability varies from state to state, as do laws regarding which species may be legally kept in home aquariums. Keep in mind that some will become too large to keep in a standard aquarium.

Pearl Danio (Brachydanio albolineatus) - Like the zebra danio, this fish is very hardy and easy to care for. It will tolerate temperatures into the mid 60's without difficulty, and is easy to find. They are larger than zebras, but need not be kept in schools.

Weather Loach (Misgurnus angullicaudatus) - Readily available, this loach is one of the easiest to care for. Couple that with the fact that it will tolerate temperatures into the fifties, and it makes an excellent candidate for a coldwater tank.

Wimple (Myxocyprinus asiaticus) - Also known as the Freshwater Batfish. Not commonly found, it is an unusual fish that is worth tracking down if you like to have something unique. It will tolerate temps into the mid sixties.

White Cloud Mountain Minnow (Tanichtys albonubes) - One of the easiest fish to care for, a new gold colored variant has become very popular. They do best in cooler temperatures, although very low temps will lessen their attractive coloration.

Zebra Danio (Brachydanio rerio) - Outside of goldfish and the guppy, the zebra is the most readily available of all coldwater fish. They tolerate temps that fall into the mid sixties, and are very easy to care for. Long finned species are available, as well as a popular leopard spotted variety.

There are many other coldwater species I could cover, but the above list should give you enough options to get started. Good luck with your coldwater aquarium.

If I may be so bold, the zebra d's are cool looking with the goldfish. You need to have lots of dissolved Oxygen, which is what fish breath not air. This only enters the tank viawater hitting the air during movement, i.e. filter, waterfalls, powerheads, etc. Zeb's are great with goldies when they are small. your goldies may out grow the tank however so in the next 5-6 years prepare for that as well.

As always if you have additional questions, feel free to email me.

Answer 2

5 gallons is only big enough for a single betta. But they are beautiful and pretty easier to care for. But you can not buy fish the same day you buy the tank. The tank needs to be set up first. It should really be cycled fist too. Bettas are very tropical fish that need at least a 5 gallon tank heated to a steady temperature between 78 and 82 with a gentle filter and live or silk plants and smooth edged decorations. Feed them a variety of foods including betta pellets and frozen thawed frozen blood-worms. Very small amounts like 3-4 pellets or an equal amount of frozen or other food once a day or split up in 2 feedings twice a day. Use a gravel vacuum to change 25% of the water once a week while sifting gently through the gravel and replace it with similar temperature water and do not forget to add a dechlorinator, or even better, a de-chlorinating stress coat product, like API stress-coat with Aloe. bettas are anabantoid fish, they have a special organ that allows them to get oxygen from the air, so the must always have access to the water surface.

Answer 3

You do not need an aerator. Water movement from the filter is plenty.
As far as other fish are concerned... goldfish are cool water fish, in fact the temp you're keeping them at is a bit high. That being the case, you cannot put any other fish with them because most other fish need warm water.
There are many types of gold fish- colors, shapes, sizes. The only issue you may run into is that gold fish are very dirty fishies. The amount of waste produced by these guys can be overwhelming. Good luck and have fun.

Answer 4

OK, first, goldfish are coldwater/coolwater fish. They don't like the temperature to be as warm as tropical fish. So, neons or any other tropical fish aren't really a good idea. Since they like cooler water, they don't have to have an aerator. You can add one if you just like the looks of them, but an external (hang on the back of the tank type) filter should be fine. Goldfish will eat anything that fits in their mouth so be aware of that if you get more fish. Best tank mates for goldfish are other types of goldfish, in my opinion. Also, generally accepted stocking guidelines are 2 inches of fish per gallon of water--when speaking of goldfish. That is tip of the nose to base of the tail--you do not have to measure the tail fin length. With regular tropical fish, the rule is an inch of fish per gallon of water. You can stock more heavily than this, but you want to have a VERY established tank and you will have to do more small water changes then if you under stock the tank.

Answer 5

You shouldn't need an air pump or aerator with the set up you have now, the filter will provide adequate water motion.

Goldfish are coldwater fish and really should be kept a few degrees cooler than your tank is currently, but will do ok even at that temp. I wouldn't suggest neons added to the tank as they prefer water considerably warmer than the goldfish.

Your goldfish will eventually out grow that tank, but it will take a bit of time for that to happen. To maximize the time you can keep the goldfish, you wouldn't want to add any other fish to the tank, but if you will plan on slowly finding new homes for the goldfish as they age and grow, you could add a few other fish. White cloud mountain minnows would be a good choice as they stay small, are colorful and prefer the same water conditions as the goldfish.

Welcome back the the hobby and welcome to the kids! I know they must be excited, I know mine were when they finally got a tank of their own. If you have any other questions about this, please feel free to email me.

MM

Answer 6

Your tank is full right now I'm afraid. Goldfish go with goldfish only. Yes you need an airator. Temp is fine, keep it stable, even during water changes. First few weeks you will have to change a lot of water. Get an aquarium manual, or a care guide to goldfish. If you don't know what your doing, you will have problems shortly. Your tank will have to cycle. There are bacteria that eat fish waste that need to establish themselves in the filter and substrate. As the wastes build the bacteria have a hard time catching up, that's where your water changes come in. Don't be afraid to take half the water out daily or every other day for the next three to four weeks. Don't clean out the filter for 6 weeks, just change water. The tank will cycle, if you do everything correctly in about 3 weeks. Feed very lightly every other day to minimize the waste. Clean half the gravel one day then the other half the next day or so. Have your water tested, or better yet buy these test kits yourself, you need them anyway. Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and Ph. When either the ammonia or nitrite get over 1ppm then change half the water. Ph should be stable, kept the same at all times, any ph will do, as long as its 6.5-8.0. Nitrate is should be kept under 20ppm, when higher than 40ppm lots of water needs to be changed. First waste product that will show up is the ammonia. In a week or so then you will get readings for nitrite too. By three or 4 weeks these readings should fall to zero. That's where they should stay. Nitrate will then show up. When that happens you can go to a more regular feeding and water changing schedule. Start feeding fish daily all they can eat in 5 minutes. Change 25-50% of the water, and vacume the rocks weekly or by weekly. Clean the filter monthly. Change out dry food at least every two months, it goes rancid. Pellets over flakes, look for a food that has no corn in it. Corn indicates cheap filler and cheap food.
www.goldfishconnection.com has lots of good info for you.

Answer 7

http://www.goldfishutopia.com/information.php?pID=28&sid=1a06bb9ef88f0f8916cadfb9df7d5fdd


Link for ideal tank mates for goldfish.

So what is the best filter?



No single answer, but lets look at what you will need.

The filter should be rated for at least DOUBLE the tank size you own, larger if you can afford.

The filter needs to be able to handle the ammonia levels being produced by the goldfish

Biological filtration capacity is FAR MORE IMPORTANT than WATER TURN OVER.

Two filters are better than one.

do yourself and your fish a favor.... skip the aerator and get yourself an undergravel filter system in addition to the one that came with your kit. Goldfish are dirty little beggers who produce massive amounts of waste materials.

Answer 8

I would say get the aerator.

Goldfish play well with any type of fish except Parana... I have had 3 b4 and I had a filter and an aerator... my first 1 had only the filter, and he got sick a lot. With the goldfish I have had neon tetras. They love to play together. DON'T FEED YOU GOLDFISH MORE THAN YOU SHOULD. They will eat until the get too fat... believe me, that is how my 2nd goldfish died.

Answer 9

First off, gold fish are cooler water fish, whereas the tropical fish, such as the neons, are warmer water fish. I would not suggest that you place neons in with the gold fish because they will get eaten. If you are thinking of getting other fish to go into the tank with your gold fish, I would recommend they be gold fish as well. Also, as for the aerator goes, it is your choice to get one, but they are not needed.

Answer 10

Firstly yes you are going to need and air pump.
Goldfish are cold water fish. but can happily live in a tropical tank.
Tetras are related to the Piranha and tend to nibble on fancy tails.
Your goldfish will grow quite quickly in warm water so beware of putting small fish in with it. Something like Molly's, Plecostomus or Weather Loaches Guppies.
Really best to see what they have at the pet shop and ask about compatibility