Is my tank too small for my goldfish?

Question

I have 4 common goldfish. They still seem to be pretty small now but I heard they can grow even bigger. I only have a 5 gallon tank. Is this too small?

Answer 1

Yes, a 5 gallon tank is not big enough to hold goldfish, let alone 4 of them. They should ideally be kept in an aquarium of at least 20 gallons or 75 L with a good filter, because these fish can get larger than 14 inches (35cm). Tank recommendations range up to 100 gallons or 380 L. It is possible to keep small goldfish in smaller tanks, but such an arrangement will be very difficult to maintain once the fish grows older.

Answer 2

Well goldfish do grow bigger. I don't have a common goldfish but I think I THINK I've heard people saying that common goldfish do grow pretty big. (i may not be right so i can't guarantee it that your fish will be huge) Anyways, yes your tank is too small. I have a 10 gallon fish tank and I have 4 goldfishes (1 bubble-eye goldfish, 1 goldfish that looks like a koi fish but it's not one, and 2 lionhead fish one is small the other one is the biggest of the four!) So your tank is obviously way too small so I suggest buying them either a 10 gallon one or maybe even a tank bigger than a 10 gallon one! 10 gallon tanks can only have up to 4 fish in the tank. I don't know the limit for 5 gallon tanks....I don't know....2 fish?Besides they will grow bigger so you might as well get a new one anyway! To prove to you that your goldfish will grow. I have a lionhead goldfish that used to be about 1 1/2 inches, now it's about..4 inches ( i can't measure him because he gets freaked out by the ruler and quickly swims away....) He's so fat now that he is almost the size of your palm and about half of your middle finger!!!! Is that proof enough for you? So either way you really should get a new BIGGER fish tank! Oh yeah, the limit for 5 gallon tanks should be something less than 4 fishes!


Most fish tanks come with instructions (at least ours did). If they don't, I highly suggest not going to Petco employees (they tell you false information). Ummm......anyways you can always ask a good friend you can trust who has fish as a pet!
Or you can go to the library or go to the vet and ask. I cannot explain how to start taking care of fish in the beginning because it's difficult. But I'll try my best. Let's see......First I took the fish, left them in their bags and put the bags inside my bathroom sink (fish don't like heat). Next, you take a large bucket and put in the gravel you are using for the bottom of your tank. Well, if you are using these pebbles or something that is similar to pebbles put it in the bucket and wash the pebbles or whatever you are using but if you are using sand well.....I don't know what to do than. When washing your pebbles, fill the bucket with some water (not too much though) and just use your hand to just move the pebbles through the water. If you have any fake plants or rocks do the same thing as washing the pebbles except you may want to scrub the rocks and/or the fake plants with a paper towel. You may want to fill the fish tank with water and let it sit there for awhile.Third, place the gravel (pebbles, sand,etc.) on the bottom. Flatten out the gravel and place the fake plants, rocks,etc. where ever you want to. Fill up the tank with water, I didn't use tap water or water from bottles instead I used distilled water. Next place the top on, if you have a filter.....just follow the instructions that come with the filter
(there must be instructions!!) Finally, poke a hole big enough so the fish could swim out it, poke the hole on the bag containing the fish and just kinda tilt the bag towards the water in your tank. I recommand to try not to let any water out of the bag. You can feed the fish a little food. There are some other stuff to do but instructions will help you, okay?

good luck and may your fish live long and be healthy, please use my advice.

THANKS

Answer 3

The honest answer is yes. They may be quite small at the moment and actually may be ok for a few weeks or even a month, but each of your goldfish will grow quite a bit larger. Common goldfish do get over a foot long, which is pretty big for an aquarium fish! It would tank a few hundred gallons of tank for your fish to be comfortable once they are grown.

If you would like suggestions for good fish to keep in a 5 gallon tank, feel free to email me and I'll be glad to help.

MM

Answer 4

In reality, goldfish need a lot of room. They use up a lot of oxygen and pollute the water they live in very fast. I usually like to have about 3 gallons of water for every inch of goldfish. They can get very big too provided enough space. I know if you placed them in a larger tank (I'd recommend at least a 30g) you'll think it's crazy for how empty it looks, but the goldfish should really thrive in a large environment like this. Bad thing is, eventually, if they get large enough, you'll have to upgrade again.

And don't skimp on a filter. Get a high end bio-wheel or emperor filtration unit. These are great for biological filtration, which uses good bacteria to maintain a healthy balance in your tank. It will save you headaches in the future.

If you do upgrade to a larger tank, I'd recommend setting it up for about a week prior to thinking of adding the fish in. And the use of live plants wouldn't hurt either (add natural beauty, an alternative food source for the fish, and another added "filtration" agent). The live plants eat up all the waste and excess food that breaks down and use it as fertilizer. Use gravel from the 5 gallon tank (already has some established bacteria living in it) and let the new tank cycle for awhile. In general, a complete nitrogen cycle can take upwards of 21-30 days, but start testing your levels about a week into set-up. If your levels are checking out good, you should be able to add the fish to the new tank. Best way to safely accomplish this is to float them in the new tank for about 10 minutes. Open the bag they are in at this point and add water from the new tank into the bag (about 1/2 cup). Leave the bag floating for another 5-10 minutes and repeat. After a last 5 minute wait, net the fish out of the bag and place them into the new tank.

If you do upgrade, I can help you out with other types of fish or alternate uses for the 5 g tank.

Answer 5

Yes, it is way too small.

One goldfish alone requires a 30-gallon tank. Each additional goldfish increases the tank size by 10-gallons. Since you have four, you will need a 60-gallon tank.

Answer 6

That's way too small. That's like keeping a labrador in a handbag! For 4 common goldfish you are going to need at least a hundred gallon tank! It will be fine for a couple weeks, but they grow fast and will need to be upgraded fast.

Answer 7

Yes, this is too small. It may seem sufficient now, while they are small but they will grow.

Goldies are high waste producers as well. They eat like pigs and produce just as much waste. All this waste causes a spike in the ammonia levels which is highly unsafe for the fish. Therefore a larger tank is neccessary to give the fish a safe environment.

The minimum for a goldie is ten gallons per fish. Again it sounds like much now for small fish but they do grow quickly when well cared for.

Answer 8

yes -- you will have to keep it really clean. fancy goldfish typically get 8-10". commons will get bigger. in a small unclean tank they will play survival of the fittest. most likely they will belly up one by one until the survivor wins. in general fish enthusiasts recommend at least 10 gallons per goldfish.

Answer 9

it fairly is high quality to start. As replaced into reported you will ought to enhance. mutually as oranda's easily do no longer desire a 20 gallon for one fish a 10 will do. Oranda's rarely recover from 5-7 inches in length (no longer which incorporate the tail) a 10 gallon can surely and conveniently abode your oranda for his existence. that's usually around 8-15 years with stable care.

Answer 10

way too small...ppl here wont let me have 1 goldfish in a 1.8h gallon tank


....i dont no what to do with my goldie.....