Re: goldfish question
- From: "Tynk" <TYNK7@xxxxxxx>
- Date: 25 Jan 2006 10:32:26 -0800
Koi-lo wrote:
> <wild98@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:1137719007.988176.93200@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Hi everyone, new to the group.
> >
> > I have a feeder goldfish, about 1.5" long, very healthy appetite and
> > energetic when it wants to be. Hey gotta start somewhere right? I
> > picked up a 3-gallon Marineland Eclipse 3 with the bio-wheel
> > filter..........
>
> Goldfish get large, up to 12" under excellent conditions so a 3g tank is
> much to small. Can you replace this with a 10g tank?
>
> > I put a 3-day disolvable feeder in the tank Friday before I left work,
> > came back in Monday and saw it was mostly dissolved, which meant the
> > fish was well fed - but the water was pretty murky after that, which
> > prompted the 25% water change which I was told I only really needed
> > once a month,
>
> Don't use those feeder blocks. They foul the water and contain almost no
> food. It's almost all filler. Your goldfish will do fine with no food over
> the weekends. Feed him a 3rd time when you get back to work on Monday. I
> had a tank on my desk at work as well (before I retired). :-)
>
> not what will turn into a weekly chore if I keep using
> > the 3-day feeders. A pet shop staff member said that goldfish are
> > pretty hardy and as long as they're normally fed on Friday (not
> > overfed), they'd be fine until Monday morning -
>
> Exactly! My goldfish at the office were fine even over a 3 day weekend.
>
> I've seen other sites
> > suggesting that making your fish fast now and then is healthy for them
> > - is this true?
>
> Not to my knowledge.
>
> ... He doesn't tip over, he's not swimming crooked or
> > anything, he's perfectly vertical while swimming around, but he just
> > sits right at the bottom of the tank. Very odd in my opinion, but then
> > I'm not anything close to an expert so figured I'd ask you guys....
>
> What is the ammonia reading in this tank? How about the nitrite levels?
> You do dechlorinate the water you add I hope.
>
> > This morning, I noticed a few little white spots on its right side near
> > the anal fin, but as the day went on they seem to have gone away. He's
> > been swiming fine, eating fine, loves to siphon the gravel for
> > leftovers, but then he'll pause, stop, sink to the gravel, and sit
> > there. There are no other spots on him, his scales are bight shiney
> > orange, his fins look okay (no red, no rips etc)
>
> Usually feeders aren't the healthiest fish in the store. No one cares about
> them because most will go as food to some predator someone keeps. White
> spots can be ick. You can Google Goldfish and come up with more info than
> you can read.
>
> > Is this really normal behavior, or should I just consider that a $0.20
> > feeder goldfish really isn't meant as a long-term aquatic pet? Should I
> > look at getting a pair of tetras or something else instead?
>
> Your tank is really too small for goldfish.
> --
>
> Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
> Aquariums since 1952
> My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
> Aquariums: http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy/Aquarium-Page4.html
> http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
> ~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>
Koi-Lo wrote:
<<> Goldfish get large, up to 12" under excellent conditions so a 3g
tank is
> much to small. Can you replace this with a 10g tank?>>>
Depending on the type of feeder, some can reach 16".
AND, knowing that why would you recommend them getting a 10g tank, just
to have to buy another larger tank later on??
Feeder Goldies are the ones that should have 15-20 gallons PER
Goldfish.
The smaller, fancy types are the ones that can be stuffed into a 10g by
it's self with no other tank mates.
Your statement floored me, as you are supposed to be so knowledgeable
in Goldfish.
To the original poster:
NEVER use those feeder blocks. They contain mostly plaster. This screws
up the water chemistry of your tank. They should really be taken off
the market, seeing how much harm they cause a tank.
It's perfectly fine to leave a fish without food over the weekend. Do
not over feed before leaving work on Fridays either. You'll only foul
the water quality.
And yes..you heard correct. Fasting a fish for a day a week is a good
thing.
Many seasoned aquarists fast their fish once weekly. It gives the
fish's body time to clean out and not get backed up.
As for the Goldfish in a 3g tank...not going to happen for much longer.
You have an infant fish. Put your hands 12" and then 16" aprt. That's
how large that fish can grow.
Goldies put out much more waste than the average community type fish
and you will need to do extra water changes as well.
Do not add any other types of fish to a Goldie tank, as they are not
compatible. Only Goldies should go with Goldies and you need to tank
space to do so.
For the 3g Eclipse (I love these and have 2 of them, and recommend them
all the time for Betta keepers) the Goldie cannot live it for much
longer and you'll either have to buy a 20g or larger tank for it, or
exchange it for something that can survive in a small tank.
A single male Betta would be wonderful (of course I would suggest such
a fish, as I'm a Betta breeder lol), b ut other fish such as 6 Neon
tetras, or a trio of fancy Guppies (get all males or you'll be overun
with babies), something that stays around an 1" - 1 1/2" long and has a
thin body mass, or somthing that can be kept alone, such as a male
Betta or Paradise Gourami.
Other than that there's not really much you can house in a 3g in
numbers.
Tetras are schooling fish and most grow too large to have a small
school in a 3g tank.
The Neons stay pretty small, so you could get away with a small school
of them.
Tiger Barbs get too large (body mass, not legnth) and need to be in
schools of 6 or more. So they're out too.
The odd behavior of your fish is either due to poor water conditions
(IE having a feeder block over the weekend in there or simply from the
goldie putting out more waste than you are removing with water
changes), or disease. My bet is on the water quality though.
Please do some research before buying a fish.
They don't all have the same needs and you cannot use that old,
outdated, useless "rule" about one inch of fish per gallon. That only
applies to 1-1 1/2" slim bodied fish..and no others in the hobby.
Some fish need territories, some have more body mass and need more
space than other fish of the same size, etc. There are so many reasons
why that old rule is a myth and has no place in this hobby anymore.
You are going to realize that there is so much bad info out there and
much of it coming from pet shop employees. = O
There are some wonderful shops out there with knowledgeable people
working in them, but they are sadly rare now a days. (NetMax's store
obviously not included in the bad ones). = ) He's a rare gem.
So go into a shop armed with knowledge before you go. Know the animal
you are thinking about before buying it. That way in the future you
won't run into the type of trouble that you are now in.
Don't get me wrong...you have a little time to figure out what to do
(water changes not included! Do them weekly), but not that long. It's
already 1 1/2".
.
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