GypsyGirl

I love the Koi fish and I want one,but I cant get something small enough.So I am trying to find a fish with a long flowy tail.Do you think you could help me.I want a small koi that I could fit in
a good size tank,is there one for that.Is there other fish that is like a koi?

Cody

..well what size of tank..really the closest thing to koi is goldfish

GypsyGirl

i haven't gotton a tank yet .. i was thinking i didn't want to big of a tank...so i don't know how many fish or kinds i can put in a kinda small tank...

Chief_waterchanger

There are NO koi that need to go in a tank under a 55g for their first year, and will VERY quickly need upwards of a 200g tank for just one of them. They are temperate water fish, and should not be kept with any tropical fish, just incase that wasn't known.

I strongly suggest unless you can devote a 200g tank to one koi then it should only be kept in a good sized pond.

GypsyGirl

are there any fancy goldfish i could keep in a 2 gallon tank?

Chief_waterchanger

No. There are no goldfish that need less than a 20g tank of water per fish at bare minimum. I wouldn't keep a goldfish in less than a 55g by adult size.

A 2g tank could perhaps house some of the small shrimps: Cherry, Cardinia, etc. There aren't really any freshwater fish that need to be kept in a 2g tank.

GypsyGirl

what size tank would a betta need?

Chief_waterchanger

2.5 is the minimum I would suggest. We have a betta in a 2.5 that does alright, but the ones we have in 10g tanks do a tad better.

GypsyGirl

how big do they get??

Chief_waterchanger

Betta splendens? About 2-3 inches I think is about the biggest. However, 2 gallons of water just is not enough for the fish to swim around in sufficiently.

Actually our smallest betta housing tank is 5 gallons, not 2.5g.

COBettaCouple

If you're looking for a tank that a Betta would love but takes up less space - petco has a 6.6g bookshelf tank. It's acrylic with a slight bowfront to it, it's longer than a 10g, but not as tall or deep.

Cody

and you could stil use your 2 gallon..for spare tank or keep a couple shrimp..you wil find that if you can afford it..its always good to go as big as you make room for/take care of
.

0morrokh

Just in case you're one of those people (like me) who likes to know reasons for things, the reasons it's best not to keep Bettas in anything less than 5 gallons:
-it's risky to heat a smaller tank (and anything under 2.5gal can't be heated...a 2.5 gal could but it's really easy for the temp to fluctuate)
-it's hard to maintain good water quality in a tiny tank, which can lead to stress and disease.
-Bettas can actually be pretty active and need room to swim around.
...among other disadvantages to very small tanks. A Betta would be a great fish for you if you can get at least a 5 gal.

metal_fish

im Kepping a betta in a 2 gallon tank that is filtered and heated he is doing extremley well. I dont see why you couldn't keep goldfish in a properly filtered and has good areation 10 gallon tank knowing they only grow as big as there enviorment will let them.

0morrokh

That's a common myth spread by store employees who are just out to make money. Fish don't "grow to the size of their tank". If their growth is stunted it's because of very poor water quality, which often results from trying to keep too big of a fish in too small of a tank. So I guess it can be kind of true but it's certainly not good for the fish at all.

Bettas can survive in very small containers buy they are happier in larger tanks.

COBettaCouple

That's true. When their growth is forcible stunted like that, it causes stress and damage to internal organs, shortening their life span.. and then you get to buy another one.. which is what the stores want.

metal_fish

hmmm well i knew that was true with other fishes. But not goldfish so now i know it has been popularized with keeping such fish in small bowls how sad

COBettaCouple

The info is out there, but the pet stores don't want your fish to live or be healthy. They need to sell more fish and meds.