poefox

I have a serious question here--is it true that you need a very large tank for goldfish? I constantly see them in 10g or 20g tanks, and yet some afficionados say this is bad for them. I'd like to know.

newbie101

you should have 20 gallons for the first goldfish and then 10 for each additional one. Goldfish are very messy fish.

0morrokh

Also they get huge and some are very active.

poefox

Yes but...my understanding is that some breeds only get to be 3-5 inches long, right? So you could keep say two in a 10g if you did frequent water changes.

Skadunkadunk

A good rule for goldfish is, 15-20 gallons for the first goldfish, and then 10 more gallons for every othe goldfish. You have to understand though that goldfish are not as easy to take care of as they appear. Goldfish are very messy, and the overall gph (gallons per hour) of your filters should be 10x the total gallons, so for example, if you havea 20 gallon tank, the gph should be 200. Also, goldfish need vegetables 3-4 times per week. And goldfish can only be kept with other goldfish because they require cooler tempetures than tropical fish. Finally, the smallest goldfish are about 6 inches long, all goldfish create a lot of waste, andgoldfish cn live for up to 20 years. But if you can provide all of this, then you will realize that goldfish have a true personality, and can become a true pet.

If you are serious about goldfish, visit this site:
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/

Peter243243

That more room than needed, I have 6 goldfish in a 10 gallon tank and they are fine.

Butterfly

I'm sorry peter I have to very respectfully disagree! A ten gallon tank is very definately not large enough for six goldfish.
Poefox - Goldfish are huge waste producers and their growth can be stunted and subject to huge ammonia spikes in small tanks. Yes you constantly see them in small tanks at stores but so are bettas and we know thats not good for them.
Carol