ara

I usually visit betta forums because I like Betta fish a lot and have 3 of them. Today I received an unexpected gift. Don't you ever send your kids to a carnival! Mine returned back with a goldfish! I didn't want a goldfish, I was ready to purchase another Betta to replace the Betta boy I last 2 month ago. I have a 6 gallon tank all set and ready for a new Betta. Now it looks like our new goldfish is going to make a home there. Wish me luck!

Red1313

I believe that Goldfish need a min of 20Gal's for the 1st and 10 for each one after... the 6 should probably stay for the Betta.

Good luck with the little guy.

agabr123

unfortunately IMO a 6 gallon tank isn't going to be large enough for a goldie, they really need at least a 20 gallon tank for just one, and then an extra ten gallons for each additional one. the 6 will be fine temporarily but goldfish are HUGE waste producers and will need a larger tank sooner rather than later.

Shawnie

congrats on the new baby!!! (gotta love carnivals ...wonder why they dont give away puppies? LOL ) your child must be so excited tho....make sure you share some pics!!

gremlin

I wish goldies weren't considered expendable. The carnival people KNOW the goldies will dies with weeks (if not days or hours). I just got two new goldies today because a friend of mine brought them over. Her little girl got them from a teacher. Two goldies in a glass bottle the size of an apple. (Martinelli's apple juice bottle that looks like a glass apple). She was smart enough to realize they couldn't take care of them and brought them to put in my pond.
The six gallon you have will be ok for a couple of months, but if you are going to keep your goldie, you may want to consider a 30 or 40 gallon tank (so you can get the goldie a friend). Just remember that goldies do not need a heater and actually do better without one.

shellbell4ever

Congrats on your new Goldfish!!!Cute aren't they I got some, they like to have a consistent temp so a heater might come in handy I have heard it's recommended 10 gallon per fish if you can upgrade them to a larger tank in the future you'll see there quite entertaining
Pic's asap

ara

Thank you, guys, for your replies!
I know that the tank I have is too small for my new guy (girl?). Unfortunately I can't have a bigger one. My goldie is in a 1 gal quarantine bowl right now (I change water every other day, T=68-72F) and he doesn't look too healthy. He stays on the bottom of the bowl all the time. He is my first gold fish and I don't know if it's normal or not. He eats, no problem (it's always a good sign). Yesterday all my "kids" - 3 Bettas and the new guy had a pea day and he had no trouble eating pieces of a pea. Would somebody be so kind to recommend a good brand of food for my guy?

Iron waffle

I give my goldies pellet food, i'm not sure on the brand, but the flakes aren't that good. They also love vegetables, (peas, lettuce...) If it's a fancy goldfish, color enhancing foods are good to keep them looking healthy. they like to be fed twice a day. good luck with your goldfish

Oh, and i find that i need to do more water changes on my goldfish tank as well, because they produce a lot of waste.

gremlin

Just about any pellet food will do ok. The pellets are better than the flakes because they don't dissolve as fast. The goldies that they give away at the carnival are usually common goldfish. Look at the fins. If they are shorter and rounded, you most likely have a female. If they are longer and pointy, you most likely have a male. It is not really normal for the goldie to be sitting at the bottom of the bowl all the time. Is there anything in the bowl with him/her? You may want to put a piece of a plastic plant in so he/she has something he/she can "hide" behind. It might make him/her feel a bit more comfortable.

ara

My goldie looks so much better today! She finally started to swim around and acts like a healthy fish! I think she/he was neglected at the place where my kid won her.
Gremlin, could you, please, take a look at the pictures of my fish and tell if it is a girl or a boy.

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KyWildFish

Goldfish need to reach sexual maturity before you can even wager a guess. Thats a comet, or feeder goldfish. It will probably not get much bigger as it likely has been stunted.

gremlin

From the pics, I would say you most likely have a young male. The hint of black on the fins and around the mouth tell me it is less than two years old (and probably less than one year old). The pointy-ness of the tail fin with the deep center notch tells me boy fish. He is still young enough and small enough that he probably has not been stunted yet. Even if he was "stunted", putting him in a proper sized tank/pond would allow him to start growing again. Goldies will slow down their body growth (not necessarily their organ growth) if they are in too small of a tank for an extended period of time. However, if you move them to a larger tank/pond, they will start growing at a more normal rate and can still grow to their full potential. That particular fish, if he is the only fish in the tank, would do OK in a 20 gallon long tank. He will need the back and forth swimming room. He is either a common (which have shorter fins) or a comet (which have the longer fins) or a cross between the two (which have medium length fins). He will need more swimming room than a fancy goldfish (the ones with the egg shaped bodies like the black moor or the oranda). If you want to get him a companion, then I would recommend a minimum of 55 gallons just for the swimming room. If you wanted to get three, then I would suggest a 75 - 80 gallon tank. You will not need a heater for him. The fancy goldfish do prefer a stable temperature, but the commons/comets actually do better without the heater. Whatever size tank you decide to put him in, I would use a filter that is rated for double the size of the tank. You can also get ammonia removing stones that can sit in the tank as decoration and smaller ones that can go in the filter. They will help to control the ammonia if you decide to get him multiple companions. Bear in mind that his temperature range will be anywhere from 55 degrees Farenheit to 80 degrees Farenheit depending on the temperature of the room he is in and whether or not the tank gets direct sun. Pellets work great for goldies because the float on top and hold their shape long enough for the goldie to eat his fill without the food dissolving in the water or sinking to the bottom to mold. If you have plants or moss, he may also graze on it. My goldies will line up along the top edge of the pond to graze on the moss growing there. They can't get it all the way to the plastic pond liner, but they keep it from growing too long until my pond warms up enough for my CAE's and plecos to go out and graze (pond water temp this morning 61 degrees farenheit and my goldies are very active).

ara

Thank you so much for the useful information!
I moved my boy to the 6 gal tank for now. I will try to find something more appropriate for him as soon as possible.

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panda

tank looks great so does fish, i love goldfish and have kept them for over ten years, i do however agree that he should eventually get bigger tank and friend, goldfish are very social. when i moved 3 particular goldfish to a bigger tank they still stuck to each other year later like they were still in smaller tank.

Lucy

I love goldies, yours is really cute. I shudder when I think back of the conditions I kept mine in.

They're so full of personality!

shih-tzu mom

Hi: i have 3-fantails and 3-oranda's and 3-baby pearlscales and the 3-bigger ones are in a 40-gallon and love it. The fantails when i got them were around an inch and that was end of oct; and they are now close to 6-inches not including tail and very fat lol. The pelletts i get are sinking one made by Hakari and New Life Spectrum a little expensive but the later you feed less as it is a better food.And lots of fresh veggies and a big tank and very high filters and your good to go. Good Luck with your goldies bella

Phinny12

very cute goldie!

ara

One more question, please.
How many pellets do I need to give to my boy? I feed him twice a day giving him 12 small pellets every time. Sunday is a pea day (1/2 a pea twice a day). I haven't tried any other vegetables yet. Do I give him enough food?

Iron waffle

I think you are feeding him well. i think the guide line for goldfish is as much as they'll eat in 1 minute. so 30 seconds each time. peas are great, or other vegetables like spinach or zucchini.

ABCDemily

Goldies, due to their size really need a nice big 20 gal minimum tank as of their bioload and general size, otherwise their growth will be severely stunted and water conditions will be lax.

Regal

He's cute. I like the black lipstick lol. He will be a good excuse to get a bigger tank. For now though, I'd say he's a lucky little fish to have gotten to come home with you.

aquarist48

What a nice tank! Goldie is cute!

serissime

Is he around 1 or 2"? How big are your pellets? 1mm pellets (generally the "small" size) or so are fine for 12 2x/day I think They also like lettuce, cucumber, orange slices... etc. I've seen a lot of people sinking their vegetables or fruit using a fork. (Easy removal, just pick up the fork!) They also like to snack on floating plants.

good luck! I hope he's a comet so I can live vicariously through you

chenwb

Looks like youre doing the right things =) He looks nice, and will definitely grow (is not stunted). I used to buy the "feeder goldfish" if i saw one with nice patterns and let it grow in my indoor pond. They are usually around 10''.

I don't think it's a comet, though.

ara

My friends, thank you so much for your advices and support. Unfortunately I lost my little goldie... I have no clue what went wrong with him. He was happy and healthy all the time. One day he lost his appetite, looked really sad and the next day he was gone... I can't understand why he died so fast.

Robin4

Aw!!!! I'm sorry for your loss... He was a beautiful fish and had a really nice tank. Maybe you can try one again; one of your own choosing.

Robin