Accidentally Bought A Goldfish

He was wrongly labled a minnow all by himself and I didn't know enough to properly identify it. That being said it's a common silver goldfish and I'm aware he's gonna need a bare minimum of a 30 gallon tank. I'm actually going to be setting up a kiddie pool for him.

Before I do I need to know a few things. I've heard they're social. How many would I need to get as a bare minimum to keep him happy and not lonely? And what would be an ideal gallon size for this group once full grown?

Do you have any recommendations for setting up a kiddie pool as an above ground pond of sorts?

What is the best way to be able to hook up a filter to it? I have no idea how I'm going to plug one in.

Please don't tell me to re-home him. I'm fully prepared to give him a proper Home.

Also what other fish can be housed with them that'll help with mosquitos so they don't become a problem?

 

Common goldies get 12” plus so nothing less the 150 for the first, I’d say go for 300 gallons and get him 2 buddies.

 

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Common goldies get 12” plus so nothing less the 150 for the first, I’d say go for 300 gallons and get him 2 buddies.

I knew they got that big but I guess yet again I was misinformed lol

Okay I think I can handle doing that. Gotta go search for something big enough

 

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I knew they got that big but I guess yet again I was misinformed lol

Okay I think I can handle doing that. Gotta go search for something big enough

Oh, stupid random thought, is it a Koi or a goldy? Koi have barbels (whiskers) I had someone almost charge me for a Koi instead of the goldy I was buying cause the employee didn’t know the difference.

 

To keep mosquitos down try mosquitofish. Lol.

I'd say get an oversized canister, or DIY a pond filter.

 

Not all commons or comets get to a full foot. The koi’s Will grow way over that. Sometimes the commons only get to about 8 inches. I have a common, comet, and a tiny Shubunkin in a 125 gallon pond. I am told I could add one more on my pond forum but I won’t.

 

I was thinking about doing a diy pond filter cuz from what I've seen diy filters end up being way better (for cheaper) than filters you can buy.

Nope he's definitely a common goldfish. I only took one bad picture of him in the bag I'll take a better one of him in a 10 gallon when I get home.

Could you add different types together? I heard you couldn't but if it's possible I would probably want to give him buddies who are smaller lol

I like mosquito fish so those are a definite yes. I like having a variety of things though so is there anything else onto of them I could add?

I found a $26 600 gallon 18 inch deep kiddie pool. I am considering this but am still looking cuz I'm not sure how I'm going to be sneaky and justify something that big for fish outside (I live with my parents who don't even want me to gave fish but have gotten over it cuz I already have them and theyre all in my room) we DO have space for it but I was thinking of setting this up in the front yard and building a feature around it so it looks nice and that might be a bit too big for my family to accept.

I wish there was clear kiddie pools so I could see them from all angles xP Or I could figure out how to build a waterfall within it to make it look extra nice

 

For common and comet goldfish, the minimum tank size is 40 gallons for the first fish and 10 gallons per additional goldfish.

As a bare minimum, you only need to get one more goldfish to keep him happy.

Mosquitos will not be a problem, the goldfish will eat them. Definitely do not get mosquito fish, they don't do well in cold water and are likely to get eaten by the goldfish when they get bigger.

 

Commons, comets, and shubukin are about it. Fancies won’t make it outdoors. If you have cold winters, you’ll need a deeper pond...about 36” - 48”.

 

Okay. Good to know that I can't get fancies. Our winters aren't too bad. It's barely snowed at all this year. Our "snow storms" were at most barely 3 inches and more like only 1

Oh no getting mixed information again xP this is what I don't like about some fish the information is always mixed and I have no idea what to follow

 

Well, I would listen to the people who have goldfish and know them from experience. My goldfish all look different. You can still get different colors of comets, commons, and of course the Shubunkin are calico. They still look different. Your knew one sounds really pretty.

 

Yeah I agree with that. Listen to the people who actually have them and aren't housing them in tiny containers lol

From what I can tell even just commons have a wide variety of looks so I'm fine with them all being the same type.

I had no idea goldfish could be silver! That's actually the reason I didn't catch he was mislabeled. I just went oh I don't know everything about minnows so he must be a minnow cuz he's small and silver. Whoops!

 

Get a few sponge filters, they add oxygen and filter the water, goldfish create a lot of waste so make sure it's enough. Then you just need to plug in an air pump rather than the entire filter itself.

 

It does sound really pretty. My comets range from 8”-16”. They’ve overbred. You may want to consider sexing the additions and stick to only one sex in your small pond. And in CT you’d need a deeper pond than 18” and part of it should really be below the frost line. And please get a better pic. Sounds beautiful! Oh, and remember Goldies are shall we say messy. Listen to folks who’ve dealt with pond goldfish if you plan on keeping them outside. An an aquarium will need to be fairly large because they are so messy. I swear they poo more than they eat!

 

What is the frost line? If it means underground I can't do that because my family would NOT approve of me tearing up the yard.

How deep would I need then?

Yeah I'm aware they're extremely messy. I actually don't know my guys gender. I'm just calling him a he cuz I like boys better . If anyone could help me sex him that would be great.

More pictures coming as soon as I get home from work! Walking home now


Also! Would it be better to get his buddies sooner while he's still small or figure out his permanent home first then worry about who he's gonna be with?

 

I would wait until you have his permanent home set up, I have had goldfish alone for months and I don't think it caused any harm.

 

I agree with ceh9634. My common goldfish lived alone for about 6 months.

 

He won't get too big during this time to safely introduce small goldfish once it's setup?

 

I wouldn't, just in case you can't keep him. It's easier to find a new home for one fish rather than two.

 

This is very true. And most likely why the person I'm rescuing sick deformed fish from is trying to dump them all on me since I was willing to take multiple << thankfully I've found a good amount of them forever homes once I treat them so that won't be a big issue but still xP

 

If he’s small enough now to be confused for a minnow, you have some time to sort out his home before getting a friend. When you do, you’ll want to judge by his size then what size of friend to buy him- nothing he might inadvertently eat lol. Goldfish aren’t really all that concerned with what they eat as long as it fits in their mouth lol....that said, they treat watermelon like ice cream! Yum!

 

I agree with ceh9634. My common goldfish lived alone for about 6 months.

My first accidental comet was alone for at least two years before we knew he was there. Tried to order him a brother but they sent a girl. Then hubby found another girl. Now I have too many. Anyway, he will be fine alone.

 

I agree with the others. A friend is not really necessary, though I do think they’re “social”. But sometimes doing so can mess up a good thing, IMO.

 

What is the frost line? If it means underground I can't do that because my family would NOT approve of me tearing up the yard.

How deep would I need then?

Yeah I'm aware they're extremely messy. I actually don't know my guys gender. I'm just calling him a he cuz I like boys better . If anyone could help me sex him that would be great.

More pictures coming as soon as I get home from work! Walking home now


Also! Would it be better to get his buddies sooner while he's still small or figure out his permanent home first then worry about who he's gonna be with?

Ok. No digging. Can you get a deeper container? I have some stock tanks I use as quarantine tanks.

 

I'm still looking around for different kiddie pools trying to find what's best. It's a bit hard though xP but I haven't actually bought anything yet so yes! I just need to figure out what the best size would be

And okay no buddy for him till I get his outside home all finished!

Finally made my way home after a couple small errands. Will take pictures as soon as I grab something to eat!

I swear I'm the worst at taking pictures of my fish ugh xP I tried. Definitely looks a ton better in person especially when you watch him go from a dull silver to silver with a metallic gold shine.

 

You can browse online for heavy duty plastic or fiberglass koi or goldfish tubs. They might be pricey though. I feel a lot better about using those than cheap kiddie pool plastic that could leak chemicals in freezing and hot temperature extremes, but that’s just me. I’m a tad paranoid.

That said, if getting an outdoor pond right now is going to be a pain in the butt, then just get a standard aquarium. AI'm for 40 gallon and up. Some members here might want to tear my head for saying that though. Don’t splatter your brains out thinking so hard.

I swear I'm the worst at taking pictures of my fish ugh xP I tried. Definitely looks a ton better in person especially when you watch him go from a dull silver to silver with a metallic gold shine.

The Japanese call that a funa. Hibuna is what they call Common goldfish. Funa is a Hibuna with a more natural bronze coloring. They’re a lot hardier than fancy varieties, since they’re not so line bred.

 

You can browse online for heavy duty plastic or fiberglass koi or goldfish tubs. They might be pricey though. I feel a lot better about using those than cheap kiddie pool plastic that could leak chemicals in freezing and hot temperature extremes, but that’s just me. I’m a tad paranoid.

That said, if getting an outdoor pond right now is going to be a pain in the butt, then just get a standard aquarium. AI'm for 40 gallon and up. Some members here might want to tear my head for saying that though. Don’t splatter your brains out thinking so hard.

I agree. When I was young many thousands of years ago, we kept goldfish in bowls. Just kept getting bigger bowls. Mine lived 16 years. Had two. Take your time. Get him set up in a good sized aquarium. Maybe you’ll come across something that will be perfect. Relax and enjoy your beautiful new friend. Hugs.

 

Okay. I'll look into my options and try not to stress out about it.

I did find a 100 gallon stock tank that I could afford. Do you think that would be a better option than a larger kiddie pool? It's 25 inches deep

 

Yes. The good thing about stock tanks is you can always put hay around the outside to help keep the bottom of the tank warmer/cooler depending on weather. You’ll want to really rinse it out. A lot if purchased new. Stores use pesticides and herbicides Willy nilly around stock tanks.

 

Ooo okay thanks for the warning!

Also I'm super excited. Originally I was gonna just sneaky make this pond but I asked my dad if I could and he said yes he just needs to pick a spot for it. So now but there won't be an issue for electricity because he can deal with it for me. And because I have official permission to do this I can get away with going bigger

 

Ooo okay thanks for the warning!

Also I'm super excited. Originally I was gonna just sneaky make this pond but I asked my dad if I could and he said yes he just needs to pick a spot for it. So now but there won't be an issue for electricity because he can deal with it for me. And because I have official permission to do this I can get away with going bigger

Always best to get help from dad! Miss mine so I’m super happy yours said yes! It’s going to be awesome. You can get some hornwort anacharis etc. once he’s bigger, he’ll eat them but while he’s small, they’ll just add some O2 to the water. Google container ponds. Bet you’ll find something perfect! Keep us posted ok?

 

Will do! I'm going to be trying really hard to find a way to do a waterfall to help with getting o2 in there plus my dad got extremely excited about the idea of having a waterfall. If I can figure it out and its not too hard I have this idea to create like smaller waterfalls into tiny pockets to have a sort of self watering plant system so there can be a sort of garden attached to it

No idea if I can pull off what I have in my head but here's to hoping!

I know with him helping me I'll be able to pull off something way better than what I could of done myself

But where he decides it's going will really determine the style it's going to be. Like I may only have to build off the front and side or I may have to build around the entire thing. I have no idea yet. All I know is I want it to be a rock feature with a garden around and off of it

 

Will do! I'm going to be trying really hard to find a way to do a waterfall to help with getting o2 in there plus my dad got extremely excited about the idea of having a waterfall. If I can figure it out and its not too hard I have this idea to create like smaller waterfalls into tiny pockets to have a sort of self watering plant system so there can be a sort of garden attached to it

No idea if I can pull off what I have in my head but here's to hoping!

I know with him helping me I'll be able to pull off something way better than what I could of done myself

But where he decides it's going will really determine the style it's going to be. Like I may only have to build off the front and side or I may have to build around the entire thing. I have no idea yet. All I know is I want it to be a rock feature with a garden around and off of it

It will be beautiful! I can’t wait!

 

How’s your little “minnow “?

We nearly ended up with one today lol. I wanted rosy reds for the kids and hubby pointed to the tank next door and said “ I like those ones”

I chuckled and told him “those are baby goldfish, they need a pond “

They look pretty close when they’re little

 

He's still adjusting but he's more active than he was at the store so that's good. I finally took a decent picture of him too! Well... Her BUT until I can officially confirm he's really a girl I'm gonna keep calling him a him .

Oh God at least I'm not the only one who thinks so! That makes me feel a bit better about my mistake lol

Now I just gotta save up money so I can slowly start building this pond xP

 

Post your pond build ok? Will be so cool! Love ponds!