Carnival Goldfish

HI all, thanks for any help in advance. I was at the carnival with my child and saw the goldfish/pingpong game and decided to play. I did think about what I would do for the fish if we won and figured a 3-5 gallon tank would be great for the fish compared to what they had and decided to invest at least that much. I honestly figured I could get a couple more fish for the same tank. We rushed to Walmart right after and got a $30 5 gallon kit with filter/led lights/water conditioner and bought gravel/food.

Now doing some online research it appears this 5 gallon tank is not sufficient for it to grow. I do feel a bit responsible and want to do the right thing.

What are my options? I have a small place, tight budget, but can see possibly investing in something bigger, but max 20-30 gallons. I would hope to get a few more fish or invertabre if I went that route.

Will it be ok for a couple weeks while I make a decision?

Thanks!

 

Common/comet goldfish should be kept in a pond as they can reach 12 inches and can live for 50+ years. They also have a huge bioload...a 3-5 gallon most certainly cannot sustain the bioload. Daily water changes will be necessary 100%. IMO a 20-30 gallon tank is not big enough for a common goldfish and will lead to stunting.

 

Is it a fancy goldfish or a common one? Fancies look like living eggs, common ones look like baby carps. If it is a fancy goldfish it woud do good in a 30 gal with another fancy. If it is a common I'm afraid you will need something bigger, like a pond. The problem with tanks that small is that the fish will get stunted and not grow to is full potential while it will also be hard to keep the tank parameters good.

I would do daily 90% water changes every day (drop the water level until the goldfish is almost on its side) until you decide what to do. That will keep the water clean and will remove hormones that may stunt him from the water.

If it is a common goldfish I would rehome him and use the 5 gal tank as a betta/pea puffer tank. If it is a fancy I would do daily water changes until you get him a big enough home (a 30 gal).

 

I would do daily 90% water changes every day (drop the water level until the goldfish is almost on its side) until you decide what to do. That will keep the water clean and will remove hormones that may stunt him from the water.

DONT drop the water that low with a fish in it, you'll stress the heck out of it. Put him in a different container, and then empty that much. If you can, go bare bottom tank it will be much easier to clean out the waste.

 

A great option would be a plastic container. Buy a 30-50 gallon plastic container from home depot, make sure to cycle the water in the plastic container and add gravel, decorations, and invest in a canister filter (about 70 dollars). Look up setups on YouTube for more help. But a plastic container is a great choice for a tight budget.

 

DONT drop the water that low with a fish in it, you'll stress the heck out of it. Put him in a different container, and then empty that much. If you can, go bare bottom tank it will be much easier to clean out the waste.

People do it with Discus, I don't see why it would be overly stressed. I think being chased by a giant net is scarier than a very low water level.

 

I always do wonder what carnivals people go to to play these games... never seen anything like it in Australia.

Your option: Get a bigger tank. or better yet a pond. If you can't then rehome the fish.

 

My goldfish love started the same way as yours. Do not make the same mistake I did and at least use starter zyme on the tank until you research the nitrogen cycle. Feed them once a day with an amount of food they can eat in 3-4 minutes. Do water changes once a week and make sure the tank does not smell fishy or else you have a lot of ammonia and will need to perform water changes. Buy a siphon or use a container to take out water and make sure to use water conditioner on any water you add to the aquarium. It may seem like a lot of work at first but goldfish are a great pet. Hope you do a good job housing this fish and good luck!

 

Thanks for all the quick help.

I will do water changes until it's rehomed. I've gotten a few different responses about how often and how much so I figure I'll average it out and hopefully won't be too wrong.

Where can I rehome it? I don't know of a pond where I can put it.

 

Thanks for all the quick help.

I will do water changes until it's rehomed. I've gotten a few different responses about how often and how much so I figure I'll average it out and hopefully won't be too wrong.

Where can I rehome it? I don't know of a pond where I can put it.

Plastic container! Read my previous posts

 

People do it with Discus, I don't see why it would be overly stressed. I think being chased by a giant net is scarier than a very low water level.

really??? that actually really surprises me. I'd almost be more worried about how the OP adds clean water. You can't just dump an ice cream pail of declorinated water in, they'd send him flying and THAT has to be stressful.
But discus are ok with that? huh. Ok. Never mind then. My apologies.

 

Where can I rehome it? I don't know of a pond where I can put it.

do you mean rehome it as in keep it or give it to someone else?

A plastic conatiner will not be big enough for a comet. You can donate it to your LFS or if you know someone else into goldfish you could ask them if they want it

 

do you mean rehome it as in keep it or give it to someone else?

A plastic conatiner will not be big enough for a comet. You can donate it to your LFS or if you know someone else into goldfish you could ask them if they want it

A 50 gallon plastic container will be sufficient for the time being. It will take a while until the comet grows out of it.

 

really??? that actually really surprises me. I'd almost be more worried about how the OP adds clean water. You can't just dump an ice cream pail of declorinated water in, they'd send him flying and THAT has to be stressful.
But discus are ok with that? huh. Ok. Never mind then. My apologies.

Yeah, I was surprised too when I saw breeders and other people do it. They usually refill it with a hose. Since goldfish are so hardy I don't think either way would be bad. If you fill the tank with a bucket then easiest would be to net the fish out, drain the tank refill it with the bucket and just add it back. If you are using a hose then doing it until their dorsal fin is about to come out of the water would be fine as the hose won't send the fish flying.

 

A 50 gallon plastic container will be sufficient for the time being. It will take a while until the comet grows out of it.

That sounds like a great idea, but I think I would just buy a tank if I were going to spend $70 for the plastic setup.

 

That sounds like a great idea, but I think I would just buy a tank if I were going to spend $70 for the plastic setup.

Depends where you are I guess. a 50 gallon set up would cost around 150-200$ where I am. All about bargain hunting.

 

Glass tanks are way more expensive than 70 bucks. If you want a big body of water buy a giant plastic tub. A 108 cm long X 70 cm wide X 40 cm tall tub costs around 30 dollars where I live. You will never find a tank with those measurements for that cheap.

 

Donating it to a local pet shop seems like the sensible thing to do when I first thought about it. Then I thought that if the fish had a choice between me buying a 20-30 gallon tank and adding one or two fish OR what is behind door number 1/aka donate it to the local pet shop and the possibilities for the rest of its life there, he would probably pick the 20-30 gallon tank.

 

DirtyFishCop,

Do you have a backyard or a patio? I set up a container pond for my common goldfish. You can fully set one up for around $200 or under.

Something like this:


Plus fish safe silicone to give it a 100% water tight seal, a bag of pool filter sand or play sand that's washed really well, and a pond filter...you'll be set. With one that size you can even give it a few buddies. They work really well as ponds.

If not, one of these will be a good temporary home until you can find someone with a pond who wants him/her:


Picture from when I was setting it up:

 

Donating it to a local pet shop seems like the sensible thing to do when I first thought about it. Then I thought that if the fish had a choice between me buying a 20-30 gallon tank and adding one or two fish OR what is behind door number 1/aka donate it to the local pet shop and the possibilities for the rest of its life there, he would probably pick the 20-30 gallon tank.

I'm kinda stuck in the same situation but on a larger scale. My 8" common either has the choice of a pond 6 months of the year and a massively overstocked tank the rest or a 60 gallonto himself year round. I'm going with the 60g. That being said, he's also 8-9 years old so he's not a baby anymore. BUT at the same time, a 30 gallon is way to small for a common, even my 60 gallonis pushing it. I would hang onto him for a bit and try and find him a home.

 

I'm kinda stuck in the same situation but on a larger scale. My 8" common either has the choice of a pond 6 months of the year and a massively overstocked tank the rest or a 60 gallonto himself year round. I'm going with the 60g. That being said, he's also 8-9 years old so he's not a baby anymore. BUT at the same time, a 30 gallon is way to small for a common, even my 60 gallonis pushing it. I would hang onto him for a bit and try and find him a home.

Sorry to get off topic kinda, but how many water changes a week do you have to do to keep his water parameters safe?

 

Sorry to get off topic kinda, but how many water changes a week do you have to do to keep his water parameters safe?

Weekly 50%. He's also pretty much the only thing in there. *technically* I should be doing more but I have a busy life.

 

If you are comfortable with shipping them or live around northwest Pennsylvania, I'd be happy to take him. I have a huge pond with other koi and goldfish in it, and he'd have plenty of space to grow and lots of friends. Also, a big enough tank for a common or comet will cost several hundred dollars, much more than a plastic container.

 

If you are comfortable with shipping them or live around northwest Pennsylvania, I'd be happy to take him. I have a huge pond with other koi and goldfish in it, and he'd have plenty of space to grow and lots of friends. Also, a big enough tank for a common or comet will cost several hundred dollars, much more than a plastic container.

That's awesome, I will message you soon and do some research on how to ship him.

Thanks

 

I did notice it has a few scales missing when looking close. It doesn't have any white or black marks, its eyes look good, and it looks healthy. It's either swimming back and forth constantly (not darting though) or picking up the gravel, and it's not gulping for air. I did a 50% water change with conditioned room temp water today.

 

Hey DirtyFishCop, I was just checking in to see if you had found a home for your goldfish?

 

LilBlub - I ended up finding a pet shop that adopted him and put him in a non -feeder large tank and said they would let him grow before selling, he was with larger fish then himself. It just seemed easier that to try shipping for the first time.

I did turn the tank into a cherry shrimp only tank that is breeding ( I changed the filter and light). I now have a empty 20 gallon high that I plan to be a well planted cardinal tetra(10 -15?) and blue rilI shrimp tank. It seems like the cardinals could eat a few of the smallest baby shrimp but I plan on making a corner of the tank like a shrimp sanctuary with a sort of rock/plant wall that would make the school unlikely to venture in.

Before and after pics.

Thanks for the advice and offered help.

 

Well I'm glad he got to go to a big tank and I hope he finds a good home!