Upgrading Tank Size

Hello! I bought a Fancy Fantail goldfish just to keep as a pet, and he has been alive for almost a year! The thing is, when I got him, I did not realize that goldfish needed very large tanks in order to be happy and live a long time. With that being said, he has been in a small, one gallon bowl for his year of life. Needless to say, I feel awful about it and I feel that it is only right to get him a larger tank for his one year fish birthday. However, I do not have room for a 30 gallon tank anywhere in my house, and I know next to nothing about tanks and filtering. I'm also worried that the change in the environment will kill my fish. Does anybody have any recommendations for smaller tanks that could be suitable for my fish, or even tips that a beginner goldfish owner should know? I love my fish dearly and I don't want him to die because I'm inexperienced.

 

An single gold fish would be quite comfortable in a 10-20 gallon tank. I’d go 20 with live plants, some snails or shrimp and maybe a friend or 2!

 

Welcome to FishLore!

The minimum recommended tank size for a single fancy goldfish is 20g.

I would recommend against adding a live plant because the goldfish will uproot and eat it.

 

a 20 gallon Long would be best, larger footprint. and they don't need tall tanks. an Aquaclear 50 or Seachem Tidal 55 will work well in a 20g.

it'll fit nicely on a shelving rack like this. so doesn't take up too much space, at the same time providing some storage space too.

 

stehic95 , welcome to the forum.

What size tank is the gold fish in now?

Unfortunately Petco just ended their $1/gallon bare tank sale and Petsmart just ended their 50% off starter kit sale.

Petsmart did continue the sale on their Top Fin starter kits, now at 30% off.

I believe if you download their app and play some type of game, you can get an additional 20% off coupon code. They also have a deal where if you buy online and pick up at store, you get another 5% off.

Our first aquarium was the Top Fin 20 gallon starter kit. Everything that came with it still works. They include a lid, LED light, heater, thermometer and filter.

The included filter is under powered, but there is room to put a 2nd filter next to it. An Aquaclear 30 or 50 filter will fit side-by-side with the included Silenstream filter. We tan 2 filters like this on our 20g.

The included Silenstream filter in the kit isn't bad once you discard the cartridge and add your own media inside it, like a block of foam sponge.

Here is a (LINK) to a thread on the forum regarding the basics of filtration, how to not use disposable cartridges, and about adding DIY media that is reusable and usually all costs under $10. There are many examples showing cost effective ways to maximize the mechanical and biological filtration in hang-on-back (HOB) style filters.

You shouldn't have to worry about the fish going into any kind of shock when transferring to a new tank. They were orginally mailed from the fish vendor to the fish store and got put in a new tank. Then you bought them, took them home and placed them into another tank. Now they will be going into a nicer and larger tank. All will be good with some due diligence.

If you transfer media from your current filter, over to the new tank's filter, this will carry over the beneficial bacteria you need to keep the nitrogen cycle going.

A 20 gallon "high" aquarium, like the PetSmart kit, is 12" deep x 24" long. Their 29 gallon kit is 12" deep x 30" long.

I'm not exactly sure how long the 20 gallon "long" version is.

If you can go with a 29g, that will add more volume and it's easier to maintain the water parameters.

Also, my suggest looking into sand as your substrate, instead of gravel. While gravel looks very nice, our first tank had gravel and I hated it. All of the uneaten food and fish waste will sink down into gravel.

With sand, it all sits on the surface, making it easier to remove with a siphon vac.

Let us know what other help, suggestions or recommendations you may need to help give the goldfish a bigger home. Members here in the forum are very helpful. I've learned a lot here myself.