# newbie here need some help.



## califantail (Jan 2, 2006)

:fish: well me and my boyfriend just bought 5 gallon tank we have 3 calico fantail fish 2 small and 1 large and a sucker fish and 1 dwarf frog. we would love to know if the 5 gallon tank is big enough for the fish and how do we know if the are happy with there new home or not? they seem to be very active they are swimming around alot and doing all kinds of cute sideway turns and chasing eachother our frog he likes to chill at the bottom of the tank he dug himself a hole under a plant.our sucker fish is doing his job. but the calico fantail just dont seem to take time to rest they are ALWAYS MOVING!!! is that normal? thanks alot
BRITT & CHRIS


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

Hi and welcome.
No the tank is not big enough.
One small goldfish needs a ten gallon tank to itself. They grow large!
Also you need to read up on "cycling the tank".
Please take back the frog and sucker and two of the goldies. Within a few days your fish and frog will likely die because of the ammonia build up that will happen. Goldfish are super poopers and will need to be cleaned a lot. If you insist on keeping that many fish in such a small space please clean the tank every 2nd day.
Do you have a filter? Do you have test kits? Did you treat the water for chlorine/chloramines?
Do you know about cycling the tank?
Please read up on this info and come back with questions. Your pets are at high risk of dying over the next couple of weeks.
The pet stores are out to make money and will not tell you the things you really need to know.

Mouse


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## ruhorserider (Jun 10, 2005)

You should probably get a bigger tank for the fish, and keep the frog in the 5 gallon tank. That is big enough for the frog and it shouldn't need a filter, as long as you clan the tank weekly.


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## FishGuy1564 (Oct 18, 2005)

That tank is not big enough at all. I had a goldfish in a five gallon tank and it died because there was not enough room. He got a swim bladder disease and kept flipping upside down for about a week. I know have a 35-gallon tank with two goldfish in it, but I do not want to get more than 6 or 7.


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## garfieldnfish (Jan 18, 2005)

Please take all the fish back and keep the frog. Anything else you currently have is too large for this tank. The frog would also starve to death with 3 goldfish in the tank. He needs to be fed bloodworms and the goldfish will gobble them up before he even realizes the food is in the tank. You could get a second frog, they love each others company and possibly an applesnail for algae control.
If you want to keep the 3 goldfish you need 15 gal for the first fish and 10 each of any additional one. Also the suckermouth fish you have (I suspect is a chinese algae eater) will attack the goldfish when he gets mature. Bad combo. You could keep a rubberlip pleco with goldfish, that has worked well for me so far. But then you need at least a 40 gal tank.
You sound like me. I started this way 2 years ago and now I have 11 fishtanks. I learned a lot but made many mistakes. Luckily most of my fish survived because I kept buying more tanks.


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## honmol (Jan 2, 2006)

The adf (I'm figuring that's an african dwarf frog as they are the frogs commonly found in stores. The rule that I go by for the fantail goldfish is that the 1st fish in a tank should have 15 gallons and that any goldfish after that gets 10 gallons. For those fish I'd get 45 gallons. (but that's just me) Before having any fish in a tank it should be cycled. Fishless cycling is better for the fish and can go faster so I'd go with that.


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## lochness (Jan 10, 2006)

:hi:​

it's great that you are looking to get into the hobby and you've definitely come to the right place for most all your questions 

that said, I can't imagine your disappointment after enjoying your fish and finding these forums and actually be excited enough to register and post, only to find out that your setup and tankmates are all wrong  

all is not lost tho - you just need to decide which ones excite you most and see if you can return the others - if the store will not take them back for a refund or if you got them some other way, then try asking the fish dept of the local fish stores in your area if they are willing to take the others for trade of supplies (usually fish food) or towards a discount on a future purchase (such as a larger tank) - most will agree to a deal. Basically, any tank smaller than 10 gallons is not sufficient for any fish to survive - but when you have a pet you want them to _thrive_ not just survive - so look to see if you can get a 10 gallon package deal and start with that with smaller fish or get a 20+ tank and keep the goldfish but return the algae eater (the catfish we think you have) and the frog - if you prefer the frog, then as suggested above, keep him and get him a tankmate the chinese algae eater (if that is what you have) will be very aggressive and grow larger - (they are ideally more suited to a 55+ tank) 

Tho your fish right now seem *active* and ok - their constant swimming may be due to stress from overstocking, water conditions, and tankmates. Fish are very sensitive and the more astute aquarist will learn to read his/her fish's personalities and *normal* behaviour from tending to them and simply sitting back and enjoying them.  Much is involved such as filters, heaters (or not depending on what you decide to raise), water conditions, testing kits and certain foods.

Don't be dismayed - with the right info, and you certainly have a great jumpstart and support on these forums, you can enjoy this wondrous hobby knowledgeably and passionately. 

good luck and visit fishforums.com often for great information and resources!


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## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

Hey, well goldfish are buetiful and tough fish but your setup is dangerous. The GIH (growth inhibitor hormones) in your tank will get very high and you fish may have a "stunted" growth. Though they can't take this forever, in time their inside will grow while their outsides don't. This can result in a infection of the swim bladder or other organs as well as a twisted overgrown spinal cord. If kept properly regular goldfish will reach well over a foot long each though your fancey goldfish I'd say 8" is around the max size

Return these fish and get a 10 gallon tank, these cost less then 5 gallon tanks rangiung from $8-$10. This is the usual beginning. Stock the tank with small fish such as livebearers(no females yet unless you want alot of babies!!!) and white cloud mountian minnows. A word of the wise, fish(such as neon tetras) are very prone to diseases and are not for beginners. ALL Tetras must be kept in schools of at least 6 with the exeption of the black neon tetra(BLACK neons are a good choice for beginners). Another fish that is easy to care for is the white cloud moutian minnow. Though don't let what I'm saying restrict you from buying the fish you want. You learn from experience but before you buy RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH!

If you have the money though BUY THE LARGEST TANK YOU CAN AFFORD!!! Large tanks are easier to take care of. The water chemistry is not as tempermental as those of small tanks. Also with these you can keep slightly more delicate fish if you have good water quality, you can also keep some larger fish.

One last thing and I'll end my rant. Stay with freshwater till you're advanced in it and DON'T LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE WHO WORK AT PETSTORES! They are just making a sale and know very little. Please return your fish before you grow to attached, trust me, i still have my 2 first goldfish in a ten gallon and i feel so bad that I can't get them a bigger tank

Sorry if i made spelling errors, i'm not the best typer


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## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

Your best bet is to return the fish you just purchased and go with a betta or get a larger tank


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