# gildfish beginner



## smerko (Jun 1, 2005)

*goldfish beginner*

hi people! my first post so please be nice  


i am soon wishing to purchase some fish of some kind but am really quite unsure of what i am doing... i want it to be a pretty cheap experience setting up wise and only want a few of them. i really want goldfish but am a bit cautious of the size i am hearing these things grow to:shock: . are there different types or something? i want these kind of guys http://www.hotelpreston.com/images/goldfish-enlarge.jpg http://cavyspirit.com/images/goldfish in bowl.jpg http://img132.exs.cx/img132/3115/Goldfish_mafia.jpg not the pond kind :withstup: i have seen black ones too are these similar? http://www.goldfisch.hu/fishes/black_teleskope.jpg


my friend has what i think is goldfish in a small bowl in his kitchen and they are to me a perfect size. i do however have a big thing about them being in such a small tank (bowl) as to me its a bit cruel and have read affects their surface oxygen supply. i was thinking of getting the tommy tank http://www.petpack.co.uk/shop-produ...28&SubCategoryID=&ProductID=315&ProcessType=3 in 'jumbo' size which i have calculated to be around 10 gallons... how many goldfish would i get in that?

many thanks! :mrgreen:


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Hello, and welcome to the forums!
Goldfish are what many of us consider to be "pretty to look at, but not for most keepers". Goldfish range in size from 8-14 inches give or take. They are also a massive fish and create a lot of waste (I cant stress that enough). A 10 gallon tank will not house a goldfish for size reasons as well as waste management. I wouldn't keep a goldie in anything less than 30 gallons and 55 for 2 (probably need more space than that also). Your friend will be stunting his goldfish as well as risking its life and deffinitely shortening it. Glad you posted before you bought. There are suitable comminuty fish as well as a few Lake Tang cichlids (shelldwellers) and maybe a few S.A. Dwarf cichlids that can be housed in a 10 gallon tank. Depends on if you want lots of smaller fish or a pair of slightly larger ones.


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## smerko (Jun 1, 2005)

oh right... so you dont get ones that stay like http://www.crystalcolours.com/images/dm-goldfish-bowl.jpg or http://www.theaquariumshop.co.uk/ishop/images/1029/biorbbowlblack2.jpg ?

thanks for that btw!


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

No, they don't stay that size, unless you keep them in a small bowl which shortens their lifespan by stunting them. Some goldfish can live 20 years. Better off choosing another type of fish. You'll be happier in the end.


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## Celeste (May 13, 2005)

goldfish can grown 8-14 inches long, depending on species (there are a zillion different types of goldfish) and can live up to 25 years. a 10 gallon would be ok for a little while, but you'd have to upgraid in a few years. also waste is a big issue. goldies are VERY DIRTY FISH. they produce a LOT of waste that can ultimately kill them if you don't clean their tank often and have a nice large tank, and/or an amazing filtration system. 

i've always had luck with bettas, and i've been keeping them since i was 5. my first pets i remember are cats and a betta. of course my mom helped me when i was little. i think they are easy to care for and a 10 gallon tank would be an amazing home for one, especially if your new to fish keeping. i am able to keep mine happily in a 1 and a half gallon bowl, but that method is not reccomended for beginners as it's much less forgiving than a larger tank.

i'd suggest getting a 5 gallon aquarium and a betta. i think bettas are very beautiful and they stay only about 2-3 inches long,


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## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

or the betta could go in the ten gallon, or you could get guppies, they also stay small, are easy to care for, and dont create as much waste as goldies.


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## Ownager2004 (Apr 4, 2005)

Smerko, no goldfish stay that size. You could get a few small(under 3") goldfish to put in a 10 gallon, but youd have to plan on upgrading within like 6 months. Also keeping goldfish in a small tank requires lots of maintenance. 

I dont think you should go with goldfish unless your willing to give them 25-30 gallons each. Even then you could be pushing it with some varieties.

Also... your going to want to learn about "cycling a tank"... its not a good idea to just stick fish in a brand new tank.


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## Celeste (May 13, 2005)

i'd say either a betta *or* like 5-7 guppies in a 10 gallon tank. guppies can be very colorful, they're easy to care for, and if you get males and females, they will probably breed for you. (make sure to get more females than males, like 1:2 or 3 ratio)


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## ALFA WOLF (May 24, 2005)

I agree with the betta and the guppies, exept the guppies would be best since u can breed them and u can add more fis with them cause a betta limits u.


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## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

Is this your first serious tank? 
Are you willing to purchase and feed live/frozen foods for carnivorous fish?
What is the ph and hardness levels of the tank? (this decides what you can get)
Do you have your eye on anything specific? (Ex. Barbs, cichlids, livebearers)
Is your tank planted if so want plants do you have?
Do you plan on getting any invertabrates?
What is the temperature?
Do you want alot of small fish, a few bigger fish, or a mixture?


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

My vote would be for danios. They are perfect for beginners. They don't require a heater, they stay small (2"), they are very tough (don't die unless really badly mistreated), and they come in different colors/patterns (like zebra [striped], leopard [spotted], gold [pale and stripy], pearl [pearl colored]) that can be mixed together to create a tank full of lively, darting, playing fish. A 10 gallon tank could hold maybe 7 of them safely. Instead of those little plastic Tommy tanks, I suggest going to a proper pet shop and getting a basic 10 gallon glass one, all you need for the danios is a filter. You'd need some sort of light, but you could just point a desk lamp into it to see them.

I think that the fact that guppies are so easy to breed is a big disadvantage. They will have so many babies that they will crowd themselves and make the tank very unhealthy. 

But, as noted, you must learn about cycling first, before you get any fish! Read here for more info:
http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin-cycling.html
and in fact the entire beginner's guide here is good:
http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin.html


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## Celeste (May 13, 2005)

oh yeah, i forgot to rant about that.

i hate those little plastic tanks. in the US they're called Kritter Keepers. they sell them for Hermit crabs a lot of the time. they're FAR too small to serve as anything but a temporary transport container. i don't care what kind of animal it is. i have one that i use as a temporary isolation tank for my hermit crabs, but i had to tape plastic wrap to the lid so it wouldn't loose humidity. the only reason i can use it at all for the crabs is because the ones i put in there are only interested in molting. they bury down in the 2" of forest bedding i have in there and molt. that's all it's good for. there's not enough room for them to move around, to put toys in there for them to climb on, there's hardly enough room for food and water dishes even. 

i have one in there right now, i bought him missing both claws. when i got him home, i hand-fed him some honey on a tooth pick (which he wolfed down) and then he immediately buried and has been down ever since molting. this was like 2 months ago. he's still alive, i can see him moving through the little window he made in the bottom. but as soon as he comes up with his new claws grown back, he's going in the main tank with my other crabs.


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## smerko (Jun 1, 2005)

(double post)


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## smerko (Jun 1, 2005)

thanks VERY much guys!




fishboy said:


> Is this your first serious tank?
> Are you willing to purchase and feed live/frozen foods for carnivorous fish?
> What is the ph and hardness levels of the tank? (this decides what you can get)
> Do you have your eye on anything specific? (Ex. Barbs, cichlids, livebearers)
> ...



yep never had one before
haven't got anything yet just want ideas on what i could get since goldfish seem a bad idea - i will have a look at the fish you have all suggested... :withstup: 
nothing specific but i would rather have just a few bigger fish than lots if little ones...
i dont want to spend mega money on them but obviously i dont want them living unfairly too.


so if not goldfish what can i get. tank is 10 gallon and i want a few bigger fish rather than lots of little ones


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