What fish get along well with Goldfish?
Craig McCann
daughter wanted a goldfish for her birthday and this seemed like a simple
solution to try out. It had a little perescope so you could watch them eat
under water (corny but cute).
Anyway the tank began leaking the other night so I upgraded. I am now the
proud owner of 20 gallon take, complete with stand, filters, airpump, rocks
and broken castle tower. I would like to add more than the two current
goldfish to the tank, what would get along.
Thanks in advance for your posts.
Craig
P.S. Even in there cramped qaurters and there even more cramped temporary
glass Mixing bowl they seem quite happy and healthy.
Chloe
news:qU5a6.4952$C2.17...@newsrump.sjc.telocity.net...
> I started off about 2 months ago with a 1 gallon tank from e-toys. My
> daughter wanted a goldfish for her birthday and this seemed like a simple
> solution to try out. It had a little perescope so you could watch them eat
> under water (corny but cute).
>
> Anyway the tank began leaking the other night so I upgraded. I am now the
> proud owner of 20 gallon take, complete with stand, filters, airpump,
rocks
> and broken castle tower. I would like to add more than the two current
> goldfish to the tank, what would get along.
Craig, goldfish produce a lot of waste and need a lot of water in order to
stay healthy and thrive. Just because they made it okay for a while under
bad conditions doesn't mean they'd be okay indefinitely.
Your 20 gallon tank is fully stocked with the two fish. I suggest you and
your daughter enjoy them and if she wants more or different kinds of fish
try getting a second tank. There's a lot to learn about fishkeeping, a lot
of resources and information on the Net, and I think it's a great way to
teach kids the basics of water chemistry, biology and respect for animals.
Mike Tan
limiting factor for keeping fish is the surface area. The surface area is
where the gas oxygen enters the water because it is more abundant in the air
while it is where carbon dioxide escapes being of higher concerntration in
the water.
Allow 75 square cm per 2.5 cm of tropical fish, 120 square cm per 2.5cm of
coldwater fish (including goldfish) and 300 square cm per 2.5 cm of marine
fish.
Therefore a 1000 sqaure cm surface area tank can keep 1000/75 x 2.5 length
of tropical fish in total (adult length)
1000/120 x 2.5 length of cold fish in total (adult length)
1000/300 x 2.5 length of marine fish in total (adult length)
This figure can be substanial increased to 150% capacity i.e. 1000/120 x 1.5
x 2.5 for coldwater fish.
However to do that is dangerous since if the air pump sholud fail for
anytime your fish will be in trouble.
Nothing gets along well with your goldfish except goldfish. If you have the
common goldfish you cannot get other goldfish varieties since they will be
too slow for the common goldfish. Gulping down all the food. If you have the
fancy type mix and match. But be careful some are easier to keep than
others.
"Craig McCann" <cr...@mccann.net> wrote in message
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Craig McCann
out the filter and eat waste and algae.
"Mike Tan" <mik...@singnet.com.sg> wrote in message
news:94cilj$v4c$1...@mango.singnet.com.sg...
Barbara Hamill
> Thanks for the info. What about a bottom feeder? Just another fish to
help
out the filter and eat waste and algae.
>
I was under the impression that NO fish will eat 'waste', or even old rotten
food. Have I been mislead? I didn't think even snails would touch crap ;-}.
Maagic
could you keep more fish in a 10 foot long tank that is only an inch
deep than one shaped like a grandfather clock because it has more
surface area? Of course not.
the 10 gallons/goldfish rule is just for goldfish. Tropicals use the 1
inch per fish/gallon rule. Goldfish produce more waste than any other
fish of it's size and it needs the extra water to keep ammonia within
somewhat safe levels. If you keep 10 goldfish in a 10 gallon, they'll
die within a few days, even if you keep an airstone going 24/7.
--
-Maagic
aka Bryan Foster
Webmaster of the Rick and Bubba Experience
http://www.rickandbubba.net
BLOCK**@home.net <>Drew<>
Your tank is stocked.
A bit of goldfish facts: They can easly reach 8 - 13 inches in the home
aquarium.
They get large! They produce allot of waste and require very oxygen riched
water.
You'll have to upgrade to a 55 - 75 gallon in about 2 years when the fish
get obviously to big for the 20 gallon tank.
As for bottom feeders. Your tank is to small for any.
Goldfish are a coldwater fish and therfore there aren't very many " small "
cold water catfish. I can't think of any that can live in something smaller
then a 55 gallon tank.
BTW, a 20 gallon is much smaller then you may think.
Drew
"Craig McCann" <cr...@mccann.net> wrote in message
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Dave M.
grandfatherclock is 7 feet high by 2 feet across and 1 foot front to back.
With the grandfather set up, you only have 24 square inches of water surface
area for gas exchange. If you dump the grandfather clock on it's side, then
you'd have a tank 7 feet long, 2 feet high, and one foot front to back.
You'd have a water surface area of 84 square inches. I'm a newbie, and I
don't know much, but I'd say that you'd have alot more surface area for gas
exchange in the later set-up.
Dave
P.S. A 180 gallon tank is 72'X2'X2' with 144 sq/in for water surface area.
The later example of the grandfather clock is almost halved, but it's sure
better than 24 sq/in surface in the first example which is 1/17th that of on
it's side.
Lorraine Gregson
she can view her fish. Makes it more exciting to her and who knows, she might
grow up to be one of the people who helps to take care of our planets waters.
:)
It is suggested that for every inch of Goldfish, 10 gallons should be provided
so with those calculations in mind, it will determine how many fish you could
put in your tank. Remember that Goldfish can get quite large and are quite a
dirty fish so the best foods possible should be fed. Hikari makes a wonderful
pelleted food and if you have the round bodied Goldfish it is best to soak the
food for about five minutes before feeding to make sure that your fish is
eating a moist food.
Make sure that the fish eat only what they can consume in five minutes if fed
once daily and 3 minutes if fed twice daily. Remember also that they are in
small quarter, do not get the exercise they would in a larger tank or pond, so
do not need to be fed as much or as often. Best of luck.
Lorraine
Mike Tan
Good bacteria will convert waste into inert marterial. From ammonia (toxic
at 0.2mg) to Nitrite (toxic at 10mg) to Nitrate (toxic at 50mg)
The best way to get rid of waste is with water change. Of 20% weekly.You
will be getting rid of the excess ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and that
dirty looking but inert waste called mulm or deritus. You can also use a
gravel cleaner which basically is either an air pump driven or motor driven
vacuum cleaner.
Algae.
Goldfish will ocassionally graze on algae. But of course with tastier treats
that we feed many will not. My experience with algae eating fish shows that
they will eat the algae but some develop a taste for your goldfish. They
will attach themselves to your goldfish and start sucking away!
Try to control the amount of light entering the tank. Bascially if you have
your room lights on... then its fine to just switch the tank lights on when
you feed them. Don't try plants to control the algae. Your goldfish will
prefer nibbling your plants or uprooting them.
Regds Mike
"Barbara Hamill" <bham...@home.com> wrote in message
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Mike Tan
When I said its the surface area that mattered, that is with assumption that
your tank is of course of reasonable depth.
Likewise I can say the same for you ten gallon rule. If you have a tank
thats only has a small surface area and yet very deep it can hold 10 gallons
of water. But the surface area for gaseous exchange will be limited. This is
ofetn the case with those Hexagonal or Tall tanks. They limit the number of
fish you can keep.
If you need that extra water to keep your ammonia in check then something is
seriously wrong with your water chemistry. Ammonia in a properly cycled tank
will be reduced to nitrites and subsequently nitrates. The figure I gave of
50mg of nitrate being toxic to fish is meant for sensitive fish. Guppies
have been monitored at 100mg of nitrate in the tank with little ill effect.
Goldfish at 150mg. However despite reports stating so, I would not advice it
as this can lead to health especially fertility problems.
"Maagic" <ma...@cybrtyme.com> wrote in message
news:3A69F8DD...@cybrtyme.com...
Brian P. Giroux
>Tropicals use the 1
>inch per fish/gallon rule.
Can you explain this. Do you mean that in a 60 (US/imp?)gal tank you can
have 60 inches of fish?
That seems like a lot of fish.
--
Brian P. Giroux
Maagic
lot of fish :)
However you can't have one 60-inch fish...
--