Cube Mark One Run

[AJuff]

DD has asked for fish for her birthday. I love the idea. I have seen some starter fish tanks but they seem so small. What size tank would I need for two goldfish? Or are there any other small coldwater fish we could have?

[Looney]

I have a 30 litre tank and was told that I should have no more than 3 goldfish in it. I had already decided to get minnows and danios and you can have 12-14 of those (I think) in the same size tank.

 

I love my fishtank!

[BeckyBoo]

I am NO expert but I've got 4 goldfish in a big tank and I would say the bigger the tank the better. Second to chickens I reckon goldfish could be the worst kept domestic creature if you think about how small the tanks are and how big their natural habitat is.

 

If you get a big enough tank you can get a filter which helps because goldfish are MUCKY doesn't matter how many plants I put in, they make muck, but although they've grown to a fair size, at least they've still got space to swim.

 

BecktBoo

[Lewis]

I'd also say get the biggest tank you can have (they're heavy so choose where you want it, then get the tank to suit it ) and go from there.

You can get all kinds of tropical/different looking coldwater fish.

 

A pump is a good idea, you can get them with a filter on the end so it filters the water and oxygenates it

LED lights and a few plants always make it look good too, so maybe she can buy a few bits with her birthday money after

[victoriabunny]

I would avoid common goldfish and their relatives (comets, shubunkins etc) as they grow mega-fast and usually outgrow tanks very quickly. Those type of fish are only really suitable for ponds unless you're prepared to contemplate a seriously large tank (200 litres plus). If you want coldwater, get the biggest tank you can afford/have space for - at least 40 litres as a minimum - and get 2 fancy goldfish such as fantails, moors or orandas. They will grow quickly but they won't get as big as common goldies. To be honest though, tropicals are actually easier to look after than coldwater - don't be put off by the fact that they need a heater. Most tanks these days are sold as all-in-one combos which include a heater, filter and light and they're really simple to operate. Tropicals make less mess and don't have the same space requirements, so you can have more in the tank and they're easier to clean. Whatever type of goldies you get, they have very primitive digestive systems so generate a lot of waste - you will need to do a proper tank clean at least fortnightly. Whatever you do, don't get a tank without a filter or you will have cloudy water or dead fish very quickly! I would avoid a Biorb tank as well - they look nice but are quite small and for the money, traditional tanks are better value. Got to a specialist fish shop (not Pets at Home - their staff know even less about fish than they do about other animals ) and talk to the staff there, or alternatively the people on the forum at www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk are very knowledgeable.

[Chucky Mama]

I would avoid common goldfish and their relatives (comets, shubunkins etc) as they grow mega-fast and usually outgrow tanks very quickly. Those type of fish are only really suitable for ponds unless you're prepared to contemplate a seriously large tank (200 litres plus). If you want coldwater, get the biggest tank you can afford/have space for - at least 40 litres as a minimum - and get 2 fancy goldfish such as fantails, moors or orandas. They will grow quickly but they won't get as big as common goldies.

 

Sorry but don't agree with all of this. We had goldfish for 10 years and they barely grew at all (having said that there were a couple of fish at our local pub that were the size of the tank . The least successful fish we had were the fancy fantail types as they are far more prone to swim bladder. I found keeping coldwater fish very easy indeed. Friends that have kept tropical fish have had far more problems. We got our fish initally as a birthday present for our son who was at the time 4.

[Chucky Mama]

I would avoid common goldfish and their relatives (comets, shubunkins etc) as they grow mega-fast and usually outgrow tanks very quickly. Those type of fish are only really suitable for ponds unless you're prepared to contemplate a seriously large tank (200 litres plus). If you want coldwater, get the biggest tank you can afford/have space for - at least 40 litres as a minimum - and get 2 fancy goldfish such as fantails, moors or orandas. They will grow quickly but they won't get as big as common goldies.

 

I don't entirely agree with this. We had goldfish for 10 years and they barely grew at all (having said that there were a couple of fish at our local pub that were the size of the tank . The least successful fish we had were the fancy fantail types as they are far more prone to swim bladder. I found keeping coldwater fish very easy indeed. Friends that have kept tropical fish have had far more problems. We got our fish initally as a birthday present for our son who was at the time 4.

[victoriabunny]

I can only go from my own experience and the advice of experts - I have had lots of fish over the years and all the common ones/shubunkins are now 8 inches-plus and residing in a pond. Swim bladder is often a sign of poor water quality and can indicate overstocking or high ammonia levels. I'm not in the minority here - as I said before, check out practical fishkeeping. Those guys seriously know their fish and are unanimous that these kind of goldfish are unsuitable for all but the largest of tanks and ponds.

[The Dogmother]

I used to have old fashioned tanks and the last one I had was a BiOrb

 

 

Brilliantly easy to clean and keep. I had a variety of fancy goldfish in mine and a couple of white cloud minnows. They tend to grow to suit the size of the tank.

[Chucky Mama]

They tend to grow to suit the size of the tank.

 

This is what I have found and if the goldfish are moved on to a pond they then grow much larger.

[The Dogmother]

They grow depending on the available food, so that takes into account how many fish you have in it, plus the room available.

[victoriabunny]

The problem with the growing to the size of the tank theory is that theoretically it is true, but what determines their size is the amount of growth hormone in the water - they secrete this constantly and the more concentrated it is (ie the smaller amount of water they're in) the less they grow. So initially they will grow more slowly in a small tank than in a big pond as the concentration of growth hormone will be higher. However, they will still grow, and as they grow they will produce more waste, which necessitates more water changes. Of course, if you change some of the water, you dilute the growth hormone, and therefore the fish grow bigger. It can become a vicious circle as the bigger they grow, the more waste they produce, the dirtier the water gets and the more the water needs to be changed, so the bigger they grow....

[freddie]

Look up yr recycle, they usually have all sorts of tanks going, good scrub out, and you're away!!

[The Dogmother]

The problem with the growing to the size of the tank theory is that theoretically it is true, but what determines their size is the amount of growth hormone in the water - they secrete this constantly and the more concentrated it is (ie the smaller amount of water they're in) the less they grow. So initially they will grow more slowly in a small tank than in a big pond as the concentration of growth hormone will be higher. However, they will still grow, and as they grow they will produce more waste, which necessitates more water changes. Of course, if you change some of the water, you dilute the growth hormone, and therefore the fish grow bigger. It can become a vicious circle as the bigger they grow, the more waste they produce, the dirtier the water gets and the more the water needs to be changed, so the bigger they grow....

 

That's not a problem with the BiOrb as you rarely have to replace much of the water in them.. the filtration is that good.

[AJuff]

Well I bought an Aqua 40 fish tank and bought two little goldfish. DS and DD absolutely delighted! I hope DH will be when he comes back from a trip tomorrow . . . . as they say, 'when the cats away . . '

 

I was shocked when the lady in the shop said you could fit three or four fish in it. 25litres of water I think two was pushing it.