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Pet Forum / Aquaria / Goldfish / February 2008How many goldfish can be kept in 1.5 gallons of water?
I have a friend whose friend has told her that she can safely keep two goldfish in 1.5 gallons of water,...And I say that with goldfish, that that is an unhealthy practice. What say you folks? ~Papa Red. > I have a friend whose friend has told her that she can safely keep two > goldfish in 1.5 gallons of water,...And I say that with goldfish, that > that is an unhealthy practice. What say you folks? ~Papa Red. In all practicality, yes its not right to keep even one in that small of a container. HOwever yes one can keep one, two three or more in that sized container and do it without any problems in so much as health goes..........it just depends on how much messing around a person wants to do all for the sake of getting a proper sized tank to house the goldies in. I had a friends father who kept 4 feeders (1" long or so) in a typical 1 or 1.5 gal goldfish bowl. Those same fish (1 died) stayed inthat bowl and they grew to a good 3" or more in length. He changed water pretty well every day..............used a simple air stone and pump,.nothing else.....just three nice sized goldies in that small tank.were they healthy.they sure did appear to be, was it a lot of work, yep, were those fish happy......probably not...but he was sucessfull at keeping three nice goldies in a small container for a long time. I will say this fella was a paraplegic, so he was in the house all day and night, and nothing better to do than fish bowl water changes....and that perhaps is why they survived as good as they did.thrive, well probably, but I know they could have been better housed.... beta yes, goldfish no On Feb 14, 2:24�pm, dr-s...@wi.rr.com wrote: > beta yes, goldfish no A friendly FYI......... There's actually not a fish called a "beta". These poor fish have had their common name mispronounced for so long, that people are changing the spelling (Betta) to go along with the mispronunciation as "bait-uh". I've seen this in printed form (books, inserts, advertising, etc.) as well. Here's a link so you know I'm not pulling your fins. Betta has been mispronounced incorrectly for over 13 yrs now. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/betta I had a friends father who kept 4 feeders (1" > long or so) in a typical 1 or 1.5 gal goldfish bowl. �Those same fish > (1 died) stayed inthat bowl and they grew to a good 3" or more in [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > not...but he was sucessfull at keeping three nice goldies in a small > container for a long time. What happens is that they may look smaller, and "healthy" for a few years even. However, the damage is happening on the inside where you can't see. Goldies, as well as other fish, that are kept in cramped quarters (like goldies in a gallon bowl or a common Pleco in a 5g tank), their internal organs are being stunted as well as their growth. This in turn does result in their deaths.....very early deaths. Common feeders can live 20+ years. I had a friend who kept 2 goldies in a 2g hex. They survived for a little over 2 years this way. She was so proud that they lived "for so long" this time. After explaining to her what she had done to them, as well as the others before them, she ran out that week and bought a 29g full set up. I was truly shocked. I was thinking a 20g with an air stone would be hoping for too much, but she went out and did right by the fish. Once a fish is stunted into it's adulthood, it's not going to then grow full size once put into the proper situation. Stunting is where the myth "Fish only grow to the size of their tank", came from. >I have a friend whose friend has told her that she can safely keep two > goldfish in 1.5 gallons of water,...And I say that with goldfish, that > that is an unhealthy practice. What say you folks? ~Papa Red. None. Period. Hi everyone.....I am Papa's friend that he wrote about. I appreciate all your info. I now have a 5 gal tank for my 2 goldfish. LuAnn > Hi everyone.....I am Papa's friend that he wrote about. I appreciate all > your info. I now have a 5 gal tank for my 2 goldfish. > > LuAnn Its way to small and in short order will be way to small............Even a 10 will be too small in no time at all. ...but its certianly much better than what was listed earlier. What kind of filtration do you have? Its going to be a major item in a small tank. I have to check to see what kind of filtration I have. This was from a kit. > Hi everyone.....I am Papa's friend that he wrote about. I appreciate all > your info. I now have a 5 gal tank for my 2 goldfish. > > LuAnn Hi there LuAnn. A 5g is a start. First, what type of goldies are we talking about? Knowing which type is a must when choosing the size tank they'll need. Are they common feeders / comets, or are they the fancy type...Fantail - shub.....I have no idea, lol..and all the rest of the fancies. The difference is adult is crazy. The common and comets can reach 16" long. The fancies 8-10" long, but have a HUGE body mass. The amount of waste Goldies put out is more than "normal" hobby fish, so a better filtration system and tank maintenance is called for. Get back with the type of goldie you have. They are feeders. doesnt matter. feeders can get to be 12-14 inches long. DO YOU KNOW ABOUT CYCLING? you must have tests for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. you must keep changing water as long as ammonia and nitrites are above barely detectable and whenever nitrates gets over 20 ppm. Ingrid >They are feeders. How often should I completely clean out the tank and wash everything? I know not to use soap. No, I don't have a test kit. > How often should I completely clean out the tank and wash everything? I > know not to use soap. > > No, I don't have a test kit. I think *we* here need a lot more info from you in order to better help you. Is this your first time with a tank? Do you understand the nitrogen cycle? First time with Goldies? And lastly, are you fully aware that a 5g tank is not ok for 2 goldies. Those 2 little fish you're looking at can grow nearly 16" long, and live longer than 20 years! Of course that's if their kept properly. Sadly, so many never make it that far. Yes, this is my first time with an aquarium. I'm trying to learn as much as I can. I have read about the nitrates being formed into nitrites. (not sure if I said that the correct way!). First time with Goldies since I was a kid with just a goldfish bowl! 16 inches long!? Somewhere I read 12 inches, and I thought THAT was big! you never clean out the tank and wash everything unless you put gravel in the bottom. you might consider some plain pea gravel (dont get that colored stones sold in pet stores). altho I dont normally recommend gravel, in your case with 2 fish in there you might need some gravel. have you found out yet about "the cycle" or cycling a tank? Ingrid >How often should I completely clean out the tank and wash everything? I >know not to use soap. > >No, I don't have a test kit. > you never clean out the tank and wash everything unless you put gravel in the bottom. > you might consider some plain pea gravel (dont get that colored stones sold in pet [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > - Show quoted text - I don't think LuAnn knows about the nitrogen cycle. I believe what happened is that a buddy of hers told her it would be fine to keep the goldies in a 1 1/2 g tank. Then did it. Now has a major situation on her hands and no knowledge of keeping a tank. There's no time for the Goldies she has already in this 1.5g tank. No time to learn. I think she needs to bring back the goldies to the store that sold them to her for such a small tank. Either that or she go out right now and buy 29+g (personally, for 2 full grown common goldies....I'd go nothing smaller than a 55g) set up. Then LuAnn needs to learn about how to properly take care of a tank, the nitrogen cycle, and what types of set ups specific fish need. It makes me so sad when somebody tries to get into the hobby, is given the wrong info, fails, and then never comes back. This happens all the time. Sure many should have researched *before* entering the hobby...however, many are getting bogus "information" from pet shop employees. People they should be able to trust to give them the right info. I read about cycling, but I'm just a novice. The petstore manager said 2 goldfish were fine for such a small tank. But then I bought a 5 gallon. I have shells, gravel and river stones in there. > I read about cycling, but I'm just a novice. > The petstore manager said 2 goldfish were fine for such a small tank. > But then I bought a 5 gallon. > > I have shells, gravel and river stones in there. LuAnn. I realize you're having trouble understanding this, so I'll try to be more patient. ; ) A 5g is MUCH to small for even 1 Goldfish. They cannot stay in there. A short time period is ok....like babies growing in another tank before heading to the bigger tank. The store "manager" is a moron. He either lied outright to you, or doesn't know what he's talking about at all. You really need to bag those Goldies up, return to the store and tell him , or hopefully his boss, that you were told very wrong information. Because of that, they need to exchange these Goldfish for a fish better suited for a 5g tank. Remind these idiots at the store that these fish can grow over a foot long...each of them. So how on earth are they going to be "fine in a 1.5g tank?" The person who told you this is wrong. Deadly (for the fish) wrong. They really should find this out too, so that they don't keep doing it. no filter? >I read about cycling, but I'm just a novice. >The petstore manager said 2 goldfish were fine for such a small tank. >But then I bought a 5 gallon. > >I have shells, gravel and river stones in there. On Feb 22, 8:09�am, dr-s...@wi.rr.com wrote: > no filter? A filter was mentioned in another post. I assumed it was on the 5g. Oh boy. I have a filter, and it IS on my 5 gallon. Yes I have a filter. |
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