Goldfish advice?

[Laurylina]

So I took home a goldfish yesterday, my first fish in a really really long time. I have no idea if it'll last two days or two months but either way I wanna make sure I give him proper care. So far, he's just sitting there in a small rectangular 6.5" long x 3" wide /4" depth plastic tank on my desk in front of my bedroom window. He's not very active right now so I don't know if he's just like that all the time or is very tired and traumatized from the bumpy ride home last night.

So I have a lot of fish questions.

-Any suggestions for food? Is regular fish flakes okay or do they need supplements?
-How often should I change its water and what's the safest most comfortable way (for the fish) to go about it?
-What kind of water (temperature, etc.) do they need?
-Any preferences on tanks (such as size, shape, volume, etc.) or accessories?
-Any particular locations in my room/house to avoid placing the tank?
-Are they happier with tankmates or will they just eat each other (that happened to me the first time I had goldfish)?
-Anything else I need to know to keep my fish healthy and happy

DOs and DON'Ts are welcome too  

[Vanilla eXee]

-Any suggestions for food? Is regular fish flakes okay or do they need supplements? Regular fish flakes are never a good idea as the only food. Get a good quality goldfish flake or pellet. Some good brands are Hikari, Omega One and Ken's Fish. Goldfish are also big plant eaters, vegetables are really good for them. You can feed them things like peas and lettuce.


-How often should I change its water and what's the safest most comfortable way (for the fish) to go about it? Change the water at least once a week. The best way is to use a siphon to remove the water.

-What kind of water (temperature, etc.) do they need? Goldfish generally don't need any heaters since they're a cool water fish. They'll be fine at room temp, although having a heater and setting it low can help keep the temperature from fluctuating.


-Any preferences on tanks (such as size, shape, volume, etc.) or accessories? The general consensus is usually 30g for the first goldfish, 20g for each fish after that.


-Any particular locations in my room/house to avoid placing the tank? Bathrooms are usually a bad idea, and if you don't want algae, keep it away from windows.

-Are they happier with tankmates or will they just eat each other (that happened to me the first time I had goldfish)? Goldfish like the company of other goldfish. Just make sure you don't put in any fish big enough for your goldfish to fit in it's mouth.


-Anything else I need to know to keep my fish healthy and happy? Learn about the Nitrogen Cycle. Without it your fish will probably die. You should get a filter for his tank.


 

[Akari_32]

This is Copy/pasted from my Goldfish Care Guide in my guild Multiple Tank Syndrome. Should help some =3

Akari_32

Tank size~
~Fancies~ 20-30 gallons for the 1st goldfish, and 10-20 gallons for every additonal goldfish. Of course, more is always better (we're talking about water, here, people, not fish xd )
~Commons/Comets~ 55+ for the first fish, and 30+ for every goldfish after the first.
~Note: Goldfish are veeeery messy little (ok, they arent very little lol) fishies. Over filtering the tank and making larger then average regular water changes is always best.

Feeding~
~Some sort of high quality flakes or pellets for their main diet. Use Bloodworms, fresh and frozen veggies, Brine Shimp, ect as treats and suplements for their diet. Think about it this way: You can live on Cheerio's alone, but will you like it? Will you be healthy? Will you look forward to it, 3 times a day, every day? Didnt think so xd

Tank Makes~
~Other coldwater fish that are bigger then the fish's mouth. Goldfish eat just as much as they poop, so if it fits in their mouth, they'll eat it. Some people like to get Plecos for their Goldfish tanks, but I think thats a bad idea. Pleco's are just as messy, and are only algea eaters when they are small. When they grow up, they are pretty much useless, though they are pretty cute. I have heard of people keeping Rainbow fish with Goldies. Maybe some one can comfirm that for me...
~Live plants are always good in any tank, but Goldfish like to root plants up, and they are pretty hard on them, so I would stick with silk, or get some pieces of slate to put around the base of the plants to help protect their roots and help keep them rooted.

Decor~
~Any fish, no matter what kind they are, like to have some place to hide. As long as they can get in with out getting stuck, and it can be kept for a long time, it should be ok. Remember that Fancies are cubby and round, so be absolutly sure they cant get stuck (at least any time soon). Driftwood can be good too, but is pretty expensive. But hey, nothings too good for your babies, right? Lots of plants are also a good way to ensure the fish dont get stuck, and they still have their privacy.

 

[Laurylina]

Fishy didn't make it... ;___; I changed his water frequently and treated it for chemicals but I didn't know there was much more besides overfeeding that could easily kill a fish. I read the replies to this thread too late. Maybe his tank was just way too small? I don't know.

I'm really sorry, fish. *is depressed now*

[edit] Yeah....probably ammonia/nitrite poisoning. I had no idea.  

[Akari_32]

Aww I'm sorry... Atleast you were trying to do the right thing. *hugs*  

[ladycrotalus]

Laurylina

Fishy didn't make it... ;___; I changed his water frequently and treated it for chemicals but I didn't know there was much more besides overfeeding that could easily kill a fish. I read the replies to this thread too late. Maybe his tank was just way too small? I don't know.

I'm really sorry, fish. *is depressed now*

[edit] Yeah....probably ammonia/nitrite poisoning. I had no idea.

Your tank was insanely too small. It computed out to be only .34 of a gallon.  

[Laurylina]

ladycrotalus

Laurylina

Fishy didn't make it... ;___; I changed his water frequently and treated it for chemicals but I didn't know there was much more besides overfeeding that could easily kill a fish. I read the replies to this thread too late. Maybe his tank was just way too small? I don't know.

I'm really sorry, fish. *is depressed now*

[edit] Yeah....probably ammonia/nitrite poisoning. I had no idea.

Your tank was insanely too small. It computed out to be only .34 of a gallon.

Yeahhhh sweatdrop I have a betta fish now in a larger bowl and my friend gave me her 2.5 gal (I think...) aquarium kit but I don't know what kind of fish I wanna put in it. I kinda want goldfish again, or maybe a dragonfish, but I don't know what kind of fish can live together in that size tank. I know for sure the betta has to be kept alone separately.  

[LittleMissMich]

A male betta can be kept in a tank that size. I had one, but you have to clean a smaller tank more frequently with smaller than average water changes. The levels will fluctuate rapidly in a smaller tank. live plants will help but don't overload the tank. You could keep a few ember tetras, they remain tiny(most tetras get 1.5" or more), in it if you had a filter and heater. Bettas require heaters too, and make sure it isn't the betta type that gets large. splendids(sp?) are okay. I'm keeping tadpoles in mine and they're turning to frogs now. It's a good temp home for tiny baby frogs so you can make sure they eat right.  

[Moth Feathers]

Laurylina

ladycrotalus

Laurylina

Fishy didn't make it... ;___; I changed his water frequently and treated it for chemicals but I didn't know there was much more besides overfeeding that could easily kill a fish. I read the replies to this thread too late. Maybe his tank was just way too small? I don't know.

I'm really sorry, fish. *is depressed now*

[edit] Yeah....probably ammonia/nitrite poisoning. I had no idea.

Your tank was insanely too small. It computed out to be only .34 of a gallon.

Yeahhhh sweatdrop I have a betta fish now in a larger bowl and my friend gave me her 2.5 gal (I think...) aquarium kit but I don't know what kind of fish I wanna put in it. I kinda want goldfish again, or maybe a dragonfish, but I don't know what kind of fish can live together in that size tank. I know for sure the betta has to be kept alone separately.

Move your Betta in the 2.5 gallon. No fish, including Bettas, should live in bowls; bowls are for soup, not fish. Bettas require heated tanks at least 2.5 gallons.  

[Moth Feathers]

LittleMissMich

A male betta can be kept in a tank that size. I had one, but you have to clean a smaller tank more frequently with smaller than average water changes. The levels will fluctuate rapidly in a smaller tank. live plants will help but don't overload the tank. You could keep a few ember tetras, they remain tiny(most tetras get 1.5" or more), in it if you had a filter and heater. Bettas require heaters too, and make sure it isn't the betta type that gets large. splendids(sp?) are okay. I'm keeping tadpoles in mine and they're turning to frogs now. It's a good temp home for tiny baby frogs so you can make sure they eat right.

That tank is less than a gallon, it's not big enough to safely heat.
Assuming you're talking about the tank she originally had her goldfish in, however.  

[LittleMissMich]

Moth Feathers

LittleMissMich

A male betta can be kept in a tank that size. I had one, but you have to clean a smaller tank more frequently with smaller than average water changes. The levels will fluctuate rapidly in a smaller tank. live plants will help but don't overload the tank. You could keep a few ember tetras, they remain tiny(most tetras get 1.5" or more), in it if you had a filter and heater. Bettas require heaters too, and make sure it isn't the betta type that gets large. splendids(sp?) are okay. I'm keeping tadpoles in mine and they're turning to frogs now. It's a good temp home for tiny baby frogs so you can make sure they eat right.

That tank is less than a gallon, it's not big enough to safely heat.
Assuming you're talking about the tank she originally had her goldfish in, however.

She said she wanted help finding something to put in her new 2.5gal that her friend gave her. I'd never say anything on a tank that doesn't even top out at a gallon...that's a transport tank or hospital/temp tank. My temp tank is bigger than that, I just had a breakout of Columnaris in my 10gal guppy tank and it's time to start it over. A temp tank is just for getting the main attraction ready for the little buggers, not for housing.  

[Kipluck]

Honestly I can't think of ANY fish that should be in a tiny .34 of a gallon tank. I would maybe use it as an Iso tank for illness or keep Triops in it. The 2.5 gallon could house a betta. A Goldfish would need a lot more space, not only because they grow a lot, they are also MESSY and so can poison themselves with waste without more water and a good filter as well.  

[Laurylina]

The current bowl that the betta is in (not to be confused with the one I kept my former goldfish in, it's bigger) has been its home for a really long time, according to the person that gave it to me. I wanna get a goldfish to put in the 2.5 tank (it has a filter), maybe with a tankmate, but I'm guessing it's barely big enough for even just one goldfish although I've seen a goldie that lived in a teeny tiny (I mean super duper teeny) glass bowl with untreated tap water for quite some time. I dunno, fish are more confusing than I thought. ._.  

[Moth Feathers]

Laurylina

The current bowl that the betta is in (not to be confused with the one I kept my former goldfish in, it's bigger) has been its home for a really long time, according to the person that gave it to me. I wanna get a goldfish to put in the 2.5 tank (it has a filter), maybe with a tankmate, but I'm guessing it's barely big enough for even just one goldfish although I've seen a goldie that lived in a teeny tiny (I mean super duper teeny) glass bowl with untreated tap water for quite some time. I dunno, fish are more confusing than I thought. ._.

Just because it's been the Betta's home for a long time doesn't mean the Betta won't be greatly benefited by being moved into it.
A goldfish will require at least a 30 gallon tank; even then, it would have to be massively overfiltered and very frequent water changes. Preferably they need 40-50 tank, easy- and that's just for one.  

[Vanilla eXee]

Laurylina

The current bowl that the betta is in (not to be confused with the one I kept my former goldfish in, it's bigger) has been its home for a really long time, according to the person that gave it to me. I wanna get a goldfish to put in the 2.5 tank (it has a filter), maybe with a tankmate, but I'm guessing it's barely big enough for even just one goldfish although I've seen a goldie that lived in a teeny tiny (I mean super duper teeny) glass bowl with untreated tap water for quite some time. I dunno, fish are more confusing than I thought. ._.

Sure, they can live for a while in a tank that's too small. But it's not really a life. Keeping a fish in a tank that is too small for it is similar to keeping a dog in a kennel, dropping some food in every day and letting it live in it's waste, every once in a while removing some of it. Except it's even worse for a fish, because they have to breathe in the same water they are excreting in. The ammonia from their waste burns their gills and their bodies. The stress and confinement causes stunting, a poor quality of life, and eventual death.

Whatever is confusing you about fish, we are here to help you. Your betta will be better off in the 2.5. If you want goldfish, you will need a much larger tank.

If you can't afford at least a 75g and all of the equipment that goes with it, but you still want different types of fish, I suggest you get something like a 10g or a 20g and set up a nice tropical community tank of fish that stay small and don't need large spaces. We can help you out with suggestions are far as what fish to get, and how to take care of them. There are also lots of great fish forums and even just websites with information on the needs of all types of different fish.