• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here

Teach me so I may learn!

HolliDaze

Rollerblading along the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
8/3/17
Messages
1,776
Location
DFW area
Real Name
Machelle
I’m thinking about getting a fish tank 6 or so months in the future. I’m thinking a couple of goldfish, which means it’s research time!

When I was little I had a Betta bowl, and after 7 year old me wandered onto a Betta forum, I began begging my mother for a 10 gallon tank with a filter, heater, and insisting my Betta looked sick And needed to see the vet.

I had a Betta in a five gallon biorb as a teen, his name was Norbert and I loved him. I considered goldfish for it, but research dictated that was a no go.

For a short time after I moved out, I had 6 Bettas in 3 divided 10 gallons. I had to give them up when I moved back in, giving them to my zookeeping friends.

Now that I’m with my dad, I have a huge room And enough time, space, and (hopefully soon) money for goldfish. I’m getting Dexter’s EH cage and the cockatiels (which is definitely what I’m getting) first, Dexter being my first priority and the tiels are the animal I’m most mentally prepared for.

I don’t know where to start with Goldies! I know I want a fancy goldfish, not a bubble eye, as I’ve heard they can be iffy. Ive heard wildly conflicting info about tank size, anywhere from 10 gallons per fish to 50 gallons per fish, 20 gallon for the first and 10 for each one after.

I’m anxious to join a fishkeeping specific group as I can seem rather... stupid when asking about things I know nothing about. While I am over 18, I frequently have people ask my age when I ask about these sorts of things. You guys know me and that I want what’s best for my animals (at least I hope you do!). I won’t ignore information I don’t like, even if you guys turn around and tell me I need a 500 gallon tank! :p I’d rather not have a goldfish if I can’t afford to take care of them properly. (In which case I have my eye on a 15 gallon for a lucky Betta)
 

aqualover9

Sprinting down the street
Joined
4/22/19
Messages
552
Location
NYC
Real Name
Adriana
As an aquarium keeper, I can say I love your enthusiasm that not many people have! I recently lost Misty, my midland painted turtle in my backyard and I cannot express how heartbroken I am. My family and I tried everything to get her back, knocking on doors, setting out tuna, watering the plants everyday in hopes to keep her moisturized, digging a tiny pond, knocking on neighbor’s doors, etc, etc. Still on the search in hopes that she’ll return. On a brighter note, I used to have a betta fish as well and I’m considering getting another one. My family also had 3 goldfish when I was really young and because of my age (and so lack of knowledge) didn’t end too well... I remember thinking that they were an absolute delight to watch. I know this post isn’t so helpful to your research but it’s really cool seeing others with a similar experience to you. Wishing you the best!
 

taxidermynerd

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/11/16
Messages
5,171
Location
Chicago Area, IL, USA
Real Name
Bee (they/he)
I don’t know where to start with Goldies! I know I want a fancy goldfish, not a bubble eye, as I’ve heard they can be iffy. Ive heard wildly conflicting info about tank size, anywhere from 10 gallons per fish to 50 gallons per fish, 20 gallon for the first and 10 for each one after.
@hrafn would be the person to ask about goldfish! She has a couple, I believe.

I’m anxious to join a fishkeeping specific group as I can seem rather... stupid when asking about things I know nothing about. While I am over 18, I frequently have people ask my age when I ask about these sorts of things. You guys know me and that I want what’s best for my animals (at least I hope you do!). I won’t ignore information I don’t like, even if you guys turn around and tell me I need a 500 gallon tank! :p I’d rather not have a goldfish if I can’t afford to take care of them properly. (In which case I have my eye on a 15 gallon for a lucky Betta)
At one point I was on a fish forum (won't name names, let's just say it was one of the major ones.), it was all good until someone told me I was terrible because I didn't have a 150 gallon tank for my 6 peppered cories (I had them sharing a 40). They told me I should be charged with animal abuse, I left that forum. There seems to be a lot of uppity folks in some fish communities, although I guess you get that anywhere.

Okay, so hopefully I'll be able to provide something vaguely helpful. I've kept fish since Feburary 2014, so I like to think I've learned something in that time.

10 gallons- I like them for smaller set-ups. My betta shares one with a mystery snail. I also have 3 glofish (parents and child) and 5 pygmy cories living in a 10 gallon. I wouldn't put much in one.

I like to keep 1 empty tank, so if a tank crashes or if I have a sudden influx of babies I have somewhere to put fish. I keep a 5 gallon for this purpose, as I'm not really requiring any new fish at the moment and none of my current fish are large. It has some java fern (the snails in my other tanks eat them, so they are safe here lol), a small heater and a sponge filter. Barebottom, no decor.

I prefer to run me tanks barebottom, that is, without substrate. My betta tank has gravel, but a thin layer. Everyone will scream that you need it for the beneficial bacteria, this is not true. BB can grow on any surface. If you put a few large rocks in, several decorations, or even just leave the filter media in for a while. It also makes it much easier to vacuum.

Every filter company will say to change the filter media monthly, or even weekly. I only change it when I notice a decrease in the output, or if the water starts to get cloudy or dirty. I've done this for the whole time I've had fish, with no issues. I'd also say- Don't buy a filter for the tank size, buy for the bioload. Make sure the filter will be able to handle the waste produced by whatever fish you have. Plants help offset this.

With fish- Never buy from a place that has all their fish tanks on one system (like petsmart or petco). Look at it this way- let's say 1 tank has ich. If that tank is connected to a shared system, all the other tanks in that system now have ich and have to be treated. Find a good local fish store. One that will give advice that is factual, one that runs its tanks individually.

There's probably a whole bunch I forgot. @finchly has a ton of fish knowledge, and has helped me out a great deal. She also ran way bigger tanks and way cooler fish (like the bristlenose pleco, which I love).
 

finchly

Cruising the avenue
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
5/16/14
Messages
12,708
Location
SW Florida
Real Name
Finchly
Thanks @taxidermynerd !

@HolliDaze that’s awesome (and so are cockatiels). You need a fairly large tank for goldfish. They grow like mad. I had the lionheads, 3 in a 29 gallon. Unfortunately I got a cool rock in NC and put it in the tank - it had mica in it which is a no-no. I lost my 3 within a month. Anyway, that tank held them for 2 years but they would have outgrown it.

BUT you can always start smaller and get a bigger tank later. 20 gallons/ then 10 for each fish sounds reasonable to me.

My favorite forum is plantedtank.net and even tho you won’t be doing plants (goldfish eat them), there’ll be a lot of people there to talk to about fish. There’s tons of knowledge on that board - it’s like this one.

Have fun with your fish!
 

HolliDaze

Rollerblading along the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
8/3/17
Messages
1,776
Location
DFW area
Real Name
Machelle
@hrafn would be the person to ask about goldfish! She has a couple, I believe.


At one point I was on a fish forum (won't name names, let's just say it was one of the major ones.), it was all good until someone told me I was terrible because I didn't have a 150 gallon tank for my 6 peppered cories (I had them sharing a 40). They told me I should be charged with animal abuse, I left that forum. There seems to be a lot of uppity folks in some fish communities, although I guess you get that anywhere.

Okay, so hopefully I'll be able to provide something vaguely helpful. I've kept fish since Feburary 2014, so I like to think I've learned something in that time.

10 gallons- I like them for smaller set-ups. My betta shares one with a mystery snail. I also have 3 glofish (parents and child) and 5 pygmy cories living in a 10 gallon. I wouldn't put much in one.

I like to keep 1 empty tank, so if a tank crashes or if I have a sudden influx of babies I have somewhere to put fish. I keep a 5 gallon for this purpose, as I'm not really requiring any new fish at the moment and none of my current fish are large. It has some java fern (the snails in my other tanks eat them, so they are safe here lol), a small heater and a sponge filter. Barebottom, no decor.

I prefer to run me tanks barebottom, that is, without substrate. My betta tank has gravel, but a thin layer. Everyone will scream that you need it for the beneficial bacteria, this is not true. BB can grow on any surface. If you put a few large rocks in, several decorations, or even just leave the filter media in for a while. It also makes it much easier to vacuum.

Every filter company will say to change the filter media monthly, or even weekly. I only change it when I notice a decrease in the output, or if the water starts to get cloudy or dirty. I've done this for the whole time I've had fish, with no issues. I'd also say- Don't buy a filter for the tank size, buy for the bioload. Make sure the filter will be able to handle the waste produced by whatever fish you have. Plants help offset this.

With fish- Never buy from a place that has all their fish tanks on one system (like petsmart or petco). Look at it this way- let's say 1 tank has ich. If that tank is connected to a shared system, all the other tanks in that system now have ich and have to be treated. Find a good local fish store. One that will give advice that is factual, one that runs its tanks individually.

There's probably a whole bunch I forgot. @finchly has a ton of fish knowledge, and has helped me out a great deal. She also ran way bigger tanks and way cooler fish (like the bristlenose pleco, which I love).
THanks for the info dump =)
 

HolliDaze

Rollerblading along the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
8/3/17
Messages
1,776
Location
DFW area
Real Name
Machelle
Thanks @taxidermynerd !

@HolliDaze that’s awesome (and so are cockatiels). You need a fairly large tank for goldfish. They grow like mad. I had the lionheads, 3 in a 29 gallon. Unfortunately I got a cool rock in NC and put it in the tank - it had mica in it which is a no-no. I lost my 3 within a month. Anyway, that tank held them for 2 years but they would have outgrown it.

BUT you can always start smaller and get a bigger tank later. 20 gallons/ then 10 for each fish sounds reasonable to me.

My favorite forum is plantedtank.net and even tho you won’t be doing plants (goldfish eat them), there’ll be a lot of people there to talk to about fish. There’s tons of knowledge on that board - it’s like this one.

Have fun with your fish!
Thank you!
 

Lo_

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Joined
5/28/14
Messages
4,228
Location
Indianapolis
Real Name
Lauren
I don’t have much personal experience with goldfish or aquariums in general but I’ve been in the process of setting up a 60 gal so I’ve been doing lots of research :p

From what I’ve seen goldfish grow super fast and will eat any fish that can fit into their mouths. So I’d say goldfish only tank and the bigger you can go the better.

One of the BEST resources I’ve found is the Aquarium Co-Op YouTube channel! So many great videos and lots of information in them. The guy owns his own store and also has been keeping fish for a very long time. I personally just really enjoy how he shares his knowledge and the enthusiasm he has for fish keeping :)
I’ve also received lots of help from this forum, just posting specific questions that pop up in my head.
 
Top