General Care Discussion :: Goldfish

[jenaero]

I know this isn't turtle related but there's no 'other pets' section and it doesn't belong in 'people talk' so here goes.

When my ball python outgrows her 20gal I'd like to try keeping fish again...goldfish and such. I've tried a few times in the past and they all went belly-up fairly quickly. I just wondered what everyone else who keeps fish uses as far as setup, filter, air pump, etc. On my last attempt at fish keeping I was told that I didn't have an air pump and that's why they were all dying....I got one and they STILL died...what did I do wrong?

[marisa]

I'm not a fishkeeper, but this past Sunday I saw someone's 800-gallon stock tank with koi in it. Some were really big and had been kept for years. The tank had a pond filter that had one of those fountain hook-ups so that the water was getting aerated that way. What about water quality---where you testing for ammonia, ph, nitrites, nitrates with your last set-up?

BTW, since you have boxies, this person also had a 25-year-old boxie (probably older) that had been found hit by a car and couldn't be returned to the wild. The poor thing had had a broken shell, broken hinge and no tail. Amazing that she has lived so long. I got the person to take her out of the glass aquarium she was being kept in a put in a solid-color container. There are a number of other things that are not being done for this turtle, but my suggestions were politely disregarded...

[Muirner]

marisa - how come you would take it out of the tank? Was it to large?

Also you say with testing, for ammonia, ph, nitrates, ect. Do you do this in your turtle tank as well? or what do you test for there?

[marisa]

Well, I was talking about testing the water quality for the fish, since they're sensitive to it. But I do test my RES's tank for nitritate, ammonia and nitrate (ph not that often). I do this with larger tanks that have adequate filtration and biomedia and do partial water changes as necessary (full cleanings rarely). With small tanks I just change the water on a regular basis.

I remember reading that boxies become anxious in containers they can see out of, therefore I suggested that the boxie I saw be put into a solid-color container.

[Muirner]

Cool thanks marisa!!!

janero - One thing i'd be careful with is your filter choice. i used a reptifilter in my guppie tank, and already killed 2, and my XP3, as soon as i dropped a small feeder fish in, gone! right up the intake tube... That's all the advice i have...

Did you use water conditioner to make sure the water was good?

[cam722]

jen.. I've had the same experience as you with fish. I got some convict cichlids and I've had no problems at all.. actually the buggers breed so easily lol

I just have an aquaclear filter, stealth heater.. just regular gravel on the bottom and decorations, caves, plants etc. They need a cave or something like that to lay their eggs. They need very little care .. no need for constant water changes etc. The easiest fish by far I've ever had. They are about as easy as the turtles and about as fun. They go crazy when they see me and beg for food too LOL

You don't have to worry about water tests and all that mess either. I just put water conditioner in and some stress coat when I do change some of the water. I mean how much easier can you get??

[industrial_girl_2000]

Hi Marisa,

I recall going thru a lot of goldfish as a kid & it was always a royal pain to keep them alive. They literally have no immune system so any little changes to the water (temp, Nitrates, or otherwise) can make them go belly up. One thing that was suggested when I was keeping them was to boil anything you want to put in the tank before it goes in the water, whether it be gravel or fake plants. Don't put real plants in the tank initially because those can also carry disease (I lost a lot of fish this way). This doesn't mean that you can never put real plants in there, just initially until you get the hang of it. And wash your hands thoroughly before reaching into the water to do anything. Sterility works wonders.

If the water changes temperature a lot (as it does during Fall & Spring), keeping the temp constant will help this. If I remember correctly, goldfish like a cooler water temp than RES's....around 70....I'm going off memory here, so definitely confirm this exact temp.

Keep an eye out for fin rot ("ich") daily and keep some fin rot medication on-hand at all times. This is a very common ailment among goldfish. Catching this at an early stage will help you solve the problem very quickly.

Some electrolyte water conditioner (blue liquid, clear plastic bottle....can't remember the name but I have seen it everywhere) is what I use for my Betta & frog & that helps get rid of chlorine & other nasties. Every time the water is changed, I add 1-2 drops per cup of water & so far my aquatic babies have done well.

What kind of goldfish are you going to get? Are you going to get some of those fancy Chinese kind with the bubble faces? Those are so cute!

[marisa]

Thanks for the info (and I'm sure Jenaero will thank you too).

[Muirner]

Industrial - i was just reading, and your right... If your going to keep gold fish, then that's what you'll be keeping... Tropical fish and other fish need a different temp. The smallest things can kill a gold fish, and it seems that their environment is not sutable for other fish.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Industrial - i was just reading, and your right... If your going to keep gold fish, then that's what you'll be keeping... Tropical fish and other fish need a different temp. The smallest things can kill a gold fish, and it seems that their environment is not sutable for other fish.

Thanks, the only fish I added in with the goldfish were black guppies. Supposedly they are compatible with each other & require the same type of care. Guppies are supposed to be less prone to disease than goldfish, but honestly, once one fish gets sick, the others get it fairly quickly too, regardless of what type it is. ::sigh::

[Muirner]

i cant even keep my feeder guppies happy... lol, if they arnt getting sucked in the filter, or going MIA in my big tank, they just seem to sit eather at the very top, or very bottom.

[jenaero]

The only goldfish I've been able to keep alive are in the 125g with the turtles..go figure. They do eventually get eaten tho.

Marisa, I'm still trying to convince myself that I can't help every unfortunate animal I see, and neither can you. Probably the best you could do is give her a care sheet (ATP has really good ones) and leave it be. In all honesty, once the wounds healed, she likely would have done just fine in the wild. It's a shame she may have removed a fertile female from the population.....

Anyhoo, my fishkeeping is still a ways off. Thanks for the suggestions. I'm sure I'll be back for more when the time comes.

[marisa]

Jenaero, she has had this turtle for 25 years, so I think it's a bit late for turning her into the wild. I can't speak for how the wounds were intially, but I'm not even telling you all that I saw.

And, I fully realize that I can't save every animal I see. If I weren't aware of that, I would have wound up with 4 more turtles this weekend...

[jenaero]

What I meant was it's too bad she didn't just release it soon after it was healed that long ago.

I almost wound up with a redfoot tort myself....I'm still learnin.

[CrazyHouse]

I went through the same thing with goldfish, when I moved my turts out of the 30 Gal I figured I could keep fish in there. After many many dead comet goldfish (feeders) I finally figured out that the tank had to cycle with a very light and tough fish load. I personally used a pleco since they are tough and produce alot of waste. After two weeks I added 4 small feeders and about 4 weeks later I added another 3. They have now been alive for almost 3 months which for me at least is a record. The rule for fish is 1 inch per gallon when cycling but since goldfish are dirty dirty fish it more like 1/2 an inch per gallon.
Oh yeah, Quick Cure by AP is great and treats Ich really fast.