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Old 12-12-2015, 02:29 PM   #1
mylittlefluffyhamster
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Smile first time goldfish owner

hey everyone
I might be getting 2 goldfishes and I was wondering all the necessary equipment (apart from tank I know all about that) that would be needed and the care they need?

many thanks
mylittlefluffyhamsterxx
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Old 12-12-2015, 03:03 PM   #2
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Default Re: first time goldfish owner

What kind of goldfish? If fancies you're going to need a 40 gallon tank at minimum and a good-size filter to take care of all their waste. I would also recommend having a bare-bottom tank to facilitate cleaning up all their poop but also because goldfish are also at risk of eating the gravel.

If you're wanting comets or commons though you're looking at a small pond because they can get HUGE.
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Old 12-12-2015, 03:26 PM   #3
WinnieTheHam
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Default Re: first time goldfish owner

Braingirl is right, goldfish need huge tanks, if not a pond!

There are some other really awesome coldwater fish out there, personally my favourite are White cloud mountain minnows. They need to be in groups of at least 8, they only get to about 1 inch long though, but super cute and are so fun to watch
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Old 12-14-2015, 04:10 AM   #4
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Default Re: first time goldfish owner

Agree with Winnie. The Mountain Cloud minnows are better fish to begin with if you are starting from scratch. They don`t require a tank heater, only a filter and remember too that keeping fish isn`t all about the fish, it`s more being a caretaker of water quality. The quality of the water is crucial to the fish`s health and wellbeing, so once you read up on that and perhaps speak to some people in an aquarist shop, you should have more detail on how to set up your tank ready for the fish. Goldfish sadly are not as simple as many people think. They are dirty fish (poo a lot) and the ammonia levels in their tank can become high, so a strong filtration is required and water testing.

The fancy goldfish may be easier if they don`t grow as large as the comets as comets and carp type goldfish, as been said already, need a LOT of space and grow big! I looked into keeping some fish myself and decided against it as it was goldfish I wanted or a Betta and then looked at the smaller cloud minnows and came to the realisation that the cloud minnows would be the easier to keep, but I didn`t bother in the end. Fish are a lovely hobby, but you need to be aware that they can be complex x
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Old 12-14-2015, 08:17 AM   #5
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Default Re: first time goldfish owner

Good point racinghamster! It is about keeping water first

I killed so many fish and spent so much money on supplies and eventually gave up every time. Unless your fish store is very well regarded I would turn to a good forum for aquarists. I can suggest a very good one by PM if you like. The problem is that stores are usually out to make money and their goal is to sell as much as possible, even if it's not what you need.
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Old 12-14-2015, 10:14 AM   #6
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Default Re: first time goldfish owner

racinghamster is right. The water conditions is what you'll basically be taking care of, the fish are just there for you to watch and enjoy. It's like you need to build an entire habitat for fish, where as with other pets it's not to that extent, as you can't really bring semi-desert into a hamster habitat, though you can make it look like one.

Fish tanks need to be cycled without any fish in the tank for about 1 month before you get the fish. This is so you can test the water and make sure the levels of nitrate and nitrite are at 0 (I think, haven't been researching fish for a while) and that the PH suits the fish you want to buy.

Minnows need a tank of at least 2ft x 1ft at absolute minimum for a group of 6. That's the least I'd say you can have in a group, they do much better in about a group of 8 - 12. They're also lovely to watch when there's a lot of them, and the males 'dance' together to compete for females and display their red fins. It's lovely. They like habitats with a moderate amount of plants and some hiding places. especially if the females want to have a rest from the males bothering them. I can give you more information if you're interested in minnows, I'd love to get some again but my hamsters take up all the room I have now! haha
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Old 12-14-2015, 10:46 AM   #7
mylittlefluffyhamster
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Default Re: first time goldfish owner

thank you for all of the replies I was out at work yesterday and got back too tired.
all of these suggestions will be taken into account as to whether or not I get one xx
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Old 12-14-2015, 11:34 AM   #8
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Default Re: first time goldfish owner

Quote:
Originally Posted by WinnieTheHam View Post

Fish tanks need to be cycled without any fish in the tank for about 1 month before you get the fish. This is so you can test the water and make sure the levels of nitrate and nitrite are at 0 (I think, haven't been researching fish for a while) and that the PH suits the fish you want to buy
Actually, the numbers you want to see are 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and >10 nitrates. There are different ways to go about cycling a tank. Fishless is better because it's very stressful to the fish and some can't survive it. Do a Google search for "fish-in" vs. "fishless" cycling methods. You'll need to acquaint yourself with with the nitrogen cycle for this

pH is not quite so important except for sensitive wild-caught fish. A lot of the captive-bred fish are quite adaptable thankfully!
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Old 12-14-2015, 11:56 AM   #9
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Default Re: first time goldfish owner

Quote:
Originally Posted by BrainGirl View Post
Actually, the numbers you want to see are 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and >10 nitrates. There are different ways to go about cycling a tank. Fishless is better because it's very stressful to the fish and some can't survive it. Do a Google search for "fish-in" vs. "fishless" cycling methods. You'll need to acquaint yourself with with the nitrogen cycle for this

pH is not quite so important except for sensitive wild-caught fish. A lot of the captive-bred fish are quite adaptable thankfully!
I thought there was two 0 somewhere, I haven't researched fish in over a year, maybe two, I can't remember! haha.

PH is most important to know if you want to have some other fish in the tank. I've never really kept fish the correct way before, But the last time I had my own fish was over 10 years ago, and I definitely didn't think they required the amount of care that I know they do now through the research I did 2 years ago.
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Old 12-15-2015, 07:26 AM   #10
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Default Re: first time goldfish owner

I think what put me off going for fish as a hobby was that if anything happened and I was`t sure if the fish were ill or I ever found them looking ill, I would probably be flapping around in vain wondering how to save them! Cycling the tank, buying the fish and looking after their water control all sound fine to me, it`s when the fish become ill or required treating, I didn`t have the confidence or enough knowledge to admit that I could manage that, so I gave it a miss. I don`t live near any localish aquarium shops either so that put me off. I suppose keeping male & female fish and them having hundreds of fry also made me nervous! Where would I put them all!!!! x
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