Goldfish

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
So since it is not a closed pond, I won't stock or dump any goldfish in the pond.
 
Gotcha. I won't then. This is off-topic but what would you recommend I put in there? We used to put bluegill and bass and perch in there. It's in Michigan.
 
I'm a sucker for catfish in a pond... Bluegill, perch, and bass sound cool. [rant] ("you" is figurative here, nothing personal) Beyond that, I hate how goldfish have been advertised as fish that can live in small tanks! You want something to live in your fishbowl? Get a betta! It's the only fish that would be remotely confortable in something that small, and it won't foul it's own water so quickly. It's like you living in your bathtub for the rest of your life; you'd want somebody to drain out the excrement. Grr! [/rant] If you have the space for them, please adopt them and house them in suitable quarters, a fish who can recognize it's owner's face, and can learn tricks deserves at least that much. Goldfish are so vastly underplayed as a rewarding fish to keep, for the most part, they aren't dumb (but there are some serious exceptions lol)
 
Yeah it doesn't help that Elmo keeps a goldfish in a bowl. He should get a betta.

The only reason I posted the question so innocently is I thought I might have my friend look at the thread later and I didn't want to be like "LOL this girl had 2 goldfish in a 5gal"

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My uncles pond has a similar setup. Its half spring fed half creek fed. The creek eroded for him to so he built kind of a rock dam to raise the water level to the pipe

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Pop eye is usually brought on by poor water quality and will eventually kill the fish if the problem isn't solved. In a tank that small, both are bound to be stunted and disease ridden. If they are fancies they have a better chance (though a small one) of living for a while but comets/commens/kois will defiantly die within a couple months.

Not only is it not enough space but goldfish produce twice as much waste, which means more ammonia, which slowly kills them. If their fancies, the least she can do is upgrade to a 20. Not the best but easier to look after and clean. Though she would have to stay on top of maintence otherwise they will become sick.

Goldfish are not easy fish and should not be for beginners. They require a lot of space and maintence.

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The standard space requirement for goldfish is 20 gallons minimum and 10 gallons for every goldfish thereafter. So your friend needs a minimum of 30 gallons. Goldfish produce a massive amount of waste and keeping an overstocked tank is just asking for trouble. You can keep an overstocked tank but you must have enough bio-filtration and the end of the toxin chain nitrates must be kept below 40PPM and cannot be avoided. If your tank is overstocked you must change the water with a much greater frequency. I had a tank failure and had to double up on my goldfish in one tank. The filter handles the waste just fine but I have to change the water with 4x the frequency as the nitrates approach the maximum toxic level of 40PPM. Goldfish never stop growing. If they are standard comet goldfish they can get as big as 16" long and will eventually be stressed by the physical limitations of the tank. If they are fancy goldfish they will be much more sensitive to the presence of nitrates. To sum up the situation, your friend needs a minimum of 30 gallons to be a responsible goldfish owner. Find guidelines for space requirements on one of the specialized goldfish forums and send it too your friend. Maybe they will digest it without getting defensive. Or your could just buy them at 30 gallon tank as a gift. I wish you the best of luck,

Glenn
 
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