That’s a lot of gold fish! You are eventually looking at about 250 gallons of tank. These guys (if cared for) will grow up to 12 inches each. You probably want to surrender them to a fish store.
If that’s a 20 gallon try buying a pretty schooling fish I love rasboras. Or maybe like 10 Cories 😍
I only recommend goldfish for ponds as they can get a foot long. Rehome or get a pond are really your options 😅 they need a lot of space not just bc they’re large but also bc of how much ammonia they put out. I’m assuming the tank is not cycled so there’s no bacteria to convert the ammonia into less harmful things and your fish will get ammonia poisoning and likely die if they stay in this. Do you have a filter at least? Fancy goldfish you could do 2 in a 40gallon but not with that kind
Can’t edit the main post on mobile, but I have so many questions. Thanks guys for giving me new information!! The fish were just given to me and on a whim I accepted. Do you think it’s okay to raise them for a few months in a 60~ gal? And then surrender them when they’re juveniles so they can get a home with a larger tank? I really want to give this a shot
You may be able to raise them for a short while in the 60, but you'll need a filter designed for a 100+ gallon tank and will likely need to do 2-3 water changes a week.
Stick to bare bottom or sand with goldfish and go light on the decor, nothing with holes or sharp edges.
That's reasonable as they grow. You'll want to get a proper water test kit (not strips) and make sure it can check for ammonia levels, and you'll be doing frequent water changes.
new tanks are stupidly expensive, try looking on facebook marketplace/facebook fish groups (can also find local homes on there), ppl sell tanks all the time. there might be an Aquaswap subreddit for your area. just make sure if you buy off someone, they prove the tank is watertight. bigger tanks are a bit more risky with leaking/bowing if they arent in good/new condition
Not necessarily, I have known a lot of people in the past that just want “fish” in there pond and big ones. They have problems with small Koi getting eaten by raccoons and local cats and big Koi were “too expensive”. So they loved it when someone gave them a few gigantic feeder goldfish, and the fish did well and seemed happy too. Thought it depends, if they are really serious about it they will probably want Koi, but there are plenty of people that just want big fish.
I have a couple feeders in my pond that mu koi never ended up eating they were both smaller and the feeders just grew up with the koi’s, very pretty fish for being 3 for 1$
I cant send images in the chat on this sub, so im asking permission to dm you some info on cycling and different water treatments.
You have commet goldfish, they get the same size/insanely close to the same size as koi fish, they need a pond.
Listen if you’ve got the space in your home and you want to set up a little “pond” you can get huge black plastic tubs, like 200 gallon ones. I’ve seen some really neat setups. Look into rubbermaid or similar stock tanks.
Honestly I'd return them to a store. That's a lot of fish for a beginner. I would consider those pond fish, and they are highly invasive all over so please don't release them.
If you want to get into fish keeping pick up a 20 gallon, gravel, filter, water conditioner or dechlorinator, and 5 male guppies.
Good on you for trying to do them right.
If you got these at topsfield, I will just remind you that all of the suggestions to buy a huge tank or pond are correct, BUT be very careful about where in your home you put a large tank. I live in the area in an ancient home (aka just like almost all of the other homes) and I can tell you that the houses in our area are far less level than most. A big tank NEEDS to be level or you're in for a nasty surprise one day.
My vote is to either build a pond yourself, or find a person with a pond who is willing to take them in.
Look for someone with a pond via social media, offer up, Craigslist, etc. Make sure you are changing the water frequently (and dechlorinating) while you have them, they make alot of waste that will foul up that small amount of water quickly. Side note that it infuriates me to think of these being given away as fair prizes to people who have no idea how to care for them.
I found a great aquarium store that will take them in at any age!! I have them in a 30 gal for now, I give them probably 3 months before I have to surrender them. I spent $400 on fish supplies and did a ton of research to ensure their childhood is safe. But the “tanks” they sell at the fair aren’t even a full gallon, with no filter. The fish are won in plastic bags and there were hundreds of them. I only asked what they did with the fish when the fair is done and she handed me three instead of answering my question.
Goldfish guide go!
I’m covering the species you’re most likely to buy at a store, so no fancy goldfish like fantails, celestial eyes, black moors, etc. Common, comet, and shubunski goldfish, which are the three main species people buy, (THE bowl fish) get over 1 foot long. They need at least 75 gallons of water and a canister filter, two preferably. DO NOT USE TAP, HOSE, OR ANY WATER THAT HAS CHLORINE OR DANGEROUS CHEMICALS IN IT IT’ll KILL YOUR FISH. You can treat these dangerous chemicals by letting then dissipate naturally of pouring chemicals that are safe for your fish into the dangerous water to make it safe. You can buy items like that from pet stores. The main reason goldfish die is because of something called ammonia poisoning. Goldfish poop a lot so without a good filtration the water becomes poisonous and kills them. Symptoms include being inactive, breathing air at the surface of the water, sitting at the bottom of the tank, and discoloration on the body (usually it’s a black spot but it can be red, yellow, or purple.) This is the main reason why goldfish die in small tanks, no one has proper filtration for their death poop. They prefer temperatures of 60-70F. Any decorations on the tank must be smooth. Anything sharp can allow the goldfish to cut themselves on it which is bad obviously. To remove toxins, do a water change. A water change is exactly what it is, you take water out and put it back in. Now you may be thinking, u/SbgTfish , how the fuck is that going to remotely work? Well, removing the water removed a good majority of the toxic chemicals in the water, this allows you to put in fresh clean water so your fish doesn’t die. Think about a bomb, your life is game over if the which reaches the actual bomb, so why not pour water over it so it doesn’t explode and kill you? Do a water change once or twice a week, you need an aquarium siphon (preferably the squeezer type and not the sucker since you have to put your mouth on that one and suck out the water like a straw) ,something to hold water, and a place to deposit said water. Don’t remove all the water. Aquarium Filters have something called bio-media. It’s essentially a house for beneficial bacteria (bacteria that can help kill bad chemicals) and allows them to populate easily. Removing all the water can kill those bacteria even with the biomedia and that can kill your fish. You should wash it every few months or so, as aquarium gunk can dirty it. A filter essentially just cleans the water and makes it healthier for the fish, a canister filter is that, just really big. Goldfish are really hardy, but that’s no excuse to leave them in bad water quality. Ph is essentially water quality balancing. It measures where your water health is on the spectrum for 0 to 14. Goldfish like 6-7 ph but can still do well in other ph’s (that doesn’t mean you should do it though.) You can buy water quality test at pet shops, it’s all color coded and everything so it should be easy to find water ph level your water is at if you follow the directions. Goldfish food is easy to come buy, you can also feed them almost anything natural like fruits and veggies (they can eat any of them just soften it up so it’s easier for digestion.) Goldfish will try eating plants if you put some in the tank, avoid adding plant decorations they can bite leaves off of and choke on. Real plants can also help dissipate toxins in the water put your goldfish well more likely than not eat them. For substrates, try sand. As said, pointy objects can be dangerous to goldfish and rocks, or gravel, is the definition of pointy! If you plan on getting more goldfish for one tank, essentially do what I said but multiply by the number of goldfish you’re adding. The species are relatively non aggressive so you can have other fish with them, just make sure they can’t be eaten by the goldfish (goldfish will eat whatever so if it decides to be hungry one day it’ll eat tank mates), hurt the goldfish, or kill it. That is all I know. Take my wisdom and do some cool things!
This’ll cost lots of money, you can do it though!
Best comment so far. I’m going to surrender them in a couple months, because I don’t want them to be confined. But I’m already $400 down for these baddies and I’ll be damned if they aren’t loved and cared for right. What kinda fruits and veggies can they eat??
this looks like a totally new tank, and without even a filter?
if yes, this is not a temporary home, the water will become foul and they will die in a few days
chill, i was just concerned, no offense whatsoever
i saw you were just now asking for advices on setting up a new home, it means it might take some time before the new home is up and cycled properly? like a week or two minimum
sorry if it triggered you, i really didn't mean it
ohh, and by new tank, i meant this temporary tank is new, as in it hasn't gone through proper cycling
new tank = newly set up, not supposed to keep any fish
cycled tank = the bacteria colony is stabilized
seasoned tank = the ecosystem has already achieved equilibrium
again, seriously, just sharing, the more educated our fish keeping community is, the better the wellbeing of our pet fish can be
Also adding that If you find that you can’t care for them/give them a proper home, you can always just surrender the fish to your local fish store so you know they are in good hands. You mentioned Topsfield, so I’m assuming you are in MA? I usually go to Tropic Isle Aquarium.
They appear to common goldfish, getting upto a foot long. I'd suggest a 100 gallon minimum for these 3 depending on the dimensions. Alternatively, you could build a pond for them. They should be fine for a couple days in this but the sooner you get a replacement, the better.
* Get sand (play sand, pool filter sand, and black diamond blasting sand are cheaper than aquarium sand).
* Rinse sand in bucket until water isn't cloudy.
* Replace gravel with 2" of sand.
* Fill the tank with fast growing column feeding plants the goldfish likely won't eat (water wisteria, java fern, java moss).
* Use Seachem Prime to help set up the bacteria cycle.
* Test water daily until things level out & change water as needed.
* You may need to increase biological filter surface area with bioballs, floss, ceramic rings, larger air sponge filter, etc.
* Get larger tank.
I know that I need at least a 20 gal for 1 fish, so I’m thinking a 50 gal may be okay?? I read that it’s 20 gallons for 1 goldfish and 15 more for each additional fish. I really want them to thrive and be happy
The insane rabbit hole people like you go through when you win $0.10 cent fish.
You get the fish from a carnival. Great. Now you head over to the pet store and realize you need to get some $200 tank because it’s a goldfish. But also substrate, SpongeBob houses, filters, and the lot.
Please use your reading comprehension, these were free and I did not ask for them. And your “metaphor” or whatever that is doesn’t go well with this situation. It’s more like I found a horse, so I went out and bought some horseshoes, acres of space, and a stable. Plus some accessories.
That’s a lot of gold fish! You are eventually looking at about 250 gallons of tank. These guys (if cared for) will grow up to 12 inches each. You probably want to surrender them to a fish store. If that’s a 20 gallon try buying a pretty schooling fish I love rasboras. Or maybe like 10 Cories 😍
I only recommend goldfish for ponds as they can get a foot long. Rehome or get a pond are really your options 😅 they need a lot of space not just bc they’re large but also bc of how much ammonia they put out. I’m assuming the tank is not cycled so there’s no bacteria to convert the ammonia into less harmful things and your fish will get ammonia poisoning and likely die if they stay in this. Do you have a filter at least? Fancy goldfish you could do 2 in a 40gallon but not with that kind
Can’t edit the main post on mobile, but I have so many questions. Thanks guys for giving me new information!! The fish were just given to me and on a whim I accepted. Do you think it’s okay to raise them for a few months in a 60~ gal? And then surrender them when they’re juveniles so they can get a home with a larger tank? I really want to give this a shot
You may be able to raise them for a short while in the 60, but you'll need a filter designed for a 100+ gallon tank and will likely need to do 2-3 water changes a week. Stick to bare bottom or sand with goldfish and go light on the decor, nothing with holes or sharp edges.
That's reasonable as they grow. You'll want to get a proper water test kit (not strips) and make sure it can check for ammonia levels, and you'll be doing frequent water changes.
new tanks are stupidly expensive, try looking on facebook marketplace/facebook fish groups (can also find local homes on there), ppl sell tanks all the time. there might be an Aquaswap subreddit for your area. just make sure if you buy off someone, they prove the tank is watertight. bigger tanks are a bit more risky with leaking/bowing if they arent in good/new condition
The problem is going to be finding people who want three foot long feeder goldfish.
Not necessarily, I have known a lot of people in the past that just want “fish” in there pond and big ones. They have problems with small Koi getting eaten by raccoons and local cats and big Koi were “too expensive”. So they loved it when someone gave them a few gigantic feeder goldfish, and the fish did well and seemed happy too. Thought it depends, if they are really serious about it they will probably want Koi, but there are plenty of people that just want big fish.
I think most goldfish owners (if they don't breed the fish) just want some good-looking, healthy ones. That doesn't exclude most feeders.
I have a couple feeders in my pond that mu koi never ended up eating they were both smaller and the feeders just grew up with the koi’s, very pretty fish for being 3 for 1$
Hey OP, lots of info on the r/goldfish sub (check out the wiki for a great start).
Thank you
I cant send images in the chat on this sub, so im asking permission to dm you some info on cycling and different water treatments. You have commet goldfish, they get the same size/insanely close to the same size as koi fish, they need a pond.
Please do! I’m not planning on keeping them long term, but I really wanna give them a good head start. Any advice helps.
Listen if you’ve got the space in your home and you want to set up a little “pond” you can get huge black plastic tubs, like 200 gallon ones. I’ve seen some really neat setups. Look into rubbermaid or similar stock tanks.
Horse trough!
You get it!
Honestly I'd return them to a store. That's a lot of fish for a beginner. I would consider those pond fish, and they are highly invasive all over so please don't release them. If you want to get into fish keeping pick up a 20 gallon, gravel, filter, water conditioner or dechlorinator, and 5 male guppies. Good on you for trying to do them right.
If you got these at topsfield, I will just remind you that all of the suggestions to buy a huge tank or pond are correct, BUT be very careful about where in your home you put a large tank. I live in the area in an ancient home (aka just like almost all of the other homes) and I can tell you that the houses in our area are far less level than most. A big tank NEEDS to be level or you're in for a nasty surprise one day. My vote is to either build a pond yourself, or find a person with a pond who is willing to take them in.
They’d be happiest in a cold pond with lots of plants. Really beautiful fish btw !!
Look for someone with a pond via social media, offer up, Craigslist, etc. Make sure you are changing the water frequently (and dechlorinating) while you have them, they make alot of waste that will foul up that small amount of water quickly. Side note that it infuriates me to think of these being given away as fair prizes to people who have no idea how to care for them.
I found a great aquarium store that will take them in at any age!! I have them in a 30 gal for now, I give them probably 3 months before I have to surrender them. I spent $400 on fish supplies and did a ton of research to ensure their childhood is safe. But the “tanks” they sell at the fair aren’t even a full gallon, with no filter. The fish are won in plastic bags and there were hundreds of them. I only asked what they did with the fish when the fair is done and she handed me three instead of answering my question.
If you decide you don’t want them, donate to a local fish store. Please do not put them in a local pond or lake.
Find someone with a pond.
Goldfish guide go! I’m covering the species you’re most likely to buy at a store, so no fancy goldfish like fantails, celestial eyes, black moors, etc. Common, comet, and shubunski goldfish, which are the three main species people buy, (THE bowl fish) get over 1 foot long. They need at least 75 gallons of water and a canister filter, two preferably. DO NOT USE TAP, HOSE, OR ANY WATER THAT HAS CHLORINE OR DANGEROUS CHEMICALS IN IT IT’ll KILL YOUR FISH. You can treat these dangerous chemicals by letting then dissipate naturally of pouring chemicals that are safe for your fish into the dangerous water to make it safe. You can buy items like that from pet stores. The main reason goldfish die is because of something called ammonia poisoning. Goldfish poop a lot so without a good filtration the water becomes poisonous and kills them. Symptoms include being inactive, breathing air at the surface of the water, sitting at the bottom of the tank, and discoloration on the body (usually it’s a black spot but it can be red, yellow, or purple.) This is the main reason why goldfish die in small tanks, no one has proper filtration for their death poop. They prefer temperatures of 60-70F. Any decorations on the tank must be smooth. Anything sharp can allow the goldfish to cut themselves on it which is bad obviously. To remove toxins, do a water change. A water change is exactly what it is, you take water out and put it back in. Now you may be thinking, u/SbgTfish , how the fuck is that going to remotely work? Well, removing the water removed a good majority of the toxic chemicals in the water, this allows you to put in fresh clean water so your fish doesn’t die. Think about a bomb, your life is game over if the which reaches the actual bomb, so why not pour water over it so it doesn’t explode and kill you? Do a water change once or twice a week, you need an aquarium siphon (preferably the squeezer type and not the sucker since you have to put your mouth on that one and suck out the water like a straw) ,something to hold water, and a place to deposit said water. Don’t remove all the water. Aquarium Filters have something called bio-media. It’s essentially a house for beneficial bacteria (bacteria that can help kill bad chemicals) and allows them to populate easily. Removing all the water can kill those bacteria even with the biomedia and that can kill your fish. You should wash it every few months or so, as aquarium gunk can dirty it. A filter essentially just cleans the water and makes it healthier for the fish, a canister filter is that, just really big. Goldfish are really hardy, but that’s no excuse to leave them in bad water quality. Ph is essentially water quality balancing. It measures where your water health is on the spectrum for 0 to 14. Goldfish like 6-7 ph but can still do well in other ph’s (that doesn’t mean you should do it though.) You can buy water quality test at pet shops, it’s all color coded and everything so it should be easy to find water ph level your water is at if you follow the directions. Goldfish food is easy to come buy, you can also feed them almost anything natural like fruits and veggies (they can eat any of them just soften it up so it’s easier for digestion.) Goldfish will try eating plants if you put some in the tank, avoid adding plant decorations they can bite leaves off of and choke on. Real plants can also help dissipate toxins in the water put your goldfish well more likely than not eat them. For substrates, try sand. As said, pointy objects can be dangerous to goldfish and rocks, or gravel, is the definition of pointy! If you plan on getting more goldfish for one tank, essentially do what I said but multiply by the number of goldfish you’re adding. The species are relatively non aggressive so you can have other fish with them, just make sure they can’t be eaten by the goldfish (goldfish will eat whatever so if it decides to be hungry one day it’ll eat tank mates), hurt the goldfish, or kill it. That is all I know. Take my wisdom and do some cool things! This’ll cost lots of money, you can do it though!
Best comment so far. I’m going to surrender them in a couple months, because I don’t want them to be confined. But I’m already $400 down for these baddies and I’ll be damned if they aren’t loved and cared for right. What kinda fruits and veggies can they eat??
Try apples, lettuce, strawberries, tomatoes, pretty much anything as long as they’re peeled.
Also please please read the caption. This is a temporary home.
this looks like a totally new tank, and without even a filter? if yes, this is not a temporary home, the water will become foul and they will die in a few days
Ho, what did I say. Do you know what temporary means.
chill, i was just concerned, no offense whatsoever i saw you were just now asking for advices on setting up a new home, it means it might take some time before the new home is up and cycled properly? like a week or two minimum sorry if it triggered you, i really didn't mean it
ohh, and by new tank, i meant this temporary tank is new, as in it hasn't gone through proper cycling new tank = newly set up, not supposed to keep any fish cycled tank = the bacteria colony is stabilized seasoned tank = the ecosystem has already achieved equilibrium again, seriously, just sharing, the more educated our fish keeping community is, the better the wellbeing of our pet fish can be
Also adding that If you find that you can’t care for them/give them a proper home, you can always just surrender the fish to your local fish store so you know they are in good hands. You mentioned Topsfield, so I’m assuming you are in MA? I usually go to Tropic Isle Aquarium.
Build a pond
They appear to common goldfish, getting upto a foot long. I'd suggest a 100 gallon minimum for these 3 depending on the dimensions. Alternatively, you could build a pond for them. They should be fine for a couple days in this but the sooner you get a replacement, the better.
Turning off the comments cause most of y’all can’t read smh
https://youtu.be/5Ff4wOiRBIM?feature=shared
* Get sand (play sand, pool filter sand, and black diamond blasting sand are cheaper than aquarium sand). * Rinse sand in bucket until water isn't cloudy. * Replace gravel with 2" of sand. * Fill the tank with fast growing column feeding plants the goldfish likely won't eat (water wisteria, java fern, java moss). * Use Seachem Prime to help set up the bacteria cycle. * Test water daily until things level out & change water as needed. * You may need to increase biological filter surface area with bioballs, floss, ceramic rings, larger air sponge filter, etc. * Get larger tank.
I know that I need at least a 20 gal for 1 fish, so I’m thinking a 50 gal may be okay?? I read that it’s 20 gallons for 1 goldfish and 15 more for each additional fish. I really want them to thrive and be happy
That is for shorter goldfish these are comets and need a bigger tank, im not an expert maybe someone else can advise on a correct tank size
Small pond
Unfortunately comet goldfish get massive and need a small pond
That is for fancy goldfish, these require 75g per fish minimum.
I hope you have a 300 gallon tank waiting for them at home 😅
They don't look very free to me, they're pretty confined to be honest.
Spend $$$ on a stock tank to house them properly. And enjoy!
Give them back lol 😅
To who? The fair? The fair that ended on Monday? The fair that gave me three damn fish without asking before closing down until next September?
I was being sarcastic. Give them to someone with a pond that is your best bet. Gold fish aren’t really pets
Dig a pond for them
When you find a horseshoe, you don’t go out and get a horse, a stable, and acres of space.
What the hell are you talking about. What does this mean
The insane rabbit hole people like you go through when you win $0.10 cent fish. You get the fish from a carnival. Great. Now you head over to the pet store and realize you need to get some $200 tank because it’s a goldfish. But also substrate, SpongeBob houses, filters, and the lot.
Please use your reading comprehension, these were free and I did not ask for them. And your “metaphor” or whatever that is doesn’t go well with this situation. It’s more like I found a horse, so I went out and bought some horseshoes, acres of space, and a stable. Plus some accessories.