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Author Topic: Exactly what size tank do I really need?  (Read 579 times)
dulciean
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Exactly what size tank do I really need?
« on: June 27, 2012, 05:55:43 AM »
I have 6 goldfish- 2x medium sized fantails, 2x small comets, 1xsmall tricolour, 1xbaby fantail. am looking for a lovely big tank for them, but need to know exactly what size. also- what type of filtration system and plants?. i have seen some 5ft to 6ft tanks for sale second hand for around $500 - so will be saving for several weeks at least!!
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scrivens345
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Re: Exactly what size tank do I really need?
« Reply #1 on: June 27, 2012, 06:33:41 AM »
Bare minimum 300L of water NOT tank size
6ft length for the comets to have swim room
I should look at a 450 L tank

 

although this would be preferable-
72" x 24" x 24" (Length x Height x Width) Standard Tropical  Fish Tank & Cabinet:

    Tank Volume: 131 UK Gallon ( 598 Litre )
    10mm all glass aquarium
    Polished edges
    Cover glasses
    Black or Clear silicone
    Cabinet 
    Polystyrene
    Hood

     Price £ 752   Now £ 621(Link is not visible to guests. Please register to view.)

I realise that you are in The States, but I've shown you this just so you can see the right sort of tank you need to be searching for


for that tank I'd go for a 10KL/h external canister filter AND PROBABLY SET UP A SUMP TANK

[The right way is to look at the tank you can afford ,and then select the fish which could live in it]

Go for the biggest & longest tank you can afford...but remember you'll need expensive filtration, and the gravel won't be cheap either ( we are talking a couple of builder's size sacks)

Cost up everything, and if you can't afford it, then think about re-homing the comets; without the comets you could get a 4ft tank of about 300L which would do nicely Grin
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Nossie
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Re: Exactly what size tank do I really need?
« Reply #2 on: June 27, 2012, 02:19:25 PM »
I would look into a 300+ liter tank as well, I currently have 7 goldfish in mine, following the "normal" minimum standards of 20+10+10 etc. gallons per fish. But if you can, bigger would be better... Smiley
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dulciean
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Re: Exactly what size tank do I really need?
« Reply #3 on: June 27, 2012, 08:28:52 PM »
thank you for all this fabulous information. incidentally- i am in Australia. what about 2 tanks one- for comets and one for others? what would this entail? how do i re-home fish ( my koi went to the local park pond ) - i don't know any fish friends?
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Skwishee
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Re: Exactly what size tank do I really need?
« Reply #4 on: June 28, 2012, 04:49:11 AM »
Hi dulcien,

I was going to mention that comets being single tailed fish are more suited to ponds or extremely large aquaria of at least 6ft x 3ft.
Also I wouldn't keep them together with fancy varieties as they may out compete them for food and may become more boisterous as they get bigger. So to keep the two in separate housing is a very good idea.

If you think you can't provide a pond or large aquaria for the comets, in terms of re homing you could possibly ask the place that took the koi before, if they take goldfish, or you could check any local ads on the Internet as sometimes people look for goldfish to stock their private ponds with.

So if you sort out the comets, that will leave you with 4 fancy variety goldfish.
Following the basic 20 gallon + 10 gallon rule, you would need a tank of at least 50 gallons/ roughly 200 litres or so?
4 foot is a good minimum length to go for, but if you can find 5 foot tanks the fish will have even more swimming room.

External canister filters are what is most commonly used, you would need one to do 10x the tank size. So in a 200 litre tank you would want one that can do around 2000 litres per hour. It's possible that when buying second hand you may get some filters with it.

As for plants, goldfish being omnivores will eat some species! I have found no problems with elodea, but as I only have one fish, it's grown faster than she can eat it. Whereas four goldfish might be a different story   Wink
« Last Edit: June 28, 2012, 04:51:37 AM by Skwishee » Logged
Nossie
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Re: Exactly what size tank do I really need?
« Reply #5 on: June 28, 2012, 10:34:02 AM »
I missed the plants-question. I have a number of species in my tank that seem to get along just fine with the goldfish, such as dwarf anubias, barter's anubias, cryptocoryne and java fern. I'm planning to get some giant anubias to put in the back of the tank, but these grow very large and tall so they should be in pretty big tanks only Smiley

If I were you, I'd give the comets to the pet shop and keep the 4 fancy goldfish in a 200-250 liter tank with good filtration Smiley
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Skwishee
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Re: Exactly what size tank do I really need?
« Reply #6 on: June 28, 2012, 01:10:58 PM »
Nossie, I'd be wary of giving single tailed goldfish back to a store -depending on the shop really- as in some places they may end up being re-sold to someone with a small tank.
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Nossie
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Re: Exactly what size tank do I really need?
« Reply #7 on: June 29, 2012, 06:10:46 AM »
They most likely will be, but it wouldn't be very different being stuck in your small tank or someone else's. Trying to find someone with a pond would be ideal, but in some cases it's not that easy finding a pond.
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Skwishee
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Re: Exactly what size tank do I really need?
« Reply #8 on: June 30, 2012, 10:59:57 AM »
Dulcien managed to re home their koi to a local pond, so I was thinking the comets could possibly go to the same place?  If they'll accept them Smiley
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Nossie
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Re: Exactly what size tank do I really need?
« Reply #9 on: June 30, 2012, 06:56:06 PM »
Oh, I had no idea! That would be nice Smiley
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Jo Bett
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Re: Exactly what size tank do I really need?
« Reply #10 on: April 25, 2013, 03:22:03 PM »
I am brand new at this. I bought a 15 gallon tank and wonder if it is too small for 2 black moors. 
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pufferman
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Re: Exactly what size tank do I really need?
« Reply #11 on: April 26, 2013, 01:06:13 PM »
jo bett

 15 is enough for 2 moores but dont and any more till u go bigger
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scrivens345
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Re: Exactly what size tank do I really need?
« Reply #12 on: April 29, 2013, 06:43:56 AM »
Jo, 15 gallons is way too small for 2 moors...I have 2 moors in a 55 gallon
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Skwishee
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Re: Exactly what size tank do I really need?
« Reply #13 on: May 01, 2013, 04:27:12 PM »
You'd need a bare minimum of 30 gallons for two fancy variety goldfish (following the 20 gallons for first fish + 10 gallons for each additional fish), but the bigger you can go the better.
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pufferman
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Re: Exactly what size tank do I really need?
« Reply #14 on: May 14, 2013, 11:45:42 AM »
you 2 bug me you do not need 30 or 55 gallons for 2 baby moore if she keeps them for 2 years then i would be time to upgrade they dont grow that fast >: but she has time there is no need to spend money at this point. she would be better off saving for a nice tank in the future then going out buying a new tank with crappy fillers that they cant afford. they  SMALL fish will be fine for a long time
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Skwishee
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Re: Exactly what size tank do I really need?
« Reply #15 on: May 14, 2013, 03:22:07 PM »
Pufferman, goldfish do their most growing in the juvenile stage, usually this is around the first two years of their lives. If you house them unsuitably to begin with they will become stunted and remain unnaturally small, the effects of stunting can vary depending on the fish, but in some cases it can affect their health and life span.

Fancy goldfish can grow anywhere from 8 - 10 inches, they need the space from the get go really, so they can grow and remain healthy. But it's understandable that people get misinformed and so the fish end up in less ideal situations, in which case an upgrade as soon as possible is the best thing.

The stocking rule I gave, 20 gallons for the first fish and 10 gallons for each additional fish, is the absolute minimum for keeping fancy goldfish. You can often find good deals on second hand tanks, without having to spend a fortune.
« Last Edit: May 14, 2013, 03:27:12 PM by Skwishee » Logged
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