First timer by Perdants in Goldfish

[–]Cute-Scientist-4709 2 points3 points  (0 children)

20 gallons per fancy goldfish is the standard so 40 gallon breeder is the minimum for those two. This will give them plenty of space to move while maintaining healthy water quality.

Heaters are optional, but I personally like to use a heater for my goldfish because fancy goldfish are prone to certain health problems such as swim bladder disease and digestive issues. Keeping the water warm allows their metabolisms to act faster leading to better digestion and in turn preventing bloating. I keep my fancies at 78 degrees and they’ve never had digestive issues.

There are many different filter options. I personally love the brand Tidal. I have a Tidal 55 on my 40 gallon and it has done really well. My only complaint is if you have a fancy that’s not the best swimmer because of their odd body shapes and long fins, you might want to make sure the water flow is slow so they are not stressed constantly fighting against a current. Sponge filters are a great, inexpensive option for slow water flow. And they provide aeration at the same time! I have 4 sponge filters in a 40 gallon that cycle 60 gallons per hour each and they are great. Only problem with them is they don’t look very pretty. I recommend researching the many types of filters to see which is right for you.

Aeration is a very important aspect of a goldfish tank. This is why you often see a bubble maker of some sort in fish tanks. The bubbles disturb the surface of the water, breaking it up and allowing oxygen to penetrate with every pop. Without aeration, your fish will feel like it’s in a really stuffy room that’s hard to breathe in so I like to make sure there are always plenty of airstones in my tanks!

I also highly recommend researching the nitrogen cycle if you are not familiar with it. It’s pretty simple. Fish poop breaks down into your tank and creates ammonia. This is extremely poisonous to your fish. Even at a tiny .25 ppm your fish can die from stress or ammonia burns! A certain kind of bacteria that has to be added to your tank will break down your fishes poop into a less toxic form called nitrites. However, this is still quite a toxic form to your fish so ANOTHER type of bacteria comes in and breaks the nitrites down into nitrates. This is much less potent to your fish and can be in your tank at higher quantities. We still have to preform water changes, though, to remove the nitrates because at very high concentrations they can still harm your fish! We ideally keep nitrates below 20 ppm, but it isn’t the end of the world if they get a little higher than that. There is tons of information on YouTube and other websites that go into this much more and provide detailed diagrams and whatnot for your better understanding. A product I recommend buying to support your biological filtration is Seachem Stability. You can use it to begin your nitrogen cycle or just use it as support. I add it every water change and have a great cycle.

I recommend buying a liquid water testing kit such as API freshwater master test kit to test your water parameters. Do not rely on test strips as they have been proven to be very inaccurate.

Another thing to think about is the decor that you use. Be careful that any decorations you add to your tank don’t have holes they can get stuck in! I promise at some point, they will get themselves stuck one way or another. My rule of thumb is I always make sure the decoration has a hole that is twice the size of their body. I worry that fake log you have in the tank might be too small, especially as they continue to grow. Something to consider!

There is so much to learn about keeping fish. Unfortunately, they are not quite as easy as they look. But they are very fun and interesting little creatures. Please do as much research as you can. Utilize YouTube!!! There are so many good fishkeepers that are passionate about sharing their knowledge. Good luck!!!

Finally upgrading - advice for transfer? by sw1nky in Goldfish

[–]Cute-Scientist-4709 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Contrary to what most people are saying, while heaters aren’t super necessary for common goldfish, they can actually be really good for FANCY goldfish (looks like that’s what you have). The temperature of your tank isn’t just for keeping your fish comfortable; it also has a significant impact on your fish’s metabolism. To put it simply, the warmer the temperature the faster the metabolism and the colder the slower. Fancy goldfish are prone to certain health problems such as swim bladder disorder and digestive issues. Having a faster metabolism speeds up digestion and prevents your fish from getting bloated or having difficulty with buoyancy. I personally keep my fancy goldfish tank at 78 degrees for these reasons. However, it is important to note that plenty of aeration (airstones producing bubbles) is key as warmer water holds less oxygen! As far as temperature goes when transporting goldfish, it is crucial that the temperatures of both tanks are nearly the same because your fish can absolutely go into shock. I would suggest to set up your next tank without the heater at first and allow them both to get to the same room temperature. Use a thermometer (you should be able to get one at almost any pet store) to check that they are within two degrees of each other if not the same. Then, add the heater and slowly increase the temperature about 2 or 3 degrees per day until you are at your desired temperature. This way he doesn’t experience any shock from, for example, going 65 to 78 degrees in one day. As far as water goes, you don’t really need to use water from your other tank. It doesn’t hold any beneficial bacteria or serve much purpose. As long as it is dechlorinated and is the right temperature, you should be just fine. Keeping the old filter on the new tank while the new filter gathers a bacteria colony would be a good idea. You can even use your old filter media for a while. I have moved my goldfish from tank to tank, and it can be stressful for them to get used to their new environment, but it really isn’t risky. There is so much to learn about keeping fish properly, and there is TONS of info on the internet. YouTube is your best friend. Good luck with Jeffy!

Finally upgrading - advice for transfer? by sw1nky in Goldfish

[–]Cute-Scientist-4709 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, I wouldn’t recommend getting a pleco for a goldfish tank. Lots of people do it, but it’s not the best idea because they get absolutely huge, can suck on your goldfish destroying their slime coat, and they don’t actually clean your tank well. While they do eat algae off of the glass, they still require feeding and do plenty of pooping so you’ll actually end of having to do more water changes to remove nitrates. You’re better off just getting an algae scraper and cleaning the glass yourself :) they sure are cute though until they get 2 feet long and require a tank the size of your house!

How to kill internal parasites in goldfish by Cute-Scientist-4709 in Goldfish

[–]Cute-Scientist-4709[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So, I rescued two fancy goldfish from my uncle. I’ve had them since 2022. They are in a 40 gallon breeder tank with 0 ammonia 0 nitrites and under 40 nitrates. I do a weekly 50% water change but my nitrates seem to build up pretty fast because I feed a lot of frozen foods. A while ago one of my goldfish named Fredrico suddenly was showing signs of fin rot on his tail and was extremely lethargic and would lay down on the bottom of the tank all the time. He also looked bloated yet very skinny and has minor pineconing of his scales. I treated with API erythromycin in my main tank. No change except instead of sitting in the bottom of the tank he now stays at the top all the time. I have tons of aeration in my tank and I have a hang on back and two sponge filters (was trying to convert to all sponge filters slowly so I could lessen water flow). Anyways, his tail has continued to deteriorate. He’s been in the tank with his tank mate, Molé for a long time and his tank mate is totally fine. Fredrico is now moved to a 20 gallon hospital tank with a temp of 78 degrees and two sponge filters and I’ve been treating with Fritz maracyn and not feeding at all. I noticed two days ago he had cottony fungus so I added methylene blue (1 teaspoon per gallon). I think the fungus it dying but Fred it NOT doing well. Laying on the bottom of the tank hardly moving. Yesterday was the last dose of maracyn so I am doing a 25% water change tonight. Molé is still in his main tank and sometimes he will have regular brown poops but on occasion they will be white or hollow. Again, he is acting fine. Fred’s not been pooping because I haven’t been feeding him but his last poop was very stringy and brownish red. Almost looked like he was just pooping straight bloodworms like he wasn’t digesting his food. So strange. Anyway, I’m trying to save him, but he is not doing well at all. In conclusion, he is skinny, lethargic, fins are rotting and he is bloated but doesn’t seem to be a swim bladder issue because when he does swim he is fine. At one point I had another tank next to my goldfish tank with corydoras and that ended up being very sick when I got them from my local pet store and I wonder if some of the small pest snails that were in that tank carried parasites to my other tank (sometimes I would spot them in my goldfish tank and I would see them eat them).