Goldfish- what do I really need?

[Nola25]

Hi

My little boy (nearly 3) is obsessed with fish so we were looking at getting him a small setup with a few goldfish.

Had a chat with a guy in our local garden centre, fish place and he said that we’d need 60ltr per fish, pump, heater, light and various fish care chemicals.

Does this sound about right? We were think of about 6 fish.

Last time I had a goldfish (from a fair!!) it was a tiny tank and a little filter pump thing, fish lasted for 8 years

Any advice gratefully received

[merlin75]

You will need as big a tank as possible, get a really good filter and light.
You wont need a heater or chemicals, if you can find a good local non chain place have a chat with them.
Finally join the fancy goldfish group on facebook.

[Silvanus]

Advice is don't get goldfish, they aren't as easy to keep as people think. They need a big tank and very good filtration. There are much better fish to get for beginner.

[Boosted LS1]

Goldfish are usually as hard as nails and difficult to kill by carelessness. They're greedy though so feed sparingly and have good filtration. A cartridge filter requires little maintenance.

Always use the largest tank you can as the water surface area is important. As a kid I remember putting my goldfish in a bucket everytime I scrubbed it's tank out and washed the gravel. Despite all of that it still lived a long life.

I'd steer away from tropical fish. There are usually a few deaths if you've got no experience and sometimes the fish are already infected when you buy them. Imo goldfish would be the best starter project, maybe just 2 of them.

[Silvanus]

Boosted LS1 said:

Goldfish are usually as hard as nails and difficult to kill by carelessness. They're greedy though so feed sparingly and have good filtration. A cartridge filter requires little maintenance.

Always use the largest tank you can as the water surface area is important. As a kid I remember putting my goldfish in a bucket everytime I scrubbed it's tank out and washed the gravel. Despite all of that it still lived a long life.

I'd steer away from tropical fish. There are usually a few deaths if you've got no experience and sometimes the fish are already infected when you buy them. Imo goldfish would be the best starter project, maybe just 2 of them.

Goldfish might be tough and difficult to kill, but it doesn't mean then enjoy living a poor environment.

Some temperate fish are easy to keep and are a bit more interesting than goldfish if you have a couple of different species. White cloud minnows, paradise fish, zebra danios are very easy to keep.

Betta (siamese fighting fish) are a very easy to keep and there are some amazing varieties. Females can be kept together but makes need to be away from other males, they can both be kept with other species.

[Cotty]

Nola25 said:

My little boy (nearly 3) is obsessed with fish so we were looking at getting him a small setup with a few goldfish.

If you are anywhere near Orpington I have a reasonable set up that you could take off my hands.
Tank is W 20", D 10", H 11". with the dedecated stand, lights, pump, heater etc.

[Boosted LS1]

Silvanus said:

Boosted LS1 said:

Goldfish are usually as hard as nails and difficult to kill by carelessness. They're greedy though so feed sparingly and have good filtration. A cartridge filter requires little maintenance.

Always use the largest tank you can as the water surface area is important. As a kid I remember putting my goldfish in a bucket everytime I scrubbed it's tank out and washed the gravel. Despite all of that it still lived a long life.

I'd steer away from tropical fish. There are usually a few deaths if you've got no experience and sometimes the fish are already infected when you buy them. Imo goldfish would be the best starter project, maybe just 2 of them.

Goldfish might be tough and difficult to kill, but it doesn't mean then enjoy living a poor environment.

Some temperate fish are easy to keep and are a bit more interesting than goldfish if you have a couple of different species. White cloud minnows, paradise fish, zebra danios are very easy to keep.

Betta (siamese fighting fish) are a very easy to keep and there are some amazing varieties. Females can be kept together but makes need to be away from other males, they can both be kept with other species.

Nothing is easier to keep then a goldfish and they can be given an interesting habitat just like any other fish.

[Silvanus]

Boosted LS1 said:

Silvanus said:

Boosted LS1 said:

Goldfish are usually as hard as nails and difficult to kill by carelessness. They're greedy though so feed sparingly and have good filtration. A cartridge filter requires little maintenance.

Always use the largest tank you can as the water surface area is important. As a kid I remember putting my goldfish in a bucket everytime I scrubbed it's tank out and washed the gravel. Despite all of that it still lived a long life.

I'd steer away from tropical fish. There are usually a few deaths if you've got no experience and sometimes the fish are already infected when you buy them. Imo goldfish would be the best starter project, maybe just 2 of them.

Goldfish might be tough and difficult to kill, but it doesn't mean then enjoy living a poor environment.

Some temperate fish are easy to keep and are a bit more interesting than goldfish if you have a couple of different species. White cloud minnows, paradise fish, zebra danios are very easy to keep.

Betta (siamese fighting fish) are a very easy to keep and there are some amazing varieties. Females can be kept together but makes need to be away from other males, they can both be kept with other species.

Nothing is easier to keep then a goldfish and they can be given an interesting habitat just like any other fish.

they are pretty easy, my point was than they are often neglected are kept in the wrong conditions. They are very tough, even under those circumstances but not necessarily happy fish. Goldfish ideally need a decent sized setup and they can be messy. A few molly would be just as interesting but less messy.

[paintman]

If you want to keep a few small fish in a small tank then goldfish aren't the choice.

Google the subject. Plenty of advice as to suitable minimum tank size.

Edited by paintman on Sunday 23 October 20:06

[Nola25]

Thanks for the replies and advice

I’ll nip into a local, non chain aquatic centre in the week and see what they have/suggest

May not happen if he carries on the way he has today though!

[PurpleTurtle]

Thread bump - our son has announced that he wants two goldfish for his birthday next week, he has even named them in advance - Bob and Geoff!

Trouble is we are limited on space for a tank and, having had a good read of this article, I am concerned that it would be cruel to keep them in the modest size tank we have space for.

https://injaf.org/aquarium-fish/the-goldfish-secti...

So, I think we should have a rethink on 'goldfish' and just think 'fish' and get him an aquarium setup with fish that more suit it.

Question is, what type of fish!?

What's a good alternative to a goldfish that will remain about 4-5 inches and is easy to keep for a beginner?

[lufbramatt]

Mollies might work well. Get to about 4" long and are not fussy about water chemistry, don't need huge tanks and are livebearers so you might end up with babies. They will do better in a group of at least 4-5.

I would say though that you would be better off getting the tank set up well in advance and read up about "fishless cycling". A way of using small amounts of ammonia to start off the bacteria in the filter that will keep the fish alive. Using the fish to "cycle" the tank can lead to stress and premature death of the fish, as at the beginning there will be no bacteria colony in the filter to break down the waste products of the fish. In my experience this takes about 3-4 weeks. Aquatics shops will often push you down the route of a bottle of "filter start" magic potion but there is some debate as to whether or not they work.

Edited by lufbramatt on Thursday 15th February 15:07

[breamster]

What size tank are you looking at? Assuming small you are right to rule our goldfish. They need a lot of space.

Consider a tropical tank and look up nano fish. There are loads of small fish to consider. Rasbora, danios etc. Few ottos? Amano shrimp add a lot of interest. 4-5" are big fish and will need a good size tank.

Get along to a decent fish shop, not pets at home. Do you have a maidenhead aquatics nearby? Look up how to cycle a tank if you want the best chance of keeping the fish alive.

[PurpleTurtle]

Thanks for the fast responses. We are in Reading, so it seems we are overrun with different branches of Maidenhead Aquatics round here. I'll get myself down there at the weekend when I have more time. Size-wise we are looking at something like these:

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/aquatropic-start-aqua...
https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/superfish-start-50-tr...

I'm going to Pets At Home on my way home from the office tonight, but just to have a comparative look at what's there.

When I left the house this morning I was all set to go there and buy a tank for two goldfish but reading this thread has changed my view.

[lufbramatt]

Go for the bigger tank, small tanks are difficult to keep stable (temperature and water quality), so more water volume is a big benefit and actually makes things a lot easier.

[breamster]

lufbramatt said:

Go for the bigger tank, small tanks are difficult to keep stable (temperature and water quality), so more water volume is a big benefit and actually makes things a lot easier.

100% agree.

[Belle427]

Hated every minute of ours, daughter lost interest quickly.
I could never keep the tank clean even with good filtration and loathed the clean out process too.
As said they are not easy.

[PurpleTurtle]

Thanks for all the feedback.

We had a really useful trip to Maidenhead Aquatics last weekend and (having already steered our lad away from Goldfish) we've got him the Start 50 tank, have gone tropical with a heater and filter, and are going to get him some small, easy to maintain tropical fish instead.

The tanks is installed, currently waiting for the water to cycle properly (7 days recommended) before we introduce some fish.

Hopefully we'll include a Betta (aka Siamese Fighting Fish) as we had one of those when I was a kid and it was great to watch.

It's been a really positive learning experience for our son so far, but yes, it will be me doing the cleaning, which I don't mind.

[satans worm]

PurpleTurtle said:

Thanks for all the feedback.

We had a really useful trip to Maidenhead Aquatics last weekend and (having already steered our lad away from Goldfish) we've got him the Start 50 tank, have gone tropical with a heater and filter, and are going to get him some small, easy to maintain tropical fish instead.

The tanks is installed, currently waiting for the water to cycle properly (7 days recommended) before we introduce some fish.

Hopefully we'll include a Betta (aka Siamese Fighting Fish) as we had one of those when I was a kid and it was great to watch.

It's been a really positive learning experience for our son so far, but yes, it will be me doing the cleaning, which I don't mind.

My advice would be dont let your son watch MD fishtanks on YouTube or keeping fish could gain too much momentum