4 Goldfish in a 14 litre tank

[anothercharlieandlola]

Is this enough space for them? The shop assistant advised that it was but I am now a bit concerned that as they grow we will need to get a much bigger tank.

Right. You might need to make a cuppa and sit down. 14 litres is not big enough for one goldfish, let alone four. Goldfish get very, very large and produce a lot of waste. They are not cheap or low maintenance pets. The shops assistant was talking utter, utter bollocks.

Goldfish do not grow to the size of their tank, rather they become stunted which causes all kinds of health problems. I'd advise against upgrading as they grow, for the reason that it's hard to tell whether or not they are becoming stunted until the damage is already done.

Here is a guide to how big they get and how much space they need .

14 litres is not big enough for any fish really, smaller tanks are often peddled at beginners but they are too difficult to maintain water quality to safely keep anything in. I'd go for a minimum of 45 litres (although something like 60-70 gives you loads more options).

I'd find a different shop too if you can, one that knows the head end of a fish from the tail end! If you let me know what county you're in I might be able to recommend somewhere.

Sorry for all the bad news :(

Oh dear. We were told to buy them 2 fish at a time so we went and bought the other 2 last week!

I better get on to eBay and get a new tank. I can't believe they told us it was enough space for 4 fish. I am pretty annoyed at how much more money we
now need to spend (quite a lot).

I am near Glasgow and bought the fish and tank from pets at home which I though was pretty reputable!

Well they do have a reputation.... I have heard that several people have successfully got a refund because the tank is not fit for purpose or because they have been mis-sold, I would say you have a pretty strong case!

If you have a local freecycle then you might be lucky on there. Do you have fancy goldfish (fat round ones) or regular?

Tbh I don't know what kind they are. They are long with shortish tails except 1 which has a very long tail with a deep v. They are all different colours.

I am going to try to get a refund for my tank and by a 48 litre one I saw on amazon. I also need to buy a stand. Dh thinks I am crazy and they are just fish, so what if they don't last! I just think it isn't fair to take on pets and then not care for them properly, even if they are only fish!

We feed them s pinch of food twice a day as advised but they seem to go bad trying to get us to feed them whenever we pass them, does that sound like enough food? Sorry to totally pick your brain!

They go *mad trying to get us to feed them more

I have read through s few other threads on here and noticed that this seems to be the mistake if every novice! Am also glad I'm not the only one attached to my new wee fish and a bit stressed about it! We totally don't have the ability to make adequate room for the fish we have bought.

Hey, my long career as a geek fishkeeper started with two goldfish in an unfiltered 25 litre tank (in my defence, I was only 6), it's how everyone starts!

Your fish sound like common goldfish, the one with the longer tail is probably a comet. They will need a very very large tank or ideally a pond. 48 litres is way better than 14 but still won't last them long. Do you know anyone with a pond? One option that might work is to get the 48 litre tank, keep them in that until the spring when the weather is warmer and then move them over to the pond Then you could get some minnows which will be fine in a 48 litre tank.

To a lot of people they are 'just fish' :( but they are covered by the 2006 Animal Welfare Act and they are quite endearing once you get to know them.

Ebay and Gumtree are by far the best place for buying fish tanks. Do you have room/budget for a 275 litre tank? There are LOADS of tanks this size on Ebay at the mo listed as "bankrupt stock." They're £99 but believe me this is a GOOD price. Theyre also nice shaped and modern. I keep hovering over the "buy" button as I want a tank for my bedroom.....