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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

About not being able to buy a goldfish?

21 replies

kimiTheEasterBunny · 05/04/2007 13:16

DS2 wanted new fish, sadly George the last fish swam to fishy heaven after 8 years.
So we set up the tank, its clean, the water has been in it 24 hours and we go to get 2 new fishy friends.
So we get a sales girl, DS2 points to the fish he would like, she gets the lid off, net in hand and says oh you do have a filter on your tank? Um no says I as we never have had.
Oh she says putting down net, then I cant sell you fish!
She then trys to sell me a pump and filter, and seemed to think I was evil for not getting one.
George lived till he was 8 without a filter.
Am I being thick or do you really need a filter for 2 fish? Or was the first salesgirl just trying to sell us stuff. Advice please.

We just went and got them from another place that did not seem to think we needed a filter.
George2 and Gorgina are happy swimming about in the kitchen as we speak. But do I need to go get a filter?

OP posts:
twinsetandpearls · 05/04/2007 13:20

yes you should have a filter especially for goldfish who produce a lot of pollutants in the tank which means they often die from their own waste.

A filter need not be expensive, your gish may have lived eight years but it could have lived three times that and I hope they also have a large tank.

I keep topical and coldwater fish, in my coldwater tank I have5 goldfish in a 60 litre tank which is about right or perhaps on the slightly genourous side.

It sounds like an excellent shop thatputs animals before profit and there should be more like it,

Original poster
kimiTheEasterBunny · 05/04/2007 13:25

I had no idea.
George sadly met his end by way of our cat.
DH1 has the cats, so I thought t would be safe to have fish with DP.

I will get a filter, thank you twinset.

/kimi is embarrassed now.

OP posts:
MellowMa · 05/04/2007 13:27

Message withdrawn

twinsetandpearls · 05/04/2007 13:28

no need to be emabaressed I did not know myself and kept my three goldfish in a twenty litre tank when I saw my present tank with filtre on ebay and bought it, we bought the goldfish in their and they blossomed , the grew, they swum happily rather than being constrained and stopped gasping at the top.

I then temporarily had to put them back in the smaller tank for a few days and it was awful and when I spoke to my local aquatic shop he gave me a stern telling off.

I thnk you have only done what most people do.

twinsetandpearls · 05/04/2007 13:29

I change a third of my water every other week. I also try to avoid using flake food every day,mine love masjed up peas as well as live and frozen food and use water conditioners.

NoodleStroodle · 05/04/2007 13:29

Change fish or water?

twinsetandpearls · 05/04/2007 13:33

water, although I do ahve a poorly fish at the moment which is entirely my own fault for buying a fancy over bred variety. Have been nursing him in our hospital tank, dd even put on her uniform for him yesterday.

twinsetandpearls · 05/04/2007 13:34

guide to keeping goldfish

Gingerbear · 05/04/2007 13:35

You need a Mature filter with plenty of bacteria that convert ammonia in fish waste to nitrites/nitrates, otherwise the fish will be pretty miserable - would you like to swim about in your own wee and poo?

Anyway, if you read my links on this thread here
You will find out why you need a tank filter.
Keeping goldfish in an unfiltered tank is possible, but you need to change the water daily, it is hard work as they poop a lot, and IMO it is cruel.

twinsetandpearls · 05/04/2007 13:37

good advice on that thread about taking time to allow your tank to mature and settle before putting the fish in.

OrmIrian · 05/04/2007 13:40

We had a small tank with just a gravel filter. Seemed OK. Then got a bigger one at Christmas with a meshy sort of filter and it's amazing the amount of crap that 4 tiny little fishes produce . But on the plus side the water must be sparklingly clean now.

Kbear · 05/04/2007 13:54

Filter deffo. We bought a new one for our tank yesterday, was £20 but smaller ones start at £10. It aerates the water as well. I think they do live in unfiltered water but they are probably happier and healthier in a tank with a filter.

wannaBeWhateverIWannaBe · 05/04/2007 13:58

when we bought ds' goldfish last year we bought one of those goldfish starter kits, it included a bowl, some gravel, and some food. so we put water in it to let it settle etc and then bought the fish. and the first thing my dh read in his "how to keep goldfish" book was "do not put them in a goldfish bowl". so I hastily went on to the internet and ordered a tank, the conditioner, the dechlorinator ... and because we felt so sorry for the fish in a bowl we just dechlorinated the water and put the fish in it. they were instantly happier, although we did have "new tank syntrome" for a whihle and it took a few weeks to get the nitrite/amonia levels right. but over a year on we have very happy healthy fish, and dh has now taken such an interest that he's going to buy himself a large tropical tank.

Original poster
kimiTheEasterBunny · 05/04/2007 14:31

DP used to have tropical fish, and is going to ask his parents to bring his tank and stuff when they visit next. (well his mom is coming for Easter but on the train so not ale to bring it then). I think the DC will love it, but it will be DPs responsibility to take care of them.
I thought DSs were still not ready for tropical fish so have stuck to goldfish so far.
George 1 was won by my MIL at a fair (I was horrified) she gave it to DS1 and we had to get a bowl ect. As I sad we had him for 8 years before the cat found a way to get to him, DS1 tried really hard to save him and was heartbroken.
We did not have fish for about 2 years after that but DS2 has been begging for weeks now so we gave in. He has spent a lot of today watching them and reading them story's, (bless)

OP posts:
MellowMa · 05/04/2007 14:34

Message withdrawn

wannaBeWhateverIWannaBe · 05/04/2007 17:08

mm the "good" bacteria eg the nitrates/nitrites live in the filter/on the gravel/plants/sides of the tank and not in the water as such. So when the water is filtered through, the good bacteria is absorbed in the water to balance it out iyswim. so when you change the water, you're only removing a part of the volume of the tank and so when you replace that dirty water with clean water, it's filtered through the filter which contains the good bacteria, and thus the balance is not upset at all.

When you change the filters, the mostly come in two parts, so you change half, and rince half (in some of the water you've just removed) just to get the worst dirt off, but the bacteria then remains.

hth

glassslipper · 05/04/2007 17:22

i have a filter for 2 goldfish. it cost about £8. I just wash the spongy bits in it rather than replace them. Every two weeks i siphen off about 20% of the water and replace to keep it topped up. My fish are 1 year old and seem quite happy.

talcyegg · 05/04/2007 17:40

We did everything 'by the book'
(after being sent away by the 'pets r us' lady on our firs visit)
Both fishes died within a week

twinsetandpearls · 05/04/2007 22:16

sometimes you just get a poorly fish, I personally would not buy from pets are us.

I bought two goldfish from a new store and one of those is poorly. Find a good aquatic store and stick with it.

twinsetandpearls · 05/04/2007 22:39

MellowMa, wannaBeWhateverIWannaBe's advice is fab

MellowMa · 06/04/2007 07:13

Message withdrawn

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