Need some advice about Goldfish please

[TheInvisibleManDidIt]

My friends mother has a tank and 3 fish she's been trying to rehome, so we're taking them for ds2 birthday.

We're going over tonight to pick them up- she's drained the tank and has the fish in a container for transport.

Can I put them straight in the tank when they get home? Or does the water in the tank need to sit for a while? I put water in tubs last night as she said I'd need to let it get to room temp but I'm not sure if I need to let the filter in the tank run in the new water for a while before putting them in.

Also (and this may sound daft) will they be ok if I cover the tank with a sheet tomorrow evening or will this distress them? His birthday is on sat, so I planned to cover it when he's home until then so he can 'unwrap' it on Sat, but I don't want his whipping of the sheet to a tank of fish that have died of shock or distress!

I've looked up online how to care for them, but can't find the best way to rehome them.

you should get some water safe solution that makes the water safe for the fish you can use normal water i always do mainly cold and add some warm at the end not sure about covering them as have never done this

when i got my fish i just used the water safe solution and filled tank popped fish in and let filter run straight away maybe cover them while his up and uncover them when his in bed and then cover them first thing again as im unsure about them being covered all the time im sure they need some light bit not 100% sure

Introducing the fish to the tank is usually done gradually. ie; you put the plastic bag of fish in the tank for 10 minutes so they can adjust to the temperature and then let them out into the tank. Also-do you know what type of fish they are? Tropical fish require a tank heater to keep the water at a constant temperature. Sometimes you have to add supplements to the water to prepare it for the fish. I imagine that your friends mother would give you all the instructions for their care but if not go to a pet/aquarium store and find a knowledgeable staff member to give you some pointers. I don't think the sheet over the tank would be an issue for the fish. Keeping the tank clean is quite a lot of work ( I make my hubby do ours ), just to warn you, but the kids do enjoy watching the fish and naming them etc. Good Luck!

Theres 3 goldfish, an angel fish and a stranger sucker type thing. She given us loads of stuff for them, suppliments, food, a book on how to care of them.

We just gave them to him tonight when he came home from football- all the tank and things are too big to hide.

Now just to figure out how to set up this filter!!

Evening, I know a bit about fish so I can give you some advice.

First of all, goldfish get very very large so if you want to keep them you'll have to get a really big tank. If they are fancy goldfish (fat round ones with long fins) then they need a tank of about 40 gallons minimum for 3, if they are regular goldfish then they need even more.

Angelfish are tropical so they shouldn't be kept with goldfish any idea what the sucker thing is? Some catfish can get massive so it's a good idea to find out before you get stuck with a 24" monster!

An aquarium should be cycled for up to 6 weeks before adding fish. If the filter your friend's mum had has been running for a while then you should be able to skip this part, but have a read of this and it will tell you all about the nitrogen cycle and how it relates to fish- www.fishkeeping.co.uk/articles_51/fishless-cycling-article.htm

DD's just woken up so I gotta scoot, let me know if there's anything else specific you need to know.

Thanks for that sweetnitanitro. It's a 50 litre tank. 3 goldfish- 2 with reallly long tails, the other with quite a small one. The biggest one, including its tail (which is the same length as its body) is about 10cm.

She said it was an angel fish but obviously can't be if that's a tropical fish. Will try and find a picture online of it, and of the other one.

So where should I keep the fish until I can add them to the tank? I've set up the filter and filled it. I've added some 'nutrafin cycle' that she gave me. She's had them a few years- they were my friends brothers but he left them with their mum when he moved away, so the filters been running a long time. She did say I'd need to speak to the pet shop as I need a cottonwool type thing to put in it.

And DD's back off to sleep

Nutrafin cycle does bugger all unfortunately so you needn't buy any more when you run out. It won't do any harm if you use it now though.

If the filter has been running a long time and hasn't been switched off for any significant period (more than a couple of hours) then there should be plenty of good bacteria in there still. You only need to replace the sponges when they get so knackered that they start falling apart. To clean them you just need to squeeze them out in a container of water from the tank. Never ever rinse them under the tap, this will kill all the good bacteria.

If you don't have a cycled filter (if it's been switched off for more than 12 hours it will have uncycled) then you may as well add the fish straight to the tank. I would get a water test kit and keep a very close eye on the ammonia and nitrIte level. Your fish sound like they are fairly stunted and this has probably weakened their immune system so you'll need to keep the water as clean as possible.

50 litres won't be big enough long term for all those fish, you'll be constantly battling to keep the tank clean and the fish healthy. If you can't upgrade to a much bigger tank then it would be best to swap the fish for something smaller that can live in a tank that size. If you added a heater then a male betta splendens would suit the tank perfectly.

Just had a thought, is this your angel fish? www.pepschool.org/students/P-1/Zhang,%20Henry/paradise%20fish.jpg

This all really helpful thanks.

My friends mum only finished emptying it just before we got there- so I think at most it was off about 3 hours.

I set it all up last night and left it running overnight then put the fish in this morning- felt sorry for them in the bucket they were in!

This is just like the one she called an angel fish- the top silvery one. It's only about an inch long. maybe just slightly more.

There's a big pets at home store near me, so I'll go there and look for that test kit. Dh is laughing at me fussing over goldfish so much I'd hate to think I was doing something that hurt them!

Hey, there's nothing wrong with fussing over goldfish they live a really long time if you look after them so you get pretty attached to them.

The fish in the pic is a black widow tetra, this is another pic of the same fish- exotic-aquariums.com/images/black_widow_tetra.jpg They are tropical and should not be kept with goldfish. They also need to be kept in a shoal because they get freaked out if you keep them on their own. It would be best to take it back to the shop really, they should rehome it for you.

Oh I wish I'd looked into this more before I got them- or got them from a shop who could have told me all this. I thought it was a good idea to get them from someone I know and better to rehome them for her rather than her being stuck with fish she didn't want.Ds named them all before school thismorning and now I'm going to have to tell him that at least one of them is going have to go, maybe all of them if the tanks not big enough .

It's definately that fish. I assume that if it's been kept like this all that time it will be ok until tonight? I'd rather let him come to the shop with me to hand it in, then he can see it's 'happier' with ones the same. Might make it a bit easier for him.

Although ds2 in a pet shop is a nightmare. He loves animals- says when he grows up he's going to get a big house and fill it with all the pets I've said no to (which includes parrots and spiders!)). Oh and he won't have a wife and children as they'll just take up room which the animals could use.

The 3 goldfish are all gathered at the side of the tank closest to where I'm sitting staring at me!! Ds fed them this morning- could they be hungry again? (only the cats sit and stare at me when they're hungry. So do the boys actually, thinking about it!!)

Goldfish are always hungry don't listen to them! It's probably better actually to reduce the amount of food just while they settle in because it will contribute to the amount of waste. Once you get your test kit you'll have a better idea of what the water quality's like.

Yeah, the tetra will be fine until tonight. I would ring the shop first to check they will take it but most shops will re-home a single fish.

It was brilliant of you to re-home some unwanted fish rather than just buying new ones. I know it comes as a shock to most people when they find out 'the truth' about goldfish. I know I was bloody shocked when I found out but since then I have learnt loads and got really geeky about fish.

You might find this useful- www.fishkeeping.co.uk/articles_74/goldfish-size-life-expectancy.htm

3-4 ft of swimming room!!!! This tank is only about 1 1/2 ft!! Poor things Now I feel really crap. Ds2's going to cry .I really don't want to give them away but don't want the fish to be unhealthy and not have enough room though. I've become a bit attached to them already. They're quite funny watching me.

Why on earth do shops sell those tiny wee bowl things for goldfish. Although now I know why my fish as a child died all the time!

Thanks for all your help. Have to go shopping now- the pet shops accross from tesco so I'll go and ask them about taking the wee tetra one for me, and I guess I'll need to see if they'll take the goldfish too. Or price a much bigger tank and figure out if I can find the room for it. Do you think dh can be convinced we really don't need his 48" tv and that a fish tank would look much nicer there!!

Yeah I know, it's awful that shops sell bowls and tiny toy tanks for goldfish, they do it because there's nothing legally to stop them. It's too much of a money-spinner, no one would buy goldfish if they knew how much they would cost over their 20 year lifespan

Good luck convincing your DH I managed to persuade mine to get rid of some furniture to fit in our 4ft tank, I think he would get rid of me before he parts with his giant TV though! It's definitely worth it if you have got the space, a big tank will bring out the goldfish's playful side (not to mention their randy side). Freecycle usually have tanks going if you're on a budget.

If you need to know anything else just ask, it's nice to have a captive audience

[QUOTE] Goldfish are always hungry..dont listen to them [quote].......really made me laugh, mine are always conning me! :D

Well dh says if the fish can put up with this tank just now we can look at getting a bigger one in a month or 2 They'll be alright until then won't they?

The pet shop girl was great- if we take a water sample in they test it for free.

They seemed facinated by the tv when it was on last night. Although my mil was very freaked out by that staring at her thing they were doing when she came over.

Yay! That's brilliant news.

DH used to complain about our goldfish watching him eat. They are seriously nosy fish! And they were probably scrounging for vegetable scraps too. Cats and dogs have nothing on goldfish....

They will probably be OK for a month but you'll have to keep on top of water changes. It's still best to get your own test kit, that way you don't have to traipse to the shop every time you want the water tested. I would probably be testing and doing a water change a couple of times a week until you can get them in their new tank.

If the shop does test the water for you, make sure they write down the results because many of them will tell you it's fine without giving you details. Lots of people believe that there's a 'safe' level of ammonia but I'm not one of them!

Let me know when you get your new tank and I'll help you out with the best way to move them all over

Thanks Sweet!

They are soooo nosy!! The boys are playing a board game just now and I'd swear they're watching them.

The test kit she showed me was almost £50. I've just spent a small fortune on both my boys birthdays in the last month so will get her to test it just now until I get paid again!

really appreciate all teh advice.

£50! You can get them much cheaper than that. This is a good one.

Wow that's a much better price. I want to test it as soon as possible- I'm a bit worried about one of them. It seems quite lethargic- keeps kind of drifting down to the bottom of the tank. The biggest one (it seems to be the ringleader) is staying really close to it and whenever it gets to the bottom of the tank it nudges it back up again. The other 2 are fine.

Ds had his pal stay over last night for his birthday so when we drop him home we're going straight the pet shop. I'll get them to test the water today but I'll get one of those kits too.

hi i have a goldfish its 16.5 years old got it for dd when she was 18m ,i just clean mine out ,put cold water in and put some warm in so its room temp ,and its fine ,anybody else got an old goldfish

ils that it wonderful im so attatched to my goldfish lol my sharky is really big but only nearly a yr old how big is your goldfish? thats great to hear

not sure but its not gold anymore ,its all white