Problem?

[maaza]

I bought my Goldfish last weekend. 1 fantail ( plan to buy another as soon as I know the sex of it) and 3 comets. Being new to goldfish raising I had no idea that the comets are still babies! ( Found out by reading “How to Start Breeding” They are probably around 4-5 weeks old and look exactly like the two in the picture there. All three of them are pretty energetic, and the lady at Petco told me that they will eat fish flakes. So I have been crumbling the flakes and they seem to be eating. Fantail doesn’t seem to be bothered by them at all.  Did I make a mistake?

[SeaWitch]

First of all, comets need a lot of room!  They need at least 20 gallons per fish.  GF need at least 10g per fish.  What size tank do you have them in?  How many gph does your filter turn over?
Also, comets are faster than GF and may eat all the food before the GF can get any.
I would take the comets back and keep the GF if you can.  Comets are really more adaptable to ponds than tanks because they need so much room.

[Lolafish]

Did I make a mistake?

Unfortunately, the personnel at most pet department stores will not tell you how to take care of your fish because for the most part, they don't know how to.  I can't tell you how many times I've been within ear shot of a fish sale, and not once will the sales person ask what size tank the fish is going into, and how long it's been cycled.  It's sad.

But never fear!  We're here to help!  

[SeaWitch]

Did I make a mistake?

Unfortunately, the personnel at most pet department stores will not tell you how to take care of your fish because for the most part, they don't know how to.  I can't tell you how many times I've been within ear shot of a fish sale, and not once will the sales person ask what size tank the fish is going into, and how long it's been cycled.  It's sad.

But never fear!  We're here to help!  

Yep, pet store tards make me so mad sometimes!  I mean, it isn't really their fault, as they are just being hired for a job and I know they need the money.  I blame the management of the stores and the store policies.  They need to hire ppl who know what they are talking about and who have experience.

[maaza]

I bought a size 10 starter kit, don't have space for a bigger tank at the moment. I don't know that answer to any of those questions. I'm currently at the School library. I'll check and bring the information tomorrow. I'll also take the fish to the goldfish pond next to my house, thanks.

[SeaWitch]

A 10 gallon will only be suitable for 1 goldfish.  Also, make sure to check the filter's gph that it turns over as you will need at least 100 gph filtration.
No worries, all will be fine!  Just hang around and make sure to read up on cycling a tank. 

[cbudz]

Would'nt it be nice if maybe these  chain petshops offered some kind of training ,besides scooping out dead fish at the beginning of the shift ? I guess the job is mainly to sell what ever they can !

[Lolafish]

Would'nt it be nice if maybe these  chain petshops offered some kind of training ,besides scooping out dead fish at the beginning of the shift ? I guess the job is mainly to sell what ever they can !

  :gpost:

[maaza]

I think it's better for me to keep them until they are at least a month older; they would probably die if I released them into a lake/pond or gave them to someone else. Besides, I doubt petco would accept a 12 cent fish return.

I don't excatly know what GPH is but my filter is a Whisper C 5-15.

[SeaWitch]

A Whisper 10 only turns over 90 gallons per hour (gph), so a 5-15 will turn over even less than that.  A 10g tank with 4 GF is going to need more filtration than that.  You might want to consider buying a new filter, as I don't think two will fit on a 10g tank.  How big are the fish?

[maaza]

They are all fairly small I check the size as soon as I get home, I'm at the school library at the moment.

[SeaWitch]

If they are an inch or less in size, then you can get away with them being in a 10g tank for a while.  However, you still need to up the filtration.  You also need to cycle the tank.  Don't worry!!!  We'll get ya thru this!!! 
When I got my first two fish, I had a fantail and demekin in a 2.5g tank with a teeny internal filter that prolly turned over 5 gallons per hour!   We have ALL made mistakes!

[Lolafish]

they would probably die if I released them into a lake/pond or gave them to someone else. Besides, I doubt petco would accept a 12 cent fish return.

Sweetie, I know you want to do right by your fish.  I just want to be sure you're not thinking about releasing them into the wild. I know in almost all states, that's against the law.  The pet store will take them back, no matter how small their cost.  You'll end up spending more money taking care of them for that month than if you just took them back - or better yet, (as it's apparent you don't want them to end up in the wrong hands, or as lunch for another critter) put an ad in your local Craigslist and you can be picky about who they go to.

With an overstocked tank, you'll have to do WC's twice a day, using up Prime or other water conditioner which can start getting expensive for you, since it still needs to cycle too.

If it were me, I'd opt for Craigslist.   

[ultimateOrandaLuver]

Hi and welcome to I'm glad you found our site and I hope we can help you A 10 gallon tank is only sufficient for one Double-tailed GF. Comets grow very, very big and require ponds to prevent being Stunted, disease, and death. Comets can reach sizes over 15 inches If your comets are indeed FRY then they most definitely need lot's of room and filtration to grow properly and become the big boys of the water. Water quality with those fish in such a small Environment will deteriorate very fast leading to many problems in your fish and tank. Fish who are exposed to high levels of ammonia, Nitrates, and Nitrites will most likely become sick and die. Taking them back even if they were .12 will be best or finding a home with a pond would be better. I know it will break your heart but, if you do whats right then in the end those fish will have a great chance at growing and thriving the way nature intended.

[maaza]

I'll try to give them away, ( I forgot that you can release them in the wild, I've never done it before ) My mom's friend has a huge fish tank at least 50 g I'll ask them if they can keep them; if not I try to return them.

p.s. I researched on the Whisper 5-15 it has a gph of 5-15.

The sizes of the comets are about 1 inch and 1.5 inch. Fantail is around 2 inches.

[SeaWitch]

I'll try to give them away, ( I forgot that you can release them in the wild, I've never done it before ) My mom's friend has a huge fish tank at least 50 g I'll ask them if they can keep them; if not I try to return them.

p.s. I researched on the Whisper 5-15 it has a gph of 5-15.

The sizes of the comets are about 1 inch and 1.5 inch. Fantail is around 2 inches.

Okay.  If your friends already have fish in their 55g, then they can't take the comets.  As I said before, they need at least 20g a piece all to themselves.  They really just need to be returned.  I know you hate doing it, but it is for the best for you and them.

How many gallons per hour does your filter turn over?  I understand it is a Whisper 5-15 model, but that doesn't state the gph.

[maaza]

I'll try that out, I looked everywhere on the internet, but couldnt find the gph....I try looking in the starter kit box at home.

[cbudz]

I also tried to find the Gph for that filter and came up with no info ! I think its an older model made for 5 to 15 gal tanks, the new models are 10, 20. and up to 60,  if you need more power for a small price, try finding an Eheim liberty 150, cheap and very quiet ,and pumps 150 gals an hour ! at about $15 a very good deal ! 

[Lolafish]

I'll try that out, I looked everywhere on the internet, but couldnt find the gph....I try looking in the starter kit box at home.

We're more familiar with these Tetras:


Whisper 10= 90 gph
Whipser 20= 125 gph
Whisper 30= 150 gph
Whisper 40= 200 gph
Whisper 60= 300 gph

I'll see if I can help ya out.

[SeaWitch]

I wanna say they pump 60 gph, but I can't remember!

[Lolafish]

Does it look like this?

www.petsolutions.com/Whisper-5-Parts+I45669350.aspx

[ryukinOra]

Do you have a scanner? Maybe you could scan the box for us to see ?    

[Lolafish]

I wanna say they pump 60 gph, but I can't remember!

That's a safe assumption.  Those filters were meant for tropical fish, not Goldies.

[Lolafish]

Hopefully, it's NOT this one:   

www.tetra-fish.com/sites/tetrafish/catalog/productdetail.aspx?id=1276&cid=574

[Lolafish]

try finding an Eheim liberty 150, cheap and very quiet ,and pumps 150 gals an hour ! at about $15 a very good deal ! 

That's perfect for a 10 gallon hospital tank. I'm gonna get one for mine. 

[cbudz]

if its a kit ! it probably is the small 5/15  !

[Lolafish]

Eheim liberty 150, cheap and very quiet ,and pumps 150 gals an hour ! at about $15 a very good deal ! 

Can't find one for that price. But I found this:

Marineland Penguin Bio-Wheel® Aquarium Power Filters 

150 is only $18.99 at Petsmart (online)

[SeaWitch]

if its a kit ! it probably is the small 5/15  !

My kit that I got from Wal-Mart (a 29g kit) came with a filter kind of like this.  You are prolly right.

I LOVE my Penguin filters!!!!

[maaza]

Hopefully, it's NOT this one:   

www.tetra-fish.com/sites/tetrafish/catalog/productdetail.aspx?id=1276&cid=574

That's my filter.  >

[Lolafish]

Hopefully, it's NOT this one:   

www.tetra-fish.com/sites/tetrafish/catalog/productdetail.aspx?id=1276&cid=574

That's my filter.  >

Well, at least now you know what its output is.

[maaza]

I also know that I need to start doing more chores to get more $$$ for supplies and a digital camera
.... :p

[Lolafish]

I also know that I need to start doing more chores to get more $$$ for supplies and a digital camera

Yeah, they can start costing quite a bit once you get started.   

Hang in there.  You'll get it all straight. 

[fishloverxo]

  i want to get  2 small goldfish and put them in a large tank.
how can i tell if they are girls or boys?

[ryukinOra]

Take a look at this thread 

http://aquapuppies.com/aquapuppies/index.php?topic=6.0


Remember that you need atleast a 20 gallon tank, that is the bare minimum they need, but I would really recommend nothing smaller than a 30 gal.