Help! Just got 4 goldfish as a Christmas present!

[june dam]

Hi, with no acquarium at home nor experience with goldfish, I've just
got 4 goldfish, a little plastic box for 6L water, a bottle of fish
food and 3 plants from a friend on Friday!! I went to a pet shop
yesterday, a shop-assistant told me for the 4 little goldfish I need a
80x30x40cm acquarium, including filter and a heater, it will cost me
300 Swiss Francs (about 200$)It is quite a big investment for me,
especially when I haven't made up my mind whether I should start this
new hobby. Back at home, watching the poor little creatures swimming
in the little container, I feel very bad. I have been changing water
quite frequently on the past 2 days to reduce the ammonia in the
water. Yesterday seeing them coming quite often to the surface to
breathe, I thought maybe they haven't got enough oxygen, so I have
seperated the 4 fish, 2 in another pail.. Now it seems they are quite
happy. But I know it is not a long term solution.
A question: if I buy a 80x30x40 cm acquarium and a filter, can I
really just keep 4 goldfish inside? No more? It is quite a pity for me
to spend this money, and then the routine maintenance money and time,
seeing just 4 little fish swimming around. Some advice from you
experts out there is mostly welcomed.
Dam

[Kodiak]

Your on the right track, most newbies in this hobby
don't understand how important frequent water changes
are, you seem to be aware of ammonia etc... Yes, you
will need at leat 80x30x40 (25galUS) aquarium for those
4 little fishies, but eventually they will grow really big and
completely fill up that aquarium. By then hopefully you'll be
so much into the hobby you'll buy a bigger tank.

200$ is quite steep for a 25gal kit, you should shop around,
surely you can do better.

Don't forget when you do your water changes to age the
water in a pail with an airstone at least 48 hours before
adding to the fish, or get some tap water dechlorinator.
Nice gift.

....Kodiak


"june dam" > wrote in message
om...
> Hi, with no acquarium at home nor experience with goldfish, I've just
> got 4 goldfish, a little plastic box for 6L water, a bottle of fish
> food and 3 plants from a friend on Friday!! I went to a pet shop
> yesterday, a shop-assistant told me for the 4 little goldfish I need a
> 80x30x40cm acquarium, including filter and a heater, it will cost me
> 300 Swiss Francs (about 200$)It is quite a big investment for me,
> especially when I haven't made up my mind whether I should start this
> new hobby. Back at home, watching the poor little creatures swimming
> in the little container, I feel very bad. I have been changing water
> quite frequently on the past 2 days to reduce the ammonia in the
> water. Yesterday seeing them coming quite often to the surface to
> breathe, I thought maybe they haven't got enough oxygen, so I have
> seperated the 4 fish, 2 in another pail.. Now it seems they are quite
> happy. But I know it is not a long term solution.
> A question: if I buy a 80x30x40 cm acquarium and a filter, can I
> really just keep 4 goldfish inside? No more? It is quite a pity for me
> to spend this money, and then the routine maintenance money and time,
> seeing just 4 little fish swimming around. Some advice from you
> experts out there is mostly welcomed.
> Dam

[Magic menagerie]

Get a new friend that won't cost you so much to have... ; )

[Mel]

The tank you have looked at would be ok temporarily but goldfish really do
need 10 gallons each minimum to grow properly and be happy. In anything less
it will be hard to keep ammonia, nitrite and nitrates where they should be
when the fish get bigger.
Well done for looking into it properly though - most people don't, then run
into problems later.
Mel.


"june dam" > wrote in message
om...
> Hi, with no acquarium at home nor experience with goldfish, I've just
> got 4 goldfish, a little plastic box for 6L water, a bottle of fish
> food and 3 plants from a friend on Friday!! I went to a pet shop
> yesterday, a shop-assistant told me for the 4 little goldfish I need a
> 80x30x40cm acquarium, including filter and a heater, it will cost me
> 300 Swiss Francs (about 200$)It is quite a big investment for me,
> especially when I haven't made up my mind whether I should start this
> new hobby. Back at home, watching the poor little creatures swimming
> in the little container, I feel very bad. I have been changing water
> quite frequently on the past 2 days to reduce the ammonia in the
> water. Yesterday seeing them coming quite often to the surface to
> breathe, I thought maybe they haven't got enough oxygen, so I have
> seperated the 4 fish, 2 in another pail.. Now it seems they are quite
> happy. But I know it is not a long term solution.
> A question: if I buy a 80x30x40 cm acquarium and a filter, can I
> really just keep 4 goldfish inside? No more? It is quite a pity for me
> to spend this money, and then the routine maintenance money and time,
> seeing just 4 little fish swimming around. Some advice from you
> experts out there is mostly welcomed.
> Dam

[[email protected]]

return the fish unless you want the time and expense. GF are difficult fish to keep.

http://users.megapathdsl.net/~solo/puregold/care/care1.htm#essentials
here is list of what is needed. tanks and stands can often be found used, but you
dont have the time. Ingrid

(june dam) wrote:
>Hi, with no acquarium at home nor experience with goldfish, I've just
>got 4 goldfish, a little plastic box for 6L water,


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[Geezer From Freezer]

wrote:
>
> return the fish unless you want the time and expense. GF are difficult fish to keep.


Ingrid, difficult is probably the wrong word. I would say "you need to invest
lots of time
and care"

[june dam]

hi folks
thanks for your advice through your experience. One feels very good
after posting something and getting some response. Thanks.
After much consideration and a good opportunity, we have given the
goldfish plus the few accessories to my sister-in-law, who has 2 kids
at home. She can get a big acquarium including good accessories from
another sister-in-law, for free. Now the fish has a good home.
Merry Christmas to all of you who happen to be reading this.
Dam

[[email protected]]

it is warming to know that there are people who care enough to make really good
decisions. that really sounds great. Ingrid

(june dam) wrote:

>hi folks
>thanks for your advice through your experience. One feels very good
>after posting something and getting some response. Thanks.
>After much consideration and a good opportunity, we have given the
>goldfish plus the few accessories to my sister-in-law, who has 2 kids
>at home. She can get a big acquarium including good accessories from
>another sister-in-law, for free. Now the fish has a good home.
>Merry Christmas to all of you who happen to be reading this.
>Dam



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.