Sigh...In love with a "feeder", Please HELP!

[FishNewbie]

It just happened...I walked into Petco to investigate my fish options
(I have an empty tank set upand ready to go) and fell for these little
misunderstood 30 cent "feeder" guys. Especially the comets, but I
would be happy a common goldfish too. I will defintely quiz the pet
store people on the conditions of their feeders so I don't buy any
mistreated, sickly fish. And I am prepared to take on the voluminous
goldfish poop.

But I only have a 10 gallon tank! What can I do?

Can I keep one goldfish at least? I had my heart set on at least 2
fish who could pal around together. Can a sneak a smaller fish in
there with the goldfish? Or is that pushing it, spacewise?

Also, my current filter is an "Aquaclear Mini Aquarium Power Filter -
Continuous biological/mechanical filtration fpr aquariums up to 20 US
gallons (pumps 100 US gallons per hour)". Is this not powerful enough
for a goldfish? I can get a new filter, but I can't get another tank.

Please advise!

[blove]

you can only have one goldfish in that size tank. and then he will outgrow
it, 12 inch long fish in a tank that is only 12 inches wide, he wont be able
to turn around.

"FishNewbie" > wrote in message
om...
> It just happened...I walked into Petco to investigate my fish options
> (I have an empty tank set upand ready to go) and fell for these little
> misunderstood 30 cent "feeder" guys. Especially the comets, but I
> would be happy a common goldfish too. I will defintely quiz the pet
> store people on the conditions of their feeders so I don't buy any
> mistreated, sickly fish. And I am prepared to take on the voluminous
> goldfish poop.
>
> But I only have a 10 gallon tank! What can I do?
>
> Can I keep one goldfish at least? I had my heart set on at least 2
> fish who could pal around together. Can a sneak a smaller fish in
> there with the goldfish? Or is that pushing it, spacewise?
>
> Also, my current filter is an "Aquaclear Mini Aquarium Power Filter -
> Continuous biological/mechanical filtration fpr aquariums up to 20 US
> gallons (pumps 100 US gallons per hour)". Is this not powerful enough
> for a goldfish? I can get a new filter, but I can't get another tank.
>
> Please advise!

[MartinOsirus]

1 small goldfish in a ten gallon is okay - BUT - don't use gravel - keep
barebottom- and overfilter( Use aqaclear 150 not a mini)
Use a heater and thermometer - change water weekly; clean filter every 2-3
weeks - feed sinking pellets - and it should be okay. The feeder fish are often
diseased - get a nice comet! Good luck and Enjoy!!

[[email protected]]

as others said, 10 gallons is ok for a single GF, but comets and commons are usually
destined to be BIG GF. anything smaller you put in there will be lunch.
use what you got, use water parameters to indicate when time to do water changes. if
it gets a pain, get a bigger filter and/or tank then. Ingrid

(FishNewbie) wrote:

>It just happened...I walked into Petco to investigate my fish options
>(I have an empty tank set upand ready to go) and fell for these little
>misunderstood 30 cent "feeder" guys. Especially the comets, but I
>would be happy a common goldfish too. I will defintely quiz the pet
>store people on the conditions of their feeders so I don't buy any
>mistreated, sickly fish. And I am prepared to take on the voluminous
>goldfish poop.
>
>But I only have a 10 gallon tank! What can I do?
>
>Can I keep one goldfish at least? I had my heart set on at least 2
>fish who could pal around together. Can a sneak a smaller fish in
>there with the goldfish? Or is that pushing it, spacewise?
>
>Also, my current filter is an "Aquaclear Mini Aquarium Power Filter -
>Continuous biological/mechanical filtration fpr aquariums up to 20 US
>gallons (pumps 100 US gallons per hour)". Is this not powerful enough
>for a goldfish? I can get a new filter, but I can't get another tank.
>
>Please advise!



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.

[FishNewbie]

(MartinOsirus) wrote in message >...
> 1 small goldfish in a ten gallon is okay - BUT - don't use gravel - keep
> barebottom- and overfilter( Use aqaclear 150 not a mini)
> Use a heater and thermometer - change water weekly; clean filter every 2-3
> weeks - feed sinking pellets - and it should be okay. The feeder fish are often
> diseased - get a nice comet! Good luck and Enjoy!!

Wow, a barebottom tank? Really? Not even a thin layer of stones? I
have a mix of marbles/stones/"glass shards" in there right now. Is the
idea to give the fish as much room as possible, or it it something
specific about gravel (which means I can keep my mix in there)?

[MartinOsirus]

>
>Wow, a barebottom tank? Really? Not even a thin layer of stones? I
>have a mix of marbles/stones/"glass shards" in there right now. Is the
>idea to give the fish as much room as possible, or it it something
>specific about gravel (which means I can keep my mix in there)?

You will be a whole lot better off - if you keep the tank bare bottom Goldfish
are notoriously dirty - the sludge gets into the gravel and can't be well
cleaned. This is even worse in a smaller 10 gallon tank. The dissolved organic
compound build up (DOC) - eventually kills the fish. Hydrogen sulfide gas also
arises in the gravel. Also - gives the fish more room to swim in a smaller
tank. When you clean tank - no fuss - all you have to do is change water and
maintain filter. I use a few plastic flowers wrapped around a bubble wand and
thats it. I tried the other way - and fish usually die in a few months or
sooner. Once you get used to the idea- its not so bad - I really lIke it now!

[T]

I had a three goldies in a ten gallon for a few years, not the greatest of
space for the fellows.. I also had gravel in the tank,, I kept the fellows
going doing regular water changes.. I only had a Marine Land 5 to 15G
filter.. As mentioned though, as general rule your fish will much like the
10g tank to itself.. ( I moved these fellows from the 10g to a 55g over a
year ago, they hit some growth spurts and they were a lot more active and
healthier they have since been sold to a fellow with a pond so now they have
even a larger home ). These fellows were also feeder fish, and I replaced
two of them in the first weeks as they appeared to have been stressed
dramatically in the feeder tanks.. Water changes are incredible vital to
these fellows maintenance.. Its nice to see people coming to ask for advice
so they can properly take care of thier critters...

Tim..

> wrote in message
...
> as others said, 10 gallons is ok for a single GF, but comets and commons
are usually
> destined to be BIG GF. anything smaller you put in there will be lunch.
> use what you got, use water parameters to indicate when time to do water
changes. if
> it gets a pain, get a bigger filter and/or tank then. Ingrid
>
> (FishNewbie) wrote:
>
> >It just happened...I walked into Petco to investigate my fish options
> >(I have an empty tank set upand ready to go) and fell for these little
> >misunderstood 30 cent "feeder" guys. Especially the comets, but I
> >would be happy a common goldfish too. I will defintely quiz the pet
> >store people on the conditions of their feeders so I don't buy any
> >mistreated, sickly fish. And I am prepared to take on the voluminous
> >goldfish poop.
> >
> >But I only have a 10 gallon tank! What can I do?
> >
> >Can I keep one goldfish at least? I had my heart set on at least 2
> >fish who could pal around together. Can a sneak a smaller fish in
> >there with the goldfish? Or is that pushing it, spacewise?
> >
> >Also, my current filter is an "Aquaclear Mini Aquarium Power Filter -
> >Continuous biological/mechanical filtration fpr aquariums up to 20 US
> >gallons (pumps 100 US gallons per hour)". Is this not powerful enough
> >for a goldfish? I can get a new filter, but I can't get another tank.
> >
> >Please advise!
>
>
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 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.

[BErney1014]

>The dissolved organic
>compound build up (DOC) - eventually kills the fish. Hydrogen sulfide gas
>also
>arises in the gravel.

DOC is dissolved organic carbon DOM is dissolved organic matter. It does no
direct harm to fish. Filthy tanks could produce gas, not likely with cleaning.
A thin layer of sand will keep the bottom clean and reduce stress.

[Maureen McCoy]

I have had 2 feeder fish in a 10gallon, and they did fine. I did get a
heater, and I kept it about 70degrees. I had gravel,but I did large water
changes weekly. You have to be willing to invest the time to keep them
happy! They were quite happy for about 2 years, at which point I got a much
larger tank and got a few more fish.
"MartinOsirus" > wrote in message
...
> >
> >Wow, a barebottom tank? Really? Not even a thin layer of stones? I
> >have a mix of marbles/stones/"glass shards" in there right now. Is the
> >idea to give the fish as much room as possible, or it it something
> >specific about gravel (which means I can keep my mix in there)?
>
> You will be a whole lot better off - if you keep the tank bare bottom
Goldfish
> are notoriously dirty - the sludge gets into the gravel and can't be well
> cleaned. This is even worse in a smaller 10 gallon tank. The dissolved
organic
> compound build up (DOC) - eventually kills the fish. Hydrogen sulfide gas
also
> arises in the gravel. Also - gives the fish more room to swim in a smaller
> tank. When you clean tank - no fuss - all you have to do is change water
and
> maintain filter. I use a few plastic flowers wrapped around a bubble wand
and
> thats it. I tried the other way - and fish usually die in a few months or
> sooner. Once you get used to the idea- its not so bad - I really lIke it
now!

[Dark Phoenix]

"T" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> I had a three goldies in a ten gallon for a few years, not the greatest of
> space for the fellows.. I also had gravel in the tank,, I kept the fellows
> going doing regular water changes.. I only had a Marine Land 5 to 15G
> filter.. As mentioned though, as general rule your fish will much like the
> 10g tank to itself.. ( I moved these fellows from the 10g to a 55g over a
> year ago, they hit some growth spurts and they were a lot more active and
> healthier they have since been sold to a fellow with a pond so now they
have
> even a larger home ). These fellows were also feeder fish, and I replaced
> two of them in the first weeks as they appeared to have been stressed
> dramatically in the feeder tanks.. Water changes are incredible vital to
> these fellows maintenance.. Its nice to see people coming to ask for
advice
> so they can properly take care of thier critters...
>
> Tim..

Sounds like my story- I had 4 of them in a 10 for over a year, (with gravel)
doing 30% water changes 2 or 3 times a week (and lots of plants). This Xmas
they moved to a50, and are growing like weeds. So much happier!

--
Laurie, Dark Phoenix

Dyslexic devil worshipers sell their souls to Santa.

[Elizabeth Naime]

Quoth (FishNewbie) on 10 Feb 2004 09:17:01 -0800,

>It just happened...I walked into Petco to investigate my fish options
>(I have an empty tank set upand ready to go) and fell for these little
>misunderstood 30 cent "feeder" guys. Especially the comets, but I
>would be happy a common goldfish too.

BWAHAHAHA... Welcome, tracyjade. You too have been seduced by the
feederfish side of the hobby!

You might manage a small number in a ten gallon, because the feeders are
such tiny little fish, but to really appreciate feeder goldfish, you
need a 50-55 gallon tank and/or a nice big outdoor pond. Give these guys
some room and some good water conditions (which will be new to them --
you saw how crowded they were in the pet store tank), and stand back.
The survivors (and I have had very good survival rates) will grow, often
surprisingly quickly once introduced to a good tank.

So by all means, get some feeder fish. But first, get a big tank. Or a
pond. Or, how about this, get a 50 gallon tank to "start them off in"
and dig a pond to move them into when they get large?

As far as asking the fish store questions to be sure you get healthy
fish... feeders come with no guarantees, and you can just assume they've
been through hell before you even take them home, and have been exposed
to all manner of nasties. Try to select individuals that aren't
fin-clamped (you may need to ask when the store gets new feeders in,
because by the end of their stocking week the feeders are generally mega
stressed) and aren't obviously damaged. That seems rather grim, I know,
but I'll repeat -- I have had high survival rates from feeders and it is
a real joy to watch nine to twenty-five cent "trash feeder fish" blossom
into bossy, greedy, 8"-12" personalities.


-----------------------------------------
Only know that there is no spork.

[[email protected]]

went into a local fish store to get some feeders so my students could do scrapes on
em look for cooties and those damn feeders didnt have ANYTHING. shop was sold to
people were treating the feeders to keep em clean and alive. Ingrid

Elizabeth Naime > wrote:

>Quoth (FishNewbie) on 10 Feb 2004 09:17:01 -0800,
>
>>It just happened...I walked into Petco to investigate my fish options
>>(I have an empty tank set upand ready to go) and fell for these little
>>misunderstood 30 cent "feeder" guys. Especially the comets, but I
>>would be happy a common goldfish too.
>
>BWAHAHAHA... Welcome, tracyjade. You too have been seduced by the
>feederfish side of the hobby!
>
>You might manage a small number in a ten gallon, because the feeders are
>such tiny little fish, but to really appreciate feeder goldfish, you
>need a 50-55 gallon tank and/or a nice big outdoor pond. Give these guys
>some room and some good water conditions (which will be new to them --
>you saw how crowded they were in the pet store tank), and stand back.
>The survivors (and I have had very good survival rates) will grow, often
>surprisingly quickly once introduced to a good tank.
>
>So by all means, get some feeder fish. But first, get a big tank. Or a
>pond. Or, how about this, get a 50 gallon tank to "start them off in"
>and dig a pond to move them into when they get large?
>
>As far as asking the fish store questions to be sure you get healthy
>fish... feeders come with no guarantees, and you can just assume they've
>been through hell before you even take them home, and have been exposed
>to all manner of nasties. Try to select individuals that aren't
>fin-clamped (you may need to ask when the store gets new feeders in,
>because by the end of their stocking week the feeders are generally mega
>stressed) and aren't obviously damaged. That seems rather grim, I know,
>but I'll repeat -- I have had high survival rates from feeders and it is
>a real joy to watch nine to twenty-five cent "trash feeder fish" blossom
>into bossy, greedy, 8"-12" personalities.
>
>
>-----------------------------------------
>Only know that there is no spork.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.

[Vissy Dartae]

wrote in message >...
> went into a local fish store to get some feeders so my students could do scrapes on
> em look for cooties and those damn feeders didnt have ANYTHING. shop was sold to
> people were treating the feeders to keep em clean and alive. Ingrid
>


WOW! Where IS that store? I want to go there.

[[email protected]]

Milwaukee wisconsin, but they dont have much else in the way of GF. sigh.
aquatics unlimited (they are online). they do have some nice koi in spring, some
nice shubunks and sarassas. Ingrid

(Vissy Dartae) wrote:

wrote in message >...
>> went into a local fish store to get some feeders so my students could do scrapes on
>> em look for cooties and those damn feeders didnt have ANYTHING. shop was sold to
>> people were treating the feeders to keep em clean and alive. Ingrid
>>
>
>
>WOW! Where IS that store? I want to go there.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.