Thanks Mel, for all that very useful info.

Actually we only got the (cold water) tank last week and never had a tank
before, so it's all new to us. There are some black ones and others that
look like mini-Koi ??!! (not sure of the species, has to read up on that)

Tend to agree with you that the people in the pet shop are after profits and
sales, and considering our ignorance we had it coming. Nevertheless we enjoy
the new tank, spend now more time watching the fish than the TV!

Got a book from the library on goldfish, which I am in the process of
reading and they mention a 2L/cm rule. It works like this: add up the total
length of all the fish in cm and multiply by 2, that gives the required tank
capacity in litres. Did that yesterday and our fish totalled 45cm for 8 fish
and we got a 50 litre tank, and we should have 90L.

Got a test for pH, which the guy said to hold around 7.4 but nothing else,
never heard of tests for "ammonia, nitrite and nitrates", that's another
thing we have to figure out. A yes, also got an airpump and filter and water
conditioner.

We also have a bigger outdoor inground pond / fountain with water plants
(maybe 500-1000L) do people ever put their aquarium fish there after they
get too big? We are in Sydney / Australia so the climate is Mediterranean
mild, but we have some predatory species around, cats, meat eating birds,
etc. And sometime frogs in the pond.

Thanks again, Oscar



"Mel" wrote in message
...
Unfortunately you are overstocked. People at aquatic/pet stores are
notorious for giving out wrong information regarding goldfish, probably in
an attempt to make more money or possibly through ignorance. People get
their fish home and they either die and they go back to buy more, or they
realise they are outgrowing their tank and go back to buy bigger. Either
way
they stand to make a few extra quid!
It is actually 10US gallon and 8Uk gallons. This might sound extreme but
it
really isn't considering a goldies lifespan (20+ years), the size they
become and the messy little beasts that they are! They might be able to
survive in smaller tanks (although probably not for 20 years) but they
certainly won't thrive. Also in overstocked tanks the nitrate levels
usually
spiral out of control which can cause health problems in the fish.
Goldfish
also become stunted when kept in cramped surroundings which can lead to
deformities and ill health.
Your goldfish will grow extremely quickly and you will notice very soon
that
they are looking a bit cramped (if they're not already). I have one of my
goldfish (an oranda) in a tank your size and he's having to move to bigger
and better because he hasn't got much room anymore. Once they are a few
years old even a 10 gallon isn't really big enough for them!
I don't know whether you test your water parameters regularly, but are
your
ammonia 0, nitrite 0 and nitrates under 20? If not and your tank is cycled
then this will soon cause problems. You might be able to control your
water
quality while they are tiny (even this will be hard work) but once they
get
a bit bigger, despite every effort from you it will quickly become
impossible to keep it good.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
Mel.

"Oscar" wrote in message
...
Mel, we recently bought our 1st small tank of around 60L and stocked it
with
6 baby goldfish that are 2-3 inch long. Do you consider that
overstocked?
Never heard of a 10gal/fish rule before, or are you talking about much
larger mature fish here?

Oscar


"Mel" wrote in message
...
First thing is that your tank is a little overstocked. It's best to
give
goldfish 10 gallons each due to their size and the amount of waste
they
produce. In overcrowded conditions bullying can occur so this is a
possibility.
If they are about to spawn the males will be chasing the female,
pushing
their noses up under her tail and pushing her around the tank. They
will
also nudge her quite roughly in the abdomen to try to stimulate the
release
of eggs. This can go on for a while and can be rough on the female.
Mel.

"_Scott_" wrote in message
...
Hi everyone,
I have 6 GF in a 120L Tank, 3 of the GF are pushing around and
leaning
up
against 1 fish. The fish getting pushed around looks perfectly
health,
actually its looking a little fat. I also have tried dropping food
in
to
distract the other 3 but they are not interested.
Im wondering if its a she and about to drop a few eggs.

There are no visibal signs of injury to the victim and its swimming
very
hard to keep away from the other 3 fish. Im about to move it to
another
tank
it it keeps up.

any assistance would be great.

cheers
Scott