Do goldfish get lonely?

[thekoimaiden]

Originally Posted by finnfinnfriend

If and when I get goldfish, I might slip some live plants in there. I don't like using them with bettas (just my preference) but with goldies they can also snack on them! lol.

Like I said earlier though, I would never want a tank bigger than a 55gal, so maybe I should just stick with pet store fishies. What % of the water needs to be changed each time, and how do you do it? I know for my betta I just fill up the bucket with dirty water, dump it out, fill it with clean water, and add it to the tank. done. But even that bucket with 2-3 gallons of water in it is getting kinda close to my limit as far as weight I can carry, so I could PROBABLY carry a bucket with five gallons of water in it, but that's really pushing it, and that's only 10%!

Ideally, you don't want the goldfish to munch on your plants as you want them to grow and remove a lot of ammonia. I've found that slipping the plants in when they are young helps reduce their propensity to snack on them. Also adding large mature plants usually stops them.

For water changes, I do a 50% PWC weekly. I don't use buckets anymore as it gets rather backbreaking with my 4 aquariums. I use a python water changer; it has been one of the best investments in fishkeeping I've ever made. You remove the water using the 25 ft hose and then replace it directly from the faucet. You add the decholrinator directly to the tank as it works instantly to remove the chlorine. I honestly cannot imagine maintaining my goldfish tank as I do without my python.

There isn't really a good way to tell just how large a goldfish will get that's why we give the range of between 6 and 10 inches. Some breeds have a tendency to get larger than others. Like telescopes and fantails usually get rather large because their bodies are longer than that of a ryukin or ranchu. Oranda also have a tendency to get big. Breeding, food, and environment all play a role in adult size. While we can control two of those, the third is our wild card. Who knows what kind of stock your or my pet store goldfish came from. So that's why we can really only give you an estimate.

[finnfinnfriend]

Thanks for the info! I mean ballpark how long does the body of a fantail get average max?

[finnfinnfriend]

omg I just looked up how a python works and I WANT ONE SO BAD NOW. Does it really remove the chlorine from the water?

[hannah16]

Originally Posted by Olympia

I demonstrate swarm:
http://s1096.beta.photobucket.com/us...dies1.mp4.html

I'm SO jealous... How'd you get them to let you pet them???? My mom once told me oscars let you pet them but I've never tried it of course.

[sandybottom]

Originally Posted by finnfinnfriend

Thanks for the info! I mean ballpark how long does the body of a fantail get average max?

anywhere from 6-10. fantails can get big too. people just usually kill them long before that.

[sandybottom]

Originally Posted by finnfinnfriend

omg I just looked up how a python works and I WANT ONE SO BAD NOW. Does it really remove the chlorine from the water?

the python does not remove the chlorine. prime or other water conditioners do. i made my own and it only cost me about 20$$. waterbed fillers work great. and you can use brass fittings so your threads don't get stripped. vids on you tube to make these under ... diy python.

[thekoimaiden]

Originally Posted by finnfinnfriend

Thanks for the info! I mean ballpark how long does the body of a fantail get average max?

It will take somewhere between 3 and 4 years for a goldfish to reach its max size. This time will be shorter in warmer water and longer in cooler water. Pond goldfish will take even longer than this due to hibernation in the winter.

Originally Posted by finnfinnfriend

omg I just looked up how a python works and I WANT ONE SO BAD NOW. Does it really remove the chlorine from the water?

It doesn't remove the chlorine from the water. That's why you add Prime directly to the tank. But they do make water changes sooooooo much easier. I can do water changes on 4 tanks in under 1 hour now.

[finnfinnfriend]

The video for it said that it aerates the water removing chlorine lol. I thought that sounded wrong, but It's not like I wouldn't use conditioner anyway...Would a python be to big and powerful for a 5 gallon betta tank?

[sandybottom]

even if it gasses out chlorine, it would not out gas chloramine.

[thekoimaiden]

I think a python is a bit big for a 5 gal tank. It's even on the large side for my 10 gal tanks, so I have to remove the gravel vac (that part that screws on to the end) and just use the hose to remove water.