3rd rank thinking of Goldfish but got questions :)

[WhiskeyHands]

So yeah how it started, im going to sleep at 5am, mom comes in at 8 and wakes me up to tell me she found a good deal for a 10 gallon tank with heater, thermometer, fluval pump, lights, fish net and a gravel vacuum all for 50$. Usually i would be mad for her to do this but we're talking fish here. So my friend is giving away his goldfish that lives in a 0.5 gallon fish bowl because he knows he can't take good care of it and i want to take initiative and keep it in a good home.

1. Can a goldfish live all alone in a 10 gallon?

2. I've heard of the 10 gallon per goldfish but if he is getting alone should i add something to him later on? Suggestions?

3. Do goldfish need heaters? At what temperature should they be kept in?

4. Is the fluval pump a filter or just a normal pump which means i'll have to buy a filter?

5. Any other things i need to know before caring for goldfish? And btw it's a fancy goldfish if that means something


EDIT: 3rd TANK, i messed up and can't change the title of the thread ^^

[eatmice2010]

yea he would do fine by himself, just give him some decor so he can amuse him self lol
The rest im not truely sure

[WhiskeyHands]

ah okay thanks, for now i don't know yet what decorations to give him and i dont have the money right now but i'll give him a better home for now (:

[LebronTheBetta]

Fancies, (i.e. chubby, flowy tails) need 20 gallons for the first fish and 10 gallons for each next goldfish. Comets/commons need 100+ gallons. They aren't true coldwater fish like trout. They like temperatures around the low 70s I've heard. I wouldn't get it if I were you.. Being in the small tank won't hurt it THAT much. It's inhumane IMO but you know.. If there's so much ammonia in the water, the pH goes down and turns it into harmless ammonium. It's really your choice.

[WhiskeyHands]

oh okay i see and if i dont put the goldfish in it, i can still carry on with moving my 3 female bettas in the 10g and turn my 21g in a community. I just dont know yet

[Olympia]

Lebron is right, 10 gallons is no home for a goldfish. Even the smaller breeds will still hit at least 6", and for the big clutzy fish they are they really do need the space to move around.

What is the tank like? Is it well planted? Do you know your water parameters? There are a few interesting fish that can still live in 10 gallons but some of them are a little specialized, so depends on what you are looking for.

[WhiskeyHands]

well standard tank, not well planted, i'm thinking of getting decorations a bit after, water parameters aint that good because i dont think the tank is cycled, its secondhand and idk for how much time its been like this, one of my plans was to have a 5g for my male which i have, my 21 g currently have my female bettas and 2 plattys. I wanted to turn the 21g in a tank with lots of species and then have a sorority in a 10g, so i might be doing this