Does anyone know a good internet resource for goldfish care, more specifically common goldfish care? My boyfriend has a grey, possibly, goldfish living in a betta bowl on his desk at work. He didn't buy it, someone brought them in for everyone, and his is the only one alive, and it's a trooper. I'm going to have him snap a picture Monday, and maybe one of you well-educated people can confirm that it's a goldfish. He has no idea. I know no matter what it is, it doesn't belong where it is, and from what I'm reading on them, 10 gallons is a bare minimum for 1 goldfish, and they usually like company, but I want to get the goods. One site was demanding a 55 gallon for 2 goldfish, which is way outside what I could manage for the little guy, but anyway... resources would be great.
I don't have any sites I can give you, but I do keep goldfish and koi, and I can tell you now that if it is a goldfish, the minimum is 20 gallons, with an additional 10 gallons for every goldfish. Because they are such messy fish and they grow so fast, space is really necessary.
If you don't have the space, you might want to find someone in the area with a large pond who might have koi and or golfish and ask if they'll take your goldfish. They do prefer being in "schools" of sorts, even if they don't exactly school.
I'm in New England, and it's going on winter. I'm not sure what people do with their fish outside when it gets this cold. I'm pretty sure my dentist's office has a water feature outside with fish in it in warm weather, and I actually have an appointment coming, so I can always check. I've been considering setting up a 20 gallon long planted tank. Originally was thinking about having it be betta centered, but maybe now I'll try for goldfish centered with a small school of compatible fish. He wouldn't have another goldfish friend, but it'd be a far cry better than a bowl on a desk. It's a project though. Hopefully, I will have a picture Monday to post and confirm that he is, in fact, a goldfish.
It depends on the type of goldfish, if it is a fancy goldfish you could get away with one in a 20G bare minimum with 200GPH filtering capacity. However this is not a good longterm option, since goldfish are social animals and should be allowed to interact with their own kind. The general rule for fancies is 20G to start with 10 gallons per additional fancy goldfish--just to give you an impression of whether or not it's feasible to keep him at all.
If the fish is a common goldfish or a comet goldfish--they really need ponds and you should not attempt to keep them in a small fish tank. You may want to inquire within your local aquarium society or club in order to find someone who can add him to their pond. They will almost certainly want you to hold him for quarantine and give him a delousing treatment before introducing him to their other fish.
A good temporary solution would be to find the largest rubbermaid/sterilite plastic storage bin you can (and they do make them REALLY big) and use that for a tank along with a filter that provides a lot of current and a good bubbler or preferably, a powerhead.
I just found this website over the weekend after I found some white oranda goldfish(that I HAD to have the other day, been searching for a year). This site has LOTS of info. Hope it helps.
Looks like a common goldfish. Unfortunately, these are fish that really don't have a positive outlook in most fish tank situations--their best bet is a pond environment. They get huge, and they need lots of room to swim and other common goldies to interact with.
Check out the eBook Betta Fish Care Made Easy
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