A few questions about my goldfish tank

[CountryGirlRina]

So I have 3 small common goldfish in a 3 gallon tank. The water looks cloudy but when I make a water change the water looks clear. Is something wrong with my tank, like maybe the plastic is discolored? I'm not sure but it's been like this since I set it up but cleared a little bit after the first week and now it's just been dingy looking since then. Any ideas? Because I haven't been able to figure it out yet.

[purplemuffin]

Well, the problem is you have three common goldfish in a three gallon tank. These fish are really messy fish and deteriorate water quality VERY quickly! You realize that these fish will grow incredibly large, and will need a very large tank, right? As soon as possible, I would upgrade the poor goldies to a larger aquarium!

[CountryGirlRina]

We are working on setting up a 5 gallon this week for them. We have a 20 gallon but still trying to figure out where it's leaking from so it will be a while before we can move them into that one. Will they be ok for a few months in the 5? Because I'm not sure how soon we can get the other tank fixed...

[purplemuffin]

I'm not sure how big they already are or how fast they will grow, but you will want them in as big a space as possible as soon as possible. The 5 is for sure better than the 3, but still very small for these extremely messy fish. If anything, I would suggest getting those large 10 gallon sterilite tubs! Gives you more time and they are cheap!

[CountryGirlRina]

We've had them for 4 weeks now so they are still fairly small.
With the tubs and it being winter, where would be a good place to house the tubs since we don't have room for them in the house? We have a basement but it's not heated so I would guess that that would be too cold.

[Fishguy2727]

Common goldfish will need at least a 125 gallon tank or a pond. If you keep them in anything smaller they will likely end up being severely stunted, suffering through low water quality, etc.

[albinooscar]

I just joined this site like 2 minutes ago bu wanted to get right in on the action ;) i agree with what hey have been saying so far. also if i were yu i would get a razor to strip the silicone out of the 20 gal tank, wipe it down with alcohol around the seams on the inside, rinse it ou verrrryyy well, then buy 100% pure water proof silicone and seal it again. let it dry for 3 days just to be safe so those goldfish have a bigger tank to stay in for the time being. just a thought

[CountryGirlRina]

I've got silicone but unfortunately I have to wait on someone else to reseal the tank because I have been at college for the past few months. I'm currently on vacation so I might be able to do it this upcoming week. We're looking at landscaping over the summer and adding a pond to our yard. Will the goldfish be ok until then in the 20g?

[fish monger]

Sounds like your goldfish will do fine in the 5 gallon until you set up your pond. They'll do great in the pond. I stocked my Southern Ohio pond with feeder goldfish and in two years they went from about an inch long and skinny to 6 inches long and fat. In the interim, don't over feed them and make weekly 10%-20% water changes to keep the ammonia level down. Good luck !

[Fishguy2727]

No, they will need at least the 20 until spring.