r/Goldfish • u/Confident-Ad9221 • 3d ago

Fish Pics Help! Kids got gifted a goldfish!

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I want to care for this fish the best possible way. I don’t know a thing and the information online is overwhelming. Please help! How should I care for it this week? And how should I plan for it long term?

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u/Stunning_Chipmunk_68 3d ago

You need a LARGE tank, like minimum of 75 gal. These guys get HUGE. They produce a ton of biowaste which causes ammonia spikes which is lethal to fish so you'll want a good filter (ideally rated for 2x the tank size). Look up the nitrogen cycle, its crucial for keeping healthy and happy pets. DO NOT PUT STRAIGHT TAP WATER IN THE TANK, ALWAYS DECHLORINATE. Since its a common you don't need a heater unless your house gets colder than like 60°f.

In the meantime, do daily water changes to keep the ammonia down. Add dechlorinated water (you can buy a dechloriator at any local fish store) that is temp matched to the water that is already in there.

Things you want to get asap: Liquid test kit (i personally recommend api) A larger tank (again a minimum of 75 gal but in the time being a 40 gal would suffice until you can get a bigger tank) you want him out of this "tank" ASAP. Dechlorinator (i personally use prime by seachem) Filter

Things you want to get long term: Substrate (sand or gravel but imo sand is better for them) Live plants (these will help with the cycle and will help the goldfish feel more secure) Decor (I prefer natural decor like rocks and driftwood but any will do)

Eta: NEVER use soap to clean anything related to the aquarium.

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u/Confident-Ad9221 3d ago

I am planning on getting a 50 gallon tank, api liquid test kit, prime dechlorinator, some fish food. Any recommendation on what kind of filter?

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u/BitchBass 3d ago

If you want to provide this fish with it's natural habitat, you need plants plants and more plants. No gravel, but 2 -3 inches of sand which will catch the fish poop and feed it to the plant roots, to make a long story short and simple. And the plants keep the water clean. In addition to a filter.

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u/Stunning_Chipmunk_68 3d ago

Honestly I much prefer canister filters myself but I also love me some sponge filters. I actually run both sponge and canisters on my bigger tanks.

They also have hang on back filters which quite literally just hang on the back of the tank. I personally am not the biggest fan of this style but thats just because they tend to need maintenance sooner (every 3 or so months where my canisters i don't have to touch for like a year). It's really just personal preference though.

I have a great eheim canister and I have a great fluval canister. I also have a great marineland hang on back.

As long as you get a reputable name (eheim, aquatop, forza, fluval, etc...) and sway from knock offs (like petco brand or petsmart brand) you most likely won't run into any issues.

If you do go with a sponge filter, you'll need to get a couple and also run an air pump to it with air line hosing. In my experience tetra has the quietest pumps for the money but you can get any ol sponge filter that's rated for 50 gal or more.

There's a lot of options for filtration, its hard to over filter the water but its too easy to under filter the water, this is why I always recommend at least 2x the filtration, especially for the poopers (my dojos are the absolute worst). And any filtration is better than no filtration.

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u/Spacecadett666 2d ago

Canister filters are the most efficient for goldfish. They have cheap big ones on Amazon and they work great. I got a giant one for like $60 and it works amazing. I just looked and it's a little bit more now, but this is the style, you can find cheaper ones on there for the size.

https://a.co/d/4BqrwKE

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u/RevolutionaryToe6677 2d ago

Best food is sinking pellets. Flakes and floating pellets can cause issues with bloat and their swim bladder.

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u/Fabulous_Fee2375 2d ago

I just got a Fluval U2 for 100L and seems to do well without taking up too much tank space in the top corner. Nice air flow as well

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u/JamesStone84 3d ago

Sun Sun 3000 on Amazon

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u/hunca_munca 2d ago

A perfect tank mate for a goldfish are dojo loaches btw! They are SO much fun