WoW Petopia Community

Okay weird story, but my family has a goldfish my daughter named Tom (after her grandfather)

We got said goldfish after my mother found him in a fishbowl under the fence in her front yard. Just sitting there no lid or anything. We don't know how long he had been there but at least 24hrs. It has been running 80 degrees plus here. Why in the heck would someone put a goldfish in their yard, or leave it out in the sun with no protection? Oh well he is now in a happy little home with fake plants and rocks. I don't think he's very bright but he a fun addition.

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What an odd thing for someone to do with a goldfish. Maybe they were trying to get rid of him or something. Tom's lucky your mother came along. Goldfish really don't get on well in temperatures over 75F.

While fish bowls are cute, I'd suggest getting Tom something a little bigger. Goldfish tend to need some room and depending upon what type they are, some need more than others. Really, a 10 gallon aquarium is about the smallest one should live in. That sounds big, but it really wouldn't take up too much space.

Goldfish get a lot of shit but I think they are awesome!

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I am a professional 2D animator :3
Heres my DA page
My wow model sheets (NSFW) that anyone can use!
First 251 Pokemon in Adventure time style! By me XD
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My mom bought a little tank for him. He seems happy I guess. He's settled down at any rate. First 2 days he spent in a single corner swimming in circles. I think he's putting on weight, his tummy(?) seems rounder and he's much shinier now. What are your all's opinions on the air tube for oxygen versus the rocks that help with the circulation somehow? He's a ;little over 2.5 inches long.

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In a large enough tank, there's enough water surface to allow for sufficient oxygen exchange between the air and water. An airstone of most any size doesn't hurt, though. The stones don't actually increase the oxygen level on their own. Instead it's the agitation of the water surface from the bubbles that does it. The bubbles also do help some with water circulation, which is a good thing.

Goldfish tend to be poop machines, so one thing you'll want to do is regular partial water changes. Changing out about 20% of the water in the tank regularly will help Tom stay comfortable, happy, and healthy. Depending upon the size of the tank, the interval for water changes will vary. For smaller tanks, they need to be done more frequently, say once a week. Get a bottle of some kind of water treatment at a pet shop. I'm partial to the brand Prime since it takes very little to counter the chlorine/chloramine in tap water and thus a bottle of it lasts what seems like forever. The drawbacks to Prime are that it's expensive (though as I said, a bottle lasts a long long time) and that it's a bit stinky. It won't make the aquarium stink, but if you get a whiff when opening the bottle it's a 'eww' moment. The go-to-guy for fish that I know at a nearby pet store is a big fan of API Tap Water Conditioner, which is what I used for my bettas when I had them. Their tanks were so small (1.5 gallons) that even a drop of Prime was more than needed for 'em. Anyway, most any brand of water treatment will work. Just be sure to follow the instructions on the bottle for getting rid of chloramine if there are separate ones. Most communities in North America use chloramine instead of chlorine to treat water nowadays. It holds up better in the pipes, but that also makes it a little tougher to neutralize than plain ol chlorine.

One thing regarding water changes is to not wait too long between them in your case. Not only do the chemicals that will build up in the water irritate (and eventually become fatal to) the fish, you also run the risk of starting to cycle the tank. Cycling is what happens when what's called 'the nitrogen cycle' starts up. It's something that occurs naturally out in the wild and involves a few different kinds of good bacteria. For tropical fish and/or larger aquariums, cycling is a good thing. For a smaller tank with a goldfish or betta already in it, it's not. Fish don't usually survive it. In Tom's case, since I don't think you're gonna be planning on a fancy setup and you don't know how old he is or what he might've been exposed to sitting outside for all that time, I don't think you want to go through the trouble of cycling and the added expense of a filter to support it.

I'd suggest keeping it simple for Tom. A lil ornament or silk aquarium plant to make his home a little interesting and an airstone. A well cared-for goldfish can live 5 or 10 years. Depending upon his age, the lil guy may grow to be somewhat bigger, which might necessitate a larger tank someday, but his overall care will stay the same.

Thank you so much for the information. I will get the treatment for him and a stone. He has a plant and pirate chest . I have been changing out his water but I have been changing too much it looks like.

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How much water you change depends upon the size of the tank. Generally, you don't want to do more than about 50%. Fish become acclimated to a certain chemical balance in the water and changing too much water can throw that off and bother 'em. Goldfish and tropical fish are pretty adaptable to a lot of water parameters, but sudden changes can be rough on them. It's kind of like living your whole life in southern Arizona then suddenly finding yourself in Alaska in the middle of winter. With a really small tank sometimes one does change out most all of the water. That's what I did with my bettas and their tiny tanks.

One thing that can make cleaning up after him easier and let you do water changes at the same time is a gravel vacuum. They're basically just a plastic cylinder with a vinyl hose on 'em. You start a siphon with them and can suck up poop and uneaten food and such from the bottom of the tank with the other end of it in a bucket to catch the water. If you don't have gravel on the bottom of the tank (it's not a necessity, just aesthetic) it'll work just fine. They come in assorted sized and for Tom's home, you probably only need the smallest one you can find. I had one that was maybe 3/4" across and 6" long not inclucing the hose that I used on my betta tanks. The one I use on Bubba's tank is somewhere around 18" and 2.5" wide since he's in a 65 gallon tank.

Gravel vacuums are really handy.

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I am a professional 2D animator :3
Heres my DA page
My wow model sheets (NSFW) that anyone can use!
First 251 Pokemon in Adventure time style! By me XD
Cow's art thread!

They really are. They even have ones you can attach to a sink faucet so you can move water back and forth if lifting buckets is out of the question or spills are a huge concern.

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Sofia, the remarkably purple spirit cat as drawn by Ket Shi.

http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair ... e&id=50139 - Dragon Lair at flight rising!

I have one of the faucet ones that I also use when cleaning Bubba the Oscar's tank. I use the gravel vac first since it's a little easier to maneuver around and get rid of poop without sucking up any of the sand substrate. THen I switch over to the faucet one for the water change. They can be used to fill a tank, too, but I'm too paranoid about even that little exposure to chloramine, so I refill with buckets and a few 3 gallon 'water tank' thingies people use for drinking water when camping and such.

Oh wow, I am going to be busy at the pet store. Are goldfish social by nature or are the content be be alone?

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Common goldfish are, so it may apply to fancies, too. Just be aware they have really inefficient digestive systems and are poo machines that can get pretty big. Maybe see if he likes having a buddy or two if you have room.

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Sofia, the remarkably purple spirit cat as drawn by Ket Shi.

http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair ... e&id=50139 - Dragon Lair at flight rising!

Nah. It's not really that bad. For a basic setup, you'd be looking at a tank, water treatment, food, and fish. You've already got three of those covered. Optional items would be an airstone and air pump, some kind of substrate (gravel is the way to go in this case), a gravel vacuum to make cleaning easier, and decorations such as artificial plants and something just to liven the tank up.

Goldfish don't mind having friends in the tank with them, but they do quite well alone. The thing to remember is that they do need a bit of room. Getting a friend for Tom could mean moving to a larger tank.

Okay, not that scary then. Seriously thank you guys for all your help. I have always wanted fish but have been terrified of how delicate they seems to be.

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Goldfish are probs the best for first timers! We got a bunch when our neighbours moved and they had survived their 5 year old pouring coke in their tank! Those guys are hardy as all hell.

Just wait they are a gate way drug you'll be having tetras in no time

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I am a professional 2D animator :3
Heres my DA page
My wow model sheets (NSFW) that anyone can use!
First 251 Pokemon in Adventure time style! By me XD
Cow's art thread!

I had friends with a goldfish that they found had jumped out, and was half dried out on the floor so he'd been out for more than a few minutes. They put him back in the tank and he recovered and went on to live for years. Goldfish are amazing.

I'd reiterate what others have said though. While they can survive in cramped conditions and little air, it's much kinder to give them space and clean, conditioned water. If you get plants for the tank I'd recommend something fast growing and tough, as they tend to destroy /eat the rest. This stuff is good:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod ... pcatid=780
The beauty of live plants is they'll also absorb some of the nitrates produced by the waste and so act as a bit of a buffer, as well as produce a bit of oxygen.

And if you want some smaller fishy companions (assuming he's not big enough to eat them!) then danios are good, come in a variety of patterns and are hardy in cold water. And are usually dirt cheap, too (at least here!).

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Shaman avatar by Spiritbinder.

And tetras lead to platies and danios and before you know it, you bring one of these guys home from the pet store:


That's Bubba when I brought him (her?) home 4 years ago. He was about 2.5" or so long back then. Now he's 13 or 14" and probably weighs in at around 2.5-3 pounds.

Oh wow he's lovely

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He's a big, hulking fishbeast now. Grumpy, too.