looking for fish pump/filter ideas

silkyuk9

So basically is it worth just cleaning them out more often than get some pump etc that will create prbs for the fish? I dont want to really buy a bigger tank as it wont fit anywhere in the house, its situated in an ideal spot at the moment. They seem ok and never had any issues with death by poison or anything.

kizkiz

A lot of the advice above is good, but if you aren't having any issues then don't go changing too much imo.
Sticking a small power filter in the corner will help.
If the tank gets dirty then cut the feeding down. They can be fed every other day quite happliy, and only need a small pinch.

Froglet

silkyuk9 wrote: »

So basically is it worth just cleaning them out more often than get some pump etc that will create prbs for the fish? I dont want to really buy a bigger tank as it wont fit anywhere in the house, its situated in an ideal spot at the moment. They seem ok and never had any issues with death by poison or anything.

I'm sorry to say this but you really don't seem to be taking any of the correct advice that has been given.That tank is way too small for those fish.It needs to be a MINIMUM of 3ft long by 15" high,with a decent filter.Those fish are being stunted and you are lucky you haven't had problems so far.If you really do love your fish you will look into what their needs are ,not what space you have for a tank.

We have all been there and made mistakes,not realising what goldfish really need.For a tank that size you should only be considering tropicals.For common goldfish they are really only truly happy in a pond.

I have kept coldwater fish for over 25 years,20 of them in ponds.If you want proper good advice,look no further than here

http://forum.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/

silkyuk9

kizkiz wrote: »

A lot of the advice above is good, but if you aren't having any issues then don't go changing too much imo.
Sticking a small power filter in the corner will help.
If the tank gets dirty then cut the feeding down. They can be fed every other day quite happliy, and only need a small pinch.

Feeding has always puzzled me to be honest. I tend to feed my fish around 6 or 7pm every night. But right now im sat here and my fish are about 8 feet away to my right and if they see me looking at them they swim to the corner of the tank. to me this is their indication they want feeding. I have never believed that fish only have a very small memory span. As soon as I walk to the tank they go crackers, as they know im going to feed then. Also I use fish flakes so how many do each require per day??

silkyuk9

Froglet wrote: »

I'm sorry to say this but you really don't seem to be taking any of the correct advice that has been given.That tank is way too small for those fish.It needs to be a MINIMUM of 3ft long by 15" high,with a decent filter.Those fish are being stunted and you are lucky you haven't had problems so far.If you really do love your fish you will look into what their needs are ,not what space you have for a tank.

We have all been there and made mistakes,not realising what goldfish really need.For a tank that size you should only be considering tropicals.For common goldfish they are really only truly happy in a pond.

I have kept coldwater fish for over 25 years,20 of them in ponds.If you want proper good advice,look no further than here

http://forum.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/

I understand what you are saying and appreciate your help and advise. But how do I know when my fish are unhappy. They certainly know me im quite positive of that and seem really happy. Ive had fish for lots and lots of years but to be honst just keep them in the tank until they die, which in some cases have been lots of years. Ive had theses 5 years or more and they seem perfectly happy to me.

Yes ive had fish from the fair ground and thyve lasted maybe 2 or 3 weeks then again maybe had a gold fish a year or more from a fair ground. My fish look perfectly healthy and i look after them. Im sure there are gold fish out there that are stuck in small round bowls and very unhealthy, so I think my fish are quite happy and content.

Froglet

kizkiz wrote: »

A lot of the advice above is good, but if you aren't having any issues then don't go changing too much imo.
Sticking a small power filter in the corner will help.
If the tank gets dirty then cut the feeding down. They can be fed every other day quite happliy, and only need a small pinch.

Keeping fish short of food just to avoid proper filtration and regular maintenance is just cruel.Fish should be fed at least once per day if not twice,with a varied diet. Obviously overfeeding is a mistake but with correct filtration there will not be a problem so long as the tank size is correct and they are not overcrowded.

Froglet

silkyuk9 wrote: »

I understand what you are saying and appreciate your help and advise. But how do I know when my fish are unhappy. They certainly know me im quite positive of that and seem really happy. Ive had fish for lots and lots of years but to be honst just keep them in the tank until they die, which in some cases have been lots of years. Ive had theses 5 years or more and they seem perfectly happy to me.

Yes ive had fish from the fair ground and thyve lasted maybe 2 or 3 weeks then again maybe had a gold fish a year or more from a fair ground. My fish look perfectly healthy and i look after them. Im sure there are gold fish out there that are stuck in small round bowls and very unhealthy, so I think my fish are quite happy and content.

Yes and i hate bowls with a passion.But as any animal grows it needs more space.You wouldn't expect a dog to stay in the same size dog bed it fitted in when a pup.As fish grow,a goldfish becomes ever more messy,food virtually passes straight through them.With no filter they are living on their own waste all the time,so no matter how often you change the water it is not at all comfortable for them.And as they grow,if they haven't the space,their internal organs keep growing but their skeleton doesn't which forces them to push against their skeleton,and will cause all sorts of problems.

Take into account also you have no plants for them to nibble on,which they love to do,and would do in the wild.Goldfish come from the carp family which grow large and swim fast.They can live up to 30 years when in the right environment,some of mine are over 20 years.

Please please consider their health and what is right for them.They might seem happy to you,but i feel,looking at your tank,they are merely exisiting and not living the best life they could do in a bigger tank with filtration,plants and room to swim about much more.You would get so much more pleasure out of that too.,

silkyuk9

Froglet wrote: »

Yes and i hate bowls with a passion.But as any animal grows it needs more space.You wouldn't expect a dog to stay in the same size dog bed it fitted in when a pup.As fish grow,a goldfish becomes ever more messy,food virtually passes straight through them.With no filter they are living on their own waste all the time,so no matter how often you change the water it is not at all comfortable for them.And as they grow,if they haven't the space,their internal organs keep growing but their skeleton doesn't which forces them to push against their skeleton,and will cause all sorts of problems.

Take into account also you have no plants for them to nibble on,which they love to do,and would do in the wild.Goldfish come from the carp family which grow large and swim fast.They can live up to 30 years when in the right environment,some of mine are over 20 years.

Please please consider their health and what is right for them.They might seem happy to you,but i feel,looking at your tank,they are merely exisiting and not living the best life they could do in a bigger tank with filtration,plants and room to swim about much more.You would get so much more pleasure out of that too.,

I understand what you are saying. I cant get any weed like i used to do as our pet shop closed down. I put some of that weed in the corner. I dont want to feel quilty owning fish but I could put them out in someones pond and a bird could get them the next day so you have to look at the whole thing. They are swimming round now and seem quite content, yeh I cant be sure of that but they have a lovely shiny body which suggests to me that they are healthy. They could be worse off but agsain could be better off I suppose but I cant part with my fish im affraid. If my fish died I would not get anymore but at present they look healthy and fine so I cant get rid.

Look at them there, they are lovely and shiney looking at me in the corner. They are not crying out to be released im sure of it.

krlyr

silkyuk9 wrote: »

I understand what you are saying. I cant get any weed like i used to do as our pet shop closed down. I put some of that weed in the corner. I dont want to feel quilty owning fish but I could put them out in someones pond and a bird could get them the next day so you have to look at the whole thing. They are swimming round now and seem quite content, yeh I cant be sure of that but they have a lovely shiny body which suggests to me that they are healthy. They could be worse off but agsain could be better off I suppose but I cant part with my fish im affraid. If my fish died I would not get anymore but at present they look healthy and fine so I cant get rid.

Look at them there, they are lovely and shiney looking at me in the corner. They are not crying out to be released im sure of it.

Can't say fish are particularly known for woeful expressions or yapping to show their displeasure though. They're fish, they have a pretty bog standard facial expression (I'd say this one covers it! - ). If you decide to ignore advice from people who know what they're doing then that's your perogative but it's a bit pointless to make a thread and only listen to the bits you want to hear and disregard the good advice because it's not convenient to you.

Froglet

silkyuk9 wrote: »

I understand what you are saying. I cant get any weed like i used to do as our pet shop closed down. I put some of that weed in the corner. I dont want to feel quilty owning fish but I could put them out in someones pond and a bird could get them the next day so you have to look at the whole thing. They are swimming round now and seem quite content, yeh I cant be sure of that but they have a lovely shiny body which suggests to me that they are healthy. They could be worse off but agsain could be better off I suppose but I cant part with my fish im affraid. If my fish died I would not get anymore but at present they look healthy and fine so I cant get rid.

Look at them there, they are lovely and shiney looking at me in the corner. They are not crying out to be released im sure of it.

If you won't take mine,and other people's word for it,and think if you asked your fish and they could talk,they would much prefer to stay where they are because they"look" happy !! then just read this.



Goldfish Size and Life Expectancy
If kept in a suitable environment, single tail goldfish normally grow to 10 inches (25cm) and can sometimes reach 12 inches (30cm). Fancy goldfish normally grow to 8 inches (20cm).

The normal life expectancy of a single tail goldfish is about 15 years. Fancy goldfish have a life expectancy of about 12 years.

The following diagram illustrates this:



Why are these sizes and life expectancies so surprising to most people? This is due to the poor conditions that many goldfish have been traditionally kept in. Goldfish kept in bowls or tanks that are too small will suffer from poisoning due to poor water quality and internal organ compaction due to a lack of space. These problems both shorten a goldfish's life and stunt its growth leading the misconception that goldfish are small, short lived animals.

Tank Recommendations
This website recommends the following minimum tank sizes for keeping goldfish:

Common Goldfish:
40 gallons (48 US gallons, 180 litres) for the first fish with an extra 12 gallons (14 US gallons, 55 litres) for each extra fish. The tank needs to have a minimum length of 4 feet (120cm) to allow swimming room. Single tail goldfish are more suited to a pond when they are near full size to give them swimming room.

Fancy Goldfish:
30 gallons (36 US gallons, 140 litres) for the first fish with an extra 10 gallons (12 US gallons, 45 litres) for each extra fish. The tank needs to have a minimum length of 3 feet to allow swimming room.

In addition, an external filter is highly recommended.

Help is at hand
Goldfish do make rewarding pets, they love eating and will feed from your hand. They are much more intelligent than most people think and have an appealing clumsiness about them - much like a Labrador!

If you find yourself with a goldfish in an unsuitable home there a few options open to you:
If you've just bought the fish or tank take them back to the shop and ask for a refund. Tanks too small for goldfish are not fit for purpose so you are legally entitled to a refund.
Re-home the fish - single tail goldfish are more suited to a pond but don't transfer them in the winter. For fancy goldfish you might find someone to adopt them. It's illegal to release goldfish into the wild.
Get a bigger tank. Your local tip, eBay and Freecycle often have free or cheap tanks. Check they are water tight outside first!

If you find yourself in this position you are not the first and not alone. Many members of this site have been through this so post your questions in the forum and someone will be able to help.

Further reading
Some links to further helpful articles:

Keeping Goldfish the Right Way
Fishkeeping Myths