Pam

I'm definitely not an aquarium or fish expert, but I was surprised when I read that a shubunkin was being kept in a 1g bowl. I wondered if maybe it wasn't actually a shubunkin. I have four young adults and four babies in my 1800g pond. The adults are at least 5". Fortunately I live in north Florida and don't have to worry about overwintering them inside. Unfortunately, it does seem that a lot of pet stores are only interested in moving inventory out the door.

Tbx

Hey saikyo a 140 gallon pond at home depo is only $90.00 you should look in to one if you could If not at least get a slightly bigger tank.

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Saikyo

Thanks for you're input guys. I actually just received a shiny new 10g tank as a belated birthday present, so after hearing he could die, I moved him right in. So, that begs the question, just what the heck can I do with this 1g?

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Souten ni Zase! Hyourinmaru!!!

Tommy Gun

Hey Saikyo! After reading this thread, I really applaud you for changing your mind about the one gallon tank and moving your fish into a 10 gallon tank! You are doing your fish a great service, I assure you.

In case no one has mentioned it already (which I didn't see anyone point this out), to help you out in the future, it is important to know that there are quite a few reasons why keeping your goldfish in a relatively tiny tank can lead to a whole host of problems and headaches for you and your fish. #1). Keeping any fish in a tank which is too small will almost always result in that fish becoming stressed; making your fish much more susceptible to illnesses/diseases #2). If you haven't already, I am sure you will notice that the saying 'bigger is better' is extremely common advice in this hobby since the larger the volume of water we deal with, the more 'forgiving' a tank or fish will be regarding mistakes and poor water quality simply becasue in a small body of water, it does not take very long for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, etc... to accumulate in toxic amounts where as in a larger body of water, those items are dilluted more (assuming that we haven't overstocked the tank anyways) #3). As Andy and ian2mic already pointed out, goldfish are 'messy' fish, meaning they produce a larger amount of wastes than another similary sized/shaped fish might and in reality, many of us do not realize that goldfish are only small fish when they are young and can grow to be a much larger size than it sounds like you first thought.

To be honest - and now that I point it out you may start to notice this phenomenon as well - I sometimes find it funny (in a round-about kind of way) to read or hear a hobbyist 'brag' or mention that he or she is proud about their ability to keep the tiny goldfish he/she won at the fair alive for an entire two years...only to be told that goldfish can live for 20+ years and aren't all that tiny. I guess the funny part is, to some extent, how defensive some of those hobbyists become once they are told that. In fact, I once got into a debate with a guy on a forum who was trying to say that he was able to keep a certain saltwater fish alive for two years, in which time it grew from being the size of a quarter, to the whopping size of close to a silver dollar, right up until it died of old age. Once someone told him that the fish he kept had the potential to live for 8+ years and could grow to 8 or 10 inches, he defended himself by saying it was a 'dwarf' version, which does not exist. The best part was when, once he must have realized that he was wrong, changed his story to say that he gave it away to someone with a much much larger tank rather than stating that it had died. Now, let's just hope you are not going to be one of those embarrassed and/or defensive people.


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While I realize that I am chiming in a bit late on this, but for the advantage of our other members, I felt there is still some value in me saying...

With all due respect to you ian2mic, or anyone else for that matter, I think it is important to note and understand that this form of communication has a lot of disadvantages to it in that we do not have the usual non-verbal cues we use when determining the actual intent of what is being said. Point being, we should do our best to avoid 'reading between the lines' so that we are not becoming overly emotional about a post. And no, I am not implying that this is what has happened to you, but just stating this in a very general sense directed towards all of us.

That being said, regardless of if Andy and I are both moderators, I would still feel compelled to support his comments solely based upon saikyo's comments regarding a 1 gallon tank being just fine (which again, I am very glad to hear has changed). Sorry if it seems as though I am picking on you Saikyo, I mean no offense to you at all, but this is a very common attitude in this hobby and certainly not limited to any goldfish debate but a myriad of other fish as well, so many of us are very quick to make those members aware of the same points Andy has brought up....especially the idea that this, like any forum, is 'driven' by the notion that members can learn from the mistakes of others; saving them time, money, and probably a life in the process. Make sense?

Again, I am not trying to beat a dead horse here, and I am not 'talking down' on anyone in the slightest way...but only want to express my info and opinions for anyone and everyone who may read this thread. Please please please keep that in mind as you read this and do not take offense to any of my comments.

Saikyo

Thanks Tommy. I agree with you 100%. So is this 1g worthless to this effect or is there another application for it?

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Souten ni Zase! Hyourinmaru!!!

Tbx

you could get 3 white cloud minnows and plant it and add ghost shrimp or you can always get a betta good job on the upgrade

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twood63

I owe you an apology. I was one that believed until I read this that gold fish were a starter fish for the hobby. I stand corrected. Thanks

T

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1 125 South American
1 90 gallon Discus
1 55 gallon 1 Africans

Tommy Gun

I guess I would have to say that a one gallon tank might be of some use, but the options would be very small IMHO. Before anyone brings up the Betta idea, I would just say that yes, a one gallon tank is obviously an upgrade from the tiny cup which they are often kept in on a store shelf, however, because of the info and ideas I mentioned above (by the way, I added to my post while you were reading it and posting your reply) regarding how easy and/or quickly water quality can degrade in small bodies of water, I think even a Betta fish might become problematic or 'risky', so to speak. Honestly, I have read/heard much more on tiny tanks being spoken of as being a great option between 'experts' than I have read/heard that 'starting small' is always a good idea.

However, a one gallon might be a cool little tank to grow some aquatic plants in, or possibly attempt to grow your own food source in the form of brine shrimp. In a really bad pinch, it may also be an OK alternative for use as an emergency quarantine and/or hospital tank as well...but personally, I wouldn't make a habit of that nor use it for any long term treatments or quarantine.

Of course, I am sure other members might share his or her ideas/suggestions as well so, if my thoughts do not appeal to you at all, don't throw it away just yet.

twood63

I like the plant Idea?????
'd like a small tank like that for the office. Would there be any special needs to do so?

T

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1 125 South American
1 90 gallon Discus
1 55 gallon 1 Africans

Tommy Gun

Man, I must be prophetic or something! I knew that someone would suggest a betta and sure enough, while I was typing that out, someone did!

twood63,

You are still probably right about goldfish being known or 'labeled' as good fish for beginners, however, don't be lulled into thinking that that this means they are expendable or all that extremely difficult to kill...they still require attention and good water quality; not to mention an appropriately sized aquarium. I have more or less come to the conclusion that 'beginner fish' are those types of fish which are more 'hardy', 'forgiving', or able to live through some mistakes we might make; but not completely 'fool proof' by any definition. Simply put, just because a fish is inexpensive or largely abundant/easy to replace does not mean that it is any more ethical to blantantly neglect or experiment with...which I am not suggesting anyone here does, just making a point. In fact, unlike the not so distant pass when fishy cycling was the only method method known/used, now that fishless cycling has been proven effective and well known, I am 100% sure that you will bump into someone who is more than willing to 'scold' anyone who places a beginner or cheap fish in jeopardy to cycle his/her aquarium; which is a departure from the past attitude towards those types of fish; including goldfish.