Hi guys,

Novice goldfish keeper here. I've managed to keep a blackmoor and a goldfish alive since november so got brave and bought 2 pearlscales and 2 ryukin yesterday. Today I notice they have whitespot. I need to work out how much water my tank holds to treat them. Maths isn't my stong point and I'm scared of miscalculating and doing more harm than good - tank lenth 60cm, width 29cm, water depth (not including gravel) 21cm. Can someone work out what that is in gallons/litres for me? Thanks in advance.
Sue.

36.5L that is no way near big enough for your fish.

Really? That's worrying. The woman in the petshop said I could keep about 7 fish in a tank that size - but then I've been mislead by people in petshops before. How many should I be able to keep in it?
Sue.

Well you can't be sure as to how many fish you can keep in one tank because different fish get to different sizes. I don't know much about goldfish so hopefully a more goldfish knowledgable person will help you soon.

Well it works out at 6 litres per fish, each fish being approx 1 inch long not including the tail, and I've got a reasonably good pump (again, according to the petshop) but you've got me worried now. Assuming they all survive the whitespot should I be thinking about rehoming a couple? I've managed to kill off several unfortunate goldfish over the years due to my ignorance and I'm really trying my best to get it right this time so any feedback will be appreciated.
All but the smallest pearlscale seem a bit happier today and, it could be wishful thinking, but the whitespot already looks a little better, so fingers crossed.
Sue.

Well I just did some research and it says that the ryukin can reach 5" in length and the pearlscale can reath 1'2" so you are definetely in trouble with stocking.

You want to plan and research for the fish's eventual size. As a general rule, coldwater fish such as goldfish can be much messier than your typical tropical freshwater fish.

I have never kept goldfish, but that is just what I have read.

Keep in mind, that some pet shop people don't know what they are talking about and they want to sell you stuff. So they may tell you that a certain fish will be fine for your tank just so that you buy it.

We like to think that all salespeople in fish shops are totally honest and well informed, but they just aren't.

It should work out to 1 gold fish for every 10 gals and you will still need to do large water changes as goldfish are big waste producers.

its sad to say, but goldfish are really better off in ponds. extremely large tanks can accomodate them, but they really do best in large , unrestriced ponds.

So, the petshop took back the four new fish - very reluctantly, still insisting that a 2ft x 1ft tank is plenty big enough for 6 fish - and the problem now is that not only did the new ones bring whitespot into my tank but also fish lice, two of which are making my veiltail goldfish as miserable as hell.
According to the petshop there are no chemicals I can use to get rid of fish lice and I have to net my two remaining fish, pin them down in a damp rag and remove the lice with tweesers, and then completely clean out my tank...ie start maturing the tank again from scratch. I don't like the sound of that, particularly pinning them down and ripping a parasite that's hooked into them out with tweesers. What do you guys think.

Grateful to you all for putting me right about overstocking. I hadn't got a clue.

Sue

Dont worry about taking the lice off with your tweezer. Its much better than letting the lice stay there and kill the goldfish slowly. You might want to try getting some melafix and primifix to cure the wounds that the lice have made.

The average rule for goldfish is one goldfish per 15 gallons, and after that, one goldfish for every 10 gallons. Of course, depending on water changes, you could probably stretch that a little bit. Goldfish are very messy, hence the reason they need more water volume. They don't have stomachs, so whatever they eat passes right through them and turns to waste. They can foul up a tank very quickly. Great fish to have though.

I do not agree with this AT ALL! That is cruel, and very mean treatment toward a pet.
Pull off the lice with tweezers.

Mazza is correct in his statement. Goldfish get very large, and they need alot of room to grow.

Snail lover, I think you might have misread r33f-boy's post - "it's much better THAN letting the lice stay there...." not "TO let the lice stay there and kill the goldfish slowly." Or are you saying pulling the lice off with tweesers is cruel?

as far as the 15 gallon thing for goldfish, its just like the 1 gallon/1 inch rule: it really doesn't work. you cant shove a common goldfish which will reach the upwards end of 16'' in a 15 gallon and expect it to be happy, so i guess its the tyope of goldfish.

Sue- I would try to find some China Doll goldfish. they are the smallest foldfish around, staying around 2 inches maxed.

He is saying the same thing as you.

I'm not looking for goldfish myself. Don't want any. All I was saying was the minimum requirement for 1 is 10 gal. Not saying I would put one in there. I do have a friend that has goldies and she keeps 5 in a 55 gal, but also has a 30 gal refugeum on it to increase the water volume for them.

I've never heard of China Doll Goldfish Octoberfest. I'll look out for them if my two don't survive.
They're looking pretty sorry for themselves at the moment. I removed one louse from Beany (goldfish) but it's difficult to see with my blackmoor. I can't see any more so I suppose it's a case of waiting to see if any eggs hatch. What a lot of hassel!
Thanks for all your comments.
Sue.

Im sorry if it didnt sounded right, but I was saying that it is better than doing nothing to help the goldfish at all.

Goldfish do need a minimum of 15 gallons of water per fish. If you have a black moor, he's going to get upwards of six inches long, and your fantail will grow to be as wide as a softball.

Goldfish have no stomachs, so they're extremely dirty fish. Without excessive filtration, even at an inch long, you're going to be needing to do water changes every day to keep them healthy and happy in the long run.

You also have to remember that the petstore is just trying to make a profit, ninety nine percent of them don't really care what kind of condition the fish they sell are going to be living in. I saw and LFS sell a pair of full grown angels to a couple who wanted a five gallon tank. I also saw an LFS sell a dinosaur eel and a powder blue gourami to live in the same one gallon fish bowl without filtration, dechlor, or an airstone. In the end of the day, they just want to sell fish.

My best advice to you right now is to upgrade to at least a 29 gallon tank with a large HOB filter and maybe an additional UGF system. If you want another goldfish, upgrade to a fifty-five gallon.