Just starting. Bought a small clear plastic container from Walmart (Sterilite brand) and am checking now to see about the toxicity of it. The water in the tank is well water, and I have no filter system yet. Into this tank I put one plain guppy, one fantail goldfish and one shubaunkin. The guppie didn't last more than a few days. The fantail hung around for about ten days and also croaked. BUT, BUT for reasons unknown to me the shubunkin is doing fine, eats well, swims around a lot and comes to the surface for breathing . Apparently, he has adjusted to the well water and plastic tank. Should I be worried or just let things go as is. Different "so called experts" have a lot to say about plastic tanks and well water but some side with me and see no harm in my present arrangement. I want to replace the two fish I lost, but am unclear what to purchase now due this last go roung. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
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- Thread starter loudon2010
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Hi! I'm totally new to this too, but I know enough to ask two questions: have you tested your water parameters and what's the capacity of the container? The well water at our cabin is very very hard, and the container sounds tiny, so you may very well have overstocked as well. The general rule of thumb is 1" of fish per gallon. Also, in my kitchen-based experience, plastic poses much less of a problem when it stays room temperature. It's heating it up that is cause for concern IME, which isn't relevant for this application.
I'm sure others will jump in here.
ETA: You should return the shubunkin if they'll let you. It will grow to 14".
I'm sure others will jump in here.
ETA: You should return the shubunkin if they'll let you. It will grow to 14".
+1 on fisherjean. Goldfish need 20 gallons for the first fish and another 10-20 gallons per fish after that. They are HUGE waste producers, so heavy filtration is a must, unless you want to be doing daily 50% water changes.
Do you have any type of aeration on the tank at all? Guppies require a heated, filtered tank of at LEAST 10 gallons, preferably larger. Goldfish do not require a heater (they are temperate, or "coldwater," fish, meaning they can thrive in lower temps and don't do well in heated tanks), but require even more filtration than guppies do and as stated above, need HUGE tanks. Your fantail would have reached 6" at least, and your shubunkin will potentially reach 13".
I would suggest returning the shubunkin unless you can provide a minimum 20 gallon tank just for that one fish, then getting a filter rated for slightly larger than the tank you have. It would help to know exactly how big your tank is, actually. Also, you need to look into the nitrogen cycle and you need a liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates (the API Freshwater Liquid Master Test kit is generally what is recommended...Walmart sells the same kit under a generic name for about $20 shipped).
Do you have any type of aeration on the tank at all? Guppies require a heated, filtered tank of at LEAST 10 gallons, preferably larger. Goldfish do not require a heater (they are temperate, or "coldwater," fish, meaning they can thrive in lower temps and don't do well in heated tanks), but require even more filtration than guppies do and as stated above, need HUGE tanks. Your fantail would have reached 6" at least, and your shubunkin will potentially reach 13".
I would suggest returning the shubunkin unless you can provide a minimum 20 gallon tank just for that one fish, then getting a filter rated for slightly larger than the tank you have. It would help to know exactly how big your tank is, actually. Also, you need to look into the nitrogen cycle and you need a liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates (the API Freshwater Liquid Master Test kit is generally what is recommended...Walmart sells the same kit under a generic name for about $20 shipped).
Fantails reach 10 inches according to my knowledge, and while I am no goldfish expert, I have to disagree and say that goldfish need a much larger tank size than the ones suggested. The smaller varieties of goldfish need 30 gallons of water PER fish, medium varieties require 55 gallons, and larger varieties, like shubunkins, require 75-100 gallons. (I have many friends that keep fish, and from my talks with anshuman, have learned that even small ryukins do not belong in any tank smaller than 30 gallons. In addition, could you possibly imaging how cramped it would be for a 2 foot long fish to turn around in a 20 gallon tank, even if it's a long tank? Lastly, you would continually have to be changing the water, as goldfish are massive poop machines.)
Your fish died because you kept coldwater fish (goldfish) with tropical fish (guppies) in a tiny, unsuitable, uncycled tank.
Return your goldfish to the store and purchase a proper tank or pond of at least 75-100+ gallons before buying any more fish. Also, purchase a liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrate and nitrite.
@fisherjean While the 1 inch of fish per gallon rule is okay, but not the best rule, for slim fish that don't produce a lot of waste, this rule does not apply to goldfish. A lot of other factors come into play for calculating fish bioload and swimming space, such as surface area and tank dimensions.
Your fish died because you kept coldwater fish (goldfish) with tropical fish (guppies) in a tiny, unsuitable, uncycled tank.
Return your goldfish to the store and purchase a proper tank or pond of at least 75-100+ gallons before buying any more fish. Also, purchase a liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrate and nitrite.
@fisherjean While the 1 inch of fish per gallon rule is okay, but not the best rule, for slim fish that don't produce a lot of waste, this rule does not apply to goldfish. A lot of other factors come into play for calculating fish bioload and swimming space, such as surface area and tank dimensions.
Just a note...I have a 20 gallon long tank and it wouldn't be hard for a 2ft fish to turn around in that tank...it would be absolutely IMPOSSIBLE. lol. The tank is only 12" deep (front to back), so in essence, the fish would have to fold itself completely in half in order to turn around. That's why I don't recommend keeping common plecos in anything less than a 2ft deep tank anymore (so basically, anything less than a 90gal)...since they reach 18-24", anything narrower than 24" deep will make it practically impossible for the fish to turn around comfortably.
