Big surprise is a BIG problem... HELP.

[Ed-Luvs-Meds]

Okay, so, I'm at a point where I can't keep pets in the house so... My friend has taken up the hobby for me. Nice, yes? Yes, well... We got a new betta together, he's just like my last who died of something I caught to late. So, yeah, that was great... But I came over today and she is all excited, and has a "surprise" for me. I come in, and she's bought a 10 gallon starter set, complete with pump and everything (40 bucks from our walmart here). And it's full. Rocks, plants, colorful decore... the works. AND, six common goldfish, one black moor(my favorite fish ever, I believe), one fancy tailed goldfish, another fancy but calico, one black male mollie, and two female dalmation mollies. Oh, and another betta.
It looks good, and apparently she has had them for about a good two weeks, and treated them for anything WALMART might have given them. But I know that crosses the one-fish-per-gallon rule, and all, but honestly I don't want to feed any of these guys to my other friend's oscar... D:
They're all smaller than the betta now, and nobody is nipping at one another, and not to mention all of them actually LOOK healthy and eat well... I'm just... concerned. xD;; And she just told me that there are about seven ghost shrimp as well, they are quite large but I'm sure the fish will get them soon; can we invest in a few cory cats or a pleco? D:

SORRY FOR BABBLING. @_@

 

[misterking]

To be quite honest I wouldn't even keep one goldfish in a 10 gallon, let alone 9. Infact I wouldn't keep 9 in a tank full stop. Goldfish are like the pigs of the fish tank; they make a hell of a lot of mess, foul the water and are constantly eating, and they can reach up to 12 inches a piece. Very soon the common goldfish will rule the tank and most probably not permit the other fish to eat. Plus, as soon as they begin growing you'll end up with a whole host of water quality problems. Adding more fish, especially a pleco which, depending on the type, can reach a good 2 feet, is out of the question. I would honestly say sell a few on or take them back to walmart, but you cannot keep those fish in a 10 gallon for long.

Also, your mollies will breed and breed and breed. You're soon going to end up with possibly 10 times the population if the goldfish don't eat them first. And your betta won't be able to cope with the amount of action so many goldfish and a few mollies will create. This is serious over-stocking, with all these fish fully grown, it totals AT LEAST 115 inches. It doesn't just go over the 1 inch of fish per gallon guideline, it smashes it.

Sorry if I sound like I'm having a go but I thought you needed to hear the facts; unless you take serious action right now you're going to end up with some very ill and very dead fish, very soon. You should definately invest in a larger tank, 10 gallon "starter" tanks should keep nothing more than a small shoal of tetras or similarly sized fish.

 

[MissFishy]

Two weeks in the tank and the ammonia levels are probably getting very high. You really need to get a water test on the water levels, I'm guessing they are horrible. Yes, goldfish are wonderful fish but really not meant to be kept in small tanks like 10 gallons and certainly not crammed together. Even if they are healthy looking and eating now, unfortunately, your water will very soon become toxic (I'm talking like within the next week) and they will likely all die of ammonia poisoning. Please please please have your friend take a look at the information on my website that is linked below about cycling a tank and how many fish can fit into a tank. You will have to rehome some of those fish or get a new tank, there is just no way to keep a tank like that running without having the water become toxic daily with the amount of waste those fish will be producing. Keeping everyone in there like that is like a death sentence, please be responsible and encourage your friend to be responsible as well.

 

[TMony]

Not sure where to begin here. I think we have established that you have waaaay too many fish in this tank. Like Misterking said above, it is "one inch" of fish per gallon not "one fish" per gallon. This is just a rule of thumb and in all actuality would still result in overcrowding if applied to goldfish. Also, goldfish need to be kept with only other goldfish. You should never mix species as your friend has done. Goldfish prefer and thrive in colder water than the other fish you have listed. You should take back some of these fish or get a much much larger tank.
PLEASE LISTEN TO MissFishy's advice and read up on how to properly cycle a tank. It is the single most important thing you can do to properly care for your fish.
Everyone has a learning curve when they get started, so don't feel bad. Just do the right thing by your fish and help them to have the best life they can.
GOOD LUCK!

 

[misterking]

Picking up on TMonys point about keeping goldfish with their own kind in a tank, I'd also not keep common goldfish with fancy varieties. The "modifications" on fancy goldfish mean they're slower than common goldfish, and are often starved for food when mixed because of this, especially ones with bubbly eyes or short double fins and arched backs.

 

[BigFish9000]

Ed-Luvs-Meds, are any of your (friend's) fish still alive? I almost didn't bother writing this post after scanning over everyone else's that have already posted. A 10 gallon tank may seem like a good idea since its small and you'd think that small means that its easier to take care of - big mistake - its actually harder to keep a small fish tank going in a healthy balance compared to a large tank.

From the the mix of fish you describe, I'm assuming that your fish tank has a heater. Goldfish will be miserable is warm water; they will grow huge and create a lot of pollutants in your fish tank. You also mentioned a betta fish; they really require their own shallow bowl, I think. Basically, you've chosen a bunch of incompatible fish and most of them are going to die, no matter what you do....

Your only option is to figure out which ones are truely compatible and return the rest to the store. Also, while your figuring out which fish are compatible, please do a 50% water change if the water is still clear; if the water seems cloudy or dirty then do a 90% water change instead. With a 10 gallon tank, you will need to do 25% to 50% water changes at least once per week if you want to have your fish live for a significant length of time (years). For a 10 gallon tank you probably can't keep more than 4 to 6 fish, depending on the type; and certainly not gold fish of any kind since a 10 gallon tank is just too small for that.

Good Luck!

 

[DesignsOnYou]

I just wanted to respond to some of the things that Big Fish said. First of all, Bettas don't require their own shallow bowl at all, they can often survive in one, but that doesn't mean they need one. I think I've read that they actually do better with a filter and heater, but they do often prefer to be alone. However, some people have kept Bettas in a community setting, still usually only one at a time. That was one of my concerns about this set up too, although it seemed like it was not the primary issue, so I hadn't said anything. Maybe the two bettas are so overwhelmed with all the other fish in the tank that they haven't had time to fight. Ha. I think that if you want to leave any of the current fish in the tank, the best bet would be the mollies, but, with those, they will breed and then you'll soon be overstocked anyway. Basically, nothing about this set up is remotely ideal, but I think you know that. I also have to disagree with the statement that most of them are going to die anyway, they won't if he moves them somewhere else, which I think is the only option. So, Ed, are you still here? Give us an update.

 

[sombunya]

I have some experience with this type of situation and I agree with most of what has been said here.

I have a 10 gallon with three fancy goldfish in it. I added a Betta and thought all was cool. It was not. Despite my attempts to save it the Betta eventually died.

Bettas need a minimum water temp of 78 degrees. Period. Goldfish like cold water. Bettas need slow to non-moving water (sub-sand filter or a baffled HOB). Goldfish need big filtration which means water that moves. Just because Bettas are kept in tiny bowls does not mean they can survive for long that way.

People say that Goldfish are dirty. Maybe they are, but they are no dirtier than my Bluegills. I think that's why I don't regard them as very high-maintenance. I bought three fancy Goldfish that were barely an inch long and keep them in a 10 gallon tank I got for free. They are now over two inches long. The filter is a bit small so I will be upgrading it soon. I do a 50% water change every week because that's how much gets vacuumed out by the time I'm done vacuuming. So far, the water parameters are good: 0 Nitrites, 0 Ammonia, about 10 ppm Nitrates. The only reason the water is good is because I do major water changes every week. They will need a bigger tank soon.

Bottom line; I kept a Betta with these Golds and thought everything was fine until it got sick and died. Yours will to, eventually. I had to learn for myself. Take it from me, and others here with much more experience than I have, you can not keep a Betta with Goldfish.