[JoeCanada76]

Hello Got a 10 gallon tank for my son Christmas. Yesterday I bought 9 gold fish.

It looks like there is plenty of room for other or more fish. I am also thinking of adding real plants.

The thing is the info I am getting on the net is 10 gallon tank is not even big enough for one gold fish. I do not get that and think its full of crap.

I also was feeding flakes at first and they went crazy. Tried the pellets and they just kept spitting it back out.

Stick with flakes or just let them get hungry enough they learn to like the pellets?

Thank you for anybody help..

Joe

[jmjoseph]

Try breaking the pellets into smaller pieces. I'm no expert on fish, on fishING maybe, but not tank fish. And I have personally had more fish in that volume of water. As long as the water in oxygenated, they should be fine.

Now, someone here is going to correct me. So, I repeat: I HAVE, and they SHOULD.

[JoeCanada76]

Where are all the pet experts??

[Lucky098]

10 gals is not big enough for 9 goldfish. You're probably looking at upgrading to a 55 gal if you do want to keep all 9 goldfish. The ratio for fish is 1 inch per gal. Goldfish typically get to be 12 inches long and can live for years. Unfortunately if you do not upgrade your tank, fish will start to die. It is a complete wives tale that fish will only grow to their surroundings. The real truth is, fish will grow until they outgrow their tank and die because of the high ammonia levels that have been created by their own feces.

Goldfish are also very dirty fish. I would recommend to not add any more fish to your tank. I have heard people successfully add non-goldfish to their goldfish tank, and some people kill ever fish they put in that tank. Its up to you if you would like to try, but I would not recommend it.

As for feeding, goldfish are vegetarian, find a good flaked food that won't cloud your water. I'm not a fan of pellets for vegetarian fish because a lot of the time the pellets sink to the bottom and the fish don't go looking for it. Feed them once or twice a day. Just because fish act hungry, doesn't mean they are. Also, if you give them a slice of orange every day, it will help enhance their colors. Be sure to take the orange slice out after 3 hours to avoid dirtying up your tank.

If you want to go with live plants, then be aware that your goldfish will more than likely eat them. A good hardy plant is Java fern. Its bitter in taste. The fish don't eat on it AS MUCH... and I think their dark green leaves are very good looking up against the bright gold of the fish.

[joyluo1999]

9 fish is too much for a ten gallon tank. You should either get a bigger tank or get rid of a few fish.

As for live plants as long as you don't have water snails to eat up the plants you can get a few live plants. Goldfish don't always eat live plants.


Joy

[Boots011]

Like the above comments, 10 gallons is too small for goldfish. I would only recommend goldfish for a 20g+ aquarium. Also, the kind of goldfish you buy is going to affect the tank requirements. Comets grow long to about a foot/foot and a half, while "fancy" goldfish like orandas, ryukin, moors, and fantail grow out to about softball size and bigger. When buying a tank, the longer the better. Goldfish are "horizontal" swimmers, meaning they don't swim up and down but rather scavenge around the bottom or mid-level.

Goldfish are very high-maintenance. Because of their cold-water requirements, they are more susceptible to ich--a deadly parasite that thrives in cooler water. Also they suffer from a variety of intestinal problems like bloat and dropsy, as well as different fungal infections and velvet. Take into account the fact that goldfish are carp. They do not have stomachs; instead they have a very long intestinal tract. This leaves room for a variety of complications that intensify if perfect water quality is not maintained.

Goldfish are great personality fish, however they need a lot of room-- in the same vein as cichlids. 55 minimum for the number of fish you have now. If you want plants, your options are limited as goldfish will eat just about everything. Try swords, anubias, crypts, ferns, or moss. These are all low-maintenance plants and will *not* be devoured by your fish.

Good luck. Do your research. There are books and websites aplenty. :)