[flitabout]

So my daughter won a goldfish last night but instead of the 1 they gave her 7 because I bought a tiny $5 box to keep it in. As you can imagine $5 doesn't buy much at the fair. It looks more suited to a betta. One would have been fine in there until Monday when I get paid. But 7? It feels like I am fighting a losing battle to keep the quart of water oxygenated. I live an hour away from the nearest Walmart on top of the fact that I don't have really any money to really work with until Monday. On Monday I plan on buying a 37gal tank for them. The problem is until then how do I keep these badly overcrowded little guys alive until then??

[JudyKayTee]

How about a large mixing bowl?

[Curlyben]

That's the thing with fair fish.
They either expire within a few hours or turn into whales.

For now a large bowl would do the trick, it's going to be more than they've had recently.
They will be fine for a few days, but expect to lose a few..

[odinn7]

You are going to have a problem with this. Goldfish are very rough on the water.

General rule is that they need a minimum of 10 gallons per goldfish. To me, this is kind of crazy. I have kept 10 goldfish (regular) in a 20 gallon tank with no problem. The key is to make sure the water is filtered with a good filter and that you have an aerator in the tank as well. So you want some sort of power filter, a pump, and an air stone.

The fish you have right now are going to have a hard time making it to Monday. Try to find bowls and keep them that way. The biggest problem you will face is conditioning the water. Do you have town water or well water? If you have town water, there is chlorine in it and that will kill any fish that goes in it. Chlorine dissipates after about 24 hours of leaving the water out, uncovered... but it doesn't sound like you have a way to do that.

If you have well water, you may be facing problems with ph balance and minerals.

I hate how they handle goldfish at fairs. It's almost a guarantee that the fish will suffer and die.

Good luck.

[flitabout]

Well I found some water conditioner at our local store I am going to leave 1 fish in the container that I got them in and then move the other 6 to a large mixing bowl that holds about 1 1/2gallons. This is nuts I have never been so ill prepared for an animal in my life. I was hoping I could find an air pump some tubing and an air stone here in town but no such luck. I think I was lucky to find the water conditioner. They didn't even have any food, although at this point that is the least of my worries. I have been preparing my kids for losing some of the fish.

[Curlyben]

Don't knock yourself out with these as they are more likely to expire before the weekend is over. Not due to your attempts, but their bad conditions previously.

If they survive till Monday than go for it with a large tank..

[odinn7]

Don't feed them right now. Feeding will cause the water to become a mess. Sure, it sounds kind of mean to let them go hungry but right now it will probably help them survive a little longer if that makes sense.

Do you have a Walmart near you? They have some lower cost aquarium supplies like pumps, filters, and stones.

[flitabout]

Funny part about this entire thing is that I have priced out everything I will need at $194.65 So at the absolute worst we can go pick out some other fish in a another week or so after the new tank has time to cycle. Now that I have them settled in the bowl and the original mini tank with the water conditioner they are doing really well. Although we are still only 24hr in!
Sadly The closest Walmart is an hour away.

[massplumber2008]

Hi Flitabout

Consider looking into CRAIGSLIST in your area for a used fish tank setup... could save you money, if you are lucky! Don't forget to look under the FREE listing... some people just give the old setups away... ;)

Mark

[flitabout]

Thanks I will try that! 48 hours in and all 7 are still kicking or well swimming!

[odinn7]

You're doing good! Keep it up!