I recently got a Comet Goldfish from my teacher after I couldn't bring myself to dissect it for Biology Class. I had it in a simple 2G Tank for about 2 weeks, but just bought a 20 Gallon Tank with an air pump, filter, light, heater, real plants, and gravel.
I plan to move him/her into a 50G whenever I can afford it, but for the meantime how long can it stay in my 20G? My fish is about 1-2 inches long right now. Sorry if I sound ignorant, I've never had a tank or fish before, I really need advice, Thanks!
It's ok if your ignorant. With a great heart no one should be rude to you=). Are you sure it is a comet?
They grow 10-14 "and need 60 gallons when full grown (A 50 gallon will be great too). They are somewhat aggressive for a Goldfish and should not be kept with Fancy Goldfish, or other Goldfish breeds (sometimes they get along with common Goldfish, but don't drop one in with 6 Comets!).
A Goldfish 1-3 "can live in a 10 gallon alone. A 20 gallon now will do wonders. When it reaches 6" it should be in a 30 gallon. It would be less expensive in the long run to just buy a 50 gallon when it reaches 6 "at the most. When it is that big in a 20 gallon, do TWO 25% water changes every week. For now you can do proper 25% water changes once a week. Also make sure it has air being pumped into the water. They die easily from lack of oxygen and ammonia poisoning. With water changes a bubble stone it should do great.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com Feed it Goldfish flakes 1-2x a day. They also love treats like dried brine shrimp and blood worms one or twice a week. Good Luck=)
well i have had mine for like 3 years and i have 2 in my 20 gallon tan. that is only because a fish grows to the size of its tank and they really don't grow that fast but i would say you could keep him/her in a 20 for as long as you need to.
first of all they are active, rapid swimmers and will sometimes tend to leap out of the water, so having a lid on an aquarium is good idea. They are also very social and thrive well in a community.
here is all you need to know about tank size and how that affects the size they grow to be. The Comet Goldfish is a bit smaller than the Common Goldfish, but even so, the environment it is kept in is a determining factor on whether your pet grows to its full potential size or is somewhat smaller. In an average 10 gallon tank, if well cared for and not crowded, they can grow up to about 4 inches (10 cm), while in a larger uncrowded tank they can grow larger generally reaching about 7 or 8 inches (17.78 - 20.32 cm). If kept in a spacious pond they can reach over 12 inches (30 + cm).
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
now just in case since you said its your first time with fish or a tank, here is also care and feeding too. hope this all helps you out:
Since they are omnivorous, the Comet Goldfish will generally eat all kinds of fresh, frozen, and flake foods. To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake food everyday. To care for your goldfish, feed brine shrimp (either live or frozen ), blood worms, Daphnia, or tubifex worms as a treat. It is usually better to feed freeze-dried foods as opposed to live foods to avoid parasites and bacterial infections that could be present in live foods.
Comet Goldfish are some of the hardier species of goldfish. They are very undemanding of water quality and temperature. Many people try to keep goldfish in small one or two gallon bowls with no heater or filtration. But for the best success in keeping goldfish, provide them the same filtration, especially biological filtration, that other aquarium residents enjoy.
The shape and size of the aquarium is important and depends upon the number of fish you are going to keep. Goldfish need a lot of oxygen and produce a lot of waste.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com A large surface area of water will help minimize goldfish suffering from an oxygen shortage. Surface area is determined by the shape of the tank. For the same volume of water, an elongated tank offers more surface area (and oxygen) than a tall tank. In a fish bowl, filling the bowl to the middle offers more surface area (and oxygen) than filling the bowl to the top. Always provide the maximum amount of surface area.
Providing a large amount of water per fish will help dilute the amount of waste and reduce the number of water changes needed.
A general rule of thumb for young fish only is: 1 inch of fish (2.54 cm) per 1 gallon of water. This rule applies only to young fish and is not adequate as they grow. Larger gold fish consume much more oxygen than young fish so maintaining this formula for growing fish will stunt them, and can contribute to disease and even death.
Keep the tank size and shape in mind when you are buying your fish. To allow for growth, either buy fewer fish than the maximum number of fish (based on the above formula) or be prepared to get a larger tank.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Because goldfish produce a lot of waste, good filtration is very helpful in maintaining the water quality of the aquarium. Regular weekly water changes of 1/4 to 1/3 is strongly recommended to keep these fish healthy.