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1g aquarium, 2 goldfish, what do i do?!

3K views 14 replies 7 participants last post by  leifthebunny 
#1 ·
My girlfriend and I wanted some fish, so we went to petsmart. The budget was tight, and we ended up with a 1 gallon (betta?) kit with fluorescent lighting and a filter. Following the fish guy's advice, I bought 2 chinese fantail (I think) goldfish. He said it was either those or a betta, and my girlfriend thought the goldfish were pretty. I put in some gravel and a fake coral thingy, filled her up with distilled water, started the filter, and put the fish in.

It has been over 2 weeks since I set it up. I have been changing ~20% of the water just about every other day. We feed the fish flakes once a day. The fish seem to be doing well, but after doing a little research, I see that it was a bad pick. I do not have any testing equipment so I do not know what my levels are, and I'm afraid our fish are going to die. Buying another aquarium setup is really not an option, and I'm not sure what to do.

Should I get rid of the fish? We've grown pretty fond of them and I'd like to keep them.
 
#2 ·
Welcome to Fishforum.com.:wave:

Yes, please return the fish. You'll made a wise decision by returning them. A gallon is far too small for any fish even a betta. I would suggest 5 gallons as the minimum for a betta. A 15 gallons is best to start with when keeping a community.
 
#3 ·
being a former petsmart employee I am ashamed of that person who told you that, lol. I know they have a 2 week guaruntee but tell them you've done research and goldfish are extremely dirty, can grow 6-12 inches depending on the type and can live upwards of 20 years in the right environment. It was their mistake and they should still replace it. If the person you speak to declines, ask to speak to a manager because the manager definitely will do the exchange. Get a betta :)
 
#5 ·
The 20 gal is much better. I will leave it to others to recommend different inhabitants you can add to that tank.
 
#7 ·
If your current 1g is cycled, move some filter media, gravel, etc to the new tank to jumpstart the cycle. You can move the fish, too, but monitor the levels and keep up on your water changes!
 
#9 ·
wow, I can't believe the pet store guy let me get goldfish. I'm either giving them back or transplanting them to an outside pond.

Is there anything I CAN do with the 1g aquarium? are there any tiny fish I can put in it or is it just trash?
 
#11 ·
try to give them back to the pet store...fantails don't do as well in ponds as straight-tailed goldfish. You could put a betta in the 1 gallon but you could also put in african dwraf frog, cory catfish, white clouds, or danios. If you don't put a betta in there a colorful dwarf gourami would do well in there too. Most people on here will tell you you can only have an inch of fish per gallon but there are a lot more factors to that and you really could keep 2 or 3 of the fish I mentioned in there given that you keep up on tank maintenance. They are sold as tropical fish but will withstand colder temps (same as a betta would).
 
#13 ·
Unfortuntely a 1 gallon is not good for many if any fish at all. Petsmart should have 10 gallon tank for around $10. If you get a good sponge filter and an airstone then you could get a lot of different small fish to put in there. A heater will also be needed for most fish except goldfish.

If I remember my numbers right, I can get a full 10 gallon setup with HOB filter, tank, heater and gravel for around $40 from Wal-mart. Although I don't recommend the AquaView filters they will work in a pinch.

If you get the 20 gallon it will work for quite a while for the goldfish. I would still try to take them back though and get some danios for cycling the tank. 8-12 of them in a 20 gallon should be enough to cycle it fairly well and not have a huge ammonia problem. If they won't take them back use them to cycle the tank and then get the fish you want for it and find someone who wants the goldies.

BTW, I want to commend you for coming here and getting good information to help your fish survive and turn this into a pleasureable experience that I hope will grow on you.
 
#14 ·
I took the two fantails back today, and the girl picked out a blue betta. I put a fake plant in there (since I read that bettas like foliage), and he seems to be very happy. I am buying a test kit soon so I can keep track of my levels and see when the tank has fully cycled.

What do you recommend for water changes, I read that distilled water is no good since it has no minerals in it.
 
#15 ·
For water changes, while the tank is cycling, as needed. Once the tank is cycled, depending on the tank 25-30% once a week.

As for distilled water, it can cause swings in water conditions. You want to keep your water source consistent as your fish will won't handle constant condition changes. The same could be said about going a month without doing a water change and then deciding to do a 50% water change.
 
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