goldfish tank
 

Byron let me ask you:

29 gallon

700gph of filtration, no plants
1 Common goldfish 3" (commons on his way out of the tank any day)
1 fantail goldfish 1.5"
1 Black Moor 1"

Since i don't have any plants, i noticed someone on here is selling Malaysian Trumpet Snails...could i use those to stir up the substrate, eat my algae and kinda take the place of plants?

I moved your post to start its own thread as it is getting off topic from the bacteria aritcle.

I'll leave the tank size for these goldfish to those with experience in that area to comment. To the question about the snails then. Nothing takes the place of plants except the filter, sort of. Snails will help with algae and organics in planted or non-planted, and help keep the substrate cleaner.

Yah i'm not too worried about the size, the reason i ask is about gravel vacuuming and the thread you posted...avoiding graveling vacuuming would make my two weekly 50% water changes much easier!

If I remember right he/she is going to be moveing the common in the Spring to a pond, and is going to be keeping just the other two in the 29 gallon so he/she will be ok. I still think you should vaccume the substrate because I do not think the snails will eat the poo that the goldies make.

When you have a planted tank, the roots and plant material *sorta* eat the poop?

Currently the Common does add to the bio-load, but its not stay in this tank long term

I have not had good experience with goldfish and snails. It seems like anything I add they like to munch on. I tried some larger ramshorns from my pond: gone in a day. The pond snails didn't even get a chance to hit the bottom. I tried MTS because they mostly stay in the substrate and only venture to the walls at night; I might have one or two left in the tank. It seems like any snail that is too large to fit in their mouths doesn't keep the algae under control like I'd want, and any snail that keeps the algae under control just gets eaten as soon as its seen. For algae control I think you are better off just scrubbing the walls.

Bottom line: with a goldfish tank there is no way you can get away with not vacuuming the gravel at least once a week.

Have i told you your awesome yet? Great advice! Thank you! So far it appears the only algae i have is some brown spots on the glass (diatoms?)...i've read nothing eats fish poop, but with goldfish having (almost) no stomach, is it really poop? it would be nice to have something to clean up some of the extra food(yah i know goldfish eat everything :-)) and undigested food...meh, odds are i need a bigger tank for anything that''ll do that

:) Glad I can help. Snails are a sore point between me and my goldfish. <_< You might be able to try some larger ramshorns. Maybe if your little guys grow up with them, the snails won't be seen as food.

The brown stuff is the easy stuff to wipe off. I have the kind of algae that only comes off with a LOT of elbow grease. x_x

As far as goldfish poop, its a great indicator of health. Ideally you want their poops to be short and about the same color as the food. Long stringy poops are a sign of poor quality food. Air bubbles in poop are a big no-no! I know some people will giggle at the thought of fish farts, but it is not laughing matter for your fish. Those air bubbles mean your fish isn't the one in control of the buoyancy and will cause them stress. Thus ends a short lesson on goldfish poop.

To clear up the extra food problem, try feeding them smaller amounts throughout the day. I feed my guys 3 times a day. When I eat, they eat. I hand feed them to make sure everyone gets a fair share.

On snails...
Now, I don't have Goldfish, so I don't know... but could snails coexist if they were larger snails with tougher shells? Ponds and Ramshorns are small and have pretty brittle shells. Would Nerites (personal fav, little piggies!) or Mysteries work any better?

Yes I know this I just forgot you have plants. Sometimes its hard to keep up with who has plants and who doesn't. LOL :oops: