[MugonZaller]

Hello All,

I'm new here.
I recently received a 10gal tank from a friend. I decided that I wanted to start a tank, with tropical fish. I already had a male beta, and I also purchased 3 neon tetras, and 3 glow light tetras.
After a failed attempt to raise a red dwarf gourami, I found the cutest little Panda Goldfish. I named him "squishy", and took him home. That was yesterday. About an hour ago, he died - no idea how.
Let me give you a quick synopsis: after my red dwarf gourami died, I went back to the pet store and found "squishy", a panda goldfish. That was supposed to finish my tank, but my brother offered to give me one of his convicts. The thing attack my poor "squishy", and I kicked him out and placed "squishy" in a bowl, with stress coat to repairs his fins.

I probably shocked him, and he couldn't take it. REMEMBER I AM A NEWB!
Though he did eat right before he kicked - it was really sudden.
But I want another panda goldfish, I just absolutely fell in love with them. I am very upset. He was my favorite, and he just kicked, in not even 24 hrs. If I could post multiple icons it be sad, mad, and alert.

I've been reading up, and they said temperature wise they do 68-uper 70's, my other fish are in 70-74 F. They are faster yes, but I was basically hand-feeding "squishy", so he got his food.

I m going to return "squishy", get my $13 dollars back, but I want another one. Any advice?
The web is too flimsy, every site contradicts another. I just want a panda goldfish, and to be happy.

MugonZaller

 

[Byron]

Welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping forum.

A 10g tank is too small for a goldfish. One goldfish should have a 30g aquarium. They also should not be combined with tropical species.

With respect to the various fish dying, this is likely due to the ammonia or nitrite issues of a new tank. You can read about that here:
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...inners-guide-freshwater-aquarium-cycle-38617/

 

[thekoimaiden]

Welcome to the forum and the hobby. We all have to start somewhere and most of us started out just like you.

Byron is very right about size requirements for goldfish. They get about 6 inches long (what you see in the store are babies). Ideally a 55 gal tank with 3-4 fancy goldfish is a good start as goldfish do like company. A 30 gal tank is the smallest a goldfish should be kept in, and you can only keep one in that size. And even then you would need to do large water changes weekly and have a good HOB filter. Goldfish need large tanks not only because they get very large, but also because they produce more waste for their body size than other fish do.

I'm sorry you've had bad advice in the past from your local fish stores. They usually don't know what they are talking about and just want to make a sale. But we're glad you found us.

I would also not add a gourami to a tank with a betta in it as they will most likely fight. The betta should be kept at temps above 78F, but the rest of your fish are fine around 74F. And the danio and tetra will both benefit from being kept in groups of 6 or more.

 

[MugonZaller]

Thank you.
I don't have room for anything bigger then a 10gal right now. So I guess I'll have to wait till I have more space. A " future hobby/pet".
I'll check my levels, and make sure every things on the up-and-up there.
I'm just upset that I learned this stuff now.

 

[Byron]

Thank you.
I don't have room for anything bigger then a 10gal right now. So I guess I'll have to wait till I have more space. A " future hobby/pet".
I'll check my levels, and make sure every things on the up-and-up there.
I'm just upset that I learned this stuff now.

It is really sad that many stores only seem to care about selling stuff to make money; little if any concern is shown to the fish. Fortunately there are online resources like this forum to help us now.

 

[thekoimaiden]

Thank you.
I don't have room for anything bigger then a 10gal right now. So I guess I'll have to wait till I have more space. A " future hobby/pet".
I'll check my levels, and make sure every things on the up-and-up there.
I'm just upset that I learned this stuff now.

That sounds like a good goal to work towards. Goldfish have a poor history of care, and it is sad that the myths keep perpetuating. I'm glad that you decided to wait. Goldfish can be very rewarding pets and live up to 15 years with proper care.

I'm really sorry you got bad advice from the pet store people. As Byron said, they don't care about the fish; they only care about the sales. We will be more than happy to help you with any of the questions you have. Sometimes you can also find a local aquarium club that can help you with some of your troubles.

 

[MugonZaller]

It is really sad that many stores only seem to care about selling stuff to make money; little if any concern is shown to the fish. Fortunately there are online resources like this forum to help us now.

OMG! Right? And the care for their fish sucks!
I am so happy my brother found this site. This is going to help. :-D

 

[Lupin]

Even if you insist on a panda goldfish, they do not stay that way for a long time. Black coloration is very unstable and can eventually fade away.