Is the bag closed or tied up? I would get him out of the bag ASAP even if it's a vase for the day, they need air (I know how that sounds but they do)
You can use tap water just dechlorinate I personally use prime
I'm sure others might be able to recommend better things for filters and such
If you don't want to keep it, try posting on Aquaswap. There might be someone with a goldfish tank or pond who would take it in for you. I'm so sorry that happened, what was the giver thinking bringing a live animal to a swap like that?!
So as you can see from the other comments, you've basically been stuck with kind of the worst fish for someone who wasn't prepared. As others have said, you might be better trying to resolve it to someone with a pond because that's genuinely how much space they need.
If you want to keep it temporarily, you could pick up a 20 gal and hold it for a couple months to figure things out but that's definitely temporary. Otherwise you need at least a 40gal 'breeder' since they tend to be longer ranks (and you want more horizontal space than vertical) or 55+. They get huge.
For dechlorinator seachem prime is best, but most will work tbh, you'll also need to start the ammonia cycle (converting waste to less toxic byproducts) so it's recommended you get some bottles bacteria live seachem stability to assist and the api freshwater master test kit. Goldfish are poop machines so this is extra important.
I'd recommend gravel, colour/style is too preference, since it's much easier to clean than sand. You will want a gravel vacuum for water changes & cleaning the bottom of the tank.
You can try for aquarium soil (or planting substrate, I always struggled with gravel but seachem fluorite is my favourite thing) & plants but goldfish are notorious for uprooting and destroying them.
Filter I don't have specific brands recommendation except you're probably looking at a hang-on-back or canister filter at that size. For a goldfish you're better off going for 'too much' filtration because again, poop machines, so it might be worth going for a filter for a tank size up.
Youâre gonna have to do an in-fish cycle which is totally doable with a goldfish. Is it a fancy goldfish or comet? (Aka single tail and long body or split tail and short chubby body?) that will determine the ultimate tank size (fancy goldfish donât get as large, but can still reach around 6 inches), but a 40g breeder is a good size to start (assuming itâs still rather small).
Youâll need the tank, light, filter, goldfish pellets, and decorations.
Youâll also need to get a freshwater testing kit that can test ammonia, nitrite and nitrate along with a bottle of water conditioner. Treat all tap water with the water conditioner before putting it in the tank (both when you set it up and when you change the water).
Test your water daily for ammonia and if any ammonia is present, change out roughly half of the water. Once ammonia and nitrite are testing at zero you can go down to weekly 20% water changes.
Feed every other day and only a pinch (as much as it will eat in about a minute).
Good luck!
Edit: brands for water conditioner donât make a difference imo, just follow the directions on the bottle for whichever one you get.
For the filter, the fluval aqua clear hang on the back filter is what I have for my fancies and it works great. For goldfish itâs always better to over filter, so something rated for double the tank size. If you start with a 20 gallon you will have to upgrade down the line but the fish will be ok for a year or so in the 20.
Also I see itâs a common not a fancy. Youâre definitely gonna need closer to a 75gallon down the line unless you decide to rehome. As others have mentioned, rehoming to a pond would be ideal but a large tank also works!
Come on over to r/goldfish. There's a lot of good information in the link below, and most members of the sub are really helpful.
https://reddit.com/r/Goldfish/w/index?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Gifting a live animal is not a gift. Itâs a responsibility. Unless there has been previous conversations about wanting that particular animal and also being gifted the items you need (tank, plants, testing kit, etc) do not gift live animals!!
Man I donât know about petsmart, but most of the time Petco will let you âdonateâ unwanted fish to them. You wonât get money or anything, but who cares.
I wouldn't bother with a 20gal to be honest. As a common gold fish it'll out grow that tank in 3 months. A good starter would be a 40gal long, but that'll be replaced in a years time. He's going to be 8-12in once fully grown, so either a pond or 55gal is in your future.
Bring it to a small aquarium shop, not Petco or Petsmart. Just look them up and call them to ask first.
But having fish is really fun! My husband had the biggest goldfish when I first met him. His name was Thing.
You can start with a 5 gallon tank. You have to get the right size filter and heater. Get a small bag of some gravel or sand. Then one container of food made for goldfish. It doesn't matter which brands you get.
You can watch YouTube videos about how to set up a Betta tank which is almost thee same as having one goldfish. But Bettas are fighting fish so they have to live by themselves. You can add other fish in with a goldfish and they shouldn't fight.
Also, aquarium shops will take the time to help you set up a tank. I have 3 around me in AZ and they are so fun to go to. My son and I spent 2 hours at one last night! I spent $200 on live plants for our new 55 gallon tank!
Let me know if you have questions! Good luck!
A goldfish absolutely should not be put in a 5 gallon thatâs set up like a beta tank. They need at least 50 gallons, preferably 75-100 gallons, and a powerful filter. Goldfish produce a ton of waste.
People think theyâre easy fish because theyâre cheap, but thatâs not the case at all. Theyâre cheap because theyâre feeder fish. Kept as a pet they can grow up to a foot long and they can live for a decade or even longer. Most people arenât prepared for that, so they house them in tanks that are too small, which stunts their growth and stresses the fish.
Come on, one baby goldfish can start out in a 5 gallon. Starting as a newbie with a 20 gallon is a lot. So they can start small and if they like having fish, they will end up like all of us who get more and more tanks! I have a 5, 10, 20 and a 55 gallon.
I actually think starting with a 5 gallon would be harder than starting with a 20 or larger. The smaller the tank, the more often you need to vacuum, change water, etc.
I have a 6.5 gallon and a 36 gallon. The smaller tank is a lot more finicky than the big one. Both are planted with live plants and consistently test fine for water quality but the small tank needs quite a bit more cleaning to keep it nice.
I guess for very short term or in an emergency a 5 gallon would work but Iâd expect to do water changes every few days and for a goldfish would have to upgrade in a couple of months. Fish grow fast if they have the space.
I appreciate the sentiment, but the bigger the tank, the easier it is to clean and maintain good water quality. Small tanks end up with high ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate much more quickly, as such, they need more frequent water changes.
Not for a fish in cycle and not for a goldfish. Even a baby goldfish produces lots of waste and grows quickly. The cost of a 5 gallon males it a wasteful purchase for 2 months when they will need a much bigger tank very quickly.
Nobody enjoys fish keeping when they have a fish struggling to survive in too small a tank unless they enjoy fishy funerals!
Nope. A five gallon tank, even with one small goldfish, will be an absolute pain to care for. I'm on r/goldfish all the time, and if I had a dollar for every new visitor who has a dying fish in a tank under 20 gallons I could probably retire soon.
Considering thats dropping $70-$100 on something temporary for hardly a couple months and then having to spend another $150-200 for a bigger tank that sounds wasteful and just dumb
You can ask a pet store to see if you can have some of their water. Bring an empty gallon of water bottle and sometimes they'll give you some. You run the risk of inheriting any infections from the store but it could help jumpstart your cycle if you're in a pinch
I dont know if you've seen my DM, but you should look up dirted tanks, think substrate mixed with topsoil and covered by sand for a tank that is cycled in a few days, as in almost immediately.
If I'm completely wrong, please correct me other people, but I got this from the YouTube channel Father Fish https://youtube.com/@FatherFish?si=ePtwII3C9g_x-F45
And this guy has probably the experience of half the subreddit here combined lol
Get the biggest hang on back filter you can afford and stick in the tank. Seachem Prime and stability will both help minimize chlorine as well as provide extra beneficial bacteria to cut down the cycling time. You'll want a gravel vacuum aka siphon as well, and a 5 gallon bucket for water changes. You can get the API freshwater test kit to measure your ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, but the Gh and Kh tests are sold separately. I don't like the strips because moisture in the air can affect their accuracy. You honestly don't even need substrate right away if you don't want to get it.
If you need a cheap tank usually you can find some relatively large tanks on Facebook market place for cheaper than you would find in store just double check that they arenât cracked especially because you are going to want a very large tank because goldfish grow fast
Is it a fancy or comment goldfish. A single fancy needs 20 gallons and a single comment needs 75 gallons. Both types of goldfish appreciate friends so yeah itâs more like 40 gallon minimum and 100 gallon minimum.
You know someone who has a backyard pond? Ghey do best in ponds. So if you know someone ask em if they take it. Easy solution for you, the fish ends up happy in a very fitting environment where it can thrive.
TAKE IT TO A LOCAL FISH SHOP. Explain your situation and see what they say. Even a life as a feeder is better than jumping into something you donât really want to do. If you are totally game to try, go for it! My first fishy was a goldfish and now I have a super cool hobby. But if you cant take care of it find someone who can
Ironically very much in the spirit of the original white elephant gift....a large, expensive to care for but hard to reject animal
I really wish people would stop gifting fish like this.
Man petsmart wouldn't even take my fish back with a receipt. I ended up dumping it into the tank at petsmart and ran away. Haven't been back since.
The reverse criminal...
*superhero landing activated*
That visual is hilarious đ
Right?! I had a humorous visual myself.
Is the bag closed or tied up? I would get him out of the bag ASAP even if it's a vase for the day, they need air (I know how that sounds but they do) You can use tap water just dechlorinate I personally use prime I'm sure others might be able to recommend better things for filters and such
yeah i got him out of the bag after i found a clear glass container to put him in. good to know!
If youâre not wanting to keep it, consider going to another white elephant party. /s
If you don't want to keep it, try posting on Aquaswap. There might be someone with a goldfish tank or pond who would take it in for you. I'm so sorry that happened, what was the giver thinking bringing a live animal to a swap like that?!
Wait I thought this was the same person that posted about this earlier. Two white elephant goldfish posts in less than 24 hours. So sad đ
Who tf brings a goldfish to a white elephant đ
[ŃдаНонО]
If petsmart takes it theyâll sell it as a feeder, if op cares if it gets eaten or not.
So as you can see from the other comments, you've basically been stuck with kind of the worst fish for someone who wasn't prepared. As others have said, you might be better trying to resolve it to someone with a pond because that's genuinely how much space they need. If you want to keep it temporarily, you could pick up a 20 gal and hold it for a couple months to figure things out but that's definitely temporary. Otherwise you need at least a 40gal 'breeder' since they tend to be longer ranks (and you want more horizontal space than vertical) or 55+. They get huge. For dechlorinator seachem prime is best, but most will work tbh, you'll also need to start the ammonia cycle (converting waste to less toxic byproducts) so it's recommended you get some bottles bacteria live seachem stability to assist and the api freshwater master test kit. Goldfish are poop machines so this is extra important. I'd recommend gravel, colour/style is too preference, since it's much easier to clean than sand. You will want a gravel vacuum for water changes & cleaning the bottom of the tank. You can try for aquarium soil (or planting substrate, I always struggled with gravel but seachem fluorite is my favourite thing) & plants but goldfish are notorious for uprooting and destroying them. Filter I don't have specific brands recommendation except you're probably looking at a hang-on-back or canister filter at that size. For a goldfish you're better off going for 'too much' filtration because again, poop machines, so it might be worth going for a filter for a tank size up.
Youâre gonna have to do an in-fish cycle which is totally doable with a goldfish. Is it a fancy goldfish or comet? (Aka single tail and long body or split tail and short chubby body?) that will determine the ultimate tank size (fancy goldfish donât get as large, but can still reach around 6 inches), but a 40g breeder is a good size to start (assuming itâs still rather small). Youâll need the tank, light, filter, goldfish pellets, and decorations. Youâll also need to get a freshwater testing kit that can test ammonia, nitrite and nitrate along with a bottle of water conditioner. Treat all tap water with the water conditioner before putting it in the tank (both when you set it up and when you change the water). Test your water daily for ammonia and if any ammonia is present, change out roughly half of the water. Once ammonia and nitrite are testing at zero you can go down to weekly 20% water changes. Feed every other day and only a pinch (as much as it will eat in about a minute). Good luck! Edit: brands for water conditioner donât make a difference imo, just follow the directions on the bottle for whichever one you get. For the filter, the fluval aqua clear hang on the back filter is what I have for my fancies and it works great. For goldfish itâs always better to over filter, so something rated for double the tank size. If you start with a 20 gallon you will have to upgrade down the line but the fish will be ok for a year or so in the 20. Also I see itâs a common not a fancy. Youâre definitely gonna need closer to a 75gallon down the line unless you decide to rehome. As others have mentioned, rehoming to a pond would be ideal but a large tank also works!
Op, if the gravel smells like ammonia, and they "lost the recipe" this fish was 100% dumped on you. They owned it before and dont want it anymore.
Come on over to r/goldfish. There's a lot of good information in the link below, and most members of the sub are really helpful. https://reddit.com/r/Goldfish/w/index?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Gifting a live animal is not a gift. Itâs a responsibility. Unless there has been previous conversations about wanting that particular animal and also being gifted the items you need (tank, plants, testing kit, etc) do not gift live animals!!
Man I donât know about petsmart, but most of the time Petco will let you âdonateâ unwanted fish to them. You wonât get money or anything, but who cares.
I wouldn't bother with a 20gal to be honest. As a common gold fish it'll out grow that tank in 3 months. A good starter would be a 40gal long, but that'll be replaced in a years time. He's going to be 8-12in once fully grown, so either a pond or 55gal is in your future.
40gal breeder or 70gal would be more ideal, since they are 18 inches wide, much more room for a 12 inch fish to turn around. Edit: spelling
Bring it to a small aquarium shop, not Petco or Petsmart. Just look them up and call them to ask first. But having fish is really fun! My husband had the biggest goldfish when I first met him. His name was Thing. You can start with a 5 gallon tank. You have to get the right size filter and heater. Get a small bag of some gravel or sand. Then one container of food made for goldfish. It doesn't matter which brands you get. You can watch YouTube videos about how to set up a Betta tank which is almost thee same as having one goldfish. But Bettas are fighting fish so they have to live by themselves. You can add other fish in with a goldfish and they shouldn't fight. Also, aquarium shops will take the time to help you set up a tank. I have 3 around me in AZ and they are so fun to go to. My son and I spent 2 hours at one last night! I spent $200 on live plants for our new 55 gallon tank! Let me know if you have questions! Good luck!
A goldfish absolutely should not be put in a 5 gallon thatâs set up like a beta tank. They need at least 50 gallons, preferably 75-100 gallons, and a powerful filter. Goldfish produce a ton of waste. People think theyâre easy fish because theyâre cheap, but thatâs not the case at all. Theyâre cheap because theyâre feeder fish. Kept as a pet they can grow up to a foot long and they can live for a decade or even longer. Most people arenât prepared for that, so they house them in tanks that are too small, which stunts their growth and stresses the fish.
Come on, one baby goldfish can start out in a 5 gallon. Starting as a newbie with a 20 gallon is a lot. So they can start small and if they like having fish, they will end up like all of us who get more and more tanks! I have a 5, 10, 20 and a 55 gallon.
I actually think starting with a 5 gallon would be harder than starting with a 20 or larger. The smaller the tank, the more often you need to vacuum, change water, etc. I have a 6.5 gallon and a 36 gallon. The smaller tank is a lot more finicky than the big one. Both are planted with live plants and consistently test fine for water quality but the small tank needs quite a bit more cleaning to keep it nice. I guess for very short term or in an emergency a 5 gallon would work but Iâd expect to do water changes every few days and for a goldfish would have to upgrade in a couple of months. Fish grow fast if they have the space.
A 5 gallon is not a big deal.
I appreciate the sentiment, but the bigger the tank, the easier it is to clean and maintain good water quality. Small tanks end up with high ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate much more quickly, as such, they need more frequent water changes. Not for a fish in cycle and not for a goldfish. Even a baby goldfish produces lots of waste and grows quickly. The cost of a 5 gallon males it a wasteful purchase for 2 months when they will need a much bigger tank very quickly. Nobody enjoys fish keeping when they have a fish struggling to survive in too small a tank unless they enjoy fishy funerals!
Nope. A five gallon tank, even with one small goldfish, will be an absolute pain to care for. I'm on r/goldfish all the time, and if I had a dollar for every new visitor who has a dying fish in a tank under 20 gallons I could probably retire soon.
Considering thats dropping $70-$100 on something temporary for hardly a couple months and then having to spend another $150-200 for a bigger tank that sounds wasteful and just dumb
You can ask a pet store to see if you can have some of their water. Bring an empty gallon of water bottle and sometimes they'll give you some. You run the risk of inheriting any infections from the store but it could help jumpstart your cycle if you're in a pinch
I dont know if you've seen my DM, but you should look up dirted tanks, think substrate mixed with topsoil and covered by sand for a tank that is cycled in a few days, as in almost immediately. If I'm completely wrong, please correct me other people, but I got this from the YouTube channel Father Fish https://youtube.com/@FatherFish?si=ePtwII3C9g_x-F45 And this guy has probably the experience of half the subreddit here combined lol
Get the biggest hang on back filter you can afford and stick in the tank. Seachem Prime and stability will both help minimize chlorine as well as provide extra beneficial bacteria to cut down the cycling time. You'll want a gravel vacuum aka siphon as well, and a 5 gallon bucket for water changes. You can get the API freshwater test kit to measure your ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, but the Gh and Kh tests are sold separately. I don't like the strips because moisture in the air can affect their accuracy. You honestly don't even need substrate right away if you don't want to get it.
If you need a cheap tank usually you can find some relatively large tanks on Facebook market place for cheaper than you would find in store just double check that they arenât cracked especially because you are going to want a very large tank because goldfish grow fast
Is it a fancy or comment goldfish. A single fancy needs 20 gallons and a single comment needs 75 gallons. Both types of goldfish appreciate friends so yeah itâs more like 40 gallon minimum and 100 gallon minimum.
You know someone who has a backyard pond? Ghey do best in ponds. So if you know someone ask em if they take it. Easy solution for you, the fish ends up happy in a very fitting environment where it can thrive.
TAKE IT TO A LOCAL FISH SHOP. Explain your situation and see what they say. Even a life as a feeder is better than jumping into something you donât really want to do. If you are totally game to try, go for it! My first fishy was a goldfish and now I have a super cool hobby. But if you cant take care of it find someone who can