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I have a 5 gall. tank with 3 fish. One is an el cheapo gold fish that was rescued from a center piece. The other is a fan tail. The third is a little gold fish that has a black mohawk (my fav.). My question is this:<br><br>lately I have noticed that he is losing his black markings. He use to have a moustache but it seems to have gone away. His mohawk also appears to be fading. Is this a result of maturing or is there something else I should be worried about?

ur goldie may just b maturing, as the fish in my pond outside have spawned many a time and the fry to the young were all black/grey, but they all eventually turned gold, like their parents

smilingpiranha

p.s., welcome 2 FP

Last edited by smilingpiranha at 02-May-2005 06:30

I know this isn't the question you asked, but I would be worried about the size tank you're keeping them in. A 5 gallon tank is at least 50 gallons too small for 1 or 2 goldfish, yet alone 3. If not planning on upgrading to a much larger tank, you need to try and find someone that can take them that can provide proper size housing.

And welcome to FP.

Jim

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

Seriously? I heard something like a fish per gallon. They are all really small fish (maybe 2 inches long - fan tail might be about 4 from nose to tip of tail). They seem happy, too...swimming around together, going to the side of the tank I am on (hungry little fishies). The only strange thing they do is hide when I turn the light on...well, that's not too strange.


...and thanks for welcoming me and helping me so fast.

Last edited by MoHawk at 03-May-2005 10:09

Absolutely serious. A goldfish's body mass, the amount of waste they produce and their adult size is way to large for anything smaller than a 55 gallon. Please, trust me on this, you are dooming your fish to a life of agony and stunting if you continue to keep them in this small tank.

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

OldTimer is right. Those fish you have right now have the ability to grow to the size of large grapefruits, if not larger.

I know it's hard to swallow this news at first, but please take it from us: there are years and years worth of experience with such fish on these message boards, and we wouldn't give out such advice without good reason. No one is trying to discourage you from owning goldfish, but you must understand there's a proper way to care for them, and certain basic needs must be met to account for their potential size and their impact on the bio-load of their environment.

As you said, right now they seem happy and they're probably OK right now. But I assure you, if you leave them in a small space like that they will not live longer than a few months, whereas with proper care they can live for 10+ years. Please take OldTimer's advice on this one, and PLEASE do not be afraid to ask any questions or air any concerns you have. We're here to help

- Rich

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Back in the saddle!

A lot of people might say that a fish will only grow to the size of the tank, but really it isn't true!

So your small fish while fine at their current size will grow very quickly. Because goldfish do grow very quickly. Now is a good time to start looking around for someone with a really nice pond where they can grow up and be happy.

and then you'll have a cool 5 gallon tank you can stock. If you'd like we can help you pick out fish that will never get too big for your tank.

Welcome to FishProfiles

Koi

Empty chairs at empty tables, the room silent, forlorn.

Actually, the "Golden Rule" is one inch of fish per gallon. With goldfish being able to get well over 12 inches when kept properly, even one is too much for a 5 gallon.

Losing color is sometimes a sign of stress. Either the fish feel they're too crowded, or possibly you water quality isn't at it's best. Test the water and let us know what it reads. You can pick up tests anywhere, even the "quick dip" strips can be found at places like Walmart. If the ammonia and Nitrites are not 0, your fish is probably losing its color because of that. High ammonia and nitrites can cause fish to get sick and die.

There are many fish that can be kept in a 5 gallon comfortably, just not three goldfish. A 5 gallon is just about perfect for a Betta (Siamese fighting fish) as long as it's by itself.

yea i had a gold fish with the same coloration and he started to mature and he lost his black hat to

I did notice that they produce massive amounts of ammonia. I change 1 gallon every/every other day (using the glavel filter). This seems to keep it in check. I guess this means I won't be getting any more fish for this tank. Would have been nice to know all this before I got them. Well, now I do. I never realized they were so much work. That's cool though, they are fun, too. They seem to act like healthy/happy fish. They swim around together or hide under/behind the plants in the tank. They even come to my hand whenever I reach in to get the plant to clean.

EDIT: Chubs should be happy to be out of the tiny "bowl" that he was rescued from. He was a table decoration, poor guy.


Last edited by MoHawk at 05-May-2005 17:32