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Is my tank too small?

I have a 29 gallon aquarium with a 6 inch Shubunkin , a 3 inch Shubunkin, a 2 inch Comet , a 5 inch Common, a 2 inch Common, and a tennius-ball sized Oranda that’s about 5 inches long. I have a RENA Smart Filter 30 (power filer), I do a 25% water change every 11 days, I use Tetra Aqua Safe, and Tetra Easy Balance water conditioners. I feed Omega One Goldfish Food and Omega One Kelp Flakes that I mix half and half that I feed once a day in the morning, and I ususally rotate between lettuce, spinich, orange slices, blood worms, krill, and brine shrimp that I feed in the evening.
I orginally had my 6 inch Shubunkin (who was 4-5 inches when I got him), 5 inch Common (who was 2 inches when I got her) and 2 inch Comet (that has never grown any bigger) inch a 10 gallon aquarium in June of 2006 untill they out grew it a year later. Then I upgraded to a 20 gallon aquarium. From there I added my 3 inch Shubunkin that I have had since Nov. of 08, and my 2 inch Common that I have had since Feb. of 09. Then I adopited my Oranda, that I have had since Feb. of 09, and put him in a 10 gallon aquarium by himself. The filter in my 10 gallon aquarium quit working, so I put him in the 20 with every one else. I noticed that it was really crowded, so I upgraded to the 29 gallon.
I want to know if my tank is too small for my goldfish. It doesn’t look crowded, and I know the general ratio for the right size of a tank for fish is 1 gallon of water per 1 inch of the fish’s body length. The total length of all of my fish is about 23 inches. Eventually I want to put my Oranda in my 20 gallon with another fish his size to give my other fish more room to grow.
I know I must be doing something right since I have had my fish for almost 4 years. If anyone has any commnets, or advice, please let me know.

Yes your tank is too small.


This is a normal goldfish:



Yes that is a full grown adult holding the fish. No the fish, 'Bruce' is not dead, he's too big to fit in any fishnet and this was the only way he could be moved.

Ornamental varieties such as the oranda and shubunkin can be housed indoors, but they need to be in a minimum of a 55 gallon tank. The 'inch per gallon' rule is not a good rule to go by even on the best of times, for goldfish which are largebodied heavy eaters and heavy waste producers it's an even worse way to calculate tank capacity. You can keep 2-3 goldfish in a 55 till they reach the 5-6" mark, past that I'd say upgrade to a 75.

Common and comet gold fish shouldn't be kept indoors, they are pond fish.


Everyone argues that they must be doing something right if they've kept their fish alive for 4 years. There's a difference between keeping the fish alive, and truly caring for the fish and providing the best environment for the fish.

Now I'm not trying to say to get rid of your fish, instead you NEED to find them a suitable home. Start looking in your local papers for people selling larger fishtanks. Look for 55 as the minimum, a 75 or 125 would be a better bet for the ornamental.

If you can't put in a pond, start looking around for public buildings that may have a pond. Often times a business might have one outside. If you do have a yard, home improvement stores like Home Depot sell preformed ponds, which while really too small for goldfish it's better than their current home. Other options include Rubbermaid stock tanks. These can easily be made into an indoor pond. It's best if you have them on solid concrete, but they can also work (as I've done) on hardwood floor.

Goldfish are fast growers, since your fish are so small it leads me to believe that they've already been badly stunted. The problem with stunting a fish is that even if it slows it's outward growth (due to too small of a tank) the fishes organs are still growing and since they have no where to expand to, they crush together and end up killing the fish. Same thing happened to women who were forced by society and convention to wear corsets. They were often strapped in so tight that many pregnancies were lost due to the pressures.

So. My post in a nutshell
Yes your tanks are overcrowded.
Get the common and comet into ponds (research these!)
Get a 55 as a minimum 125gallon is better for the others.


Once you have your fish sorted into ponds and bigger tanks, look into adding some plants to give a more natural habitat for the fish. Smaller cool water fish could be added for some additional interest. White cloud mountain minnows will not add a whole lot to the bioload but will help 'fill in' the look of the tank.

Welcome to the site we hope to get your fish sorted and happy soon!

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Sorry Babel, but what you said about Bruce is factually incorrect. Bruce was in fact bred for size, although the common goldfish can get to similar sizes. Also, they do make nets that big; pondkeepers and fishermen need to catch fish too!

See here for more about Bruce, with a picture of Bruce in a net: http://www.goldfishconnection.com/articles/details.php?articleId=46&parentId=2

The thing about the inch per gallon rule is that it only works for a fish that is small, and sometimes for skinny fish. It does not apply to larger fish, especially larger goldfish which can be a little messy. In my opinion your tank is overstocked.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Yeah, I was just going on what I'd heard by hearsay.... always thought it odd that they claimed to move him that way (why would they need to move him anyway was something that always bugged me).

In anycase, I still feel my point is valid. Goldfish can and do get big. That tank is too small.


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