Fish tank set up help needed!

[Ginevive]

With goldfish I never added anymore then one fish per ten gallons, goldfish are messy messy messy and don't do well crowded.

That is right. With larger comets and commons, I would sometimes even recommend only 1-2 per 55g tank. I have a comet that is about 14 inches now, and she has a 55g tank mostly to herself; there are a few smaller comets in there but they go outside in warm weather.
Has anyone ever bred GFs? I bred ranchu x telescope; quite inadvertantly actually. I got about 10 eggs that had not been eaten, and only three really survived. They are 2 ranchu and one fantail that are still alive today; neither ranchu developed a wen though (their dad really did not have it either.)

[Entropy]

If they are the more compact species then I still recommend only one per ten gallons, the longer carp like koi, comets and others along those lines need much more room. Honestly I wouldn't keep them any more then five to a 125 gallon.

[Blu Mongoose]

She is looking at getting tiny little compact body types. I know they grow fast. She originally wanted koi but they get huge fast.

If we had a lrg. pond I wouldn't mind. She has three she "has to have" so I think I will be able to talk her into keeping the number way down. I know how fast goldfish grow and how messy they get. Thanks everyone for the help. Any more advice is definitely welcome.

[jknudson]

What would you recommend?
Quite honestly I use Tetra GF food and have no problems, but I have no fish that develop wens. When I was keeping lionheads, the Hikari really seemed to help in wen promotion, but it is genetics also that play a role.

I'm not truthfully a goldfish fan....but I usually feed Dainichi or New Life Spectrum foods over Hikari anyday... and that's too pencilfish, a tank of NW cichlids, and a tank of African Cichlids. Not that Hikari is BAD...just not the top quality.

[Ginevive]

I'm not truthfully a goldfish fan....but I usually feed Dainichi or New Life Spectrum foods over Hikari anyday... and that's too pencilfish, a tank of NW cichlids, and a tank of African Cichlids. Not that Hikari is BAD...just not the top quality.

I would like to know the advantages of them over Hikari. I am a curious person and always eager to broaden my horizons

[jknudson]

I would like to know the advantages of them over Hikari. I am a curious person and always eager to broaden my horizons

It is better quality... if it were dog food it would be purina, while New Life Spectrum and Dainichi are high grade specialty foods. I don't have the time to do a nutritional comparison, but all the information are on their websites. Basically the foods I feed are natural ingredients without fillers, they don't use corn meal like most (which fish can't process), and no artificial dyes....etc.

[Ginevive]

Hm.. this is something I will look into. Thanks for enlightening me.

[elevatethis]

I would strongly advise AGAINST using an undergravel filter for anything.

Anyone who has ever broken down an established aquarium that has run an undergravel filter for any extended period of time should know what I mean.

The amount of waste that gets pulled under the plates that you will NEVER get out during cleaning is amazing. I can't believe that something could live in a system like that.

I've had great results using Aqua-Clear Hang-ons and Eheim canisters.

Also don't forget about circulation. If you have a well-stocked tank, it helps a lot to have a strong powerhead in the tank moving the water around to prevent any dead spots and allow your filter to efficiently grab all of the waste.

And like Gin said, most of the successful fishkeepers I know overfilter their tank...shoot for a filter that moves enough water to completely turn over the tank 3-4 times an hour.

[Ginevive]

I agree; I do not like undergravel filtration myself either. Great biological and mechanical filtration are necessities in my book. Aquaclears and Whispers both accomplish this.. I actually am running both at the moment with great results.
I would advise against buying a used filter from an unknown source. I had one that looked fine but upon getting it home (it was packed safely and could not have broken on our drive home I am certain..) I noticed that it had a crack in the plastic and water was leaking out! Just imagine if this happened when no one was around; glad I tested it.
I also advise against overfeeding, especially with goldfish. I like to turn down stronger filters during feeding; this lessens the amount of food they suck up. This is really more of a problem with flake food in my experience.

[OhClueless1]

I know I am all late... but thought I would add a little information.

I wouldn't get an undergravel filter... IMO its a waste of dough and if it gets clogged ph and ammonia levels will skyrocket and cause a mini cycle which could kill your fish. Goldfish are very dirty fish and poop A LOT.

in a 45g tank I wouldn't put more than 3 or 4 fish.. they can get pretty large. With proper water changes (25% of total water a week) and a good filter (if you don't want to mess with a canister filter Penguin and Emperor make some excellent hang on the back of the tank filters) you could manage 4 or 5. You will want to get something that will cycle about 10X your gallonage per hour.

I like to use pre washed and screened playsand for fishy substrate. I looks excellent IMO and keeps the pooh and decaying food from building up. You can just vacuum the pooh right off the top of the sand base... about 1 inch of playsand should work just fine.

You also might want to consider setting up the tank about a month before you decide to buy fish. Just set it all up like your about to add fish... go to the store buy some cocktail shrimp (cooked raw doesn't matter).. add only one to your tank and let it simmer away. This will cause a huge cycle... ammonia and nitrites will go off the chart and it might smell a lil bit (just keep the hood closed)... but when the ammonia and nitrites levels get back to 0 you will be able to add all the fish you want and not cause another mini cycle. Its just the most humane way I know to go about it.

Don't forget your test kits, go light on feedings (extra rotting food also can cause minicycling) and good luck.