annlaura Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 What do you feed your goldfish? I found one site that claimed flakes only is best, and another that said flakes only is dangerous. The truth is somewhere in between? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerPoppy Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Hmmm, I hadn't heard that one was better than another. I liked to give mine both a few flakes and a few sinking pellets so they could enjoy the feeding frenzy at the top as well as poking amongst the stones later. I think more important is not overfeeding them, as the decay of excess food (and waste too, of course) forms deadly ammonia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlaura Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 Thank you. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorrainejmc Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 The concern with flakes is that eating at the surface can cause the fish to take in too much air. Also, there are lots of little bits in flakes that I imagine could dirty the water. I feed mine flakes but I remove a small amount of aquarium water with a pipette and put it in a cup, then add the flakes to soak/soften before feeding one piece at a time with the pipette. It allows you to shoot them down into the water rather than at the surface. It also means no food gets lost as you can see each piece being consumed. My method might seem a bit OCD but I am terrified of killing this little creature.:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I use pellets but mostly because the flakes make a sticky mess. The pellets are pre mixed to have some sinking and some that float. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlaura Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 Oh dear. These little guys are more involved than I thought. We were given flakes, but the fish don't seem to want the floating flakes, just the ones that fall down. Hm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbkaren Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I'd venture to say, based on my own experience, that "which food to feed" is much less important than "how much food to feed." And the answer to that is, if in doubt, leave it out. Careful not to feed too much; goldfish produce a lot of ammonia and overfeeding will produce so much that it asphyxiates them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seraphina Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 We feed ours flakes and they have now been around for a little over a year. I really didn't give them much thought, the kids won them at a church fair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 My extremely large goldfish has done quite well on the granules. I find it a little easier to not overfeed with those than when we used the flakes (they sort of stuck together). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorrainejmc Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Oh dear. These little guys are more involved than I thought. We were given flakes, but the fish don't seem to want the floating flakes, just the ones that fall down. Hm. Indeed they are.:confused: Dh jokes that despite us having five dogs, it was the goldfish that pushed us over the edge enough to say NO MORE PETS!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlaura Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 Indeed they are.:confused: Dh jokes that despite us having five dogs, it was the goldfish that pushed us over the edge enough to say NO MORE PETS!!!! Seriously. DS asked for a goldfish for his birthday, so I was going to take him to a well respected fish shop near us and let him pick one and ask about their care. But a well meaning but misguided friend showed up at his party yesterday with 2 goldfish and some supplies. I was not prepared. Oh well. We'll get to the shop today or tomorrow. I keep thinking the fish look a little traumatized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorrainejmc Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Seriously. DS asked for a goldfish for his birthday, so I was going to take him to a well respected fish shop near us and let him pick one and ask about their care. But a well meaning but misguided friend showed up at his party yesterday with 2 goldfish and some supplies. I was not prepared. Oh well. We'll get to the shop today or tomorrow. I keep thinking the fish look a little traumatized. Yikes! Traumatized looking goldfish are not a good sign. My ds got his for his birthday and I was shocked at the care they need, especially if you have a small tank. How much water are they in? Was the water dechlorinated? I would forget about feeding for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlaura Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 Yikes! Traumatized looking goldfish are not a good sign. My ds got his for his birthday and I was shocked at the care they need, especially if you have a small tank. How much water are they in? Was the water dechlorinated? I would forget about feeding for now. She brought the water treatment drops, so that was done. They definitely don't have enough space. Not even close. She brought her grandmother's fish bowl, which is larger than the typical fish bowls but way too small for one of these guys, let alone both. For some reason, she thought she should get the bigger goldfish. I'm really kind of upset, to be honest. Now I have to buy a bigger tank than I have room for or budgeted for. And while DS seems to be excited about his fish, he didn't get to pick his own. They are swimming a bit, and their fins and scales look healthy. They're just hiding side by side in the corner a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorrainejmc Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 (edited) She brought the water treatment drops, so that was done. They definitely don't have enough space. Not even close. She brought her grandmother's fish bowl, which is larger than the typical fish bowls but way too small for one of these guys, let alone both. For some reason, she thought she should get the bigger goldfish. I'm really kind of upset, to be honest. Now I have to buy a bigger tank than I have room for or budgeted for. And while DS seems to be excited about his fish, he didn't get to pick his own. They are swimming a bit, and their fins and scales look healthy. They're just hiding side by side in the corner a lot. If they are just hiding that's normal when they are in new surroundings. Are the dorsal fins up? (the ones on their back) and the the fins closest to the gills out, not clamped against the body? If so, then they are just being shy. My concern now would be maintaining water quality and stability. I would be inclined to change at least 30% of the water daily (I change 25% daily with one fancy goldfish in a 17 litre well filtered tank), adding the drops for that amount of water first in a separate container. Insure the temp is the same, you can top up with a little freshly boiled water. Changes in temp and water quality are the main causes of stress which leads to illness in fish. It's better with a small tank to change this frequently rather than risk leaving it a few days or more as sudden changes are not good for them. HTH.:) Edited November 21, 2011 by lorrainejmc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorrainejmc Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Another thought... How does your son feel about not picking his own? Is it possible that they could be returned to where ever they were bought? Then you could go about it the right way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerPoppy Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 (edited) It will be next to impossible to keep up with 2 largish goldfish in a single bowl. They simply produce too much waste, and it will kill them. Water changes help a lot (25% - 50%, but not more), but what you really need is a healthy population of good bacteria that consume the harmful ammonia and convert it to something less harmful, nitrates. This bacteria does grow in the rocks over time, which is why you should never clean the rocks by rinsing and/or scrubbing. Using a tank "vacuum" is best to suck up waste without disturbing the bacteria... and they're cheap, maybe around $7. But, the rocks don't really provide enough cleaning power on their own; a filter is the best way to accomplish this. The bacteria take up residence in the filter sponges and do their job as the water flows through. As well, this allows the water to be continuously oxygenated. Still water only has a bit of oxygenated water at the top layer. A bubbler is better than nothing, but a filter is really best by far. Goldfish are known for being among the worst for producing copious amounts of waste, so their water requires a little extra care. At least they don't mind room temp. water. If the cost is too much, I highly recommend seeking out a second hand tank (a 10 gallon is a nice starting size) on kijiji or whatever you have in the states, because people are constantly trying out the hobby and killing all their fish inadvertently, so they give up and sell their equipment cheaply. Good luck! If you have any more questions, ask away! P.S. Goldfish can live for a decade or two, believe it or not. I had one for 7 years. You just need to be on top of the science behind the tank water to emulate nature better than with a bowl full of stagnant water. :) Edited November 21, 2011 by GingerPoppy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Our goldfish get flakes, and they're fat and happy and well over three years old, so something must be working. We did lose our first set of goldfish quickly, but these are doing fine. DH does maintain their filter and whatnot pretty well, but they have survived multiple things being dumped into their tank (sigh, courtesy of the toddler), including cocoa powder (oy). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlaura Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share Posted November 22, 2011 Thanks everyone. Their fins are all good. And they seem to be looking about more this evening. A used tank is a good idea, although I'm still not sure where I'll put it. I did try to open up the topic of whether or not DS is disappointed without leading him to say he was. He says he likes these but I may ask again. I don't know if I can get to where she bought them, but if DS would prefer a different one, I may ask at the reputable shop near us if they'd take them. Off to check craigslist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlaura Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share Posted November 22, 2011 Drat. The shop I was thinking of going to closed. And no great deals on tanks tonight. I will check petsmart tomorrow, I guess. I hate to see these pretty guys so cramped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlaura Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 Lucky day! DS loves the fish already, as do I, TBH. So I took my bday $ from my mom and we went to petsmart to see what we could do. Some jerk had stolen all the extras in a starter kit, so we got a 10 gallon tank with a better filter than it would have had, and a hood. We had enough money to also buy an ornament and plant. WTMers will nod knowingly when they hear DS chose a sphinx for the ornament. I know 10 gallons is still a little small, but it's way better than a bowl. I had to move some stuff off the kitchen counter, but that's ok. The fish are happier already, and the boys are happy. So there you go. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorrainejmc Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Lucky day! DS loves the fish already, as do I, TBH. So I took my bday $ from my mom and we went to petsmart to see what we could do. Some jerk had stolen all the extras in a starter kit, so we got a 10 gallon tank with a better filter than it would have had, and a hood. We had enough money to also buy an ornament and plant. WTMers will nod knowingly when they hear DS chose a sphinx for the ornament. I know 10 gallons is still a little small, but it's way better than a bowl. I had to move some stuff off the kitchen counter, but that's ok. The fish are happier already, and the boys are happy. So there you go. :001_smile: :party: When I saw there was another post from you I feared the worst.:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlaura Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 lol! I was half expecting them to die on me this morning, now that they have a better home. :tongue_smilie: But they didn't, thank goodness. I do have a question though - are the lights in the tank hood necessary? We don't have the bulbs, and I'm wondering if they need them for warmth or anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlaura Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 Oh, and about bacteria and filters and only rinsing one - this filter has one filter cartridge and one plastic scrub brush thing. What should I do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 (edited) They don't have to have the lights in the tank hood. We have them in ours though because it makes a handy night light. I have them on a timer to turn off at night and on in the morning. When I hear the "click" of the timer turning on, that reminds me to feed Mr. Giant Goldfish (he started as an inch long black moor and is now over 6 inches). I am watching Craigslist for a 15-20gal tank to replace his 10gal. BTW goldfish don't mind being cold, either. I discovered our tank heater died some time ago and haven't got it replaced. Mr. Giant is happily bopping around in 65 degree water :D ETA: Goldfish are yucky. I change Mr. Giant's filter when it gets nasty - about once a monthish - so a box of 12 filters lasts a year. I just rinse off the plastic scrubber thing and put it back in. Rinse the new filter in tap water before putting it in the pump to get rid of the charcoal dust. Edited November 23, 2011 by AK_Mom4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlaura Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 How long have you had your giant? My mom was teasing me that I'm going to have to dig a pond in the yard for these. Thanks for the info about lights and filters. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorrainejmc Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Beneficial bacteria builds on on your filter sponges and any gravel or ornaments making it crucial not to over clean. So if you vacuum the gravel with a syphon (highly recommended as it lifts food debris and poop) only do one area each water change, and rinse the sponge in water just removed from the tank as tap water will kill the good bacteria. As you have 2 parts to your filter, just alternate which one you rinse. The only time you rinse the filter in tap water is, as AK-mom4 said, when replacing the filter cartridge with a new one. I have no lights in my tank, they are not necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlaura Posted November 24, 2011 Author Share Posted November 24, 2011 Great! Glad I checked because I would have vacuumed all the rocks. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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