I've been keeping goldfish most of my life, and just found out I'm doing it horribly wrong. Our last batch died at about 3-4 years of age, so we replaced them last weekend. I've had goldfish that have lived beyond five years.

The young man in the pet store, where we were buying the ultra expensive $0.27 each comets asked how big our aquarium was. I said 5 gallons. He told me I should only put one goldfish in that size tank. He said four goldfish needed a at least a 20 gallon tank, and preferably a square foot of surface area for each fish.



So, when I got home, I Googled "goldfish." Apparently what he told me is the recommended method of keeping goldfish. On one site, it said that keeping them the way I do, will lead to premature and painful death because they cannot grow to their potential (I couldn't help but think about the 40-inch grass carp I took out of my pond). It talked about how dirty the water will get, and the build-up of ammonia. Not only that, it said they shouldn't be near a window because the temperature fluctuations are very bad for their health. I'm apparently violating every rule there is.

My present tank has a carbon filter and an aeration wheel like Cecil has in his RAS tanks -- just a little smaller. I vacuum the bottom about every two weeks and replace about 1/3 of the water when I do. My tanks stay extremely clear, and the fish seem very happy and active -- especially when they see me or my wife coming near, because they figure it is lunch time.

I'm just curious what others think of this, and how you keep your goldfish. I sure hate to be torturing my pretty little friends.

I'm just glad I wasn't buying rosey reds for crappie bait. The kid would have probably called the ASPCA on me.

By keeping the tank small it probably prevents you from experimenting with Tilapia.

I've heard 1 gallon per inch of fish.

I keep any goldfish (and their relatives) that I get under the tomato plants.

Don't feel bad about your technique, Ken, because I evidently really botch it up! I tend to keep about 40 of the medium comets all together in a 40 gallon tank with a LMB. He really likes them and displays an odd trait - he seems to have latent mouth-breeder tendencies because he just goes around lovingly scooping up as many of those cute little guys as he can and protects them in his mouth.

http://www.americangoldfish.org/Articles/Basic%20Goldfish%20Care.pdf
This pdf is good advice IMO

So catmandoo is your name Ken or Knut in any variation?
My father and oldest sons first name was/is Knut

God helg

Paul -- I grew up in a crazy area that was about equally populated with Suomis, Norskes, and Svenskers. The Norskes could usually speak Svensk. The Svenskers could usually speak Suomi, and Suomis could usually speak Svensk. When I went to Sweden a few years ago, all the Swedes spoke English. I went to Finnland, and all the Finns spoke Swede! What a mixed up world.

So even though we got American names, our friends and neighbors corrupted our names. I was born Kenneth -- but the whole family calls me Knute. My brother was born Alex, and most everybody calls him Axel or Axelrod. My dad was also Alex, and everybody called him Ole.

What little I know of each language was mostly learned in Lutheran church basements after weddings and funerals. I can barely understand spoken sentences anymore, and I can't speak but a few cuss words anymore. I can still kind of read and write a little bit.

Og en god helg til deg også. Hold varm. Reinsdyr ville bli kaldt her.

Ken/Knute

Ken,

I don't have my first aquarium yet but it would seem to me if you upped your biofiltration and clarification, you could keep more in the tank. 1/2 pound per gallon is the norm in recirculating systems (basically a larger version of an aquarium), which is equivalent to 10 pounds of fish in a 20 gallon aquarium! Of course that's excessive for an aquarium, but the guys raising fish commercially need to produce the maximum amount to justify the capital costs and make money.

Ken, there are so many myths about fish that have been promulgated by the aquarium industry it is difficult to find any truth anymore.

If you lost several fish at one time, you had a disease or unusual water quality issue come up that went unnoticed....age and the way you keep them had nothing to do with it.

Just like your pond has a carrying capacity, so does your aquarium. An aquarium is just much easier to manipulate to maintain (or lose) water quality control over. You could easily put 20 four inch comets in that 5 gallon aquarium if you wanted and had a little extra bio-filtration. There are only "limits" spoken of to size the various components commercially available for aquariums. The STANDARD for aquariums manufacturers use as a basis is one inch of young fish per gallon of water in new aquariums. Fish growth is assumed in the equation. ie...5 one inch Comets can be assumed to grow to 5 inches in a year or two without the need of adding additional filtration. Maximum growth and the carrying capacity will have been reached.

My numbers are close, but intended solely for illustrative purposes...Like Jhap, I assume no liability for the use or gross misuse of any facts or BS I may spew, intentionally or inadvertantly. Direct any and all groans, moans and/or complaints to Jhap for being my muse in this farcical disclaimer. My references to Jhap are merely another blatant attempt to draw him out from the shadows and enjoy his humor and insight once more....