Hi,
Sorry if this is the wrong board as it's also about fish tanks but I figured you might be able to help with that too!

Here's my problem:

I bought 2 small simple goldfish about 8 months ago, I was assured by the shop keeper that the 3 gallon tank I bought was fine for them as they were very small and "couldn't outgrow their tank". However, they are now over 3 inches long with large tails and fins and, using an online tank size calculator, I discovered that the tank is now much too small.

To make matters worse one of them (Milly) has what I think is fin rot in her, previously long, tail (with red streaks and a short, ripped appearance). I have bought anti-bacterial medicine but in the last couple of days I have also noticed, to my horror, that Lilly (the second fish, who I think might actually be male) was nibbling at Milly's ripped tail. Does anyone know why this is, whether it's normal or what I should do about it? Could this nibbling be what caused the ripped tail or is it because of it or just a coincidence?

Also I need to know whether I should buy one larger tank for them both or, if Lilly is bullying Milly, buy another small tank and keep them separate.

Or should I buy a large tank for Lilly and keep Milly in quarantine in the old tank until she is better and can rejoin Lilly - or would that just cause more relationship problems?

Sorry if the situation is confusing! I'd be very grateful for any help any of you can give me!

Thank you so much
Jenny

WELCOME TO THE BOARD JANEL
Well lets see if i can answer some questions...

First of all, that pet store owner was WRONG (as they usually are, most don't know jack about fish!)
Goldfish are Incredibly messy fish, and need at LEAST 10gal of water per fish to live and be happy. I know this sounds like a lot, but trust me, you will need a bigger tank and fast!
You will definitely need at least a 20gal, and yes you can put them together in a 20gal, or if you want to, get 10gal for each of them. If you are strapped for cash, a big ol' rubbermaid container works great!

Do you have a filter?
Filters are essential to good tanks, and especially because they are in such small tank right now they need it badly! Plus the tank needs to cycle to be healthy.. you can read up on cycling here on this site! If i can, i'll post the links for stuff you should read

how often do you do water changes?
a tank that small will need water changes every day for 2 fish, even that might not be enough because its so small... a normal 10gal even needs water changes at least 1 a week!

do you know the parameters of your water?
if you dont have testers for ammonia, ph, nitrite or nitrate i would suggest you get them, at least for ammonia and nitrites, as they are deadly to your fish! You local fish store will most likely test a sample of your tank water for free as well...

The red in your fish's fins is caused from bad water issues. if the ammonia and nitrite levels are high (which they probably are because your tank is so small) they can do great damage to your poor fishies...

i do believe that goldfish will nibble at each other if they're hurt, but don't quote me, im not sure!
Also, is the male fish nibbling, or chasing? sometimes when a male is trying to mate with the female he will chase her, with his head near her bum...
I'm sure some other members will be along shortly as well to give you any pointers that i may have missed...

here are a few things to read up on:
WATER CHANGES
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/forum/index.p...showtopic=14157
and
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/forum/index.p...?showtopic=7981

CYCLING OF A TANK:
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/forum/index.p...php?showtopic=3

KEEPING GOLDFISH - A GUIDE
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/KeepingGoldfish.doc

HOPE THIS HELPS!!

Gosh, I feel so bad now! I really had no idea. Atleast I've learnt not to trust shop-keepers!

After reading your message I went straight out and bought a 16 UK gallon tank (which is 20 US gallons) with a new separate filter (the old one came with the tank and never worked very well).

I also got some Ammonia and Nitrite testing kits and found that the levels were higher than I expected in the old tank.

The shop-keeper also told me that I only needed to clean it out every 2 weeks and I new nothing about cycling so thanks for the info!

After the initial shock of going to a tank 4 times bigger than their old one the fish seem to have settled down and have been moving around into all of the new space and feeding properly.

They have always chased each other but, yes, I think this was actual nibbling! However, since the move to the new tank it has stopped so maybe it was just from stress or boredom or something?

Hopefully Milly will get better with the medicine and better tank conditions but if not atleast I'll be a little less naive in the future!

Thanks for all your help

Jen

Hey!! WOW you're awesome!! You must really care for your fishies!
Glad things are working out!!
Now thats it a new tank, it will cycle so you'll see ammonia and nitrite spikes (like you read) just keep doing water changes to bring them down also "aquaplus" is good for getting rid of cholride and cholrimines,etc out of tap water to make it safe for your fish.. and there is stuff called "cycle" that helps the cycle of your tank, i belive it also helps it cycle a bit faster...

Ya, unfortunately most fish store owners really don't know that much about goldfish... most just think a bowl will do until they die.. but some goldfish, even fancy goldfish can live years and year and can grow huge! like 10inches long!
I only hope my own fish grows that big!! with weekly water changes/vac the gravel/test the water, you're fish will shine!! (well, not literally! )

Now that your fishies are in a nice big tank, they probably won't nip at each other as much, definitely less stress and more room for their own 'space' helps!
Just keep doing your meds for as long as the instructions say and with good care and love she'll be fine!!

Just a few pointer for feeding fish, (if you haven't read it already) a good thing to do is soak their food before putting it in, this way it absorbs and the fish are full quicker and not so much air gets in the small tummies (this prevents things like Swim bladder disease, etc) I have a small little dish i scoop some tank water in, soak the food, and then feed my fish... helps it sink too so they're not sucking the air

Good luck with your fishies!! If you need anything or have any more questions don't hesitate to ask, you can pm me anytime or email (its on my profile)

Glad to have helped!!
Keep us updated!