Whats the best starter kit in your opinion? I'm looking for a 29-33 gallon

Good question!

If you were to get someting in the area of 30-35 gallons, you would ultimately have enough room for 3 (maybe 4 maximum) fancy goldfish. Or 2 common/comet type goldfish. Remember, when your talkng about goldfish, your talking about one of the heaviest producers of wastes. It is a common line of thought among sucessful goldfish keepers that more gallonage per goldie is better.

Heres a good list of stuff to start out a tank and get it completely ready for your new additions.

Hardware:

35gal Tank, Canopy, Light/s (flourescent)

Penguin 330 filter or 2 Penguin 170 filters (its beneficial to have two smaller filters than one big one in case one fails)

Thermometer and Heater

Master Test Kit (ammonia/nitrIte/nitrAte/ph/kh)

Air pump and stone

Dechlorinator/detoxifier like Prime or Amquel +

Variety of foods (check out goldfish feeding forum)

Ornaments and Gravel (silk plants and ornaments without sharp edges are recommended)


Just in case you arent familiar with the cycle of a fishtank, check this link out:

Cycling tanks

At the bottom of the cycling page, you'll find a link to "fishless cycling". I think youll agree that it is optimal to cycle your tank, without fish, completely before purchasing your new goldies. That way they don't have to deal with the stress of cycling a tank themselves.

There are several corresponding forums for each area of care. If you ever have any questions regarding anything in these areas, post your question there and your sure to get some very knowledgable advice.

Good luck and

Paul

By the way, I just loooooove that quote in your signature!

kind of matches his avatar too!

i dont like starter packs youve got to becarefull becose i got one and the equipment was pathetic the pump diaphram disintergrated in a month and the heater tryed to turn my tank into a sauna lol but maybe i was just unlucky lol gd look with your fish thow

dan

My 55 came with a decent HOB filter, a crappy heater and the standard lame hoods/lighting. The filter is the only thing I didn't end up replacing. So make sure you like what they're putting in the starter kit.

Thanx for the help. And for future reference, I'm a she. I'll be getting a 33 gallon tank for only two comets for X-mas. My b/f told me I can't keep all my fish So I'm keeping the biggest and the reddest ones. The others I'm going to be giving to friends and anyone else whos inerested.

Dump the Boy Friend and keep the fish. ????

That is an awesome idea but he competes really well when it comes to whos cuter. Anyway I think I can convince him to let me keep one more. Is anyone interested in cute little comets?(I am NOT taking them back to a pet store(feeders) :crp

HAHAHAHAHAHA! thats too funny Daryl!


Well, if you were anywhere near me, i would gladly take your extra goldies and give them great homes.

You know what you could do? Try posting notices on bulliten boards in your local fish shops. Something like: Beautiful comets, FREE to a good home!

Eventually, i'm sure someone will take you up on your offer.

Good luck and let us know how its going, okay?

paul

YAY!!!I've decided to keep them all. I convinced Matt(my b/f). I said that since we have to part with our dog and ferret(dog don't like baby, and ferret eats diapers ) it would be completely unfair to make me part with my goldies too. So since I can't afford tanks for that many comets, I'm housing them downstairs in rubber-maids and wading pools. I'm using a plastic bin for dishes for a quarintine "tank". I got a Couldn't help it. Matt couldn't stop me. He was SOOOO cute. Mostly white. A big difference to my mostly gold bunch.

Thats awesome news! How cool is that, huh? Now you get to keep them all.

Be very careful about the bins your housing them in right now. Make well and sure they cant jump out. Comets are well known for speed and I'd hate to hear bad news.Theres a few ways to keep them in. Keeping the water level 6 inches or more from the rim is a good idea as well as keeping them next to each other and creating some sort of fence or barricade around them. Plastic trash bags on the floor around the bins helps keep them moist just in case one makes it out.

How about some pics?

Keep us updated on them!

I do make sure to keep the water level down, and the floor is cement so they have a good chance. I had a betta jump out of my tank(my first 10 gallon)and land on my carpet! Not a pretty scene. I think now that you mention it I will get garbage bags down there.
I can't get pics as I don't have my own computer. I use the librarys or my neighbors. Plus its too dark for pics. But I will do what I can ASAP.