I decided that I wanted to have a small fish tank for my room so I went out and bought a 3 gallon tank. I came home and set it up and left it go for the night before heading out to a local fish store. At this point, I knew nothing about Goldfish except the rumors that there were hardy fish and lived well together. I asked one of th workers how many fish I could put to a 3 gallon tank and he said I could put 3 goldfish in. Well, I thought three would be too much and decided on getting a Fantail and a few weeks later I went and got a Oranda. I've had my Fantail for about 3 weeks and my Oranda for about 2. They have been doing really well but the fantail had been acting strangly around the oranda the past few days and that's what urged me to look up info on goldfish.

Strange Antics:
My fantail has been perodically chasing my oranda around and pushing it from behind and sometimes getting under it and trapping it near the surface. What is the Fantail doing? The Fantail is about 2 to 2 1/2 inches ling and the oranda is about an inch. This has only been going on for about 3 days.

Tank Problem:
Well I read about your 10 gallon per fish requirement and I don't know what to do. I can't afford a 20 gallon tank since I am saving up for college. I could purchase a 10 gallon with all the needed accesories, but my problem will be when I head off to college in the fall. The campus does allow up to 25 gallon fish tanks in dorms but some of the dorms are extremely small and I have no idea what size room I'll be getting and to have a 10 gallon tank in there might be too much. The fish seem to be doing fine in the tank they're in now. They swim a lot, search the bottom and top of the tank for food and sometimes chase each other around. So, my question is, how fast do Goldfish grow? If I keep them in this small tank until I find out what size dorm room I am gonna get then I can find out if I can afford to put a 10 gallon tank in there. My parents are another resource I could exploit, they've been thinking about getting a 30 gallon tank for the living room but they want to put my brothers ever growing turtle in there. I don't know what to do about this major problem!

Hi..... Good to hear that u came here to get answers.....well yes the 3gal that u have is really way to small!! goldfish are pretty dirty and you will be doing tons of water changes.
As far as the chasing goes it may be breeding behavoir I am not sure on that one though...
To my knowledge I think oranda's can grow quite large though, A lot of members here will advice you to go out and get the biggest tank that you can afford, it looks like you are going away and money is tight. Totally understanble since your going to college.
What you might be able to do about the tank issue is either use a 50 gal rubbermaid for awhile or possibly take one of the fish back and get the 10 gal. set up and keep only one in there.
Im my opinion though I would get them out of that little tank as soon as possible, goldfish are messy ones and they need plenty of filtration I learned the hard way when I first got my tank, I only had a 10 gal and learned real quick just how dirty these guys are....I had to water changes almost daily to keep them clean!!!
Good Luck...Hope this helps a little....otherwise one of the pros will be around soon......

Truly I am h aving no problem with the water. I cleaned it on Saturday and it's still very clear. I'll do a water change this saturday, but water clarity isn't a problem at the moment. I just took some pictures and I'll get them up in a few minutes so you can see the fish and the tank.

Have you tested the water? This also is a nesscary to make sure the water is safe for your fish.....I strongly suggest that you get a bigger tank or take one of the fish back to the store...they really won't be able to live a full long life in a 3 gal tank......Can you take one back and get the 10 gal instead?
I think most of the members on here will agree.....I am not trying to scold you but really they need more space.....

The water clarity isn't the problem, you see goldfish produce alot of waste, which you generally cant see (ammonia). This build up can cause the fish to get sick. In a 3 gallon tank with 2 goldfish the ammonia would build up so fast you'd need to basically be doing daily water changes just to keep the levels down. But i'm assuming you dont have a test kit and cant tell how much ammonia is there.

I think the guys before me have said good ideas, i know what its like, i've been a uni student myself (graduated 2003) living on nothing and away from home (we dont have "dorms" in australia, well at least not in qld). I remember sacrificing the income i got for FOOD for items for my fishes who cares if i didn't eat WHAT ABOUT THE FISHES!!! i used to think hehe. But i'm glad to hear you can have fish in your dorms, i'm sure you'll have enough room for a 10 gallon, put it on your dresser drawer or something, you'll be happy in the long run because fish are so peaceful and calming and will help you get through uni.

I'll have to see if the pet store will take one of the fish back. I don't see why they wouldn't but I will check into this. As for the 10 gallon I am gonna go to Wal-Mart and price them then talk to my parents about the tank they've been thinking on getting. If they do put the turtle in it then I know I am gonna need to get myself my own tank, if they aren't then I'll be able to transfer botht he fish to the new tank.

Edit: My memory card is deciding not to work at the moment with my comp so no pics right now.

I have an idea if the college I go to doens't allow fish tanks..

stick the tank in a modified rubermaid and use it as a nightstand, complete with alarm clock. All I've got to do is make sure the filter dosn't make too much noise and the light won't shine thru..What do you guys think of this idea?

the things that kill fish in the water are things you CANT see. the water can be super deadly LOOONG before it gets "ugly"

you could do 2 ten gallons, and find or build a stand to have them savesome room. Also, i know many people are adversed to Hex tanks, but they DO take up much less floor space then rectangular tanks, so a hex may be the way to go

other wise i would find someone with a pond or large tank and give them away, and get something like a ollie, or some tetras for your 3 gallon. Its not fair to kill those poor goldies becouse you dont wanna get a big tank... (sorry, I SWEAR Im not mean... im just jaded from working in a petshop and watching animal be killed at the hands of people who just dont care )

Welcome! and glad your aboard!

Hi Kolina,Welcome to Koko's. Sounds like you are in a dilemma though for sure.You definately do need that bigger tank.Although your fish seem to be doing fine,that is sure not to last too long.Goldies are capable of growing rather big quite fast. I have an Oranda that just turned a year old.I got her when she was tiny & about 12 weeks old. She is now 8 inches big!!! Yes,in one year,she grew that much! By keeping them in that small tank,you have a good chance of health problems & stunting your fish,or worse.... I would hope that your LFS would be willing to take one or both of them back & maybe give you credit for them. This may be a bad time for you to become a goldfish parent because of college and such.Goldfish aren't the easy fish that people always think.I can tell you that to get a tank started up for them uses up quite a few dollars. In order to keep them properly, not only do you need the proper tank size,you need a filter that flows ten X's the filtration, a Water Testing kit,especially while you are going through a tank cycle,etc.,food, A bubble bar,etc....etc...There's also weekly water changes/gravel cleanings involved,which may take more time than you may have. Believe me,I'm not trying to talk you out of goldfish,just trying to make you aware that there's alot more to them than people realize. Truthfully,I'd rather be honest about the whole thing ,than find out later that it was too much for a person to handle. If you do decide to keep them,we will all be more than willing to answer questions/advice,etc. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.