Right now, my two (tiny!) goldies are in a two gallon tank (I received them as a gift with the tank), and I normally do a 30 - 50% water change every couple of days to a week. I'm going to be going on vacation soon and I don't think the person who's going to take care of them will be able to change the water as often, so I was thinking of buying a filter. Which filters would best? Would the Penguin 100 or Mini have too strong of a flow for my fish?

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your tank is far too small for two goldfish. They need approx. 10 gallons each...

><; I know, but my mom said that we'll buy a bigger tank when they're bigger...

Hi and welcome to Kokos!

I'm not sure about the specific brands of filter you mentioned, but I agree you do need some form of filtration in there, although it won't cycle (the filter won't mature in order to break down biological waste) very easy at all, it will help with mechanical filtration and to keep the water moving.

Therefore, an airpump and airstone may be better if you don't already have one. Any kind of filter in a such a small tank will not replace the need for large, regular water changes to prevent the waste building up.

It's great you keep up with regular substantial water changes, but I really think that needs to continue throughout your holday. Maybe someone can do that for you, it's very important.

In the long run, as you know, they really do need a bigger tank in order that they have the space to grow strong and healthy. As was mentioned, 10 gals per fish is a good starting point. So a cycled 20 gal tank would be great.

Hope this helps

BTW Have a great vacation!

Uh.....as the others mentioned u need a bigger tank and dude there is no way u could put a penguin on a 2 gallon tank no matter wat kind of penguin it is. Before buying a filter u need a bigger tank. Da current in there would like toss them to death. Da only filter u could use is dis filter


or a sponge filter like this

They wont really help much though. I suggest u get a bigger tank den get a filter and the filter should move all the water at least 10 times a hour so for 20 gallons u have to get a filter dat does at least 200 gph.

I have to agree that even if they are small a 2 gallon is much to small for two goldfish, and while there are some filters out there that could go on a 2 gallon tank they would not provide adequate filtration for messy goldfish. If these are single tailed goldfish (the kind you'd buy at a fair or in the feeder tank at a pet store) they are actually recommended to have 15-20 gallons each. And one word of advice, stay away from undergravel filter, the kind that look like a grid and go on the bottom of the tank, these are not a good option for goldfish and will cause you lots of problems.

You might try bringing your mom to this site and letting her read up on the caretaking of goldfish. Even though the fish are tiny, having them in too small of a tank from the beginning can actually stunt their growth so that they do not develop properly. Fish release a hormone into the water and if there is too much if it because the tank is small, they will not grow properly which can endanger their health. Here are some links to show your mom if you think it would help, plus they are good for you to read as well:

http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/tensteps.html
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/care.html
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/Filtration.html
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/cycle.html

You can get a ten gallon tank, hood and a decent filter (make sure it filters at least 100 gallons an hour for a 10 gallon tank, or 10x whatever the gallonage of the tank is) for less than $40, especially from stores like Wal mart. Be wary of some of the fish tank "kits" though, the filters that come with them are often not strong enough to keep a goldfish tank clean. Even a Rubbermaid bin with a filter is better than a two gallon tank.

I have this filter on my 2 gallon betta tank, it works well, but again in an overstocked 2 gallon you are going to be fighting a losing battle no matter what kind of filter you get, It is called the Red Sea Nano filter:


If you aren't too attached to these particular fish you can usually take them back to a pet store and they will take them, and sometimes even give you store credit. A betta could live in a 2 gallon tank, so that is always an option, but of course if you are already attached I know how that is!

Lastly, I just want to say that I found this site because I had a goldfish in a 2 gallon tank who got ill. She ended up dying, and I decided to learn about fish keeping, and through this site have learned so much plus I now have a great , but very addicting, hobby! Most of the people here end up finding this site because they have a sick goldfish. What is wonderful is that you are asking these questions now, before your fish are showing signs of illness. I know this is a lot of info to take in at once, but once you have a big enough, well filtered tank going you will actually end up with much less work as far as water changes and stuff go. Plus, you can decorate!

I use the red sea nano filter too. It is easy to clean and the inserts are easy to clean/replace. I would suggest this to you. Do you have a friend or family member that can do water changes for you? As they all said, that would be better but a bigger tank would be best. I just now found out that you can get a 20 gallon high at wal mart for only $70. It isn't a bad price, but the filter that comes with it only pumps 120 GPH. They try to get by with the cheapest stuff in those kits, IMHO.

Thanks for all the replies! They were extremely helpful. I'm going to temporarily move my goldies to a plastic tub (no filter). It can hold about 10 gallons I think. Still better than the two gallon tank though.

I've got a few more questions... will it still need to be cycled if I put tank water in the tub and all of the gravel, plants, ect? Also, would the beneficial bacteria still be useful if I put the gravel in a loose cloth bag into the water (so it won't need as much cleaning)? Would dyes or anything leech from the cloth?

The amount of BB in the water or the gravel will not ever be enough. In order to cycle a tank/tub, u must have a filter, not ifs or buts about it. How long are you planning to go on vacation? The ammonia level in the 10 gallon tub will rapidly increase in a few days if u got no filter.

This is what I did once when I had to go on vacation and leave a fish without a cycled filter. I rounded up all the big rubbermaid tubs we had in the house and dumped the contents into my clset (mostly beanie babies lol) I had 3 tubs: 2 were 10 gallons and the other was a 15. I filled them all up with dechlorinated water next to eachother and put the goldfish in one. I left instructions to the "fish sitter" to gently catch the fish and rotate him to the next tub with all his fake plants and stuff for security every couple days, and to not feed (then hid the food so they weren't tempted). That way, waste was limited and the person taking care of my fish didn't have to deal with waterchanges at all. If your vacation will be long or you can't find more rubbermaids, go to petsmart and buy a small bottle of Prime water conditioner. Prime is not only an excellent dechlorinator, but it is one of the few that also detoxify ammonia. You can leave directions to dose the tank with that every couple days in between tub changes. The prime will also be very useful at controlling toxic ammonia and nitrite levels while you cycle too, so it will not only be used for vaction. If your vacation will last more than 5 days, tell the fish sitter to feed them very very very lightly every 3 days or so. Explain to them that any more could produce too much waste and make the water toxic.

As for your mom...Try explaining to her that the goldfish will not grow much in a 2 gallon tank. They excrete hormones into the water to regulate their growth. If there are too many hormones, their bodies will sense it and their growth will be stunted. Stunting is not good, and is unhealthy for the fish. In a larger tank they will grow quite big and healthy, and would be fun to show off

Best of Luck!

2 gallons is enough. Small goldfish do not need 10 gallons. Just get a small air pump and sponge and then it would make a great sponge filter. Go to www.kensfish.com they sell some sponge filters for cheap

I hate to say any one on here is wrong, but that is not true, even petstores (the good ones) will tell you you need ten gallons per fish when its goldfish, It has nothing to do with size but rather the amount of waste they produce. Goldies are the most filthy fish on the planet because they arent verry efficent at digesting their food where a betta or another fish might thrive in the 2 gallons of water the goldies will not. I know from experiance that fish kept in these conditions will live for only a year or two before they die versus the possible 15-20 that they are cappible of.

Where do you get your information?! 2 gallons is in NO way enough for a small goldfish. Only a betta could live in something that small for any long amount of time.

Also, there was a research submission that proved that a 4 inch goldfish could make the same waste as an 8 inch 1. (sorry if im wrong) And sorry for the way i talked earlier in the thread. Lol ive been playing maplestory too much.

Edit: Also sorry for not putting examples of filters I forgot.