I was wondering if anyone could check out the arrangement of my tank. I will be getting my fish in a matter of days but the local pet store said I should leave the water to filter and so on for a week after I put the water conditioners in the tank.
Anyway please let me know of what you think of my current tank arrangement. ( I know its a bit plain)

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l275/Dav...Fishtank013.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l275/Dav...Fishtank003.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l275/Dav...Fishtank005.jpg

Thanks Guys!

It looks nice but very small. At kokos we recommend 10 gallons of water to 1 fish. The set up is fine. A lot of sand there to vacuum. I would use less as its easier to clean. Are you getting tropicals? Some tropicals would go fine in there but I think you need a heater.... Oh and I like the bridge .

Usually people feed the empty tank food for a month or 6 weeks so to 'cycle' it before adding fish. You'll need to get kits to check ammonia and nitrites for this.

Hi Dave,
Is the tank for gf or tropical? If it is for gf, you will need a better filter. The corner filter is not enough for gf. what is the size of the tank? I can't tell by looking at the tank. But the setting is looking good !!! great job

I can tell you that the dimensions of the tank are 46cm (legth) and 23.5cm (width)
Thanks for your help.

P.S: yes, the tank will be used for goldfish but only for 3 or so.

Mate, where r u from in Oz? I'm from Perth &

From your dimensions, the tank is roughly about 30 litres or so, which is about 8 US gallons.

Unfortunately, that tank (and that filter) is not ideal for goldfiah at all, even for one fish
Goldfish are VERY VERY messy. They eat a lot, poop A LOT and they grow big (up to 25-30 cm long). Imagine three 20cm+ goldfish crammed together in that small tank. They need AT LEAST 38 litres (10 gallons) each (yep, even the small itty bitty ones) and a filter that can pump at least 10x the tank volume/hour.

That tank might be ok just for ONE goldfish for a couple of months, then u gotta upgrade to a MUCH larger tank. A better option is tropicals. U can have some neon tetras there or a school of guppies. Or better still, a community female betta tank.

Sorry mate. I know ur excited and all about the goldfish but that tank won't be enough for their long-term well-being.

Good luck and keep us updated.

Hmmn. Im not sure what to think anymore because the local pet store sold this to me in a pack so I thought I was ready. But I guess not. Just wondering - How do people take care of goldfish in those tiny bowls with no filter? It must be pretty impossible.
Thanks.

A word of advice for you: Don't, ever, trust, anything, pet store, says. Most of them doesn't have a clue on goldfish-keeping. Although some of them do offer good advice, most will tell u anything to sell as much stuff as they can.


Goldfish are hardy little buggers. They will survive in those tiny bowls for a couple of years at most, but that's all they're doing : surviving, not thriving. Everyday is a struggle to get to tomorrow, and those goldfish will be stunted and unhappy. With a proper sized tank, a good filter and continuous maintenance, a goldfish will live for up to 20 years or more, and live happily that is.

Oh well. I guess thats that.
Even though Ive probbaly got a thousand more questions I could ask you d_golem

Yes, hon. It is pretty impossible. LOL. That is why most of the time poor goldie doesnt last more than a week in those conditions.

What everyone has told you is correct, however.

Im sorry, but your tank really is not large enough, and the filter is not adequate for goldfish.

If you really want something cute like goldfish, maybe try some balloon mollies! They look like teeny goldfish.

Im sorry that you are receiving this bad news, but to tell you the truth (and this is discussed a lot on this forum) probably 90% of the time pet store employees dont really know what they are talking about. Just because they work at a pet store does not make them an expert.

The people on this site will not steer you wrong. I have been a member of this site for over a year and I can tell you, they give fabulous advice. If you need to put your trust in someone, put it in this website.


Welcome to the forum and I hope you can learn a lot from this group. I know I have.

Yea, I can say that Im dissapointed. But hopefully I can find something else.

How about white cloud mountain minnows? You could get a nice shoal of those, around 8?

Or a single male Betta would love an 8 gallon tank. You may also be able to get a couple of suitable tankmates (check that out carefully first) to go with him if you wanted too. That filter would be good for a Betta so you wouldn't need to buy any more stuff either

Ah, sorry you found out your tank is too small for goldfish. That must be really disappointing, thinking you are all set to go then finding out you're not. It is much better you found out now though rather than buying three goldfish and wondering why they all got sick.

Take a look around other available fish. The only additional equipment for keeping tropicals is a heater and more tropicals can be kept in a ten gal tank than coldwaters in general.

If I was you I would go to the pet store and look at different fish. If you see ones that take your fancy come back here and ask about their needs and requirements (there are forums for tropicals and bettas and such further down the page) and find out if they are suitable for your tank. Take your time to make sure you get a fish that you love and that you can take care of well. I'm sure you'll find something to make you happy soon enough.

How long would it take to heat my tank with an average heater to make it suitable for tropicals?

Most tropical fish require a constant temperature of around 26 degree celsius, some hotter - it depends on the specific fish as some have different requirements. The key thing is that it is constant and unfluctuating.

The amount of time it takes to heat the tank depends on a number of factors such as the tank size, the ambient room temperature, the wattage of heater you are using and the temperature you are trying to achieve. I would say it would only take a few hours in most cases.

Most modern aquarium heaters are "heater-stats" which means they have a thermostat which controls the temperature. When the water temperature gets to what you have set it to, the thermostat switches the heater off and only switches it back on again in cycles in order to maintain the temperature. These are the safest kind and will automatically maintain the correct temperature - you do have to monitor it carefully though with a good visable thermometer.

When you say an "average heater", it depends on the wattage. For a 10 gallon tank you will need a 25-50 watt heater in order to maintain an even, constant temeprature.

Some people recommend 5 watts per gallon of water - so for example in a 10 gallon tank you would need a 50 watt heater at most. It is important to get the correct size heater for the tank, not too much and not too little. If your tank is smaller than 10 gallons I would probably opt for a 25 watt heater at most in order to be safe.

My other advice is don't go for the cheapest heater available if possible, get the best you can afford because they tend to be more reliable and safer and often last longer. Hope this helps

yes, everyone is right (don't worry, your only starting out) your filter isn't good enough and the tank is too small.....and i suggest finding a new fish shop if you can, that one sounds like they just want your money

Our fish tank is too small, we have 5 gallons as opposed to your 8 but it's not a problem for the fish at the moment, now that we're sure they're doing ok we're looking for a bigger tank for them.

While they're teeny weeny babies I am of the opinion that they're ok. Our fish have roughly 1.5 gallons each to play with which is ok and they're not showing any signs of distress or being miserable.

They're 3 months old now and are probably twice as big as they were when we had them (man they were tiny little things!) So it's coming to time to upgrade their home.

Btw: I like your tank, good visibility... but please think about what the others have suggested sooner rather than later.