Question:

I have a 5 gallon hexagon tank. I was just curious on how many little orandas/moors I can put in this tank without over-crowding.

Here is a picture of the tank I have. This isn't my personal tank, it's just a photo of the tank I have to give you a idea.



Please let me know! I'd greatly appreciate it! Thank you all!

Tia hi don't think I have seen you around. Welcome!!

Sorry to say no gf in that tank. Fancy gf, the moors and orandas you speak of need at least 10 gals of water per fish. So a 5 gal tank is way to small for any gf.
It serves nice as a betta tank. One betta of course, but that would be a sharp tank.

If ou are not aware of the 10 gal per gf rule, you can have a look around the site, there is tons of information as to why this is.

While unfortunately no goldfish, you may want to check out the "other fish besides goldfish" section of the forum, you may be able to work out keeping other types of fish in there.

Thanks for the reply! Yes... I'm a new fishie here... figured I'd join a forum for all my
fishie questions.

hmm... odd... I've had my fishes in there for years... never had a problem with them.
I heard it was 1 fish per gallon? Am I wrong?

I've also been told from pet stores that having a large living space for betta fish is bad as they
perfer smaller tanks and areas.

Hmm... I'm confused now, but appreciate your help.

Having tropical fish is quite different than goldfish. Tropical fish, in most cases, dont need as much room as a goldie. Fancy goldfish can reach 8-12" full grown while single tailed varieties can get much bigger.

I wouldnt listen to most pet shop advice. From my experience most dont know what theyre talking about. A betta would be very happy in a 5 gallon tank. I had mine in a 2 1/2 gallon. I also had one in my 7 gallon.

Any other questions you may have feel free to ask and welcome to Koko's!

O_o Why are petstores saying that large spaces are bad?

One of the major reasons that it's advised to have 10-gallons per goldfish is due to the amount of waste they put out. They pollute the water SIGNIFICANTLY more than almost every other pet fish on the market and having a large volume to dilute the waste is essential for health.

Another reason is due to the immense size that goldfish can reach. A well-cared for fancy can reach sizes 10-inches or more, and small containers, for obvious reasons, will make cramp conditions and can damage the health of your fish.

Here are some helpful pages from the main website:
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/tensteps.html
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/cycle.html

hi tia!

i've had my betta in a 10gal with about 40+ fancy guppies. Contrary to most belief, my betta did really well with his smaller pals.

as far as keeping goldfish in a 5 gal... we strongly urge you to reconsider
if you have time, please read some of the threads posted by Koko's members. they are very informative, and can provide you with a plethora of useful info for happy and healthy fishkeeping!

I agree, bettas shouldn't have to be alone all the time. Just be sure to keep them with fish who (1) LOOK ABSOLUTELY NOTHING LIKE ANOTHER BETTA MALE OR FEMALE and (2) have similar care requirements.

Also it's a good idea to have some type of structure or planting that gives the betta a place to hide if it needs to.

Tia, you have been very lucky to have your gf live in that tiny of a space for so long.
When gf live in cramped and poor water conditions they will release a growth inhibiting hormone that will stunt them from growing. It also causes severe organ damage to the fish.
Basically gf are pretty strong fish and try to adapt to "any" environment we put them in, but in the end they will suffer and be compromised.

To answer your question of 1 inch of fish per gallon, that is true but only for tropical fish. It is quite the misconception that gf fit into that club.
Many clerks at stores are not educated in gf, as they have been attributed to "childrens" first pets and don't receive the recognition or respect of experts.
If you look into any gf expert hobbiest will tell you of the 10 gal rule, and to be honest it is the minimum.

Hopefully you stay around, you can learn a ton of information from our members. They range from experts to people just getting started.
If you have any questions don't feel afraid to ask that is what we are here for.

Its a misconception as well that tropicals are an inch per gallon. It all comes down to common sense and the adult size of the fish.
What kind of fish and how many are already in it?

Unfortunately no goldies, but I hope you do get a betta or some tropicals They're lovely too.

Hope you can get a bigger tank if you already have gfish. But, if you don't, then a betta sounds like a good option. and

From Tia White's other thread, she said that she got a redcap oranda, a moor & a calico oranda in there.

As everybody said here, you are already grossly overstocked, even with one fish. Each of your fish has the potential to grow to 8 inches or more, in which a 5-gallon tank won't cut it at all.

I suggest you read the links Nenn gave you, and browse around the site for information. You would need at least a 30 gallon tank to comfortably house your 3 fish into adulthood.

We're not here to scare you, even though what we asked you to do maybe a bit overwhelming, but it's essential. The ones you should be scared of are mis-informed pet store employees.

Sandy thanks for clearing up that misconception of the tropicals as well.

See, even I thought that rule was ok for them........goes to show you never stop learning.

Is the tank cycled? If you truly care to keep those fish healthy I would suggest searching for a larger tank... you can filter storage tub fairly cheap too until you can afford a larger tank. I was told at a reputible fish store that we could keep an oranda for a year in a 2.5 minibow... I now know he only told me this so i'd buy that rinky-dink little tank for $40.

Personally I think those dinky novelty tanks are GROSSLY overpriced, if you just think about the dollar per gallon of volume you get with a traditional tank you'll be saving your money in the long run.

Hmmm... WOW! A lot of comments back from everyone! Also a lot of warming welcomes too!! Thank you so much! I appreciate it!!

I'm concerned now... 'cause I have 5 orandas (all of them in about 3 cm in size, length wize) in a 5 gallon tank. I've had them all for a while now and they're all happy, healthy, swimming fine and enjoying each other.

Now, I don't know what to do... because I do NOT have room in my room to put a 30 gal. tank and I'm NOT killing any of my babies to make room either. I'm stuck and don't know what to do...

What can I do from here?? Please help!!!!!

Thank you!

PS: I have Orandas... not goldfish. OR are Orandas and Goldfish classified the same? I thought Orandas/Moors only grow to about 3 to 6 inches. Is this true?

Orandas are one of gf species. They grow more than 6 inches.



5 months ago, I had the same reason. By that time, I have 29 and 10 g tanks. But now I have 90, 55, 29 and 10 gals tank in my room. I live at the same place as well. I am just saying, don't take it as offense...

hi and

seems as if everyone has mentioned every thing.

im a bit confused. you say you have 5 orandas in there, and you said you have a moor, d golem said that you have 3 fish.
How many fish do you actually have?

Yea, Orandas are just another type of goldfish. Like SM said, they can get pretty hefty...

There are always ways of making room for goldfish! Before you give up, check out this link: http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/tipsandt.../bltanksize.htm

It's a list of common sizes for many different volumes of water. You might see that you may actually have room for something larger.

Hi Tia Welcome!

Another quick,cheaper way to get your orandas more room would be to get a couple of large rubbermade bins(clear)and put them on the floor like an indoor pond.Use Aquaclear50+ over the side filters.Here is a picture of a members here's.I hope it is ok to repost it
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v406/BB_Chan/DSC00312.jpg

Tia White, there are lots of types of goldfish, and Oranda is one of them. Here, have a look at this link below and you'll have a glimpse at the sheer variety of goldfish available in the market now:
http://www.bristol-aquarists.org.uk/goldfish/goldfish.htm

Do you know the record for the largest fancy goldfish is held by an Oranda called Bruce? Bruce was 43 cm (about 17 inches) long when he died a few years ago. He's an anomaly for sure but Orandas frequently exceed 8 inches or more.

merlinsmom gave a good advice there. A rubbermaid (or any cheap plastic containers) is an excellent place to keep your gf. Not ideal, but the gfs doesnt care lol.

If u really don't have space for your fish, then I guess u might have to return some to the pet store. Even when you're left with one fish u still need to upgrade to at least 10 gallons.

Don't hestitate to ask us anything u want

If you truly want lots of fish, I'll plug my own Five here.

I have a 5 gallon tank with 5 Rasboras in it. They stay small, they're easy to take care of, and they're bloody fun to watch playing with each other. I swear, they play tag, follow the leader, and hide-and-seek.

I test the water every day and change it at the first sign of a problem.

Tia, the rubbermaid would be a nice way to achieve what you need to do.
With the 5 orandas though you would need at least a 50gal tub/tank to house them in. I know, that is pretty big but necessary.

As the above have mentioned orandas (a type of fancy gf) can exceed 10inches given a good environment to thrive on. 'Tis what I was referring to with the growth inhibiting hormone.

Hopefully you can work out something that you and your fish can live happily.
Hope to see you around, this is a great place to learn and share info on gf.