I have two Calico Shubunkin Goldfish. One is big and has been in my tank for a while, But the other I have just recently got and it is quite small. Ever since I've put them in the same tank the little one has been chasing the big one around and nudging it. Do you think they are mating? :newfish :yeah:

How small is the new shubunkin? Small, non-mature goldfish often engage in "mock-mating" behaviour and is not actually mating.

Btw, how big are those two fish exactly and how is the tank u have them in?

The little one is about 4cm. And the tank I have them is reasonably small I think it is 7 litres.

The tank is not reasonably small, it's extremely small! Well, it's got nothing to do with the breeding behaviour u asked before, but each mature single-tailed goldfish (like shubunkin, comet & common) should have 70 litres each.

I know you might say "70 litres each??!! That's crazy! I'm just a kid and I don't have the space & money to buy a 140-litre tank for only 2 small goldfish!", but for your information, a shubunkin can easily reach 20-30 cm and even a 140 litre tank would barely cope with 2 mature shubunkins.

That 7-litre tank have to go. Please try your hardest to at least temporarily have a somewhat bigger tank for them, then after u got more money, than upgrade to a tank that can accomodate both of them full-grown.

Here, have a look at these links, they'll help you in caring for your fish:
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/cycle.html
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/care.html
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/Filtration.html
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/tensteps.html

Thanks, I will think about getting a bigger tank. And how much money would you have to have to buy a 70 litre tank? :rockon

Tanks are usually pretty cheap (seen 10 gallon tanks for $10) it's just the filters and other goodies that get expensive!

Try secondhand newspapers (dunno what it's called in your city, in Perth it's Quokka). They always have a section on aquariums and u can get big aquariums for dirt cheap.

Where do u live, btw? I'm from Perth

I live in New South Wales and I'm not sure if we've got the section in the paper that your talking about.
We've got the Daily Telegraph and the Sydney Herald I don't know even which one to get.

Does anyone live in Sydney and know which Newspaper has the section of second hand Aquariums because that could be useful?

I don't mean those kind of newspaper. It's a special paper that only list stuff people wanna sell. Have a look at ur local newsagent, should find it there

You can always use Ebay too. I've gotten many things from ebay, and if you find someone selling something close to you, shipping is not very expensive. Just look around. Because Your tank is way too small my dear.

Thankyou d_golem, jenny and Tetra Lover for replying to this story. All your info was very useful. And I looked at Ebay couldn't find any I liked. But thanks anyway.

I actually found out my tank was 12 litres.
Big! difference.

Not really a big difference, it's still not even close to enough space for one little fishy, and you've got two! You really need to look into getting something bigger for them, or they will probably not live very long. Have you looked into getting a plastic tub for them? They are inexpensive and that could be an easy way to save your babies. The water might be ok now, while they are small, but as they grow, they will produce more and more waste and your little tank won't cut it anymore. Good luck!

Hi Wasabi and welcome to Kokos
I live in Victoria. Do you have a paper called "The trading post"?
Also as for ebay keep an eye on there as tanks come and go quite fast on there.
When I first joined Kokos I had mine in 20 litres (5 gallon)
I got my first 40 gallon (4 foot long) tank from ebay and it came with a stand,lid,canister filter, gravel, background, air stone,air pump, water ager, fish food, some meds , nets and even the light!!! I just added another filter and a heater and they lived around the cornerfrom me!! so picking it up was easy
its worth watching ebay for a while, one may turn up.
Till then as imtammyo mentioned a plastic storage container is very cheap and works well till you can get a tank.

Thanks itammyo and luvmuhfred. I will still keep an eye out on Ebay for a bigger tank and also what do you mean about buying a new tub?

A large plastic storage container, like the ones you find at a department store? Not sure what brands you have there - we call them Rubbermaids here (the brand). They come in assorted sizes, come with lids... Anyway, they work for temporary tanks in a pinch if you need a larger water volume, like you

Thanks imtammyo I will look for one.
Also my fish is still chasing around my other fish especially after feeding time.
And thankyou Luvmuhfred for such a warm welcome.

Thanks all for your answers they have been very useful and now I would like to officially announce this