I have a 13 gallon tank and I have had a goldfish in it for about a year now. The fantail and the other goldfish and my sucky tank cleaner fish died within a few weeks of them being in the tank. This one goldfish has survived and grown to be about 5" long. I just went to wally world and bought 2 more koi like goldfish, and the big boss is starting to show his true colors. He's definately not happy with his new companions. They are only 3 to 3 and a half inches long and he is chasing them both around and it looks like he's trying to nibble their gills. He's been alone so long I'm wondering if he is just showing his dominance and establishing his terriotory or is he actually trying to kill them? Is there a way I can calm him down or protect the others better? or should I just wait and see what happens? I hate to see them die after I just spent good money on them. That and they are kinda cute. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Swizzle
Aggreessive Goldfish
- Thread starter swizzle
- Start date
Castellop123
Fish Herder
The Tank sounds very small for three goldfish... You have to remember that they can grow very large...
Your larger fish is not by any account trying to kill the other tank residents...
The larger and older goldfish will accept his new companions, but with many beginners: remember to change 1/4 of the water every week ( especially now that you've got another two medium sized Goldfish ), siphone the gravel when doing weekly water change, wash filter media ( I presume you have a filter ) once every 2 - 3 weeks and all tap water must be treated with dechlorinator before being put into the aquarium.
Hope you find this useful...
Your larger fish is not by any account trying to kill the other tank residents...
The larger and older goldfish will accept his new companions, but with many beginners: remember to change 1/4 of the water every week ( especially now that you've got another two medium sized Goldfish ), siphone the gravel when doing weekly water change, wash filter media ( I presume you have a filter ) once every 2 - 3 weeks and all tap water must be treated with dechlorinator before being put into the aquarium.
Hope you find this useful...
Yes I have a filter but I wouldn't mind suggestions on a better one. Getting a bigger tank really isn't an option at this time. I would like to get a 100 or a 125 gallon tank someday. The filter is made for a 15 or 20 gallon tank and I haven't had any problems with cloudy water so for now its doing good. I will have to take it out and clean it soon. The water flow through it is getting to be less and less. Any recommendations on cleaning out the filter? I've been changing the charcoal filter about once a month and it seems to be doing ok. I just changed the filter today. The front of the filter was still nice and white and the back was pretty well...you know. BLAH!! Nasty. How often should I change the filter and should I use a different type of filter or is the charcoal ok? I always make sure to rinse out the filters really well before I put them in and the water is from a fresh water spring. People from miles around come to bottle it up for drinking. I do myself and its actually really good. One more question. What's the difference between a Koi and a goldfish? Swizzle
Goldfish will fight if theres not enough room in the tank. 13 gallons is too small for one goldfish never mind three.
Koi are deffinately not tank fish as they need 250 gallons.
A koi has barbels from the mouth. If yours dont then maybe you have shubunkin.
For three common goldfish you will need at least 50 gallons when they are young and more as they grow.
Koi are deffinately not tank fish as they need 250 gallons.
A koi has barbels from the mouth. If yours dont then maybe you have shubunkin.
For three common goldfish you will need at least 50 gallons when they are young and more as they grow.
aquila
Fish Crazy
If all three are now sitting in the corner I will hazard a guess that the new fish have induced an ammonia spike - in a tank that small it will rise to a lethal level very quickly. Are the fish being lethargic, breathing rapidly, any new dark or black spots on their bodies? I'd do a 50% water change straight away and seriously consider taking all but one of the fish back to the shop. I have goldfish that are longer than a 13 gal tank is, shows how big they grow and how three cannot be kept in there healthily.
They aren't being lathargic. They are still swimming around and it looks more like they are lightly playing now and not nearly as aggressive as they were. I did buy a bigger filter that is made for a 20 to 30 gallon tank and I have a spare I believe its an 8 gallon tank. Being that they have calmed down a bit i will do a major water change today and add the new filter. Then I'll put the smaller filter on the smaller tank and in the next day or 2 I'll get some new gravel and restock the smaller tank for the 2 new fish. Hopefully this will alleviate the problem until I can find time, space and money for a bigger tank. Is there any other fish that I can put in with the large goldfish? I hate to use one tank for one fish. Should I also get some snails and another sucky fish? Swizzle
Just did a quick dip strip test. I have a PH of 7.2, the total alkalinity is 120, total hardness is soft, nitrite is .5 and nitrate is 40. Is the quick dip strip accurate or should I do an average out of 2 or 3 test in a row or get a different type of tester? Swizzle
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