Common Goldfish Tank Size

[Minus]

Completely new to fish keeping and after receiving bad advice from my LFS, I bought two common goldfish, a 20 litre tank and a near useless filter.
Inevitable my fish got sick, what I believe to be ammonia poisoning.
I have done research online and know they need much better living conditions, and that their new tank will need to be cycled, however my budget at the moment could only stretch to a 98 litre tank (70w, 35d, 40h).
My fish have been with me in their small tank for nearly 3 months, and an unknown amount of time at the LFS, is it too late to prevent stunting and if not, how long can they be in their 90litre tank before they need another upgrade?
Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Truth be told, I do not know much about goldfish, however the same basic principles for all fish be it still applies that the tank should be cycled as you are aware, but filtration should be higher than average as goldfish are messy fish really.
 
"Tank size is the biggest mistake that newcomers to goldfish make. Fancy goldfish need a tank that is a minimum of 100l for one fish, with an additional 50l for each additional fish (so, 150l for two fish, 200l for three and so on). While they can be started off in smaller tanks, getting a larger one should be made a matter of priority, as goldfish are fast growers in their first few years."
 
 
Quoted from : Goldfish for Beginners
 
That article should help point you in the right direction for care for goldfish with the basic information thats is required.

 

[jag51186]

It probably isn't too late to prevent stunting, but they may not grow to their full potential after dealing with the ammonia poisoning and such. They may outgrow the 98L fairly quickly, but I feel like you could make it last a few months depending on your feeding schedule. You are correct in assuming that the new tank should ideally be cycled, but if they are already in it, you will have to do a "fish-in" cycle, which is basically daily water testing at minimum (might need to test parameters multiple times a day, as goldfish are messy), and daily water changes. This can last for 30 days+. I wish you luck with them, and you are in the right place!

 

[twintanks]

I'd agree with Ch4rlie regards the tank sizes. My two goldies grew up from tiddlers, in a 36x12x15 inch tank. Eventually I got a 39x15x(max)18 inches (around 40 gals/180litres), this is the biggest I can fit in my back room at the moment. The fish needed the extra width.  Both my fish have grown on in this tank, the remaining one now being 14 years old. For years I used an internal Hagen pump in the first tank, but then moved to an external Fluval 205. There is no doubt that size does matter; and having a bigger filter/pump helps greatly with the waste. They need a lot of space but are great characters to have around.