Funfair goldfish

[Zoe Horsfield]

Hi guys,
So this is my first post here - so I have a 25L tank, not very big we are in the process of finding and moving to a new house but the goal is to get a tank 100L + my daughter won a goldfish at the funfair a few months ago and he was brought home in a tank that he couldn’t even swim side to side in... completely unfair so we got him a bigger one which I now know isn’t actually big enough as it’s only 25L however this does have an air stone and a filter in, he/she seems quite happy for the time being as it isn’t gasping for air at the top of a the tank as it was in the tiny bit of water he was sent back from the fair in, I’ve had my water tested and apart from ammonia levels the water quality is good, I’ve started using the clear aqua balls as recommended from the local fish store to try to help the levels of ammonia, also as recommended by the pet store we got 2 amano shrimp <- I’m 95% on the breed of these shrimp.. however I have a few questions
The shrimp don’t seem to be eating much, is this normal I don’t have massive algae build up but I though this is because the filters keeping the tank clean? also I was told they were fine to keep with the gold fish however he like to have a go at them and when they leave the little cave I’ve put in there or the safety of the moss ball? I’ve just got some drift wood and some java moss to put in for some more hiding places for them but what do you guys think? Should I remove them and put them in a different tank till I can get a bigger one? Or do you think they will be okay?
also I’ve been looking into getting a Betta I’ve seen some beautiful half moon betta males, however when I have kept this fish when I was younger (we kept them with fancy goldfish as the man at the pet store said they could be kept at room temp, it went sluggish turned black [it was a beautiful blue colour] and eventually died), I’ve now found they should be kept in warmer waters, could I keep the gold fish I have now in warmer water in the bigger tank and keep him with one male halfmoon betta and some small schooling fish? Or will I need to do this separately? Any advice is welcome
thanks in advance and thanks for reading I know it’s a long post

 

[Zoe Horsfield]

Oh and these are the shrimp

 

[seangee]

Goldfish will eat anything that will fit in their mouths. So your shrimp are not safe. If they are regular goldfish it will only be a year or 2 before it can comfortably fit a betta in its mouth. Apart from that betta are best kept alone. If you are planning to get a bigger tank for the golfish that would be a good time to get a betta and put it into the 25l on its own.

 

[Zoe Horsfield]

Goldfish will eat anything that will fit in their mouths. So your shrimp are not safe. If they are regular goldfish it will only be a year or 2 before it can comfortably fit a betta in its mouth. Apart from that betta are best kept alone. If you are planning to get a bigger tank for the golfish that would be a good time to get a betta and put it into the 25l on its own.

Thank you I thought this as it was trying to get at them at the moment it isn’t able to get them in it’s mouth, I do have a 5l tank I could move them into on their own as there are only two of them, do you think this will be big enough for them? What do you suggest keeping with the goldfish in the bigger tank? thank you for your reply and thanks in advance

 

[Zoe Horsfield]

I should add that I feed the goldfish a mix of flakes, bloodworms and once a week 1 or 2 deshelled peas, but the goldfish tries to eat everything and anything ‍

 

[MrDankYT]

It is horrible that goldfish can be won as a prize

 

[Zoe Horsfield]

It is horrible that goldfish can be won as a prize

I know they all look so sad, and it’s bad that you don’t even have to be a certain age to win one! They just give them out to everyone and anyone not knowing if they have anything to put them in once they get home I’ve took a picture to show what it was sent to us in and apparently this is okay to keep them in...

 

[FishGuest5123]

Another point to make here is that goldfish are cold water fish and prefer temps of 75-79F. Bettas are warm water fish and need temps of about 80F. They are incompatible.

 

[Zoe Horsfield]

Another point to make here is that goldfish are cold water fish and prefer temps of 75-79F. Bettas are warm water fish and need temps of about 80F. They are incompatible.

I did see in another thread that a goldfish would be happier in warmer waters, which I was unsure of as I always thought room temperature, and as said before an aquatics shop advised that Bettas are an “all temperatures” fish which I found the hard way was incorrect, on that note would 25L be sufficient space for 1 halfmoon betta male? Would you keep it with smaller fish/shrimp or are they better kept solitary? As I know they are aggressive to their own species but unsure of their solitary needs? I wouldn’t want to keep one in its own and it be lonely but at the same time I wouldn’t like to stress it by keeping it with fin nippers/a stressful environment

 

[Sylvan]

25 litres works out to around 6.6 US gallons so it should be fine for a Betta. In regards to shrimp tank mates some Bettas are ok, others are not. One of mine lives with a large number of cherry shrimp, he rarely bothers the adults but he will snack on the young ones if he can catch them, the only time he has a run in with an adult these days if one gets to his food before him and doesn't let go. The other Betta has attacked and killed shrimp in the past so now all the shrimp stay out of his section of the tank and in the other 2 sections.

 

[Zoe Horsfield]

25 litres works out to around 6.6 US gallons so it should be fine for a Betta. In regards to shrimp tank mates some Bettas are ok, others are not. One of mine lives with a large number of cherry shrimp, he rarely bothers the adults but he will snack on the young ones if he can catch them, the only time he has a run in with an adult these days if one gets to his food before him and doesn't let go. The other Betta has attacked and killed shrimp in the past so now all the shrimp stay out of his section of the tank and in the other 2 sections.

Thank you I will bear this in mind

 

[FishGuest5123]

A Japanese trapdoor snail would be a good companion and they only breed a couple of times a year. They only have a few babies when they do.

 

[seangee]

One of mine lives with a large number of cherry shrimp, he rarely bothers the adults but he will snack on the young ones if he can catch them, the only time he has a run in with an adult these days if one gets to his food before him and doesn't let go. The other Betta has attacked and killed shrimp in the past

Just FWIW your amano shrimp won't breed. They are too big for a betta to eat - but that won't stop a bossy one from attacking them

 

[Zoe Horsfield]

A Japanese trapdoor snail would be a good companion and they only breed a couple of times a year. They only have a few babies when they do.

I was looking at a few snails but didn’t want to become over run with them, i saw some military helmet snails? They were all black and it said you can keep them in fresh or salt water but if you have them in fresh they won’t reproduce

 

[Zoe Horsfield]

Just FWIW your amano shrimp won't breed. They are too big for a betta to eat - but that won't stop a bossy one from attacking them

That’s good, I’ve moved them into their own little tank which they seem a lot happier they are out and about and not hiding constantly, once I’ve moved the goldfish I’ll put them back in the 25L
Do you know why they won’t reproduce (not that I want them to) just curious I was under the impression they were the same sex, I got them from pets at home and they never said anything about reproduction but then I never asked