Goldfish And Shrimp!

[ButterflyUnfolding]

Heya!

So, basically, I've wanted a goldfish since I was a teeny tiny kid - my dad raised guppies, so maybe it's a genetic love? I'm now living away from home, and from about September time I will be able to buy and look after fish. I kind of decided that I'd decide which fish I liked, and then get a tank to fit them, though I'm more than happy to take advice.

In my research I've come across a few different kinds of fish I've liked, and also fallen in love with a few types of shrimp! So here are my questions:

1) Can you keep different breeds of goldfish (panda moor, blue oranda and red and white fantail) and 3 types of shrimp (dark green neon shrimp, yellow cherry shrimp and blue pearl shrimp) in the same tank? If not, would any combinations of those work together alright?

2) What sort of equipment would I need in terms of lights, filters etc. to keep cold freshwater fish?

3) What sort of gravel, plants and ornaments/houses would they need to be safe etc.

4) What sort of size tank would I need so that they'd have enough space to be happy and healthy?

5) Is it safe to buy fish from EBay, or would it be better to go to a shop? Can you recommend any sellers?

6) How much should I budget for everything I need to buy? I was thinking about £150, but I could be horribly wrong.

7) Now, I'm really sorry if this is a totally stupid question, but how do I make the water habitable? You can't use water out of the tap because it's got chlorine and things in, so how does that work?

Sorry if some of those are stupid questions, but I'm a first time fish buyer and I want to get it right. So any help is really appreciated!

 

[slimeneo]

Hi, I can't answer all your questions (I'm a newbie as well) but I'll try to direct you to topics that have some of your answers

Here's a list of things you should read, mainly cycling. To make your water habitable, you need to buy a de-chlorinator. Basically you put a drop or two into the water to get rid of the harmful metals what whatnot.

I would suggest you go buy your fish in a shop- but you should really focus on cycling a tank (and also getting one) before you go and buy fish. That was my mistake, I had no idea about cycling and went to buy fish right after I got a tank...

Price-wise.. I'm in the US, but you'll have to end up getting a testing kit to test your water, filter, vacuum, tank, decorations, etc... but personally I spent over $150 (about.. 120 euro) for a 10 gallon (38 L) tank and 10 fish. Rule of thumb is 1" of fish per gallon. So if you have 10 gallons, that's 10" fish TOTAL (ie. I have 10 one inch fish)

 

[JohnDyer]

Heya!

So, basically, I've wanted a goldfish since I was a teeny tiny kid - my dad raised guppies, so maybe it's a genetic love? I'm now living away from home, and from about September time I will be able to buy and look after fish. I kind of decided that I'd decide which fish I liked, and then get a tank to fit them, though I'm more than happy to take advice.

In my research I've come across a few different kinds of fish I've liked, and also fallen in love with a few types of shrimp! So here are my questions:

1) Can you keep different breeds of goldfish (panda moor, blue oranda and red and white fantail) and 3 types of shrimp (dark green neon shrimp, yellow cherry shrimp and blue pearl shrimp) in the same tank? If not, would any combinations of those work together alright?

2) What sort of equipment would I need in terms of lights, filters etc. to keep cold freshwater fish?

3) What sort of gravel, plants and ornaments/houses would they need to be safe etc.

4) What sort of size tank would I need so that they'd have enough space to be happy and healthy?

5) Is it safe to buy fish from EBay, or would it be better to go to a shop? Can you recommend any sellers?

6) How much should I budget for everything I need to buy? I was thinking about £150, but I could be horribly wrong.

7) Now, I'm really sorry if this is a totally stupid question, but how do I make the water habitable? You can't use water out of the tap because it's got chlorine and things in, so how does that work?

Sorry if some of those are stupid questions, but I'm a first time fish buyer and I want to get it right. So any help is really appreciated!

Take everything I say with a pinch of salt, my tanks are slaughterhouses

1. The 3 types of goldfish can be housed together, no problem. They all grow to roughly the same size as well. The 3 types of shrimp will be fine while the goldfish are young, but will probably be eaten when they grow larger.
2. All you need is a filter suitable for the size of the tank. In my experience, goldfish destroy live plants, so lighting is not as crucial, whatever comes with the tank is good. You won't need a heater either.
3. Any sort of fine aquarium gravel should be fine. Not sure about sand. Plastic plants will survive much better than live, so you should get that or just go bare-bottomed. Ornaments are optional as well, but if you get any make sure the fish can't get stuck in them.
4. Goldfish poop like crazy for their size, and they grow quite large, possibly 9+ inches if you're lucky. I use roughly 2 gallons per inch of fish (at adult size), although there are more accurate ways. Unless you have a pond or a friend who'll take the fish to as they grow up, you'll want at least 55 gallons (48"x12"x20") for 3. Depending on your budget and how much room you have, you want as much as 120 gallons or more. It'll look stupidly empty when they are young, but they'll fill it up quickly.
5. I like seeing the fish in person before buying, but I'm sure there are others who buy on Ebay.
6. Not sure about prices in England, but 300 USD should just about cover everything, tank, stand, filter, gravel, ornaments, and fish.
7. Dechlorinators make tap water habitable for fish. They are available at every store that carries fish. You need to cycle the tank, preferably before putting fish in. There are plenty of guides here on how to do that.

 

[ButterflyUnfolding]

Thank you, both of you! That's really helpful!

So, vis-a-vis housing fish and shrimp together, are there breeds of goldfish that stay small? I'm a total novice here!

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