Any Fish Experts?

[Mickymoody]

I have just the subject to put some sparkle into this forum.............I have bought a goldfish for my lad and want to put some gravel in the bottom of the tank.
My missus is of the opinion that you need to buy a special gravel but I think any old will do.

Got plenty of pea gravel in the garden.
Any thoughts.

I presume that this fish is living indoors? Mine live in the pond outdoors, and have been subjected to landslides from the rockery, heron attack, pump failure, iced up, drought, transferrence into a wheelybin, when the temporary pond collapsed, so to have one in a bowl indoors, and it not survive is unheard of, if you feed it, as a pondfish has natural food. So choice of gravel is WAY down on the fishes method of death, as is chlorinated water.

Remember that fish aren't stupid. My fish in the pond comes to the surface, and lets me stroke it, whereas my partners fish in the pond attacks me, but she can stroke it. The fishwithnonamenoreallythatshisname, doesn't care either way. So goldfish have emotion. So look after them.

 

[longdogs]

Buy another one so that it has a friend.

 

[Bahco]

We have got him a friend but they don't say a lot to each other.

 

[Johnmelad502]

We have got him a friend but they don't say a lot to each other.

Must both be heterosexual boys then.

 

[penfold46]

Any member of the carp family are fish with a quite clever brain. When I caught my fist carp over 30 lb I had to swim (with rods in hand to free it).

1 1/2 hours to pull that beast in. The one in the piccie (32 lb) was landed in 40 minutes. The picture is here.... www.linfordlakes.co.uk/3933.html Im the 8th picture down.

Having spent a week there before I caught that I was extremely happy. Cant do it now with a young family.

Dave.

 

[mickyg]

haha I've never read so much rubbish written about fish in my life.
Most annoying is this thought process that goldfish are tough so you can basically treat them worse than other fish. I have a tramp lives in my local area, he's alive so he must be happy and healthy
ALL fish need filtration and aeration. Goldfish bowls should be banned. The majority of goldfish will outgrow the majority of goldfish tanks that are sold so be prepared to rehome it in the future unless the tank is already a min of 36" in length. Fish do not grow to their tank size(myth)
The gravel will be find but should be thouroughly rinsed.
The water should be treated everytime before it is added to the tank with a water conditioner such as Waterlife Haloex(best value for money). Leaving water to stand does not make it safe for fish(myth)
You should change about 25% of the water every week. the filter media should be cleaned once a month in the tank water not under the tap.
oh and one more thing. Enjoy your fish, they're are a great hobby and can make excellent pets
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[Mickymoody]

What I was pointing out was that my fish are pretty hardy creatures, and have filtration, and aeration, until the pump broke. I have attempted to avoid using tap water for the pond, but in emergency have.

But they have been attacked, frozen, drained, landslides, etc...washing through some gravel, filling a tank, and letting the sediment settle, before introducing the fish is pretty easy, but my pond fish have grown big. So wonder how a goldfish/carp would live in a tank?

Must be pretty confusing for a fish to see an outside world through glass, as that's not it's natural environment, and they can't eat their natural food by living indoors. Also living indoors, surely the environment is too warm for them? Fish live in cold rivers/seas in all weathers, not central heated houses.

A goldfish won at a fair, put in a bowl, is going to have a pretty short life really. A goldfish, cared after in a pond, bought from an aquatics place is going to live what 20 years?

A goldfish bought and put in a tank is going to be pretty miserable on his own?

 

[mickyg]

yes your right, a common goldfish isn't best suited in a home. Although they are comfortable in quite a wide temperature range, so as long as your house is not a sauna, the temperature isn't a major concern. People will always keep them in tanks though, I accept that as fact so might as well try and point them in the right direction with care, seeing as many pet stores/fish shops don't bother giving any useful advice.
The fancy variety are a better idea as they are selectively bred and have spent their life in captivity, grow smaller and have a higer accepting temp range.
Personally I don't keep goldfish, but it annoys me they get so abused.

As for keeping fish in general in a glass tank.... I know where your coming from, but they certainly prove to be happy/healthy enough generally in captivity, I think fish just learn to accept their surroundings as long as they have everything they need to be healthy. I've bred many a fish in tanks, and mostly they outlive what they would in the wild and often to a bigger size. Simply because of a regualar supply of food, constant good water conditions and absence of predators.