Goldfish in a 5.5 gallon tank?

Question

It has plenty of surface area. Should I get a comet or a oranda? I have a filter. I am feeding NutraMax flakes. If you think I should get a different breed of goldfish, please give the name and a picture. The fish must be avaliable at Petsmart.

Answer 1

Do NOT get any goldfish. 5.5 gallons is WAY too small for any goldfish 1, b/c of the waste they produce, and the big reason b/c of the size that they'll get.

Contrary to what alot of people think, fish will not grow to their tank size. It's called stunting, and it's NOT healthy. Their outside stops growing, but their organs do not so it ends up killing them.

Do NOT get an angel fish either as someone else suggested. They also get large-ish and need deeper tanks b/c of their fins.

Answer 2

Neither! The tank is to small! Comet goldfish(Despite popular belief) Get larger than fancy goldfish (Orandas) they get a foot or longer, Fancy's are the smallest variety at only 6-8 inches long. If you want ot get serious about goldfish keeping, get a tank with 10 gallons for every goldfish, and if you get comet or common goldfish you need 50 gallons every 2 goldfish. A betta fish would thrive in that tank! No more than 1 tho!

Answer 3

While you could put a baby goldfish in a 5gal tank, and have it survive, it will quickly outgrow that size tank. Expect an Oranda or other fancy goldfish to grow to 6" long in a couple of years. A comet or common goldfish, maybe a foot long after 10 years, and they can live for 20. Thats why they need 50gal+ or even better, a pond.

You could keep a few White Cloud minnows in a 5gal tank, no heater needed. They only grow to a bit over an inch long, much better suited to small tanks.

Ian

Answer 4

Neither of them.  They get far too big.  You can;t get an angelfish either.

Answer 5

5.5 Gallons is plenty for a single fish 2 inches or smaller. But really, I would not recommend keeping any goldfish at all unless you have at least a ten gallon tank. There is just too small a margin for error, and you can kill the fish easily.  

Answer 6

You can't keep a Goldfish in that small of a tank. 1 Fancy Goldfish requires a minimum of 20 gallons, with 10 gallons for every additional Goldfish. Fancy Goldfish grow up to a foot long, and require good filtration systems since they p**p alot. Look at these pictures: http://cellar.org/2002/recordgoldfish.jp...

http://www.goldfishconnection.com/images...

If you get a filter and a heater, then you can keep a Betta in a 5.5 gallon tank.

E-mail me for any questions!

Answer 7

buy an angel fish

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http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/pr...

Answer 8

your 5.5 gallon will be outgrown by your comet for now you can have a tiny oranda but it will not last when it grows.  buy atleast a 20 gallons.

kOi keeper & goldfish keeper

Answer 9

none

fancys (includes oranders) need 20 gallons for the first and 10 for each additional

common/comet goldfish need 50 gallons for the first and 20 for each additional