Starter kits for goldfish

Question

do i need a pump and filter to keep one goldfish?

oh and whats the best starter kit to keep a single goldfish in and what do i need for the fish.

oh, and i would prefer if it was avialible in a shop available in the uk

thank you!

Answer 1

A single goldfish needs a tank of 20 gallons or above. (I don't know how many litres that is.) They produce a lot of waste, so any smaller and your fish will be very uncomfortable.

Yes, you will need a filter and pump. You will also need something to aerate the tank to keep your fish from suffocating.

Answer 2

20 gallons for your one goldfish is very good.  

you will need filter the airpump is optional if you have the filter.

The problem of not having a filter since goldfish produce lot of waste you will have to do daily water change of 50 percent might stress your goldfish however due to your tank size 20 percent will do since only one  goldfish.  There are lot of hobbyist doing 10 percent waterchange daily even they have filter to give optimum water quality.  Petshops main point is to make money.

kOi keeper & goldfish keeper.

Answer 3

argos do starter kits for all pets cats dogs and fish  

Answer 4

try a fluval 1 plus - that should be fine, and normal goldfish flakes. i just bought an air pump for my tank but it would be ok without one. they are about 15 quid each and you will find them in any good pet shop. water treatments are available but its up to you whether you use them or not. i use them every now and then, but to be honest my goldfish in the pond were origionally in a tank for 3 years and i never used any water treatments. they are 10 years old now. the new tank set up i have has the 1 remaining fry from last years eggs plus 2 other mates.

Answer 5

One goldfish needs a minimum of a 20 gallon tank with exceelent filtration.  It's terrible that stores sell little those little tanks that are totally unsuitable.

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Answer 6

Since you can't keep a goldfish, try a betta. One would be happy in a 5 gallon tank. They do need a heater and filtration. The filtration should come with the tank, the Eclipse Corner 5 is a nice tank with great filtration, and a heater should not cost much for such a small tank.

Answer 7

First thing is to buy a good book on fishkeeping and read it.

Then...

Best set up for a fancy goldfish, 20gal or bigger tank with a good power filter.

Anything else is optional, but they are going to need those two things for long term success..

I know you will go into the shop and see lots of 'Starter' kits with 5gal tanks and pretty plastic bits and ornaments. They are just there to extract cash from gullible beginners whos fish are going to die anyway. Avoid the pretty colours and pictures of 'happy' goldfish stuffed into tiny tanks. Go down the aisle to where the real tanks are and get yourself a plain glass tank, biggest you can afford / carry /  fit in your room. Then buy a power filter thats rated for the next size up tank.

Get some water conditioner (needed) and some gravel/ornaments/fake plants if you want. DONT buy any fish that day.

Once you have the tank home, filled and running, then you can think about fish. You may want to cycle the tank first to set up the biological filtration, but if you are just going to buy a small goldfish it will be OK to 'cycle with fish'. That works OK with a large tank / small hardy fish.

So next visit you can buy a fish and some fish food. You are now a fish keeper.

Other important thing is a gravel vacum / syphon to clean the tank and do partial water changes, oh and an algae scraper, you will know what I mean after a few weeks. The algae is harmless, just ugly. The water changes are essential.

You will spend only a few dollas more, but have a setup thats easy to care for, and your fish has a good chance of living it's full life of 5 or 10 years.

Ian

Answer 8

It's extremely bad that stores sell goldfish starter kits without filters and pumps.  Goldfish can grow to nearly 2 feet in length, and require heavy filtration.

I was in our local petsmart last week, and I overheard the clerk tell a woman that goldfish didn't need a filter, heater, or tank, just a little bowl and food and they would be fine.

Goldfish need a 20 gallon tank, just to start.  They are messy fish and produce lots of wastes, so heavy filtration is a must, if you plan on keeping your fish healthy and alive.

Answer 9

Argos...

No but it helps to keep it clean.

Answer 10

Goldfish are really simple to keep, just need water and bowl. If you want to take up a hobby with fish in mind, get into aquariums, it's much more difficult but you will reap the benefits of a wonderful looking fish tank. You need to read a lot about it, ask at pet stores for advice and such.

Its not easy and takes a lot of devotion and insight to get the balance just right, but its much better than just keeping goldfish.

I dont know if its what you would like to do, here are just a couple of links to look at.

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/beginne...

This is a picture of a goldfish aquarium Looks quite neat :)aqhttp://www.winsupersite.com/images/revie...

But read as much info as you can, everything you need to know is online.