Is A Filter Necessary For A Small Goldfish?

Lately, I've had an obsession with learning to take care of our goldfish.  I've learned so much in the last year both from reading, watching videos and taking care of our pet fish.  Looking back to when I first started, I've come a long way.  I'll start posting all the resources I've used in the near future.  The photo is a shot of three of our fish swimming by as they play and hunt for food.  Two fancy and a common.

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The short answer to the title of this post is YES, you should have a filter for a goldfish tank.  I got away with not having one in the beginning because the fish were very small and I had a big enough tank to keep them in.  Never keep Goldfish in a one gallon fishbowl, unless you want to see them die.  If you change the water often enough and you only have a small fish or two, then you don't necessary need a filter in the beginning.

When we first purchased our two fantail goldfish from Petland, we had a 20 Gallon tank filled with water from the day before, that was it.  I didn't have any other tools or decorations for them.  I settled them in the water, while they were in the bag, to get the water temperature in the bag to come to equilibrium with the water in the tank.  Never change water temperature too quickly, this will stress the fish and get them sick.

Once in the water, they swam away whenever I got near them.  The next day, I put a little decoration in for them to hide behind.  I fed them tiny Aqueon Goldfish Granules that a friend had given us along with the tank.  We had some minor problems with the two fish, which I'll about next time.  I had no idea about the Nitrogen cycle, so the tank was not cycled during beginning.  Lucky for me, the fish survived the first few weeks.

So we had the two fantail goldfish without a proper filter for over a week.  Yes they can survive, but you will have to do lots of water changes if you don't get a filter.  In this time, I changed the water several times.  Each time, it was a 30-50% water change, just as I read in all the online articles.  I think changing the water often was good for the fish and kept them healthy.  I always used water that sat at room temperature overnight, even to this day.  I don't put any chemicals in the water.

If you are thinking about getting a Goldfish for a pet, I urge you to get as big a tank as you can afford (both money and space wise) and get a good filter.  An HOB filter to start would be good.  If you have goldfish of your own, I'd love to hear your thoughts.  Please leave a comment if you've read this far. :)

In a future post, I'll write about what I've learned about the nitrogen cycle and how it works in my own experience.  I'll also explain how a simple filter works - I recently made my own and it works fairly well as a secondary filter - for very little cost from things you probably already have.

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My One Year Old Goldfish Aquarium

A Goldfish aquarium entered into our lives last winter.  I never planned to have an aquarium.  Having a home aquarium didn't interest me in the least.  When I used to visit family or friends with an aquarium, it never seemed very interesting.  I watched fish swim around in a tank, what's the big deal.  Sometimes they will come up and want food or something.  Mostly the fish just hid when they saw people.

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So how did I end up having a home aquarium?  Things just fell into place - the kids wanted a pet and we did not want to train a cat or dog in our small apartment.  I did some research into what kind of fish are "hardy" and a good start for the first time fishkeeper.  I decided on Goldfish, they are very hardy and can live up to ten or more years if well taken care of.  They've survived a year with me so far, so I must be doing something right.

One of the things I found in my research before getting fish is to do water changes often.  Keeping the water clean will help keep the fish alive longer.  Makes perfect sense, they swim and breathe in the water, just like we want clean air.  Another very important thing I read is Don't overstock - basically don't have more fish than your tank can keep alive.  I read all these stories of people keeping fish in a bowl and they would be gone within days.  I'm still reading up on the Nitrogen cycle, which basically can keep your fish alive and well or you could watch them all float.

I'll write more about my experience and some lessons learned in some future posts.  For now, my 20 gallon fish tank is doing very well with 2 fancy goldfish (the ones we started with), 2 common goldfish (don't think they are comets), and 8 Rosy Red/ Fathead minnows (started with 10, I lost 2).  They are very happy and come up to me when I feed them.  I do partial water changes usually twice a week because I feel I am overstocked.  I may have to give some of the bigger fish away in the near future.  For now, they are all happy.

Now that I'm a fish owner, I am much more interested in having pet fish and keeping them happy.  I'd love to hear your home aquarium stories or just let me know your thoughts on what I'm doing right or wrong.

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