Goldfish tail damage

[Fur Mama]

Hi my goldfish Bridget has a split in her tail, is this because the tank may be too small? we have a 25 gal tank and 5 fish the largest being Bridget 3 inches long down to a 1 inch and we call him max
The other fish babies we have are Gloria, Star and Bubba
Any advice would be great
Thanks

[MyBirdIsEvil]

Whether the tank is too small really depends on what kind of filtration you have, how many water changes you do, and how much you feed.
Goldfish are very messy, they release toxins from their gills and produce a lot of waste, so if you don't have lots of filtration you should be doing plenty of water changes. How much aeration your tank has will also effect how many fish you can safely keep in your tank.

If you have a heavily filtered tank with lots of aeration, you don't overfeed, and you do proper water changes your tank may be adequate for now, but some goldfish can grow pretty large and it may not be for long.

[Fur Mama]

An aqua tech filtering system that is relative to the size of tank. I have a bubble wall as well as a bubble stone ( should I run this all the time?)
I do a 25 % water change once a week and use a gravel vaccum each time to get some of the muck out of the gravel, I dont find that there is alot of waste copmpared to when we first got the fish, ( seems everyone in the house wanted to get in on the feeding)

I have removed some of the plastic foliage to give them more room to swim, I did notice that with one of the plants being so close to the wall of the tank that bridget couldnt get turned around if she got behind it that may be house she split her tail?

[MyBirdIsEvil]

Originally Posted by Fur Mama

An aqua tech filtering system that is relative to the size of tank.

Does it have a biowheel and everything? The general rule in fishkeeping is that if the size of the filter matches the size of the tank it's too small - this would be especially true with goldfish since they're so messy. I have a 50 gallon filter on my 10 gallon - which contains 9 very small and not very messy tropical fish - so that should tell you something.
The inch per gallon rule is very broad and doesn't apply to many fish, particularly goldfish - you should go by surface area with them and that's still not extremely accurate.

I have a bubble wall as well as a bubble stone ( should I run this all the time?)

Absolutely, aeration helps keep the fish healthy and the tank cleaner. Most fish also find it fun to play in the bubbles.

I do a 25 % water change once a week and use a gravel vaccum each time to get some of the muck out of the gravel, I dont find that there is alot of waste copmpared to when we first got the fish, ( seems everyone in the house wanted to get in on the feeding)

They should be eating no more than they can eat in about 2-4 minutes. You need to stand there and feed them and watch - if any food is floating to the bottom you are feeding too much.

I have removed some of the plastic foliage to give them more room to swim, I did notice that with one of the plants being so close to the wall of the tank that bridget couldnt get turned around if she got behind it that may be house she split her tail?

Are these fancy goldfish with long fins or just normal goldfish? Plastic plants can rip the fins of longfinned fish, even if they're not long finned that could be what she injured herself on. I use cloth plants, they look more natural and are safer.


I'm not that into goldfish, so my information is limited, but this site should have some valuable information on keeping them.

http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/care.html

More sites:
http://www.bristol-aquarists.org.uk/.../info/info.htm (click the keeping section)
http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/article4.php

Goldfish should live 10-20 years or more in an adequate tank or pond, but most don't live more than 2-3 years in aquariums because they're sooo hard to keep healthy without huge filtration or a very very large aquarium. Most people underestimate the amount of filtration, aeration, and cleaning most tanks need. We use undergravel filters along with our power filters (w/ biowheels).
You should also have an ammonia and nitrate tester kit. This all may seem overboard, but fish aren't as easy and cheap to keep healthy as most people want, and oddly enough, though goldfish are sold so many places, and they're so cheap people assume they're easy to take care of - in actuality they're one of the dirtiest fish you can buy and they need a lot of space, filtration, cleaning, and aeration. Just because your water looks clean doesn't mean anything since you can't see the toxic chemicals that can kill fish.

[Sneaky]

Hi there,
so, are you saying you have 5 goldfish in a 25g tank?
Way way way too much.

Goldfish of the fancy variety, with only the exception of the
Black Moor, require as minimum 30 gallons for the first goldfish,
and 10g per additional goldfish. So, 5 adult goldfish require a minimum
tank size of 70-75 gallons.
Most fancy goldfish grow to be 8-14 inches long,
Shubunkins - 8 inches
Orandas - 14 inches
Ryukins 14 inches or more
Telescope eyes 8 inches
Fantails 12 inches

The black moor is the only exception at 6 inch max size.
This is the only goldfish in which 2 can be kept in 30 gallons.
All others need way more space.

With goldfish, you really need a Canister filter, and water changes
should be a minimum of 40% once - twice weekly.

As for the fin damage, its likely been caused by a sharp decoration
or plastic plant. Check these things for sharp edges and remove them.
Also, fin damage such as splitting can be caused by poor water conditions.
You need to get tests and test regularly for Ammonia, NitrItes, and NitrAtes.
Ammonia and nitrites should always be 0 in a cycled tank,
nitrates will also be +5 or more, but should be kept below 40ppm.

Good luck.

[MyBirdIsEvil]

I was wondering when Sneaky would show up
I'm not really a goldfish person - too big, too messy, too high maintenence for the enjoyment I'd actually get out of them. I like koi in ponds but that's about it.
Give me a betta - low maintenence, small, beautiful and interesting.

[Sneaky]

Originally Posted by MyBirdIsEvil

I was wondering when Sneaky would show up
I'm not really a goldfish person - too big, too messy, too high maintenence for the enjoyment I'd actually get out of them. I like koi in ponds but that's about it.
Give me a betta - low maintenence, small, beautiful and interesting.

I agree, Mybird - I too find goldfish too big and too messy.
Would love to have some in a pond though, or if I had a spare
180g hanging around to have a nice group of ryukins, and the time
to keep it clean lol
I prefer tropical fish, of the medium size - small variety.
Way easier to care for.
Bettas - probably one of the easiest fish to care for period.