Choosing a Goldfish Tank
My very first “tank” came in the form of a birthday present. It was a “Marine Master Little Nipper Kit” and came in at 3 litres with 2 goldfish swimming happily around the tank on the box. It was the bowl itself, some fluoro coloured gravel, a fake plant and a helmet ornament.
I was skeptical this little tank was a decent enough for goldfish and I wanted more “viewing area” to see the fish. I remembered my dad had once tried to keep goldfish and after a phone call I went around to his house to pick up his 15 litre cylinder tank. Feeling I was now equipped to handle goldfish with my new tank and the gravel that it came with I went off to the local fish shop and bought two goldfish.
They lasted a week.
That’s when, like so many before me I hit the internet in search of answers. Turns out the minimum litres you want for one goldfish hovers between just under 40 litres for one fancy goldfish, and about 75 litres per common goldfish. The irony here being of course that common goldfish tend to be much cheaper then fancy goldfish.
Tank Capacity
but my great grandma kept six goldfish in her toothbrush cup for eighty years and they thrived!
No they didn’t.
They might have survived but they probably weren’t happy. Unfortunately while people rave on about saving whales from becoming Japanese burgers, chickens from living in cages and trying to stop people from eating ‘sea kittens’, they are none the wiser about keeping goldfish in ridiculously tiny spaces.
At anything less then 35 litres per goldfish, think of it as keeping a kitten in a bathtub and cleaning it’s feces out once a month. The kitten is going to grow and the bathtub is hardly an adequate nor healthy environment for it to live in. It might survive a while but it’s going to die prematurely and lead a pretty miserable life.
A good size to start off with are the 2ft tanks. They can be had usually for $50 and are suitable for one to two goldfish depending on size. A 2ftx1ftx1ft tank will hold roughly 60 litres, good for one fish but too small for two. Luckily they can be bought in differing dimensions so shop around until you find a tank suitable to your needs at a good price.
Sometimes you’ll see a tank and only know the dimensions of it, it’s worthwhile remembering that to calculate the volume of a tank simply:
Length(cm) X Width(cm) X Depth(cm) / 1000 = Volume in litres.
1 foot is approximately 30cm.
Glass or Acrylic
In my opinion stick with glass. Acrylic has a reputation for scratching easier and becoming brittle over the years. I’ve never personally owned an Acrylic aquarium so in this respect I’m sure there are those out there who have had success with them. All I know is glass is cheaper and harder to scratch which makes the decision easier for me.
Tank Shape
Rectangle is always better when it comes to goldies. Rectangle tanks contain the largest surface area at the top of the tank and allow for the greatest amount of gas (carbon dioxide and oxygen) exchange, which helps in keeping your fish healthy and happy.
Hood/Canopy and Tank Stands
Neither a hood nor stand is required but I feel a tank looks more complete with a hood on top and a stand underneath it. Out of the two a stand is probably more vital, especially with larger tanks as you become restricted as to what you can put them on. Remember 1L of water weighs exactly 1kg, so while 50L of water might not look like much, it’s putting 50kg of load on whatever you’re sitting the tank on. It is important to remember that glass doesn’t tolerate bending very well.
Second Hand Tanks
Like most things there are some good savings to be had in going for a second hand tank. When I upgraded my three month old 3 foot 112 litre tank I sold it to my friend at half price and he was happy as punch. Be warned, tank upgraditis is very real so it’s always a good idea to shop for larger sizes in tanks. You’d be surprised how a tank that looked huge when you picked it up can become rather small when you place it in a room.
Things to watch out for are avoiding any tank with the slightest amount of damage (chips/deep scratches) and any tank listed as a “reptile/fish tank. Reptile tanks can have thinner glass per capacity than Aquarium’s and are usually not made to be filled entirely with water.
If you see a tank you like for sale on ebay or elsewhere and you’ve got your heart set on it try to organise a pre-sale inspection or at the very least fire off a question to the seller about the history of the tank, such as how long they’ve had it and what they kept in it.
Also ask when was the last time it was filled because often people tear down a successful tank for whatever reason and put the tank into storage, deciding to sell it many years later. In that time it could have been knocked or the silicon could have given away in a particular spot leading to leakage.
Unfortunately for you the seller assumes the tank it still 100% as it was when they last used it, meanwhile you get a swimming pool in your lounge room.
December 28th, 2009 at 1:09 pm Barry Hinchcliffe(Quote)
Volume of fish tank correction.
LxBxD(in cm’s) / 1000 = volume in litres
December 28th, 2009 at 2:19 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Oops, thanks for the pickup there mate.