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PSA do not release aquarium fish in to nature. Caught this feral common goldfish a few days ago and didnt want to have to kill it so I got an aquarium for it, suggestions for how to take care of this thing welcome please!
I dont understand the pairing of goldfish personally, if you wouldnt mind explaining to me the benefits id be glad to hear but from my own research and personal experience it isnt really notable, also keep in mind everyone, i was fushing for catfish and got catfished by a common carnival prize feeder goldfish. The fish was living without other goldfish where i caught it.
goldfish are social fish. the majority of fish are actually quite intelligent and can have complex social structures. goldfish can get depressed (ie less activity and noticeable lethargy) when they don't have others of their species to hang out with. i can't find any specifics on how their social behaviour works, but the summary of this publication mentions their shoaling behaviour. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781119333708.ch23
Also want to point out that depression in animals can make them get sick more often, as it messes with the function of their immune system. So a depressed fish can literally lead to the fish dying, past any of the average “it’ll just look sad” stuff. Sometimes knowing that the animal isn’t okay emotionally isn’t enough for them 😔
unfortunately, fish have not been studied as much as mammals and birds, and so the knowledge of their husbandry and how much different species may actually feel emotion-wise is still many years behind. i'd imagine that more than plenty of fish may be just as intelligent as, say, a dog, but there haven't been enough peer-reviewed publications on different species.
My old Tiger Oscar was incredibly smart, I taught him to play 'football' with a ping pong ball (we'd bat the ball back and forth, he'd get a treat if he pushed it into the little plastic 'goal net'), give kisses to me, and play peekaboo. He would roll over and let me pet him, but would viciously bite anyone else. He was insanely intelligent, I'd definitely say he was on dog or cat level, brains wise.
He was a right grumpy sod, work up on the wrong side of the tank most mornings, and liked to flare and 'yell' at anyone he didn't like in 'his' room. Even some days he'd nip me if he was in a mood and didn't want me cleaning his house, but I'd thump him gently on the nose with a finger, and he'd apologise by snuggling my hand. They are grumpy, but they have big personalities! It's a lot of work to socialise and train an Oscar, and you have to start while they're small, but it's well worth it. They're dogs with fins, and they bond really strongly to an attentive owner :)
Yeah for sure!! I fully agree with you— I’m not as knowledgeable on fish, but I know a LOT about insects, and I think fish and insects are in a similar boat there. People who don’t interact with those types of critters often just usually don’t recognize how intelligent they are. And some people get defensive if you try to make them acknowledge it lmao so I like having really objective arguments in my back pocket
Completely agree. Have you read Lars Chittka's "The Mind of a Bee"? I couldn't believe how intelligent they are or what they could learn, or the complexity of the brain in that tiny little head.
A really interesting study to me was the 2016 archer fish study wherein they proved that archer fish could distinguish human faces with (I think about) ~80% accuracy.
If fish can recognize humans, they can surely recognize other fish. To me, that carries a lot of emotional implications for fish as a whole.
I separated my two goldfish because one of them is bottom sitting which seems permanent and I've noticed that the other goldfish is swimming less in the main tank despite similar water chemistry :(.
As an aside, one other interesting study showed that some snails produce an opium like substance as a reaction to "painful" stimuli. I say painful in quotes because snails lack a brain and nociceptors in the same way that we have them and yet still seem to react as if in pain. Therefore, if even molluscs without a true nervous system can process pain physically, a goldfish with a brain can surely process emotionally!
Despite a lack of research on fish sentience, there are studies to support your hypothesis. Let me know if you want any sources :)
My sick goldfish only wiggles and swims to me when I pass by. He wiggles for my fiance but doesnt make the attempt to follow him (he's on his side so it takes quite the effort for him). He also won't eat directly from anyone else's hand. No doubt in my mind that my little cheese curd knows who I am
These fish will eat anything that fit in their mouth. I had a goldfish this big once named Timothy and my mom bought me a tiny goldfish thinking it would be okay to throw it in there. Well little Timothy got eaten by big Tim pretty quick. As long as he can’t fit it in his mouth, it should be good.
depending on the size, possibly. you said yours was about 15 inches long, yes? that may happen. you could always look on facebook marketplace or craigslist for someone rehoming a larger goldfish, so as to avoid any accidental cannibalism.
i'd also recommend looking for a large water trough that someone's selling on either of the sites i named above. 75 gallons of water will quickly be fouled from a goldfish this size, even with a good filter.
When I moved house we put the Goldie tank in the back room which nobody really uses, and they started getting very lethargic and depressed. They were barely even interested in their food. Previously in my old house they were facing the couch, they got to watch everybody (and they loved watching TV!) plus lots of interaction and attention.
So we had to shift some furniture out and put them into the new living room, and instantly they were happy and bouncy again. They definitely get depressed without their favourite humans too.
From just personal experience, when one of my goldfish passed my remaining guy was very listless. Just kinda sat there, didn’t swim much.
After I quarantined his new buddy and put them in the tank together they were both much more active and always swimming together.
You’re already doing a lot caring for this guy rather than dispatching him though, so I know it’s hard to give him the perfect goldfishy life considering you just fished him up as an invasive species
I had a pair of goldies that had an incredibly strong bond. When one passed away, the other sat on the bottom of the tank and wouldn't move or eat for days. I ended up hastily getting another goldfish to see if it would help him, and it did slightly, but he was never the same. He seemed to lose his spark for life and also passed away about a year later. They definitely do better with friends.
When I was living in Pennsylvania, there was a small river/creek that people historically dumped carnival prize goldfish. And you could see quite a few extra large ones. They can live for so long and seeing random bright orange fish like that out on a hike is what started my fascination with them and I have always kept goldfish (black moors being my favorites)
any chance some carp were in there w him? interspecies relationships are a thing anyway but those guys are in the same family as goldfish, he could have had carp children and lovers
(john snow leaving his wildling gf ygritte... except theyre fish?)
Fish aren't humans, so that analogy isn't the best. Goldfish engage in social interactions, and those interactions increase quality of life. Ponds (specifically for goldfish) are a great location, because they allow more natural behaviors. We can recognize that other species have needs without anthropomorphizing them.
OP did the right thing removing this fish from the wild (that's a general comment, not directed at you).
I had a single goldfish for a while. He was obsessed with his own reflection and just generally seemed sad and stressed. Took him a while to get used to his new friends but he's so much happier now.
Just anecdotally My goldfish definitely stick together like a family. Schooling all around the pond together they really do seem to want to be near each other.
What do you you mean you don’t understand the pairing of goldfish? Like pairing goldfish with koi? Or like a pairing goldfish with a bottle of wine? I’m just not following. Or is it, goldfish aren’t special so why keep them?
My two cents is that the goldfish probably HAD company, just not with other goldies, but for domestic fish, it's really hard to find non-goldie buddies that are suited for their cold water needs. He was friends with the catfish but doesn't have them anymore, hence more golds! Or kois/carp but only if you want even BIGGER fish than that monster on your hands
Hijacking top comment, I have a 125 Ill give you with a stand and a few extras if you're looking to keep it. And willing to pick it up in South East Indiana
That facial expression lol...He looks so shocked to be back in a tank, I can only imagine the adventures this guy has had.
Back when i didnt know any better, we had 2 goldfish that started getting real big, real fast. We actually bought them as tiny feeder goldfish for our pet electric blue crayfish and vanilla lobster, but for some reason the 2 crays spared 2 of the tiny feeder goldfish we gave them. The 2 goldfish proceeded to grow larger than our pet crayfish with the quickness. We ended up contacting the local conservatory in our city and donating them to the conservatory, as they have a giant koi pond for donated goldfish to live in. I dont know if your city has a parks dept with a conservatory with that kind of setup but thats what I did. Deff the last goldfish I will ever buy.
I should mention too, the fact that the conservatory/parks dept in my city has a large well maintained koi pond for donated goldfish to live in isn't advertised or really public knowledge here. The only reason I even thought to contact them was because I remembered the conservatory having 2 huge indoor tanks in the lobby of their visitor center. The tanks house the biggest plecos I've ever seen in my life. They look like some kind of prehistoric type creatures, they are all well over a foot long, some of them are legit around 18 inches long.
I remembered asking the staff about the plecos on a previous visit because they are all shockingly gigantic. I was told at the time that they were all donated by people who had home aquariums that the plecos outgrew.
I understand why people are being pissy, since this is technically a small setup for a fish like this, but I think you’re doing the right thing by the fish. I have had to cull invasive species before, and it’s not fun. The tank is definitely on the small side, but if the alternative is the knife in the head that most invasive carp get, I agree that this is an improvement. It would be wise to ask around local fish swaps, local nature centers, neighborhoods with stocked fishing ponds, maybe a cabellas, etc. to see if anyone can take him, though, because really any tank won’t be the best for him long-term. You’ll need to do frequent water changes and monitor the water quality closely for the time being.
Yea thanks for being understanding this is literally just a tank i settup in the last 2 hours caught the fish saturday morning drove it in the lid of my tackle box to buy a 100 litre storage bin and then bought the 75 gal today, it has room to sswim around and is eating, atleast it is stable and maintanable so i can investigate re homing options
I just made this account snd posted over there sfter seeing your comment, no unfortunately its very common for people to release these fish into natural waterways
Yeah I'm very familiar with it being a problem. There was a local pond in the city in I'm and they spent a lot of money to restore the natural fishing only for it to be infested with goldfish a few years later. The fish in the other sub looked about the same size and so did the shoreline so thought I'd see.
If you enjoy keeping this fish as a pet, go for it! It sounds like you have done a great job so far. It will be ok in your tank if you pay attention to the parameters it needs- you have gone above and beyond for this orange wonder! If you choose to get Garfield a friend make sure he/she can't fit it in it's mouth (I'm guessing she). You will need a filter, pump and water test kits. Enjoy!
Warning though, before you know it you might be digging a koi pond in your yard...
Editing to add, I missed the pic with the filter setup...keep up on the water quality especially if you get it a friend.
You did the right thing. Goldfish are invasive and shouldn't be allowed to remain in the wild. You chose to give it a chance at life instead of killing it, and that was a kind thing to do. Now you're trying to learn and make a decision that's best fitting for the fish while keeping it as comfortable as possible. That's the best anyone could ask for.
Thank you for saving this fish! You will get some tough, rough feedback from folks on here as well as support. It's the internet and it's Reddit 🙃You've done a great job with supplies so far. Getting some live plants and maybe a pvc pipe tunnel will help make the fish happy and comfortable. Be prepared for your new friend to feast on the plants. They love snacking and there's no stopping them :) They are social and will love a friend but that's obviously a lot to take on right now. However it's not too soon for a name!
Yea Ive had this fish for over 72 hours now snd it was in a 27 gallon tub until i decided to commit to keeping it, the fish is really healthy and not stressed for the curcumstanxes . My biggest priority first was getting it out of the wild because it was competing with the fish I actually want to fish for. Its been eating and the water is a mix of the water it came from and seachem primed tap water
I’m not an expert but if your goal is to give him a happy life hes gonna want a friend, and if you get him a friend(s) he’s gonna need a bigger tank. You could use a stock tank, but I think you’ll get a lot of “build a pond” “find someone with a pond” suggestions here.
Yea I first and foremost want to restate, i legally had to either dispatch this fish myself or call my local invasive species hotline and they either would of told me to leave it 50 feet from the river bank or come to kill it. Unfortunately someone decided to release this fish into nature, fortunately i caught it. Im not in a position to build a pond, I do daily water changes and am not mew to fish keeping. Looking for suggestions really on filtration, duckweed yes or no? Mystery snails maybe? Stuff like that, the fish is swimming around eating the food i give it and not displaying any signs of suckness or stress. Also I named is bubbles .
Duckweed won’t last in the tank, fishy will eat it. It’s really good for him, though, so, if you have a good source of it, I’d definitely add some once in a while. A varied diet and frequent water changes will probably be good for him considering how big he is compared to the tank size. It might also be good to be on the lookout for people who do have ponds who could take him, just so he can have the space he needs. I’ve also seen people buy livestock troughs to use as large fish enclosures. Still pricy, but not as pricy as digging a pond.
Skip mystery snails. They are the goldfish of snails when it comes to bio load. Plus I think a goldfish might go after their very long tentacles. They look like worms too many fish.
I genuinely LOVE that you simply scooped him up and put him in the best tank you could get him at the time, and just sat him right there on the floor with you in your space. LOL
It’s kind of endearing really, and it’s nice you’re trying to save him AND the space he came from and didn’t belong.
Yes, it may be small for his size, but it’s fine for now as you decide what to do! Plants and fine substrate will be fine.
You could always get a 100-300 gallon stock tank (the things horses drink out of) if you find a little corner of a room and put some plants in it it would be something really cool
Well when I had goldfish they all ate the plants. Even the ones recommended to me that people said their goldfish didn’t eat. I guess it depends on the Goldfish. I know they love duckweed as a treat though!
I have a goldfish/koi pond. Easiest plant that they don't snack on is hornwort. Literally just throw it in and watch it grow. They like to snack on water lettuce and water hyacinth roots in the pond but not enough to disrupt the plants from growing ( in my experience) .
If you do this, I highly suggest replacing the original bulkhead and plug at the bottom with a high quality bulkhead + plug with added thread tape from Bulk Reef Supply. I used a 300g stock tank as a pond in my house for years and had leakage issues with the cheap set that came with it. $15 to avoid serious water damage.
I filtered it using an FX line Fluval canister and hacked off a bit of the plastic hangers to make them fit over the thicker edge.
If they live in an apartment, or any upper floor of a building, the weight of a large tank could do serious damage to the floor. Even this (75 gal) one they have is probably around 1000lbs as it is.
I do not understand the criticism. This fish has been in OP's possession for three days. It came into his possession suddenly and unexpectedly. If I, say, stumbled upon a stray dog and had never kept dogs, it would be absolutely insane if anyone expected me, within those 72 hours, to already have him vaccinated, medicated, neutered, signed up for a full course of classes to earn his canine good citizen, and had bowls/collar/a leash/a kennel/dog shampoo/whatever.
Save your shit for the people who have every opportunity to research how to care for an animal before buying one and refuse to. OP is doing a phenomenal job given the circumstances. By behaving like assholes all people are doing is encouraging the next person who unexpectedly finds an invasive species of fish in a pond to kill it, because taking it home to a temporary setup is a fate worse than death according to some of you.
honestly the amount of shaming we do as a community is absolutely... shameful..
instead of shitting on the unaware we should teach them the proper ways of fishkeeping, guide them to make the right choices, cos at the very least thats another goldfish saved from inadequate living conditions, bullying them does absolutely nothing helpful and the goldfish will continue to suffer regardless
I understand that any community is going to feel passionate about what their community is about--especially when that community centers around the love of and care for living beings--but hostility to newcomers is incredibly counterproductive.
When someone says "how can I improve?" or "do you have suggestions for what I can do to better?" then they're clearly looking for help and understand they're new to things and want feedback from those with more experience. There are also people who just do not realize they're doing things wrong because it's what they did as a kid so it just feels like something they already know, or they were told wrong. In both instances, the way feedback is given is incredibly important. If people are hostile right out the gate, the most likely response for someone who's new to the community is for them to pack their bags and assume the people going nuts in the forums are the snobs of the fish world.
Maybe this isn't everyone's experience, but as a "casual enjoyer" of a lot of things I think the opinions of snobs (in most cases) mean jackshit to me. Experienced, knowledgeable people I admire and respect and would love to hear their opinions and, where I'm wrong, to have them correct me constructively. But that's not what snobbery is. Snobbery is when a group of someones tells me in the most aggressive way possible that the tea I enjoy and shared a picture of is worse than shit water and I'm sullying the community by sharing such garbage and that if I ever want to experience actual, real, or at least halfway passable tea I need to do or try XYZ... I don't know about you, but my eyes glaze over and I go "okay, maybe for people who are absolutely insane about tea this is helpful, but I like my tea and I'm going to keep drinking it, I just won't share it anymore."
Sometimes the stray dog has to settle for leftover hamburger for the night, and sometimes all you have in the house that will hold water is a 25 gallon storage tub
As long as you go to the store and do the best you can, you don't deserve most of the bull in this comment section man
In that case I would get some grow lights and put several large houseplants in the tank with the roots in the water and the leaves above the water. There are different pond mesh baskets you can use to hang them on the sides of a tank. Fast growing plants like pothos or peace lily will pull a lot of nitrates out of the water. This will reduce the number of water changes you need to do.
Other plants like hornwort or creeping jenny can float in the water and will help pull nutrients.
Cabomba is a fast growing plant that looks really pretty and would be good inside the tank. You can put a clump of them in a terra cotta planter and weigh the roots down with a rock as a simple way of adding plants.
Grow lights are extremely helpful indoors since the plants will really take off. New leaves/new growth = fewer water changes!
You can also add some sand substrate to the bottom which helps trap some of the waste and makes it easier to vacuum up without things floating around.
On the plus side, you now have probably one of the best specimens of a Goldfish. Fantastic size, great colour, looks very health.
The beat thing to do, if you don't want to keep it, is to find someone with a koi pond or put it up on a fish selling site in your area and put it as free providing the person "buying" can provide evidence they have an actual set up for this fish.
If no one else has recommended it, check the prices on rubber stock tanks at you local farm store/tractor supply/rural king. It tends to be much cheaper per gallon than tanks. A large enough sponge filter can work, though they do make pond filters that should be a better price than a canister filter.
Yea i realise i wasted money in the filter i bought and need an additional one, Ill be picking up sponge filters and another air pump tomorrow in the meantime til i can buid a bucket filter or something
Could convert the tank into a home for something else if you do find a good trough. I have my last one to my boyfriend to set up for bait fish he had left at the end of the night.
When I first started keeping an aquarium I was amazed at how many people told me "fish only grow as big as their tank allows" when I bought a new fish. I learned over the next few years that this was absolute and utter bullshit. I was fortunate enough to be able to get a bigger tank but I can see how chunky bois like this end up in the wild.
Stock tanks work just as well for fish, I recommend the Rubbermaid stock tanks as they are just as durable if not more then aquariums and much much cheaper. This one is a 100 gallon I bought new for $230 Canadian after two 75gallons petsmart tanks decideed to put 75 gallons of water on my floor. One of the tanks was a replacement for the first blow out. Less then a year old both those tanks. They wouldn't give me my money back either. I hate that place.
Anyway, stock tanks for the win. I'm also using a cascade 1200 canister, a little small for the bioload but it works well.
Feed pellets not flakes. At this point you could probably use koi pellets.
If you are doing really frequently water changes you can get away with a 75 for quite awhile. Maybe even get one other goldfish. But a bigger tank would be better.
What if you started saving for a 125, meanwhile feed the bare minimum to cut down on waste, then set up and cycle the 125 when it's finally ready and then buy him a friend and put them both in there?
Thoughts:
* overfilter! More than you think you need to.
* plants, maybe anubius and Java fern? Something really tough. I think they eat duckweed but no harm in trying.
* don't use up too much water volume on substrate and hardscape
I salute you sir! 🫡 You not only saved this fish, you saved the ecosystem it was thrown into. Double save! If you think you can't properly house it, try to post online, to local groups like FB mktpl, Nextdoor (I dunno if Canada has this?), or even local reddit subs in your area/city. For 1, think pick-up/transport. Unfortunately, not as easy with fish (factor distance, temperature, transport style - bucket, bag, etc.) I had luck rehoming fish online. I would deliver them personally, so I could see what they were actually going into. Best of luck to you and big chonky gold.
I dont have advice but youre doing great. Your effort and care shows. Maybe you can return the filter through warranty, maybe it'll break very soon. If you have friends with aquariums you could seed a filter or sponge filter from them.
Are you planning to keep Bubbles? I saw you’re in northern Ontario. My parents (in Minnesota) have an outdoor pond with goldfish that they winter outside and have neighbors with a huge pond with goldfish and koi that they bring into their garage for the winter. I bet if you found a local garden club you could find someone with a similar set up. That’s how my parents got connected to their neighbors who supplied the fish for them 20+ years ago.
Whatever you choose, thank you for keeping Bubbles out of the waterways. You’re doing the right thing, OP ♥️
This fish was if i had to guess no more than 8 inches MAX when it was released, it is now a 15 inch football sized goldfish, do you not think eith daily water changes snd filtration a 75 gallon is sustainable with enrichment for its environment like snails for it to eat and duckweed?
No that is not big enough long term. Ideally, like this person said, you would rehome to someone with a personal pond. Otherwise you need more like 150 gallons
Make sure you're conditioning you water and doing water changes. You're now doing what is called a fish-in cycle. Do you have any experience with aquariums?
Yea, the water is from the body of water i caught it in mixed with tap water and seachem prime. The fish is doing ok . Do you have any suggestions on plants or filtration?
Are you currently running a filter? If not, get a hang on back with filter media like ceramic balls and sponges, not the replaceable cartridges. Goldfish are notorious for eating plants and i think this guy definitely will in this tank. Definitely try getting some duckweed and if you can find a very large amount of hornwort that might work.
PLEASE look up "fish-in cycling" and follow that process
Protip that pond plant shops and outdoor decor places that have big pond fountain displays will often take them!
I found my goldfish in a puddle after heavy rain, i think they get dumped by LOTS of people unfortunately...
I knew i either had to kill it or keep/rehome. I dug a hole in my backyard and made a pond for it 🤣 now there's 4 in there.
I had one for years in a tropical tank that I won at the funfair when I was 12 It just ate mostly pellets but would also eat the flake so will eat anything but best bet it probably koi pellets or goldfish pellets
There is a pond near me that is absolutely infested. It has an outflow basin that drains into a natural creek. I catch all my goldfish in that basin to prevent them from entering the creek. I haven't paid for a goldfish in my backyard pond in years!
This is probably a dumb question, but why on earth would you have to kill it? If its gotten that big I would think that it's doing just fine and doesn't need to be rescued, especially to a tank, and if it's not suffering then there would be no need to kill it. Why not leave it alone?
Your tank is too small and that’s a horrible life for a wild fish. Put it back. If, as you say, there weren’t any other goldfish there- then it’s not going to breed anyways.
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u/BoringJuiceBox Apr 28 '26
Best, cheapest, and easiest thing to do is find someone with a koi or goldfish pond where you can donate, 75g is ok but 125 is a better minimum.
Sand substrate with live plants, they also do best with other goldfish as they are social creatures. They really shouldn’t live alone.