Maybe just four fish

[MissFree]

Hi all. After my lionhead died I considered the injustice that I've done all the others.

Attached is a picture of my 55 gallon tank. Originally I thought that I could get about 7-8 goldfish in this thing and hopefully watch them grow from tiny to fairly large fish.

I am realizing that I didn't account for all the ornaments and thick layer of gravel that I have in the tank.

There are currently four fish in this tank now and I do weekly 60% water changes. I'm wondering if I should take out any ornament or would I be able to maintain this tank with four fish.

I'm not too keen on the fish that are in there. I'm so I'm going to be giving them to someone else. It's possible I may have to recycle or try to fix the water conditions in there as we'll.

Please tell me what you suggest.

[fishy]

I would suggest removing any hollow ornaments-they can trap gunk and stuff and cause problems to your fish. I think it's more to do with causing bacteria problems and stagnant water. Same for the gravel-there can be pockets of anaerobic bacteria and would be harmful. Gravel also traps more food particles and stuff which means the water will not be as clean as it can be. That may be more work for you on keeping the water parameters in check. If you really like the look of gravel, maybe just remove half of it so it will be easier to clean than the amount in there now. There are different threads on koko's for both hollow ornaments and gravel that can explain better than I can. I am not sure what your four other fish are (I don't see them in the picture) so I can't say if it would be okay or not. If they are goldfish, the number in a 55 depends on their size, type and possibly plan on upgrading the tank size as they grow. Silk or real plants are safer for fish than plastic. Best of luck to you : )

[dnalex]

Lucky Fins' suggestions are fantastic, and I fully endorse them.

These bulky ornaments are nice in some other settings, but for goldfish, they can be potential hazards, as many of us have found out.

Four fish in a 55 gallon is doable, but not really recommended. I would go with 3, or even more ideally, 2. Goldfish can get huge. My biggest one is nearly one pound, and he's only 1.5 years old. So, you can imagine how much work it would be to maintain 4 of those in there. So, if you are rehoming the current fish to get some new ones, choose wisely. Best yet, get only 2 and save room for the one that you just have to have down the road.

Good luck, and please do share with us your progress.

[ahardeay]

Yes, i agree with dnalex :)I have 4 in a 55 now and they are getting HUGE, I'm looking to upgrade to a 75 after I move this summer. So if you can't upgrade in the future I would only do 2-3. I used to have that same bubble dragon in my tank and it just trapped poop and all sorts of gross stuff. I had a fish dropsy out and that was the only bacterial source possibility. Since I have taken it out I haven't had an issue. Your tank is gorgeous, but not or goldfish. I do either a bare bottom tank or sand in mine, but I know others here do very shallow gravel.

[Justin]

Yes, i agree with dnalex :)I have 4 in a 55 now and they are getting HUGE, I'm looking to upgrade to a 75 after I move this summer. So if you can't upgrade in the future I would only do 2-3. I used to have that same bubble dragon in my tank and it just trapped poop and all sorts of gross stuff. I had a fish dropsy out and that was the only bacterial source possibility. Since I have taken it out I haven't had an issue. Your tank is gorgeous, but not or goldfish. I do either a bare bottom tank or sand in mine, but I know others here do very shallow gravel.

I have 4 in a 55. (One was given to me without consent) I have to do twice weekly water changes. It's quite a hassle, but it is what you have to do if you want to keep your fish healthy. Luckily, mine are just babies, and the whole weight of them together is about 350g, and I know goldfish can get bigger than that by themselves. Luckily, the bio load is quite small for me. I also plan to upgrade come summer, but if you don't, 3, or 2 even, would be a better choice and would provide the best life possible for your goldfish!