12 yr old goldfish... Should I mix with other fish

Plascebo · 26-01-2009 12:33PM #1

Looking for some advice. Have a goldfish 12 years now, he has been on his own for 11 years. The other fish tormented him, chasing him around the tank, nipping his tail etc. so when he died I decided to give him a break and not get a new fish (didn't think he would last this long).

Anyways got a new fish tank with two fish and am wondering if I should try put the old fish in the new tank with his 2 neighbours? Am afraid the shock might kill him yet feel he must be bored out of his mind and it might do him the world of good?

20goto10 · 26-01-2009 12:39PM

I've also been wondering the same thing about my lone goldfish. It used to have a buddy but it died, in my case the one who died was being bullied. I figure it wanted the tank to itself so I didn't replace the dead one.

Are they territorial creatures? If I get a new one will he see it as someone invading his patch? Will they get used to each other or will they fight to the death?

kazza90210 · 26-01-2009 01:07PM

Not 100% sure about this but i dont think you can just put fish in together as fish carry bacteria in their scales and this can kill you existing fish.

daviddwyer · 26-01-2009 08:05PM

I asked the same question a few months ago. My lad was on his own (8 years) and moved him into a tank with the others last october. Everything grand - touch wood!! In my case my original fish was larger than the others - dont know if that helped but he seems to be the boss in there and has outlived some of his younger counterparts!!

Rory123 · 26-01-2009 08:29PM

Plascebo wrote: »

Looking for some advice. Have a goldfish 12 years now, he has been on his own for 11 years. The other fish tormented him, chasing him around the tank, nipping his tail etc. so when he died I decided to give him a break and not get a new fish (didn't think he would last this long).

Anyways got a new fish tank with two fish and am wondering if I should try put the old fish in the new tank with his 2 neighbours? Am afraid the shock might kill him yet feel he must be bored out of his mind and it might do him the world of good?

Is this new fish tank coldwater or tropical. If it is tropical don't put the goldfish in as the warmer water will cause the goldfish to grow rapidly, it will also probably cause any other tropical fish to die as goldfish carry many diseases that may not effect their own species.

If you are putting the fish into a coldwater tank do it when you will have a day at home so you can moniter how the fish interact. Maybe try putting the goldfish into a small plastic fish bowl, which you can then float in the larger fish tank to allow the fish to get used to being close for a few days before they get into full contact. They should get on fine.

Plascebo · 27-01-2009 11:53AM

daviddwyer wrote: »

I asked the same question a few months ago. My lad was on his own (8 years) and moved him into a tank with the others last october. Everything grand - touch wood!! In my case my original fish was larger than the others - dont know if that helped but he seems to be the boss in there and has outlived some of his younger counterparts!!

Thanks David, glad to hear it worked out well for you, the only difference I would have is that the two fish in the bigger tank are actually a bit larger than the older fish. And one of them doesn't look the best for the last few days, top fin has been kept down, and he spends most of the day near the top of the tank, hopefully he is just a bit stressed with the new environs, complete tank change etc.

Rory123 wrote: »

Is this new fish tank coldwater or tropical. If it is tropical don't put the goldfish in as the warmer water will cause the goldfish to grow rapidly, it will also probably cause any other tropical fish to die as goldfish carry many diseases that may not effect their own species.

If you are putting the fish into a coldwater tank do it when you will have a day at home so you can moniter how the fish interact. Maybe try putting the goldfish into a small plastic fish bowl, which you can then float in the larger fish tank to allow the fish to get used to being close for a few days before they get into full contact. They should get on fine.

Thanks, was actually thinking to do it some saturday afternoon so I could keep an eye on them for an hour or so.

edit, they are both cold water tanks

cbond · 27-01-2009 01:48PM

The biggest killer of goldfish is stress caused by lack of space like fish bowls so make sure you keep your fish in a good sized tank.

Plascebo · 27-01-2009 02:35PM

cbond wrote: »

The biggest killer of goldfish is stress caused by lack of space like fish bowls so make sure you keep your fish in a good sized tank.

Have the old goldfish in a large octagonal tank, it is more than big enough for him at the moment, and the one I am contemplating putting him into with the 2 other fish is 2 foot long, should be enough room for 3 fish? It is the stress of sharing with new fish I am worried will kill him.

Het-Field · 30-01-2009 12:45AM

20goto10 wrote: »

I've also been wondering the same thing about my lone goldfish. It used to have a buddy but it died, in my case the one who died was being bullied. I figure it wanted the tank to itself so I didn't replace the dead one.

Are they territorial creatures? If I get a new one will he see it as someone invading his patch? Will they get used to each other or will they fight to the death?

I had two goldfish. However, the first was gone within a month. He caught a fungal infection. He turned black, and used bob at the surface reticently. I knew something was up, and I kept changing the water each day. When I first got the two the used be racing around and they seemed to enjoy each other. When the first one died, it almost broke my heart to see the other one, who was clearly aware that there was something wrong with the other. He kept giving it a slight nuzzle from the side with its nose, as the other floated lifeless. I buried it in the garden, and decided I would look after the remaining fish as best I could. He is still with me to this day !!! And I dont want another one !

Carraigrock · 30-01-2009 02:24AM

Het-Field wrote: »

He kept giving it a slight nuzzle from the side with its nose, as the other floated lifeless.

yeah....he was eating it...

20goto10 · 30-01-2009 08:53AM

Carraigrock wrote: »

yeah....he was eating it...

I thought my two were showing signs of affection until the one who died got so sick he was just sitting on the bottom, while the other one sat on top of it!! Then I started thinking maybe they weren't running around in affection to each other, maybe the big one was bullying the sick one. It was always him chasing the other one, never the other way around and the one who eventually died was constantly getting sick while the other one was fit as a fiddle.

Thats why I'm worried about introducing a new fish to the tank. But on the other hand he must be very lonely. The frequency of which he gets sick is increasing too, it does seem like its depressed...if thats possible.

So people seem to think its ok but keep an eye on them, is that right? What if they don't get on, what then? I don't want 2 fish in separate tanks!

Sorry if I'm hijacking the thread by the way, no point starting a separate one on the same subject.

ballaghman · 01-03-2009 09:56PM

I have a 12 year old goldfish too, I am going away for 8 weeks, would he survive on weekend food?

The_Conductor · 02-03-2009 07:01AM

ballaghman wrote: »

I have a 12 year old goldfish too, I am going away for 8 weeks, would he survive on weekend food?

In short- no.
You can't leave the fish alone for 2 months and expect it to be ok......

Is it not possible to get someone to pop in every couple of days and give it a block of vacation food and some plants to nibble on?

We go away regularly- and have a large tank (180 litre) with about 12 large fish in it (goldfish, koi, shibuncans, a pleco and a few others). We make sure we leave them sufficient vacation food (the gel based food- not the weekend blocks that never dissolve) along with armfulls of elodea dendrans that I clean of snails in a bucket of dilute salt water. I have the grow-light on a timer and a minimal amount of plant food present. With this setup the very max I would leave the fish untended is 2 weeks- anything longer and I organise a carer to checkup on them. Ps- my fish enjoy eating the plants far more than they do the vacation food......

You are being totally unrealistic expecting to leave the fish for 2 months and then to come back to it.........

12 yr old goldfish... Should I mix with other fish

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