Keeping several goldfish at college? I have no money/time to buy a tank?

my friends and I won several goldfish at a carnival thing. but we realized we don't have space or $ to buy all that fancy stuff for them. we're keeping them in a big waterbottle...and i'm gonna buy food for them later. i'm taking them home with me in 2 weeks, but I don't know if they'll be alive then b/c they're in such a poor environment. any tips on how to keep them alive with limited materials?Keeping several goldfish at college? I have no money/time to buy a tank?
You need to find someone with a proper tank, or better yet a pond...... those fish will NOT survive otherwise.Keeping several goldfish at college? I have no money/time to buy a tank?
if you have a set of drawers, like the clear plastic ones, they work great, ive kept lots of goldfish in there over the years and not one of them lasted less than two months
Nope they definitely won't stay alive. Most carnival goldfish are Comet Goldfish, which have the capability to grow up to 2 feet long. Leaving them in smaller tanks will only stunt them, meaning the bodies will stop growing, but their organs won't.



The very minimum for a Comet Goldfish is a 55+ gallon tank and an excellent canister filter. So if you have several (lets say you have 5), then you'll need a 200+ gallon pond.



I suggest you give them to another hobbyist who is willing to properly take care of them. Because if you leave them in that small waterbottle for 2 weeks, they'll probably die of ammonia/nitrite poisoning, or being stunted.



E-mail me for any questions!
Bring Them To A Petshop They Will Take Them In The Fish Will Barrely Last A Couple Of Days
Despite what people will tell you, you don't need a 100 gallon tank with a heater/filter/gravel..yadda yadda. But a water bottle might be a tad too small for them. Unless you mean those big jugs of water, then that's fine. If it's a water bottle, just try to find or borrow a fruit bowl or vase or anything. It'll be better than a water bottle. For food, you don't have to buy any. Goldfish are like the goats of the sea. They'll eat anything. You can feed them fruit, such as oranges, grapes, peas, cucumber..just make sure to wash and peel them. They also eat cereal. Just make sure you keep the water real clean. Since there isn't a filter, water changes would be essential. I suggest 2-4 50% partial water changes a week. If you don't change the water very often, the fish might get ammonia burn, which is red streaks on the fins. Then again, my mom has been able to get away with keeping carnival goldfish alive for 5 years..she only changes the water once every two weeks.



Good luck!



And btw, expect this question to get thumbs-downs. People these days spoil their fish and still call themselves fish keepers.
The only chance they have in that environment is to keep the water low enough that you get maximum surface to air contact and do at least 50% daily water changes.



However keep in mind carnival goldfish are generally comets that get over 24';. Several would need a pond to survive long term. If you don't have proper housing for them at home I would recommend trying to find a home for them with someone who can properly house them
Something i have heard to be good is to get one of them big plastic storage boxes (do NOT use the top unless you can cut part of it out). then, you can use that water bottle to replace 50% of the water a day since u won't have a filter. u will have to get two things though. food %26amp; a WATER DE-CHLORINATOR. with this stuff, you should be able to manage. also, how many goldfish??? they will each probably grow to about a foot, and you need at least 8 gallons per fish, so you may need a few boxes. probably like two per box. try to put one goldfish in the container every 3 days. if possible, float them in a plastic bag for 15 minutes, then add approx a 1/2 a cup of water the plastic bag, and wait another 15 min. repeat for about 3 times (the more times the better). so, in conclusion, you will need:



water dechlorinator

large plastic storage box(es)

food (you can use lettuce, but get the adequate food asap.)

plastic bag.



Now, if u HAVE to keep them in a water bottle, try to get them at least a water bottle per fish, and then move them all into one JUST for the ride home. also, they will very stressed in there, but you have too keep them in clean water, because of this, try to empty about half the water 2 times a day. you can do this by putting a push-pin in the side and emptying it, then pouring water in on the top. try to go with the first idea though. (also, if you ever end up trying to get a bowl or something, don't trust the petco person if they say they just need a small bowl. remember, it is much easier to sell a small, inoficient bowl than a large, adequate tank.) The large storage boxes, actually can be adequate if you can later attatch a filter (using the suction cups of course).



GOOD LUCK!!!



p.s. look up 'common goldfish care' for more info.
HI Stephanie, this is the problem with giving away living creatures as prizes-they end up [through the best of intentions on your part] with people who don't have any idea how to look after them %26amp; they suffer accordingly.



I would suggest finding a specialist aquarium store in your area [NOT a general pet store-they use them for feeding other fish] %26amp; see if they will take them. Otherwise try to find homes for them with people who already keep Goldfish. failing that you will need to get yourself a large storage box as a makeshift tank from a hardware store [biggest you can afford] as well as a filter %26amp; some dechlorinator for the tap water-all of these things are essential to keeping them alive.



Read though the link below %26amp; you will get a better idea of your prospective task-best of luck, feel free to email me if you have any queries but I strongly suggest trying your utmost to re-home them if they are to survive..
Take them to a pet shop or find someone who has a pond
If you won't get a tank just take them to Petsmart and give them away as feeder goldfish. They'd live a lot longer that way.