1.5 Gallon Fish Tank

a tetra typically likes to be with a group of other tetras.

he would not be verra happy hangin' with a goldie in a small tank.

(they are schooling fish)

do you think the goldfish is ok alone?

prolly.

get a second one if you are concerned.

(course then you might get a family and then be forced to upgrade their housing)

would 2 be ok in a little tank like that?

I think so, but I don't do goldie's, and I don't have anything that small.

keep it clean...

I clean the tank out a few times a week (take some of the dirty water out and replace with fresh) and like I said there is a filter but goldfish are so dirty I don't want to kill them if I put too many in a small space.

My daughter had her pick of all the fish there....and she picked a gold goldfish. Not even a black one or white one. Just a simple, little gold fish.

I think it's wiser to add another goldfish - rather than adding a tetra. They do best and live longer with another of their same kind. Goldfish can tolerate 1.5 gal tank if the other is of similar size.

Also don't overfeed. A small pinch of dry food the size of their eye is all you need. They should not have excess food sitting in that tank for more than 5 minutes.

I made the mistake of telling the lady at the pet store that we had another fish and she wouldn't sell me another one, stating that 2 goldfish require at least a 10 gal tank.

Silly. My little girl was crushed! She really wanted a friend for Chris (that's her goldfish's name).

A 10 gallon tank probably only costs $10.

of course it is cheap. $10 is about right. Craiglist and local Pennysaver weeklies at convenience stores will list lots of them. Just make sure they don't leak first.

A good inexpensive environment for a smaller goldfish is about 10 gal. Understand that a 1.5-gal-tank is basically equivalent to jail. It'll keep a small goldfish alive for perhaps about 6-12 months. I've used such a tank as a hospital tank.

That being said, goldfish are very adaptive and sometimes will surprise you with what they'll tolerate. In fact, in outside LARGE ponds, they can live below 50 deg temps. But what hurts their longevity indoors is crowding them in a tiny space. Goldfish as a rule will keep growing in size in larger tanks. I hope that the person who wouldn't sell you another goldfish is not the one that sold you that tiny 1.5 gal tank.

As I wrote before, find a new or used 10 gal and get a larger filter. Otherwise, a single goldfish in such a small tank is on borrowed time. That would be far more crushing for your young child.

It's not the price, it's the space.

And seriously, where are you that you can get a 10 gallon tank for $10? I even looked on craigslist and they were selling $25 and up.

As has already been mentioned, putting a Tetra isn't a great idea. They aren't even from the same environment (Tetra is a tropical fish and these have different needs (food, temperature, etc) that aren't very compatible.

Also, there is a general rule in aquarium keeping for one gallon of water for every inch of fish. It's not a hard-and-fast rule but goldfish are particularly dirty and 1.5 gallons is pretty darn small. You may be pushing it by adding a fish.

I've seen them for $10 at the local petsmart or petco. They're basic, like this.

http://www.cheappetproducts.net/10GAL_TANK_BLACK_20X10X12__ECONOMY_-P49373.html

Not silly at all and a good lesson for your little girl: Living things have special needs and when we try and force our human will on them we make them miserable or dead. This is a nice opportunity to teach your daughter about the importance of finding out about what a pet needs to be happy and healthy. If you don't have the space, don't get the additional pet.

I know but it's hard to see your kids unhappy.

I am going to the pet store today to see if I can find a cheap 10 gal.

I think if you explain, in terms she can understand, that you have to do what is best for the animal she will be fine. She will feel really good when she sees you went to the extra effort to make the fish happy. I think most children want to do the right thing, and getting the larger tank or staying with one fish is the right thing.

You may also try to teach her that fish don't feel the same way humans feel. Kids in particular tend to anthropomorphize animals due to cartoons, movies, and fairy tales.

Fish emotions, if any exist, do not mimic human emotions (cannot). A fish probably doesn't 'feel' lonely. It probably does have physical reactions to being in a small tank, and physical reactions to being around another fish, but human emotions are one thing that a fish does not have.