# How much duckweed do you feed 1 goldfish?



## dekstr (Oct 23, 2007)

How much duckweed do you feed one goldfish?


I've always read that goldfish eat duckweed so I'm going to buy a black moor into a bare-bottom 10g for the purpose of eating duckweed.

Do I just leave a surface full of duckweed in an aquarium, then put the goldfish in?

Or do I put in a bit at a time like fish food?


Thanks,
Dexter


----------



## daFrimpster (Mar 7, 2005)

Put in as much as you like. It won't spoil. The goldie will munch at his or her leisure until it is gone.


----------



## dekstr (Oct 23, 2007)

Ok thanks,

I was worried of overfeeding.


----------



## Fugu (Nov 10, 2007)

Be careful though, it can give them constapation. It is not a very good food to be feeding them, a mixture of special goldfish foods, like Hikari goldfish pellets, and flake foods for goldfish, with the occasional duckweed for a treat.


----------



## TammieKaye (Nov 16, 2007)

Greens, veggies and plant matter are good for Goldfish.


----------



## jlroar (Aug 19, 2007)

Hi Dexter,

*PLEASE please* don't get a Goldfish to put in a 10 gallon tank. I suggest BEFORE getting a Goldfish you go and visit the following 2 web-sights.

http://www.goldfishparadise.com/

http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/

A Goldfish's minimum amount of livable space is 10 gallons for a moor. 20 gallons is much much easier and 30 gallons is just right for a moor. It may sound crazy and nuts but you really shouldn't place a Goldfish in anything less than a 20 gallon tank. 

The following link has the best medicated and every-day food for your Goldie. Lots and lots of vegies including de-shelled peas to prevent constipation is a must as the previous person said. Frozen peas need nuked for a minute to soften them up and the shell normally comes right off. 2 peas per fish is all you need.

http://www.goldfishconnection.com/

Goldfish can live to be 45 years old or possibly older so make sure you think carefully about getting one and way the pros and cons.

James


----------



## stagius (Nov 26, 2007)

the reason that 10g is best fit for goldfish is because they produce so much ammonia in their urine, which could rapidly lead to ammonia toxic in a very small tank or small biological filtration. However, in a planted tank, plant will happily uptake the waste as nutrient, so there is no need to worry when keeping 1 goldfish in 10g with plant. 

The only thing you might concern is to make sure you have enough swimming room for goldfish to swim since they are very an active swimmer.


----------



## stagius (Nov 26, 2007)

i myself keep 1 goldfish in 29 gallons tank less than heavily planted.


----------



## neilfishguy (Dec 16, 2007)

goldfish get big. Dont put one in a 10!!


----------



## NeverEndingNinja (Jan 4, 2008)

Stagius, he said its going to be a bare bottom tank. That means it could not have many plants in it.

I agree with the other posters. Keeping a goldfish in a 10gal is just wrong. Its like keeping a betta in a cup.


----------



## Mori (Jul 23, 2003)

It's not just the waste...it's also that even a properly half-grown goldfish will have to make a 3 point turn to change directions. 

In the meantime, keeping as much duckweed in there as possible will keep him more comfortable. Goldfish will not overeat. In my experience, duckweed moves right through a goldfish just like it ought--some people use it to combat constipation in goldfish with balance issues.


----------



## dekstr (Oct 23, 2007)

jlroar said:


> Hi Dexter,
> 
> *PLEASE please* don't get a Goldfish to put in a 10 gallon tank. I suggest BEFORE getting a Goldfish you go and visit the following 2 web-sights.
> 
> ...





stagius said:


> the reason that 10g is best fit for goldfish is because they produce so much ammonia in their urine, which could rapidly lead to ammonia toxic in a very small tank or small biological filtration. However, in a planted tank, plant will happily uptake the waste as nutrient, so there is no need to worry when keeping 1 goldfish in 10g with plant.
> 
> The only thing you might concern is to make sure you have enough swimming room for goldfish to swim since they are very an active swimmer.





neilfishguy said:


> goldfish get big. Dont put one in a 10!!





NeverEndingNinja said:


> Stagius, he said its going to be a bare bottom tank. That means it could not have many plants in it.
> 
> I agree with the other posters. Keeping a goldfish in a 10gal is just wrong. Its like keeping a betta in a cup.


Thanks for your concerns for the goldfish!

I didn't buy the black moor because it was more expensive than I thought ($10 retail). I ended up with a standard "goldfish", I don't know what variety it is. It's double tailed, has orange body and white fins.

As for the 10g dilemna, I don't think it's a major concern right now because the goldfish is still quite small (1.5"). As it gets bigger I'll move him to bigger tanks. I know goldfish need more water volume, but 10g for 1 small goldfish at the moment is not too bad. Like all stocking levels, it depends on the # of water changes you do and plant density. 10g / goldfish is more for non-planted tanks. The more important issue is swimming space. It's completely bare right now other than floating plants, so it has a lot of room to swim.

The goldfish is very active, yes, but at the same time swims quite slowly (compared to most fish) and it has all the space to move around without decor.

The tank is bare bottom, so no rooted tanks. However, there is a lot of duckweed and cardamine covering the top, does this make up for the lack of "plants"?

Thanks,
Dexter

Edit: I am not sure about this "constipation", is it true or not?

Also, I will take a picture to show just how much duckweed there is lol.


----------



## shwerm601 (Dec 16, 2007)

stagius said:


> i myself keep 1 goldfish in 29 gallons tank less than heavily planted.


What temp is the tank at? I find in my 29 gallon planted the temp is aroud 80 all the time because of the lighting and such.


----------



## TammieKaye (Nov 16, 2007)

dekstr said:


> Edit: I am not sure about this "constipation", is it true or not?


As far as I know, veggies and plant matter work exactly the opposite. Peas are recommended to relieve it, so I am not getting how plants could cause it. I keep my golds with a ton of anacharis, which is a free salad bar to them. Never have had an issue with constipation.


----------



## Mori (Jul 23, 2003)

Duckweed is a great sponge for nutrients--it'll help with water quality a bunch. It'll also help grow a nice healthy fish. Definitely counts as a plant! 

Your lil oranda isn't going to ever be a crazy lightning swimmer. They're a little wimpy in that department. So he'll do much better in a 10 gallon than a common or comet type. But if you get him in a larger tank sooner rather than later, you'll have a softball-sized duckweed eater.

The websites listed above are pretty good for GF care.


----------



## Lotsofish (Aug 11, 2007)

Just wanted to mention that I have 5 fancy goldfish in a 90 gallon tank with a large Eheim 2028 canister and also the larger Emperor biowheel HOB filter along with a UV and a phosphate reactor. The filtration barely keeps up with them so I do 30% water changes weekly.

The largest one is about a foot total length and over a pound. I love them but they do require a lot of care and a lot of tank. They will also eat plants so don't even consider a planted tank for them.


----------

