New Aquarium

by Bossmare
(Lexington Kentucky)

We have a new 10 gallon aquarium.

Every pet store in town says that is not big enough. We only have 1 goldfish and she would like to get at least 2 more. Is the 10 gallon suitable ( with filtration) or not.... Thanks

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Grant’s Reply


Hi Bossmare

Without knowing all the facts, it is easy to generalize and say a 10 gallon aquarium is too small.

Despite the fish we see being sold in pet shops, Goldfish can grow into large fish. The Comet will reach 8 inches in body length in the right conditions.

As I don't have a lot to go on, I will also generalize.

Having a filter is a great start. Assuming it isn't an under gravel type, it should turn the water over twice an hour, in other words its outflow should be around 20 gph (gallons per hour).

A filter doubles the number of fish "inches" that can be kept in the aquarium.

It is the surface area that dictates how many fish you can keep in an aquarium, not the number of gallons it holds.

A tall narrow 10 gallon aquarium won't hold as many fish as a squat oblong one will.

Assuming your aquarium is say 24"x10"x10", that would give you 240 square inches of surface area.

Under ideal conditions, with fresh cool clean water you could keep one 10 inch fish in the aquarium. With filtration 2 10 inch fish.

However, there is a down side. Fish that size would produce a huge amount of waste products which would require a daily water change, even with a filter.

I would aim for 3 fish with a body length of no more than 3 inches each. This will give the fish the opportunity to grow if conditions are good.

This number of fish this size will require a weekly 50% water change to maintain the water in good condition.

To Read more about aquariums and filters click here...