FORGET THE GOLDFISH!!!!!!!!!

[poltroon]

We have huge stock tanks (300 gallon), and the fish seem happy enough. I’ve only had one die in 2 1/2 years. Without fish, the top of the tank is covered in mosquito larvae within two days.

Dumping a tank of that size weekly is not practical. Having a huge volume of water to work with ensures that there is always enough water in summer and seems to be enough for the fish.

My mare is in with fresh buckets at night, and usually the first thing she does in the morning is head out to the fish water for a nice drink.

[BeastieSlave]

We have large concrete water troughs at the farm and you’d better believe I’m not going to drain and scrub those things! There were goldfish in the tanks before I got there 10 years ago and they’re still going strong. A couple died and a couple were added over the years, but they are absolutely no problem

[Seven-up]

Well, personally, I don’t think the goldfish I used to have were abused enough. So whenever I thought they were looking a little too full of themselves, I took them out of the tank and beat them. Then I put them back. If they really thought it was that bad, wouldn’t they have left me? I had those suckers for years.

:winkgrin:

[Cielo_Azure]

What wrong with all your horses? Mine “swim” in the tank on almost a daily basis in the summer. Keep goldfish? Only if they like to be tossed out to sun bath in the Georgia clay.

Biggest mistake I did in 2007 was buying one of those 350 galleon tanks. My three horses take turns trying to LAY down in it. I have to refill almost daily. It is too big to cover the top with ply and was too expensive to make into a hot tub!

Nothing like watching 350 galleons of water being splashed about by a ninteen hand, one ton horse! Whee!

(Splish, Splash, I am taken a bath).

(when I empty my tanks and kill all those mosquito larva, is that abuse too? Or does not that not count, because they haven’t actually been born yet? I woudn’t want to be abusive.)

[ManyDogs]

:lol::lol::lol:
When we lived in the Caribbean, everyone had cisterns for their supply of water. This was rain off the roof into the gutter into the cistern water. I did boil our drinking water and dish water. The only hot water was for the shower-no hot water in the kitchen or bathroom sinks. :yes:
Every month, the little man from the island government would knock on each door and ask if we wanted chemicals or guppies in our cistern. We chose guppies. Either choice was to prevent mosquitoes that could carry Denge Fever. I did look into the cistern once. Major mistake. A lot of leaves and gunk in the bottom. Ugh.
When I would visit the States, I could smell the chlorine in the drinking water as soon as I turned the tap on.
I did turn the faucet on in the bathroom once and a guppy came out.

I don’t think my horses would mind goldfish water.

[511]

How can horse lovers be such fish haters?

I will not tell Albert Finny and Lawrence Fishbourn that they are dirty fishies.

[anita_m]

Our horses drink from a spring-fed pond, and also from the cisterns that are fed from the pond. Lots of algae, lots of fish. The horses love the taste. As long as the water keeps circulating fresh, there shouldn’t be a problem with fish in the tank, but certainly not if it’s a stagnant or “closed” tank.

[tikihorse2]

This thread is HILARIOUS!!!

Goldfish abusers, who’da thunk! What about the horses who swallow the fishies? I remember another “goldfish in the water tank” thread where someone said her horse purposely drank (ate?) the fish in her tank…

“Um, PETA? I’d like to report some goldfish abuse.”

“Really!? And just who is abusing those poor little sea-kittens!”

“Well, he’s about 16hh, chestnut, 4 years old, with a white blaze on his forehead…”

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

Kim

[dghunter]

[QUOTE=Cielo Azure;4058648]
What wrong with all your horses? Mine “swim” in the tank on almost a daily basis in the summer. Keep goldfish? Only if they like to be tossed out to sun bath in the Georgia clay.

Biggest mistake I did in 2007 was buying one of those 350 galleon tanks. My three horses take turns trying to LAY down in it. I have to refill almost daily. It is too big to cover the top with ply and was too expensive to make into a hot tub!

Nothing like watching 350 galleons of water being splashed about by a ninteen hand, one ton horse! Whee!

(Splish, Splash, I am taken a bath).

(when I empty my tanks and kill all those mosquito larva, is that abuse too? Or does not that not count, because they haven’t actually been born yet? I woudn’t want to be abusive.)[/QUOTE]

OMG I could totally see our one horse at the barn doing this! If they ever suggest big tanks I will have to tell them about your horse and ask them if they want him doing the same thing :lol:

[yventer]

[QUOTE=tikihorse2;4058802]
This thread is HILARIOUS!!!

Goldfish abusers, who’da thunk! What about the horses who swallow the fishies? I remember another “goldfish in the water tank” thread where someone said her horse purposely drank (ate?) the fish in her tank…

“Um, PETA? I’d like to report some goldfish abuse.”]

I had a boarder’s mare that would eat them! I couldn’t figure out where they were going, until I caught her one day with the little orange tail fin flopping out of the side of her mouth. “Drop that fish, you mare!” I yelled. She looked at me and swallowed. True story.

[MelantheLLC]

Don’t Icelandic horses eat fish?

[sketcher]

[QUOTE=Cielo Azure;4058648]
Keep goldfish? Only if they like to be tossed out to sun bath in the Georgia clay.[/QUOTE]

Yumm…Fried fish!!

[dr_j]

[QUOTE=yventer;4058843]

[QUOTE=tikihorse2;4058802]This thread is HILARIOUS!!!

“Um, PETA? I’d like to report some goldfish abuse.”]

I had a boarder’s mare that would eat them! I couldn’t figure out where they were going, until I caught her one day with the little orange tail fin flopping out of the side of her mouth. “Drop that fish, you mare!” I yelled. She looked at me and swallowed. True story.[/QUOTE]

LOL!

I do believe PETA has officially changed all fishes names to “sea kittens” to make them sound more “cuddly”. YEAH!!!

I think I am going to explore the whole fishes in the tank thing. The only problem I will have - keeping my children out of the tank! ( But it may get me off the hook for redoing the fish tank in the house!)

[Hampton_Bay]

I have a bunch of minnows in my 400 gallon tank. The water is clean, and the mosquitos can’t breed. We just overflow the tank for a while every couple days or week. The horses would much rather drink from the “dirty” tank with the fish and algae than the spotlessly clean one.

And I agree, no way am I draining and cleaning the 400 gallon tank weekly. Not only would I have a whole huge swarm of mosquitos by then, but draining that thing is pretty much impossible to do in a day. The drain is rusted shut, so the water has to be siphoned out. That takes about a day or two. Just not practical.

[Casey09]

Hmm.
I have a bunch of goldfish in an outdoor pond. My understanding is that the water has to be moving (to provide oxygen to the fish) in warm weather, and that for the whole process to work, you’ve got to have a lot of plants in there. It does get algae on the sides - the goldfish don’t seem to eat that much of it. The water usually gets pretty clear - but only after the plants are in (and in cold weather). Every spring, it goes through an “algae bloom” and is green until it has a lot of plants in it. They do eat the bugs, though.

[Seven-up]

Sea kittens!!:lol:

When I did have goldfish, the tank was always cleaner than the one that I had to clean. The water was always clear and you could see right down to the bottom; no funk anywhere.

My TB usually ignored them but the Arab used to try to go fishing a lot. So the fish learned pretty quickly to swim down to the bottom whenever a giant head appeared.

I don’t think fish would last five minutes with one of the horses I have now. In the summertime it’s commonplace to walk out and see her standing with both front legs in the trough (if she could fit all 4 in there she would) splashing around merrily. I think she’d be thrilled with the sunken horse spa idea! It’s real cute but she keeps smashing the auto-filler.

[jilltx]

[QUOTE=Auventera Two;4057784]
I think you mean “nitrification” process.

And just for clarification - nitrosomonas and nitrobacter do not “eat the fish waste.” They consume amonia and nitrite and excrete the safer chemical nitrate, as their own waste product. Fish poop and all organic matter must begin to decompose before the beneficial bacteria can utilize it as a food source. This can take WEEKS. ;)[/QUOTE]

…and fish waste is NOT primarily AMONIA?? Okay. That can be your little secret. If you read my OTHER posts, I also stated that it can take a month or more to get the process started.

Pardon me for not spelling “nitrification” process correctly. It’s been awhile since basic marine biology and I was trying to quickly type a response before leaving the house. My bad.

My little seakittens seem perfectly happy in their HUGE 350 gallon tank as well as the numerous fish I keep in my tank and pond. I suppose you can turn me over to PETA now for fish abuse. :rolleyes:

[Beverley]

Oh, good grief

Some of y’all are way overthinking. Goldfish in the tank is fine, and fun. Been done for decades. No prosecutions for animal abuse yet.

[Laytian]

[QUOTE=yventer;4058843]

I had a boarder’s mare that would eat them! I couldn’t figure out where they were going, until I caught her one day with the little orange tail fin flopping out of the side of her mouth. “Drop that fish, you mare!” I yelled. She looked at me and swallowed. True story.[/QUOTE]

Mmmm-mmm, says the mare. Sushi! :lol::lol::D:p:cool:

[Foxtrot_s]

Your horses drink out of a septic tank, in fact.