# Fish in a Two gallon tank



## Yissi Chavilev (Jul 6, 2019)

Hello! 

I have a two gallon tank with a light and filter, and keep two goldfish, and two guppies inside. They have many plants and hiding spots, and thus far seem happy swimming around and hiding in little spots. Is it wrong to keep four fish in two gallons? I hear so many people adhere to one fish per gallon. But, mine don’t pace the sides or act any different than they did in the 20 gallon tank I got them from! Any advice on keeping fish in a small tank- and keeping guppies and goldfish together? One of my guppies will be having babies soon, and I want to minimalize the amount of little fry eaten by them!


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

Two gallons is, what, about 9 litres?  Way too small for any fish at all, even teeny ones.

Goldfish can grow to over 12 inches long. The myth about them "growing to the size of the tank" is an old wives' tale - what really happens is that their external growth is stunted in a small tank but their internal organs keep on growing, leading to a slow and excruciating death. Kept properly, goldfish should live 20+ years.

Goldfish are also messy fish that produce a lot of waste. In such a small volume of water, ammonia will build up very quickly, effectively poisoning the fish. There's no way that a filter in a 9L tank will be able to cope with a goldfish's output.

PLEASE get your fish a larger tank as a matter of urgency. For two goldfish, you should be looking at 150L or more. If they're single-tailed goldfish rather than fancies, they need even more space and should ideally be in a filtered pond. If you are unable to get a large enough tank, please rehome these fish.

Guppies, meanwhile, are tropical fish and shouldn't be kept in an unheated tank. They may be coping OK in the current hot weather, but once temperatures drop they're going to be struggling. They need a heated and filtered tank of at least 30L - more if you're going to be breeding them (and remember that livebearers are extremely prolific breeders, so your numbers can rise pretty quickly!) It's also easier to keep the water chemistry stable in a larger tank - and water chemistry is the single most important factor involved in keeping your fish healthy.


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