Lizard tank to Fish tank

[elderberry99]

My neighbor and I were talking about the fish in my pond, and how I want to bring them in during the winter months, but needed a tank. The neighbor offered to me a 10 gallon tank that her son used to house a lizard in.
What I need to know is will it be safe to change over to a fish tank and keep the gold fish in this tank without any problems.
What would be a good way to clean this tank out on the inside?
I also have my 55 gallon tank coming in from my LFS within this next week. What should I do to prep the tank for cleaning? I already know about the fishless cycling. I just want to make shre the tank is clean and fish friendly before starting the cycling.

[Lotus]

To be honest, a 10g tank isn't going to be enough room for your goldfish. You really need about 10g per fish. Believe me, they'll be pretty big by the end of summer. A lot of people use something like a kiddie pool, a rubbermaid container or a horse trough to put their goldfish in during the winter.

All you really need to do is use some vinegar or bleach and water to clean a used fish tank. If you used bleach, just dechlorinate well on the last rinse, and leave to dry.

[elderberry99]

You really don't think the 10 gallon tank will hold the five fish for a couple months? They are only about two inches each now!

[Mercury]

Originally Posted by Lotus

Believe me, they'll be pretty big by the end of summer.

Lotus is right.

[elderberry99]

I guess I will just have to let the wife make arrangements to house her fish this winter. I wanted her to get a 30 gallon tank for that reason, but she did not want to get into a tank and allthat goes with it. Once she sees my tank up and running, I am willing to bet we will be getting the second tank.

[Lotus]

Goldfish usuallly grow like crazy in a pond during the summer. Maybe take a look at the situation when it starts getting colder. What's the minimum temp in winter where you are?

[elderberry99]

Very hard to say lotus. Temps dive and rise here. It's crazy sometimes. We had some days in the teens, while other days hung arounf 40.

[jediinthedark]

We're in Maryland, and my Dad has two outdoor ponds and the goldfish winter over in the ponds just fine.
How deep is the pond? When I was helping my Dad build the ponds we made sure that they were at least 20 inches deep so that there would still be liquid water at the bottom. We also float a pond heater.
Goldfish in the winter here almost go dormant without the heater. With the heater they are a little more active. It's funny watching them swim under the ice.

If we've had success wintering the fish over here in MD then I would think you'll be fine in NC.

Jonathan

[AlyKat]

I started my whole fishkeeping hobby with pond goldfish in a 10 gallon tank for the winter. The first season I lost all 5. Goldfish are sooooo dirty and keeping them in a 10 is just too much work. I have trouble with them in the 30 over the winter...keeping the tank to where it should be. Water changes just need to be done so often...they're worse than Oscar! LOL!

If it's a good size pond...deep enough...you should be able to leave them out for the winter. They slow down when the water gets cold and almost go into a 'hibernation mode'...they can live under the ice...just as long as the pond water won't freeze solid and make little fish-cicles...

[Orion]

Just a note on reptile tanks: I don't think it will make a difference on something as small as a 10 gallon tank, but it's not unusual for glass reptile tanks to be made of much thinner glass than fish tanks. The thick glass isn't needed for reptiles, where really all it's needed for is just to keep them (and you) safe and to provide a good viewing area, where as with a fish tank it provides the same thing plus it also has to hold back all that weight of the water. I've heard more than one horror story of someone thinking they got a great deal on a larger tank, only to have it develop a crack or break altogether at a later time just because it was a reptile tank.

Sorry, I'm off my little soap box now