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Goldfish Fancy

36K views 415 replies 36 participants last post by  Kithy 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I've seen more than a few goldfish threads pop up recently. Knowing that there are a few goldfish fanciers out there, I thought I would create a place where we can all share pictures and chat about anything goldfish. Goldfish ponds. Goldfish art. Even the mistreatment of goldfish (we all know the feeder tanks are horrible so try to keep this to stories about how their condition was improved). There is a lot of sadness surrounding goldfish, but let's keep this positive. Feel free to ask any quick goldfish questions here and we'll do our best to answer them!

BASIC GOLDFISH CARE
*Aquariums
- Stocking rules of thumb for fancies: 20 gal for the first fish plus an additional 10 for each other fish
- Commons really get too large for normal aquariums and are best kept in large outdoor ponds. The can be temporarily housed in 55 gal or larger tanks. Most places suggest a 100+ gal tank if you want to keep them inside permanently.
- tankmates: goldfish are social fish and prefer company of other goldfish; two or more is always better; lone goldfish may be shy
- temperature: Due to the deformed nature of the digestive tract of fancy goldfish, they can't digest food well below 70F, heating the tank to the mid to lower 70's even in the winter will help keep them from becoming constipated and bloated
- plants (this is a tricky one): some people can make this work and others can't; it depends on your fish. Plants that have had success in the past: hornwort, anubias, java fern, large amazon swords, anarcharis, ludwigia. I've also found it helps to introduce them to plants when they are young.
- filters: goldfish poop a lot and need strong filters; at least double filtration is recommended when using HOB's
*Ponds
- stocking: no hard rules here just remember that less fish means less waste and that goldfish are known for reproducing in ponds
- temp: stop feeding goldfish when water gets down to 60F
- plants: marginal plants best, floating plants good to provide shade
- filter/water movement: essential to getting through the winter, keep these going year-round to prevent fish kills
*FAQ:
- Do goldfish really get that big?
: Yes... Yes they do. Photo proof:


- How long do goldfish live?
: Average for a propyl cared for tank goldie is 10-15 years. Average for a properly cared for pond goldie is 15-20 years.

- What do goldfish eat?
: Goldfish are omnivores which means they can and should eat both plant matter and animal matter. Younger goldfish need a higher percentage of protein (30-40%), but older goldfish should only get 10-20% protein. For a tank fish you can provide a complete diet with a high quality pellet food supplemented with fresh greens or with a gel-food diet (my preference as it goes a long way to prevent floaty issues in fancies). For pond fish, a high quality pellet diet will do as goldfish will get their greens from the pond plants and algae.



Normally I would start off by sharing my fancy goldfish tank, but it's undergoing a major revision right now. I'll have some pictures of that for you in a week when it is all done. I promise they will be worth the wait.

Instead I'll show you some pictures of a little goldfish pond I found while visiting family in Ohio.



This is the pond. Mostly crowded with lilies but near the skimmer it was clear so I could get some pictures of the lovely little goldies!



I lured them out of the lilies with food. But it was getting to the point where they shouldn't be fed anymore, so they were a little slow.
 
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#63 ·
I agree neither goldfish nor carp are going to solve world hunger. There are a lot more elements at play to that problem than simply an insufficient amount of food.

I believe goldfish are used in aquaculture style set-ups to grow vegetables and other edible plants because of their high waste output. I think it would be neat to have one of those going out in the backyard. I am fascinated by people who manage to be essentially self-sufficient.

However, as Olympia said this thread is for people interested in keeping goldfish are pets. If you want to discuss the merits of goldfish as food perhaps start your own thread in this forum.
 
#64 ·
Yep. I know mass aquaculture causes horrible pollution. Farmed fish are fed drugs and hormones that later leech back into local water ways. Aquaculture has also introduced non native species and can spread diseases to wild fish.

Thekoimaiden is gone goldfish shopping today and I'm just dying to see if she comes back with anything. :-D
 
#66 ·
I was getting some fishies for my friend today at petsmart and the goldies! I WANT MOAR FISH! The little faces on the ornadas!

I did get my friend some hornwort, water wisteria, 4 zebra danios, 4 red eye tetras, and 6 harlequin rasboras. The red eyes are amazing! I want some!
 
#70 ·
STORY OF MY LIFE! :lol:
Well it has been a long battle, but my goldfish are finally accepting their greens!

I had some hydrilla and hornwort in there to encourage them to eat something that wasn't pellets or frozen foods. Well they literally demolished those plants and then went one better and got into the breeders' box and ate the plants I was rehabilitating in there.

So today I blanched up some butter lettuce and clipped it onto the side of the tank. It took a minute or so before they were taking big chunks out of it.

Mission completed.
LOL

Lol, Maisy. The goldfish are really easy to get attached to. I'm really glad I "wasted" (as everyone in my family has told me) my 90 gallon on them.

Good to hear LBF! My guys get squash and peas in their food. And they graze the planted tank all day, but the plants are keeping up.
I could waste a 200 gallon on them. lol I am now known as the "fish nazi" by my friends, because I harass them about how they should be doing more water changes. :cool:
 
#68 ·
Well it has been a long battle, but my goldfish are finally accepting their greens!

I had some hydrilla and hornwort in there to encourage them to eat something that wasn't pellets or frozen foods. Well they literally demolished those plants and then went one better and got into the breeders' box and ate the plants I was rehabilitating in there.

So today I blanched up some butter lettuce and clipped it onto the side of the tank. It took a minute or so before they were taking big chunks out of it.

Mission completed.
 
#69 ·
Lol, Maisy. The goldfish are really easy to get attached to. I'm really glad I "wasted" (as everyone in my family has told me) my 90 gallon on them.

Good to hear LBF! My guys get squash and peas in their food. And they graze the planted tank all day, but the plants are keeping up.
 
#71 ·
Woah! Lotta things happened today while I was fish shopping! (But you guys will have to wait a bit for pictures... he's a wiggly one!)

I think the largest I'd do for a goldfish tank would be a 90 gal and mostly because I don't want too many monster tanks. But I would be willing to do a goldfish pond one day. I always feel so bad for the comets I see in pet stores. Most of them really have no chance.

Ya... this thread isn't to talk about eating goldfish. Some people eat horses, but you don't go to a horse-lover thread and talk about recipes.. :/

Congrats on getting your goldies to eat veggies, LBF. The idea that goldfish won't tear into anything that could be considered food is so foreign and funny to me! :lol:
 
#74 ·
huh. that IS interesting. i would have thought the downturned bodies and lack of dorsal fins would hamper their swimming abilities significantly.

i've only ever had ryukins, and they've varied greatly in their swimming speed and agility. some of them like to shoot across the tank like fat little bullets, while others prefer to just bumble along all lazy-like. one, however, has an enormously fat little belly, but a very stunted tail (he's golf ball sized, but his tail is barely bigger than a betta's) and he actually WADDLES through the water. it's so cute to watch!
 
#76 ·
When hand-feeding food competition isn't as great, so you can combine some of the more fancy varieties. It's when you get into types like the celestial that you really need them in breed-only tanks.



These little derps need their own tanks. Same thing with the guys who have bags under their eyes.



You also gotta be really careful about the decor with these guys.
 
#80 ·
I have a goldfish question. My daughter has kept bettas the last 4 years (she is 10 and inherited a betta from school in grade one)
Anyway her betta just died and she would like to try a goldfish. She has a 2.5gal tank (Aqueon mini-bow) with added heater. Could she keep one goldfish? Any breeds recommended? She likes the ones with the "bulging eyes"
Thanks for the info put.
 
#83 ·
I agree with what has been said. A 2.5 gal is simply too small for a goldfish. I have some goldfish that physically won't fit in a 2.5 gal. Most people don't know but a properly cared for goldfish can grow up to 10 inches long and live for over 10 years. If she really wants goldfish, tell her to save her money and buy a 40 gal starter kit. She could keep up to three fancy goldfish (like the ones with the bulging eyes--which are called telescopes) in there.

I know you see a lot of little tanks marketed at goldfish, but that's just what it is: marketing. Goldfish die in a short time in those tanks and perpetuate the myth that they only live a short amount of time. Your daughter could have a rather long-lived friend in a goldfish, but she has to go about it in the correct way.
 
#81 ·
A 2.5 would be too small for a goldfish. :( A betta or some some snails or shrimp is all you can keep in a 2.5. The bulging eye ones are very particular and you have to be very careful with decorations so they don't burst the eye sacks. The minimum for fancy goldfish (like Olympia's and thekoimaiden's) is 20 gallons for the first goldfish and another 10 gallons for every goldfish after that. Slim-bodied goldfish (like littlebettafish's shubunkins and the "common" or "comet" goldfish many people keep in bowls) really do best in a pond since they get so large. Maybe she could try a different kind of betta? Or a different gender? Or make the tank into a natural planted tank with soil and live plants? I did this to one of my tanks, and it is very inexpensive. Since you already have the tank, you could get some topsoil ($4 for a large bag), use the gravel you already have, and some plants that don't need flourescent bulbs such as hornwort and water wistera ($4 for a bundle of each at petsmart). I got a bundle of wisteria, hornwort and moneywort and it was enough to fill a 5.5 gallon, so you should have more than enough.
 
#90 ·
Forty-three is the record, not the norm. The oldest koi on record was 220 years old. And some of the oldest humans recorded were around 115 years old. But that doesn't mean you should expect to live that long or to have your koi live that long. Average life span is very different from longest recorded life span.

The average life span of a properly cared for fancy goldfish is 10 to 15 years. The average lifespan of a properly cared for pond goldfish is 15 to 20. The reason for this discrepancy is the dormant winter months a pond goldfish would experience. The cold slows their growth rate and also their aging rate. Not to mention they generally have less problems than fancy goldfish.
 
#89 ·
#93 ·
Yay! What a little baby! I LOVE him! Goldfish are little angels. :-D He's gonna love your cooking. ;-) It's probably pretty amazing for them the first time.

Ugh, Penelope really loves swimming through my hand but I feel like I should stop touching her. x.x
 
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