First Goldfish

[eatmice2010]

Oh no i wasnt asking you Elsewhere lol he is deferentially a comet :)

[Elsewhere]

Oh, thank you! That saves me a LOT of time, as my pet store owner is French and isn't very good with English... My aunt has said that I can have all of the sand that is in her aquarium that she used with her Cichlids... Would you suggest sand or gravel? I really don't know what's best and can go either way :P

[eatmice2010]

I personally don't think it realy matters, My comet has sand in his tank.

[thekoimaiden]

Sand is hands down the better substrate. Gravel and goldfish have a long and bad history. First it traps a ton of poop and can be a major source of nitrate in an aquarium. Without weekly vaccumming it will easily degrade the quality of the water even more. Second, goldfish like to pick at the substrate. As they grow, they gain the ability to partially swallow gravel. It can get lodged in their throats and kill them if not removed promptly.

[Bombalurina]

Another alternative is large (like, really large) tumbled river rocks, although food can fall between these are get trapped. They are smooth, so goldies can't injure themselves, and too large to swallow. They also look really pretty combined with sand. :)

[Elsewhere]

Okay, I'm starting to lean towards sand... My issue is, I have no clue how to clean it or get to be healthy for the fish :/ Any tips on what I can do with that?

[waterdog]

Based on what I am reading here so far, I probably shouldn't post my experiences as they are far different than what I am seeing. That being said, here I go.......

There are no outward signs of sex. Much like Angelfish you have to wait for them to pair off.
Some of us like gravel as goldfish are constant grazers and working over the rocks keeps them busy. I have a 30 gallon with 7 fantails in it and twice weekly water changes are a must. I have 3 koi in a 200 gallon pond outside that are massive in the two years since I got them. Goldfish are super hardy and can survive a wide variety of conditions. (how many other fish can you truly keep without a heater?) I understand what you are looking to do and IMO I think gravel with a gravel vacum is the way to go!

[thekoimaiden]

Originally Posted by Elsewhere

Okay, I'm starting to lean towards sand... My issue is, I have no clue how to clean it or get to be healthy for the fish :/ Any tips on what I can do with that?

Sand is really easy to clean. Just take a clean (never had any chemicals in it) bucket, fill it halfway with sand, and pour water in the bucket. Swish the mixture around and then pour off the water as many times as it takes for the water to run clear. It takes work, but it's worth it. Poop doesn't get stuck down in the sand.

As for finding sand, most pet stores will carry some kind of sand. I'm partial to black sand because it will make the colors of fish really stand out. If you get any kind of sand that is intended for marine systems make sure you rinse it really well as it will likely contain some salt. Goldfish tolerate salt very well, but it's still not something you want to use unless you are fighting off a specific illness.

And goldfish will constantly graze in the sand, too. The only difference is if any is swallowed, it will just pass through their system instead of presenting a choking hazard.

[LittleBettaFish]

That's actually good to hear. I have been using gravel in my goldfish tank (quite a large grain so they don't swallow it) and I was always wondering whether sand would cause more problems with impaction or not.

Might make the switch over as my gravel is absolutely hideous!

[Elsewhere]

Hmm... Right now it all depends on how good my aunt's sand is. She's giving me the fifty pounds that's in her aquarium right now, and it that seems okay I think I'll just do the rinsing and stick with it. But if it's not in good condition, my friend just gave me coupons for gravel at PetSmart. How she got them, I may never know, but she doesn't need any gravel :P I won't have very much money when the time comes for the tank to be set up, so I'm trying to go on the cheap for him. I have a trip coming up (the fish are all taken care of for the 13 days I'm gone) and I'm already starting a second fund for the Goldfish tank XD

@waterdog- Isn't 7 fantails in a 30g overstocking? I could be totally wrong, but it just seems like a lot of Goldfish in a tank that can be relatively small for just one XD Then again, I've only been researching Comets, not Fantails.