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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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#278 ·
I have access to anubias, hornwort, moneywort, camboba?, anacharis and swords. Should I do? Or can I use all provided they get their own veggies to munchie on? Algae I could careless about ;)
 
#280 ·
Those should all work out fine.. get them as babies and fill it with plants and you should be good. Usually people try to put one plant in and the goldfish will target it, but if you plant a lot there will be little damage. Hornwort and anacharis are good snacks but they grow fast enough to keep up..
 
#281 ·
Sweeeett
I was thinking of getting them as tiny little guys anyhow. I just love watching them mature and grow under my care. Everywhere I read said they'll eat the plants!!! They'll dig up the plants!!! It maybe a challenge to do a complete NPT with goldfish.

I can see why they would target a single live plant and thinking it is a snack. Thanks for putting my nerves at rest. My PetsMart seems to keep their goldies in bare tanks. So hopefully they won't be able to tell the difference from live and fake plants ;)
 
#283 ·
Ya. It's generally the larger goldies that uproot plants with their digging in the substrate. Mine haven't gotten to that size yet, so my swords have a good chance to become deeply entrenched in the substrate. I know there are some people who have done NPT with goldfish, but I don't really think it's worth the trouble. Plus, most of the plants I like don't do well in tanks like that.
 
#284 ·
I remember my childhood goldies. They loved living holes in my gravel. I just wish the employees were educated enough to not let me get 2 adult fantails for my 20 gallon.
 
#285 ·
Right now I've answered an ad for a person saying he has a 200+ gallon pond and is looking for goldfish/koi so we'll see. I'm going to ask for pictures.

I know that a nice fish store called Dallas North Aquarium has multiple large ponds outside their store, I may message them through facebook or something.
 
#286 ·
#288 ·
Ya. Kithy, most people aren't going to add fish to their ponds right now. These are the coldest months of the year and adding fish that aren't acclimated to the cold will kill them. You will have to hold out until spring. Adding another filter does sound like a temporary solution, tho. If you can get something like an AquaClear that would be even better.

Olympia! Did the vast amount of poop break your gravel vac?! :lol:
 
#292 ·
I have a question about filtration for fancies....Is it best to get two adjustable filters and turn them down a bit as opposed to getting one filter and putting it on full blast?
 
#294 ·
I'd say baffle it at the very least. My oranda loves swimming through the current even though it pushes him down but he's a dork.

But if you can do two adjustables and turn them down I'd go for that. I've always loved having two filters compared to one big one.
 
#304 ·
You've seen it! It just changed! I replaced the pots with driftwood.. Because I found really good prices on giant driftwood in the big city. xD I realize I'll have to remove it once they get bigger to give them more room, but for now it's good! :D

I stirred the sand to get rid of algae. Hopefully this more thorough cleaning will help the nitrate problem. -sigh-
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#305 ·
Wow! Your tank is great Olimpia! How did you come up with the idea of keeping cichlids with them? I recall you saying they were bullheads, but I may be wrong.
 
#309 ·
In a 55 gal, I believe you can get 3-4 of the fancy goldies in there. You know, the pudgy adorable guys. Fancy or Fantails. Black Moors, Orandas and I *think* Ryukins tend to get larger than 6"
 
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