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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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#3 ·
I don't have goldfish but I do love them. In the spirit of the thread (sort of): this is the guitar I would love to own someday:

It might not be very evident in the photo, but the guitar is decorated at the waist and on the fretboard with kingyo, Japanese goldfish.
 
#4 ·
I have three shubunkins.

My oldest one had a very rough start with my dad. It was kept with four or so other goldfish in around a 15 gallon tank with a very weak under-gravel filter.

I got the tank when my dad moved interstate, after he had kindly bleached and washed everything in tap water! When one fish died of dropsy I soon realised that I needed to do some serious research and it kind of went from there.

Ernest was the only survivor so I think it is around 4-5 years old. He is half the size he should be (I think he measured around half a foot from head to tail), but has grown a lot since he came into my care. He and my other two live in a smaller tank than I would like but I do regular water changes, feed them good quality food and over-filter so it is the best I can do for now.

Hopefully in a couple of years we are going to move and they can get a bigger tank/pond. It is impossible now and I don't want to give them to someone else since goldfish are seen as such disposable fish. I really need to get some updated pictures but the stinkers never like to have their photos taken.

A big victory was that I finally got them to eat some greens by putting duckweed and hornwort into their tank. Until then they never ate any greens. They totally ignore lettuce, cucumber etc. I tried making a gel food from the goldfish website and you'd think I'd poisoned them the way they spat it out.

Anyways, here's my biggest shubunkin Ernest and his friend. These two sometimes chase each other around bumping each other after a feed and water change. Don't know if it's spawning behaviour or them just playing.



 
#10 ·
I have one little goldfish who is in a 29 gallon until my friend can take him. I tried feeding him lettuce a few times and he swims away like it's gonna kill him. :roll:
 
#13 ·
xD Big momma tore a piece of lettuce off and was trying to eat it and when I gently took it out of her mouth, she flared and swam away giving me a dirty look. :lol:
 
#14 ·
So many sweet goldfish faces! ^_^ I actually saw a really neat black moor at Petco the other day. I seriously considered it, but I'd really rather have a ranchu instead. And all of those pictures Olympia posted didn't help either! ;p

LBF, you could also try duckweed to give your comets some more greens in their diet. My goldfish act like it's candy when I add it to the tank.

As for filters, canisters are best. They are so much more powerful than HOB's. If you have to use an HOB I like the Aquaclear models. I have two Aquaclear 70's on my goldfish tank. I had to baffle the flow a bit as it was pretty strong for my clumsy fancies, but I do like the filter a lot. It has a ton of room for customizable media.
 
#15 ·
twice in the last week i've had to perform emergency "surgery" on our goldfish...while "cleaning" their gravel, they sucked in a piece that was too big, and got lodged behind their lips. i scooped them out into just enough water to breathe but not enough to squirm too much, and used tweezers to gently twist the gravel around till it could slide out. it's a frightening experience, but so rewarding to see them swim off in relief to be free of the stoney ouchness in their mouths.
 
#17 ·
Ranchu are the best. :lol:
I have a huge algae problem from the home made foods, more gelatin next time. But the canister does a great job at cleaning the tank. My guys spend pretty much all day chewing on sand.
 
#19 ·
I've never owned goldfish, but I REALLY want to when I have more room for a bigger tank and whatnot

They seem so fun and interesting (plus, I'm the type of person who likes stereotypes.... so I kinda want to get a GAINT bowl tank for them to live in XD)
 
#23 ·
Mine are in my bedroom so some nights all I can hear is them spitting gravel out. I sometimes will put clumps of blackworms in their tanks and they go crazy trying to get them out of the gravel.

Before that, I had to take away their hang on glass thermometer as they were obsessed with it. I'd wake up to them pushing it against the side of the tank and trying to fit the end in their mouths.

All my goldfish do is eat and poo and give me 'starving goldfish sad faces' through the glass.
 
#25 ·
Haha my goldfish only get to stay because my dad would not treat them properly, and they are great at providing me with lots of established filter media.

My three seem to think they have far better things to do like sifting through gravel and mauling the hornwort to come over and see what I'm doing. Usually only if they see me walking up to them with their fish food container can I get their attention. Then you would think I was a God walking amongst them.
 
#26 ·
My little (HA!) guys are very interactive. The tank sits in my room, but is right next to the door. They spot people coming down the hallway and bunch up at the end... hoping for food. They will also follow me around the room which makes doing laundry a bit more fun.
 
#29 ·
I was never really into goldfish until I got one last year...they're actually really cute and charming.

Unfortunately, Lucien is no longer with me b/c of a bad accident (I had his tank under my dad's tank and both shattered, so...yeah :( )

My dad was thinking of closing our pool down and turning the space into a pond though, and of course I'm 100% into it now lol. I really hope we can do it in the future, but I'll probably end up buying a goldfish in the future regardless once I have the space for one.
 
#30 · (Edited)
I've seen some really neat pools converted into ponds! That's an awesome idea! It might even be large enough for koi, too. Try to see if you can find some pond builders in your area. It really makes a difference between a hole in the ground with fish and a water garden.

I also wanted to share this that I found earlier this week: http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=5291
 
#31 ·
Took some nicer photos of my three goldfish. The bigger two are around 6 inches head to tail, and the orange one is slightly smaller. Ignore the random clay pot, it is only in there until I put it in another tank.











Unfortunately their tank is only 46 gallons so I compensate by over-filtering and doing two water changes a week. We just don't have room for a larger tank and there is no place to put a pond in. Hopefully in a couple of years when we move I can get them a bigger place.

They are happy since I chucked a whole handful of hydrilla in for them to snack on. They spent the whole afternoon yesterday trying to tear chunks off it.
 
#32 ·
LBF - Are they shubunkin? What is the difference between them and comets?
 
#33 ·
Yeah they are shubunkin. I am not a goldfish expert, but according to Wikipedia, I believe the calico colouration is what separates them from comets. They do not tend to get as big as common goldfish do. Mine are probably about half the size they should be, although the biggest one had a growth spurt after I got it out of the 10 odd gallon tank they used to be in.
 
#34 · (Edited)
If we're just looking at pet store goldfish, the difference between comets and shubunkin is the coloring. But looking at show goldfish, there are more differences like shape and size of tail fin as well as body shape. Bristol Shubunkin Gold fish This is a place that lists the show standards (and some pictures!) of shunbunkins.

That first shubunkin has some nice blue color, LBF!
 
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