[shadowpony]

So I will be (finally) stocking my 30 gallon soon. I really like goldfish; I would love to do a goldfish tank. I need a better filter (one rated for a 60 gal).I also need some bigger gravel. I also want a few plasic plants and a cave or two. Can one fancy goldfish do ok in this tank with this equipment and decor?

 

[Sena Hansler]

Well.... I guess it could, however for goldies long tanks are not the best... If you want caves, you can use them when goldies are small and young however as they grow you might see they don't fit in the cave :lol: And trust me goldies are VERY messy - my oscar is bad enough and he has an 80 gallon!!

 

[shadowpony]

Thanks. Just wondering, why are long tanks not good for goldies? I wanted the caves for decorative purposes. I know fancies can get pretty fat by nature. :lol:

EDIT: I am only guessing that it's a long. I found the tank floating in a lake. Yeah. I know. Strange. Very strange.

 

[Termato]

Could you provide the dimensions of this tank please?

 

[shadowpony]

1ft wide 3ft long and 1ft and 3 inches deep

 

[thekoimaiden]

Long tanks are better for goldfish because it means a greater surface area for gas exchange. Long tanks are just better in general for fish. I know the size tank you are talking about. It's typically sold as a 30 gal breeder. Not a common tank.

As for whether or not a goldfish can live in one, with a sufficient filter, I think it has the space for one, but goldfish are social creatures. They can live alone but prefer the company of other goldfish, but that tank is physically too small for another goldfish. You would also be restricted to the generally smaller breeds of goldfish. Oranda and black moore are notorious for getting really large. Ryukin and pearlscales tend to stay smaller. What breed were you thinking about getting?

 

[shadowpony]

I was thinking a ruykin (did I spell it right? I can't spell..) I've heard a rule of 20 gallons for the first and 10 for any more, but usually those rules aren't very good.

 

[thekoimaiden]

Ya. The 10+10 rule is really only good for larger tanks (40 gal and up); and even then it can result in overstocked or just on the line tanks. There is no hard and fast rule for goldfish in smaller tanks because people (who understand the needs of these fish) want to keep lots and therefore keep goldfish in large tanks.

A ryukin would be a good choice for this tank. While I have seen pictures of massive ryukin, those are typically show fish. I don't think the normal fish you get from a pet store will get that big. My ryukin is the tiny one of the tank. He's only about 7 inches long.

What filter were you planning to buy? As I saw recently, filter quality does make a difference with goldfish. I was helping someone through a fishless cycle, but their cycle stalled. We determined it was because the filter (just your basic cartridge-type) didn't have enough space for enough BB to support goldfish. This poor girl had to go buy a canister in order to get her tank to cycle.

I thought about this a lot last night, and I think it could work. The tank is as long as a 40 gal breeder which has been established as a good home for two goldfish. You will need to keep a close watch on water quality as it can change rapidly with goldfish and cram the filter with bio-media. And you will be limited to only one goldfish. Impulse buys are okay with fish like betta that don't grow as large, but with goldfish it can spell dooooooom for your tank. Basically, the take-home message is it can work but with caution.

 

[Neil D]

Actually a 30g tank is big enough for 2 fancies. 20g for the first fish and 10 for each additional. That seems like the accepted opinion. You can go to Koko's Goldfish Forum for more info...

 

[shadowpony]

OK. I have no idea what filter to get. Any suggestions? All ive figured out is double filtration capacity and a high GPH rateing. EDIT: Oh and what about water changes.Big like 50% a week or smaller like 25% a week. Im afraid lots of 50%'s would hurt my cycle...

 

[Neil D]

Actually it should filter ~10x the tank volume. I have a 40g tank and a 350 gph filter. (Penguin 350) That would be good for you too.

 

[shadowpony]

How exspensive? Im looking it up right now...

 

[thekoimaiden]

I would get the Aquaclear 70 (they run about $45). I have two on my 55 gallon goldfish tank. I had the Penguin 350 and felt like it didn't have as much biological capacity as my Aquaclear. They are actually constructed more like a canister filter than any other HOB and offer the best options for bio-filtration. Forgo the carbon and get two sponges of different pore sizes (cut the one the filter comes with in half for more room) and get a second bag of bio-media. Ideally a canister is best, but they are also expensive. In a goldfish tank you want to maximize the surface area for the BB to grow. This is especially true for small tanks.

For weekly water changes, you are looking at either a single 50% or two 25% throughout the week. Neither of these will hurt the cycle. Only a 100% will. In fact, I do weekly 50% water changes on all of my cycled tanks.

 

[Tikibirds]

20g for the first fish and 10

I see this around alot - why does the 1st one need 20G and the 2nd only need an extra 10g? If the 1st one requires 20, shouldn't the 2nd one also require 20 gallons making it 40 for 2??

 

[thekoimaiden]

I see this around alot - why does the 1st one need 20G and the 2nd only need an extra 10g? If the 1st one requires 20, shouldn't the 2nd one also require 20 gallons making it 40 for 2??

It's more of a guideline than a rule. Surface area is another large think that people need to take into account. A 30 gal hex is a very different tank than a 30 gal breeder. A 30 hex couldn't fit one goldfish let alone the two that this rule claims. What it comes down to is that this is an attempt to keep people from overstocking a goldfish tank. I'm sure that some serious goldfish enthusiasts could keep 1 goldfish per 10 gallons, but they would also have the money to dedicate to a major filtration setup. The average person doesn't have the ability to invest in that commercial-grade filtration, so that is why we add that extra 10 gallons in there. It's a buffer zone.

 

[shadowpony]

Ok so aquaclear 70, skip the carbon, go for two sponges. Get an extra bag of bio-media. Got it.

 

[kfryman]

Get an aquaclear, get a massive filter to provide more oxygen and more places for good bacteria.