Goldfish on this forum

[Intrepidcub]

Is it me or do alot of member not like goldfish, kois, or shubunkins? It seems like all the post i find the first thing that is said is how dirty they are and then treat tropicals like superior fish?> then the tropical section each fish gets their own section but cold water gets koi and pondfish. i thought this forum would be about talkign about fish and tanks but all i ever read is your aquariums are over stocked and being critcized for your fish choices you make. Then how your fishes growth will be stunted and harmed and then in the next section talking about feeding goldfish to oscars which seems cruel to me.

[Shawnie]

I love goldies...and shubunkins are a hoot!! I think they are generalized because you can keep koi, goldies, shumbunkins, fantails, feeders etc all the same pretty much..they are deffinately sterotyped as an easy fish that doesnt need much..which isnt true....they are big pooe'rs and alot of people dont think so...they are hardy fish, so some people think because they do fine in a community tank at 79f, its ok..when they dont care for temps that high..surviving isnt always thriving when it comes to goldies....a lil 2 inch goldie can give you lots of ammonia especially if kept in the bowls that alot think are ok...I dont think anyone is anti goldie just usually not enough room for the way some are kept...

[MissMTS]

Hi Intrepidcub, and welcome to fishlore!

There are lots of us here who really like goldies, and I am definetly one of them. I have a tank with fancy goldfish, and I am planning on putting a small goldfish pond on my patio in the spring time

If people here are trying to make suggestions in regards to another member's stocking choices for their tank, it is only because they have the best interest of the fish at hear. Goldfish are dirty fish in the sense that they produce more waste than the average fish and therefore, you cannot follow the regular inch per gallon rule with them. One adult goldfish should have 20 gallons of water to itself, and 10 gallons for each additional goldfish. This is just to make sure that the water quality stays clean because fish that live in a poluted overstocked tank can become stunted and poisoned by toxins in the water. I don't think that anyone on here would be intentioally negative or rude, I think they are just trying to help

You should post some pics of your goldies by the way. I would love to see them

[MissMTS]

Well said Shawnie

[Shawnie]

same to you kate! and id love to see your pics also !

[MinxMermaid]

well maybe some people feel like goldfish are second class citizens, but WHO CARES? so long as YOU love them!

I have a goldfish tank, and i LOVE THEM next to my bettas, they have the most personality!

we also have a 1000 gallon KOI POND and we love that too!

so other people love the the goldies too....

[Dino]

We keep goldfish and koi in our 2 ponds here.
While I do not have as many cold water fish as i do tropicals, I do not think that they are inferior fish.
I do think, however, most are not kept in the conditions that they would do best in.
I am NOT refering to you or your fish btw.

[mathas]

Originally Posted by Intrepidcub

then the tropical section each fish gets their own section but cold water gets koi and pondfish.

For the record, there is a dedicated goldfish subforum besides the koi one... it's found here, under freshwater fish & Invertebrates > Cyprinids > Goldfish

In fact, with 121 threads in that subforum, there's been more appropriately-placed topics about goldfish than there have been about warmer-water staples like zebra danios, swordtails, or neon tetras.

[MinxMermaid]

Originally Posted by Dino

We keep goldfish and koi in our 2 ponds here.
While I do not have as many cold water fish as i do tropicals, I do not think that they are inferior fish.
I do think, however, most are not kept in the conditions that they would do best in.
I am NOT refering to you or your fish btw.

Very PC Santa!

[Lucy]

I think the sentiment here isn't anti goldfish, it's anti improper housing of them.
I love goldies, they're full of personality

[MinxMermaid]

OP has his goldies in a separate 55 gal, so his should be in good shape

[JakeTeque]

Fishlore: "Tropical Fish Information."

But yeah, I had goldfish growing up and they were the bomb dot com

[Allie]

Goldies are cute, but most people I know want cichlids of all kinds in their tanks. Goldfish and other types need to be in huge tanks and most poeple don't have big enough tanks to accomodate them for life.
I started with goldfish, 2 cometa, 3 fantails, calicos and then fell for betta.

[lilFishyfish]

I LOVE all types of goldfish and koi!!!! I have a pond outside with them and I think they are beautiful fish with cute personalities!!! I've had lionhead and pearl goldfish inside at different times and I always loved their adorable ways not to mention they are so pretty!!!!!!!! I can't speak for everyone, but I think that most people on here are just trying to alert folks that goldfish need a lot of room and also their water watched and changed more, since so many people aren't aware of it since goldfish get stereotyped as fish that you can put in a small glass with nothing but tape water...It drives me crazy when I see commericals or movies etc where they do that sorta stuff....... anyhow, I personally LOVE GOLDFISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Alessa]

There are also a lot if threads about feeder guppies, and I dont agree with that being done either, because the little fish have nowhere to escape... not because either of them are being considered second class citizens.

[Beeker]

I love my goldies! I have had them for over 10 years. I have a 75 gal with 6 goldies, and a 20 gal. with tropicals. As far as personality goes, the goldies win. My goldies follow me, watch tv, line up to get their picture taken, try to talk to me, etc. They get sad when they see me walk to the door to leave, and are happy when I come back home. I agree that Betas have good personality, but to me goldies top the list. They are what got me started in fishkeeping.

[Intrepidcub]

Ok i can feel the love now and feel better LOL

[betta-cat]

Ah yes, you've touched the hearts of a lot of certified goldie/koi lovers. I agree with you that a lot of people (not on this forum) feel that goldfish are inferior in some way, some type of 'cheap' fish to experiment on. I started with 'feeder' fish in my in-ground ponds. 6 years later, some of them started to pass away at 6-7" or so in size. I bring in my jewels in the fall and the only reason I keep them in the basement ... the only reason! is that one fall we had a heat wave and I couldn't keep them cool enough upstairs. Before I knew what was happening, they died, despite everything I tried. Now I know about blocks of ice etc but then I didn't have a clue. Now I've branched out into shubunkin and bought my first 2 baby koi.

I was aghast when someone suggested I give up my baby 'grand-goldies' to him as feeders for his oscars. My 'grand-goldies' for food? Nah, I just get more tanks and make the ponds bigger and spend more time keeping track of water quality in winter.

[betta-cat]

Oops, re-reading my message ... only some died due to the heat. The others lived to ripe old ages, I still have a couple of the originals bossing the newbies.

[pinkfloydpuffer]

I didn't use to care for goldies much, but after seeing the other member's goldies on here, and hearing them talk about how much fun they can be and their personality, I now see that they actually do make amazing pets! It's just you can't always see that if they are all cramped up and dirty.

[sirdarksol]

Pretty much what people have said: It's not that we don't like goldies, it's that they're more difficult (expensive) to keep (simply due to the size of tank they need), particularly if you're wanting to keep a lot of fish or a wide range of fish.
They are very dirty fish compared to most fish of their size (so are plecos, and most members will say so, and yet many members keep them), and it's important that people know that they need more space than most tropicals of their size.
I love my koi, and I loved my goldie. When I have the chance to build a pond, I'll be stocking it with a few common goldfish and one or two more butterflies.

[Peterpiper]

The reason that some people in Australia dislike the goldies and koi, is that some people think that they are doing the right thing by releasing them into the streams, public lakes and water ways. Carp are another problem over here. The released fish are destroying the native fish.
I myself see all fish as a wonder of nature, each is different.
My new partner has a pond out the front with 2 small water falls with a mix of koi and goldies, plants... Its so relaxing at the end of a hard day to sit by the pond ( with a nice cold beer ) listen to the splashing from the water falls and watch the fish.....
mmm cant wait to finsh work!

[sirdarksol]

Originally Posted by Peterpiper

The reason that some people in Australia dislike the goldies and koi, is that some people think that they are doing the right thing by releasing them into the streams, public lakes and water ways. Carp are another problem over here. The released fish are destroying the native fish.

The same has happened with other pet fish around the world.

Does Australia have the carp that leaps out of the water? There's one (silver carp, maybe) that was introduced in MN that can jump several feet out of the water. When a motorboat is traveling 20mph, 10+ pounds of carp can knock a person out.

[Peterpiper]

Ok, some members may not like this link, but over here if you catch a carp you must not return it to the water, koi have been band in some states.
In the link a fisherman won a prize for the biggest carp 11.3kg or 25lb
http://hawkesbury.yourguide.com.au/n...0/1334022.aspx

[sirdarksol]

I don't mind the "not returning the carp to the water" thing, but it ticks me off when people toss the poor things on the riverbank still alive. "That'll show 'em," I've heard people say, as if the carp chose to be imported from Asia and released as game fish.
If you're going to kill them, people, do so quickly (and dispose of them properly).

[Phinny12]

I Love them... I just got two Beautiful Long tailed Shubunkins for my sister's birthday.
Lovely fish.

[fishlover78]

I believe the goldies have a section under cyprinids along with danios! so yes there is a goldie section. -fishlover78

[Red1313]

Hmmm... I can't say that I have a real strong feeling about goldfish one way or another. Goldie's sucide on site when they see me coming, I've had no luck with them in the past so have just stopped trying with them. If I could I would adore having a couple of Koi. However renting and on a student budget that's just not possible right now.