MaddieLynn

In a 29g that had 60 gallons worth of filtration (HOB filter rated for a 40g, UG filter rated for a 20g), could I have 3 fancy goldies? Or should I stick with 2?

Shawnie

with the extra filtration, and good water maintenance , id say you will be ok with 3

aquarist48

Afternoon. As you probably know Goldies are major waste producers. If you keep up with the water chemistry and more frequent water changes 3 would probably be ok for a short while. Once they reach adult size I would suggest a larger tank. Hope you post some pics when you get some. Good luck

MissMTS

You could probably keep three for a while. Once they reach adult size though, you will want a bigger tank for them.

MaddieLynn

Hmmm.... I'm not going to be able to get a bigger tank. Does this mean I should only have 2?

MissMTS

Yes. Long term two would be much better than three.

MaddieLynn

By "Better", do you mean better as in "a bowl for a betta is better than a cup" or do you mean it would work for the goldfish's whole lives?

aquarist48

How about starting with 2 for a while and then maybe add a 3rd? You don't want to over load your good bacteria and go into a mini cycle.

Amanda

By better I think she means that even fancies get large, and they would need a much larger tank.

MaddieLynn

Wait... I thought that for fancy goldfish one needed 20 gallons and each aditional one needed 10 gallons... so why couldn't I have 2 in a 29 gallon tank?

Amanda

No one said you couldn't have 2. We're all saying that 2 is all you should stick to.

joy1125

30 gallons is considered the minimum for 2 goldfish, and yes, it generally would work for the goldfish's whole life . I say generally, because the adult size of goldfish is something we simply cannot predict, it depends on nutrition, water quality plus hereditary factors.
edited to add: your 29g will be fine Maddie !

But when we stock a tank we have to assume the fish will reach it's "anticipated" adult size. Adult fancy goldfish can get anywhere from 4to 8 inches. Orandas about 4inches, not including the size of their tail; veiltails 3 -5inches, excluding tail, ranchu about 3-4inches, ryunkin 3 - 6inches. I'll bet there are posters here with much bigger, some may have smaller.... but these are the textbook "averages" regarding growth expectation (provided they have good water quality and nutrition) .

gremlin

The main thing to consider is swimming room - can you imagine this fish in a 29 gallon tank?
http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=1683