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October 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| Considering Goldfish Purchase
I have (by some absolute miracle) managed to create space for a second twenty gallon tank in my room, and after babysitting my friends goldfish have been thinking about getting one, but I want to know what I'm getting myself into.
I absolutely do not have room for anything larger than 20 gal (I measured). I don't want to have to commit to buying a larger tank later. I read that this is big enough for one goldfish. Would it be ok to keep a single goldfish, or would it be better to put two in? I don't know which situation the goldfish would be happier in.
Also, what kind of tank decorations are best for goldfish? And is there anything else I'm forgetting to ask about?  | 
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| One goldfish would be fine, as long as you provide an interesting tank setup for it to explore and call home. Your best bet would be one of the fancy goldfish, as common and comets have the ability to grow to a foot or longer (I think Gremlin has some pics of really huge comets around here somewhere). | 
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| What kind of tank set up would be interesting for a goldfish?
I was thinking about getting a fantail or black moor. Would one of them be ok in a 20 gal? | |
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| A 20 gallon really isn't the best for a common or comet (or even a shubunkin as they grow the same way) in the long run. You would do better with one of the fancies. Just keep it to one fish. Either a fantail or a black moor would be okay. With the black moor, you would need to be careful of sharp, hard, or rough items in the tank that it could bump it's eyes on since they stick out. Caves and lots of plants for the goldie to play in and around would be good. You could also try teaching it tricks. Swimming through hoops, playing with toys, etc. My goldies like to push their plants around in the pond. They "rearrange their furniture" at least twice a week.
As for the pics of "huge" comets, here are some of mine in a 2.5 gallon tank. | |
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Hello. Great advice above. I just wanted to add, Gremlin has her fish in a 2.5g tank for photo purposes only. They do not live there  They sure are beautiful as well!
Ken | |
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Goldfish are the bomb!!!I would also recommend 1 for a 20 gallon tank(will it be a long or high?)I have a 2 fantail's and 2 moor's and there just so cool!!!I'm a little partial to the telescope eye type as there face's are so cute also remember no sharp objects in the tank,I prefer bare bottom as they are messy pooers and eaters and it is easier to maintain with daily quick clean up
good luck in what you decide and please keep us posted | |
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Thank you for displaying the pics, Gremlin.
Goldfish love plants to swim around, but they also love eating them, so you'd likely need to go with silk.
Interesting shapes of driftwood or rock (no sharp edges for the black moor) for them to swim through are good.
If you're a fan of the resin decor, pick a theme and go with it. Anything in the tank is going to give the fish something to examine and explore.
Change it up periodically, move things around, and add or remove something, and your fish will remain entertained for a long time. | |
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| Quote:
Originally Posted by shellbell4ever  I prefer bare bottom as they are messy pooers and eaters and it is easier to maintain with daily quick clean up
good luck in what you decide and please keep us posted | So do goldfish not need gravel? And If I don't use gravel, how do I keep plants down? | |
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Goldfish do not need gravel - in fact some goldies have gotten gravel stuck in their mouths when they were trying to suck off the moss. The plants can be attached to driftwood or rock to hold it down. My sister borrowed my 40 gallon breeder for her goldie fry until she got another pool set up. It can give you an idea of how to do it. The baby lily is tucked under a rock and the black and white rock in the front has moss growing on it from being out in the pond. | |
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Addict
| I use a very thin layer of sand in my goldie tank. I originally had gravel, but changed it out after a scare thinking one had gravel stuck in their throat. If you have gravel in the tank, goldies will be constantly digging around it in, they'll take some in their mouth and spit it back out. So if you decide to go with gravel, get it in a large enough size that they can't swallow it. But to me, having gravel is too much worry.
Barebottom is probably best, but I didn't like the look of it for my tank, that's why i went with sand. If you want to use sand, don't pay the big bucks the pet stores charge, and be careful what type of sand you get (not all sand is the right kind for fishtanks.) I bought "pool filter sand" from a pool supply company, it costs about $12 for a 50pound bag (that's how it comes, but I only used a fraction of that. I have about a 1/4 inch layer of it in my 30 gallon tank). It's easy to keep clean too, just hold the vacuum slighly above the sand, and it sucks in any debris. I also run the net through the sand every few days, just to stir it up, so no pockets of gas develop.
good suggestions from Gremlin about the plants. Another alternative is potting them in small glass jars or clay pots. Michaels craft store (or garden centers) carry very small clay pots, pefect for aquarium use.
Silk plants sold at pet stores are also very attractive, and without the maintenance !  | |
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| Ok thanks, I'm really excited now! | |
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| I used a small-grain gravel for my goldies. They could pick at it to their hearts' content, but it wouldn't be able to get stuck.
Other people go the other route, if they want substrate, and use marbles or extremely large river rock as a substrate.
Bare-bottom is fine, however.
Also, there are some plants that the goldies don't like to eat. Anubias and Java fern seem to be two such plants. | |
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October 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| Sounds like everyone already has you covered so I'm wishing you the best with your goldie.
One comment to make (and I'm not a hundred % sure of this) would be to think of adding WCMM to the tank as well. They're very small with a very light bio-load, are a subtropical fish as well and so you don't need to worry about a heater. While they might be small enough to be goldie lunch it might be something to think about. However I'm not sure enough of the goldie stocking guide lines yet to be positive.
Sending you the best wishes. | |
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October 14th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| I planted my plants like this | |
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October 14th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| As stated above Goldfish will eat most plants. The tougher leaved plants like java Fern, anubias, Bolbitis will most likely survive them although they will enjoy sucking algae off of them. They also enjoy a little greenery in their diet so if you can find a small amount of duck weed they will eat this also. It grows very fast and they will keep it from taking over the tank.
All good advice above. and of course we will want pic when you get set up.
Carol | |
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October 14th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| I absolutely love goldfish! Everyone above gave great advice! I have 1 (caligo) alone in a 29 gallon now, she seems quite content and she gets lots of human interaction since she's right near my desk and comes to the glass whenever I come over (She's watching me right now! hehe) I use gravel substrate, just make sure it's either too small or too large for them to pick up, and get as good a filter as you can... right now I have a Aqua-tech from walmart, lol but I got the one rated for 30-60, so it's adequate.  Good Luck! I'm sure you'll love the goldie!!! Moors are my fav! | |
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