A Variety of Goldfish Questions

Okay so I'm in the process of setting up a 55 Gallon (48" long) goldfish tank, I've built a pretty large canister filter (about 24" long using 4" PVC pipe, housing lots of biological media). I'm waiting on some pool filter sand for the bottom, and just have a few questions about the details

1. So for a 55 gallon I should be able to house four fancy goldfish, and I know that you can't mix the commons with the fancies, but can I mix say, a fantail and an oranda? Or will the oranda be too slow?

2. I'm going to try decorating with some river rocks, an amazon sword plant, and some java ferns. Maybe some floating plants. A lot of goldfish tanks I've seen online have been fairly bare, but I've also read that Goldfish are quite intelligent, so wouldn't a bare tank be under-stimulating? I suppose I'm asking about the finer details in terms of look, I'm used to bettas who prefer lots of coverage.

3. For goldfish that have a wen, do they always require trimming? Is that something that I would have to do, or find a vet able to do it?

4. I've also seen a lot of lidless tanks online, is that okay for fancy goldfish? I'm not concerned about anything reaching into the tank, I'm worried if they would be able to jump out

5. Where should I get the goldfish? I live in Canada, so locally I've got a Big Al's which seems to take great care of their livestock. Or am I better to try and find an online breeder? Also, if I get all four at once, from the same place, do I have to quarantine them? Or should I get them one at a time?

Sorry I know that's a lot of questions, there's just so much conflicting information about goldfish around that I'm not sure what sources to trust, thank you!

 

u can mix the goldfish very easyly and the best plants for goldfish is java moss and to float at the top of the tank riccia u can use elodia but the goldfish will eat it u should quarantine your fish all at the same time look for healthy fish watch out for sines of sickness clamped fins clody eyes buldging eyes and fin rot and look at there gills will give u more info if u want me to

 

Wen trimming is not required for all wen goldfish as wen size depends on genetics and diet. The goldfish will probably not jump either.

 

1. So for a 55 gallon I should be able to house four fancy goldfish, and I know that you can't mix the commons with the fancies, but can I mix say, a fantail and an oranda? Or will the oranda be too slow?

Most types of fancy goldfish can be mixed. A fantail would be fine with an oranda. I've kept fantails, ryukins and ranchus together no problem. There are some very fancy goldfish (like veiltails or bubble eyes) that might not do so well with the faster varieties such as fantails and ryukins.

2. I'm going to try decorating with some river rocks, an amazon sword plant, and some java ferns. Maybe some floating plants. A lot of goldfish tanks I've seen online have been fairly bare, but I've also read that Goldfish are quite intelligent, so wouldn't a bare tank be under-stimulating? I suppose I'm asking about the finer details in terms of look, I'm used to bettas who prefer lots of coverage.

I think they do best with some décor rather than bare tanks. Be careful not to add anything too rough or with sharp edges though since they can be a bit clumsy. They really enjoy sifting through sand so I would definitely recommend a sand substrate.

3. For goldfish that have a wen, do they always require trimming? Is that something that I would have to do, or find a vet able to do it?

In my experience they very rarely require trimming. I have never had an issue with it or known someone personally who has. I would be too scared to trim a wen myself but I know people do.

4. I've also seen a lot of lidless tanks online, is that okay for fancy goldfish? I'm not concerned about anything reaching into the tank, I'm worried if they would be able to jump out

I would be surprised if a fancy goldfish could jump out but I prefer to be cautious anyway and keep my tanks with lids.

5. Where should I get the goldfish? I live in Canada, so locally I've got a Big Al's which seems to take great care of their livestock. Or am I better to try and find an online breeder? Also, if I get all four at once, from the same place, do I have to quarantine them? Or should I get them one at a time?

Since I'm in the UK I can't comment on where to get them from however I've always wanted to get a fancy goldfish from King Koi Goldfish. You wouldn't need to quarantine them if you got them all at the same time from the same place. If you get them all at once make sure your filter can handle all the ammonia since they are very messy fish.

 

Most types of fancy goldfish can be mixed. A fantail would be fine with an oranda. I've kept fantails, ryukins and ranchus together no problem. There are some very fancy goldfish (like veiltails or bubble eyes) that might not do so well with the faster varieties such as fantails and ryukins.

I think they do best with some décor rather than bare tanks. Be careful not to add anything too rough or with sharp edges though since they can be a bit clumsy. They really enjoy sifting through sand so I would definitely recommend a sand substrate.

In my experience they very rarely require trimming. I have never had an issue with it or known someone personally who has. I would be too scared to trim a wen myself but I know people do.

I would be surprised if a fancy goldfish could jump out but I prefer to be cautious anyway and keep my tanks with lids.

Since I'm in the UK I can't comment on where to get them from however I've always wanted to get a fancy goldfish from King Koi Goldfish. You wouldn't need to quarantine them if you got them all at the same time from the same place. If you get them all at once make sure your filter can handle all the ammonia since they are very messy fish.

Thank you so much!

 

I always have covers on my tanks. I have had too many fish jump on me and there is nothing so dispiriting as coming out and finding a fish dead on your floor. And tank covers are soooo much better than they were even just 10 years ago, you can still get a sleek look for your tank.

All fancies are pretty slow. I have an oranda with a very large wen that has covered over one eye (so it is partially blinded) and it competes for food as well as the others. I don't have a ranchu right now, but I have had in the past, and even the two I had could compete for food with the others. I wouldn't worry about it.

If you are getting all four fish at the same time, I would presume they are going to be smaller, in the 2" inch range. You could add all four to the tank at the same time and wouldn't have to quarantine. I've never done that when I've started tanks for folks because I've been any place with a great enough selection to want four at a time. So I have always started with a single one and then added fish one by one. When I have gone that route, yes I would recommend quarantining each subsequent fish. I think it's pretty easy to tell a sick fish -- I might spend 20 minutes looking in the store -- so I've never felt the need to quarantine for more than a week.

 

I agree with u mate

 

Okay so I'm in the process of setting up a 55 Gallon (48" long) goldfish tank, I've built a pretty large canister filter (about 24" long using 4" PVC pipe, housing lots of biological media). I'm waiting on some pool filter sand for the bottom, and just have a few questions about the details

1. So for a 55 gallon I should be able to house four fancy goldfish, and I know that you can't mix the commons with the fancies, but can I mix say, a fantail and an oranda? Or will the oranda be too slow?

2. I'm going to try decorating with some river rocks, an amazon sword plant, and some java ferns. Maybe some floating plants. A lot of goldfish tanks I've seen online have been fairly bare, but I've also read that Goldfish are quite intelligent, so wouldn't a bare tank be under-stimulating? I suppose I'm asking about the finer details in terms of look, I'm used to bettas who prefer lots of coverage.

3. For goldfish that have a wen, do they always require trimming? Is that something that I would have to do, or find a vet able to do it?

4. I've also seen a lot of lidless tanks online, is that okay for fancy goldfish? I'm not concerned about anything reaching into the tank, I'm worried if they would be able to jump out

5. Where should I get the goldfish? I live in Canada, so locally I've got a Big Al's which seems to take great care of their livestock. Or am I better to try and find an online breeder? Also, if I get all four at once, from the same place, do I have to quarantine them? Or should I get them one at a time?

Sorry I know that's a lot of questions, there's just so much conflicting information about goldfish around that I'm not sure what sources to trust, thank you!

Oranda with a fantail will be fine.
WIth goldfish bare tanks are generally fine, the main reason is goldfish "rip up" plants and such. If its just a basic set up it should be fine though, IMO adding sand for them to sift through is a good form of enrichment.
Most of the time orandas won't need trimming.
If you feel the tank is okay without a lid, it probably is. If the water level is higher though I would go with one just in case since you never know.