55 Gallon Tank Awesome goldfish tank

OK so I have a 55 gallon that I am going to turn into a goldfish tank and am curious as to how many I can put in and what other wish I can do with them.

I was thinking 3-4 common goldfish, and maybe a pleco?
anyways please let me know

 

I wouldn't do common, they get BIG! You could do fancy type goldfish. You could probably do, 4 and possibly a bn pleco.

 

Personally I wouldn't put a pleco in with goldfish. They like to suck on the goldie's slime coat and I've heard of them killing and seriously injuring goldfish too. You don't really need one either. The goldfish will keep things clean, they're constantly picking and sucking on gravel.

 

True, goldies are kind of bottom feeders,since they are the carps. Pine like to sift throughout the sand.

 

I like dojo loaches and bamboo shrimp for tankmates. Some other people keep mystery snails with them. We are working on a 55 for my husband and he's got a lionhead, red cap oranda, chocolate oranda and a pearlscale goldie. All really nice fish. Also, he has a bamboo shrimp. They are really cool.

 

Yea see I've heard the same thing about the plecos going after the slime coats. Oh hmm ok that'd sounds really nice Primus! instead of a dojo loach do you think I could do clown loachs?? since I already have 2 in another tank haha

 

Your tank would be overstocked with the goldies and clown loaches. They like to be in groups and get very big.

 

how about 1 common goldfish and 1-3 clown loach.. they'd be small and by the time they grew I know myself id be getting a 75-100gal so that'd work no? like water chemistry and aggression wise no?

 

Nvm just looked around seems as if goldfish should really be in a species only tank, like goldfish and koi that's it

 

I keep plecos with my goldfish

goldfish don't have to be in a species tank. There are all kinds of fish yoou can keep them with.

no common goldfish and no clown loaches....even in a 75-100 gallon tank.

 

I keep plecos with my goldfish

It might work for you but I've seen pictures of what a pleco did to a goldfish and it scared me from ever trying that combo. :'( Think dead fish with big red raw holes eaten in it. I'm super attached to those little guys and it would kill me if something like that happened to them.

 

Bear in mind that common goldfish will grow to be about 14 - 16 inches long. If you want to know how many you could have in your tank, cut out some cardboard pieces the approximate size and shape of an adult goldfish. Set up the tank with all the decorations that you want in it - basically, everything except the water. "Swim" the cardboard fish around the tank. If you want to try some of the fancy varieties, blow up a balloon to the approximate size of the adult. You can make paper fins and tail and tape onto the balloon. Fantail Goldfish are the smallest of the fancies and grow to be about 8 - 10 inches long. Fancy goldfish are much rounder than common or comet goldfish, so the balloon is a better indication of the adult size.

Goldies can get along with a wide variety of fish. The main things to remember are the temperature requirements (fancy goldies like it a bit warmer than the common variety), and since goldfish are opportunistic feeders - tank mates should be large enough to not get eaten by the goldies. That said, some that work well are American Flag Fish, Mosquito Fish, and White Cloud Mountain Minnows. If you keep the water at a fairly steady temp, around the lower end of the requirement for them, you could probably keep guppies, danios, or tetras in with them. If you keep them with the fancy goldfish, watch to see if they pick at the fins of the fancies. I have kept all of the above (with the exception of the WCMM) in my pond during the summer months at one time or another.

Bottom feeders - I have kept cories, chinese algae eaters, and Sailfin Plecos with my goldfish. I have never had a problem with the cae's or the pleco's sucking the slime coat of my goldfish. Personally, I feel that that only happens if the cae's or pleco's are not properly fed. They get hungry enough that they look for another source of food, and the slime coat of the goldfish just happens to be there. CAE's prefer a meatier diet as they grow. CAE's and plecos both require very large amounts of food each day. If they do not get it, they will look for food elsewhere.

All that said, for a 55 gallon tank, I would stick with a smaller variety of fancy goldfish rather than the common or the comet goldfish. There just isn't enough swim room. With 3-4 smaller goldies, say fantails, and maybe 3-4 cories for the bottom, and then maybe a small group of the schooling fish that can handle the cooler water, it could be a very nice tank.

 

Great info by gremlin. I would however, have more than 3-4 corys in a 55 gal. 3-4 is far to small a number for them. I would do atleast 7-8.

 

I'd have to agree with these folks. Common goldfish get to big and are best kept in ponds. You can get 4-5 fancy goldfish depending on how much filtration you have.