29 Gallon Tank "Goldfish Compatible" Schooling Fish

---Water Parameters---
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: ~10
pH: 8.0
Temperature: 70-72º F

Hey, guys! I have a 29 gallon aquarium with one relatively large Fantail Goldfish. I'd say he's about 6 inches total, with the length of his body and tail being of equal proportion. Also in the tank are two Weather Loaches. One is of the gold variety (~3.5 inches) and the other is natural (~2 inches). The tank maintains a stable pH and fluctuates a degree or so temperature-wise. An Aquaclear 50 filter is used and 30% water changes are done weekly.

So I was hoping you'd be able to lend me some insight to my current situation, or at least bounce your thoughts off my ideas. About a week ago I decided I'd try my hand at adding a small school of White Cloud Mountain Minnows (5), because I knew they fit the "cool water" classification and had heard positive things about them being kept with some fancy goldfish (mainly that the goldfish didn't eat them). They are truly beautiful fish and photos do not do them justice. Anyway, they seemed absolutely fine, and after my goldfish followed one around for 5 seconds (it was too fast for him), he lost interest and didn't seem to even pay any attention to them swimming about. Well, on the third day of having them in my tank, I woke up to every single one of them missing. Lucas, my goldfish, must have decided he was terribly hungry and chose to have a midnight snack while his unsuspecting prey were sleeping. Needless to say, I was very sad and now have mixed feelings about Lucas. But hey, my fault for getting a school of fish that can individually fit into an omnivorous fish's mouth. I would have saved them had I been given the slightest inclination.

Onto the bigger picture... I would still like a small school of fish to accompany my current inhabitants. Clearly, ones that fit into Lucas' mouth are out of the question, so I'm thinking larger fish with a fuller body. The WCMMs were <1 inch and quite skinny. I am aware of the rather dominant view that goldfish should be kept purely with goldfish, and think it's a good one. But with the proper knowledge and preparation, I think some changes can be made. Cautiously. Which is why I'm here! After all, my loaches get along completely fine with my goldfish. That said, let's get on to the topic of some potential buddies. Here are a few species that I had in mind...

-Odessa Barb
They like a temperature of 70 - 78º F and get roughly 3 inches in size. That seems to fit my criteria. Not to mention they're gorgeous. One drawback includes potential fin-nipping, which I am willing to deal with if the problem arises.

-Rosy Barb
They do well in temperatures from 65 - 78º F and can reach 4 inches in size. That might be too big for my tank, though, and are possibly even more nippy than the Odessas.

-Black Skirt Tetra
I've heard of them being kept well in temperatures as low as 68º F.

Any input in regards to the compatibility of these fish would be greatly appreciated. Thoughts and experiences are welcome. If you think my aquarium has reached its stocking limit as it is, don't be afraid to let me know that either. My feelings are unhurtable.

Thanks!
- Bay

 

HI Bay, Welcome to Fishlore! Goldfish aren't really my thing, however we have plenty of members here who keep them and will be able to help. If you do decide to add some "tropical" fish to the tank, you'll need to ensure that your temps drop no lower than 68-70f. If you live somewhere hot, this won't be a problem. If not a small heater set to the minimum temp will do the trick.

 

Thanks, Nick. My tank temperature remains constant, so no need to worry about it. If there are any problems, however, I have a backup heater on standby. The reason I listed the fish I did is because their temperature requirements are compatible with those of a goldfish to a certain degree. Namely, the very low 70's.

If anyone has any other fish to recommend, that would be great too.

 

You could look at the American Flagfish. They are very colorful. One male and two females would be about all you could have in your tank. As an added bonus, they love to eat algae! The male will "guard" a patch of moss or algae as his "nest" and try to entice a female to lay her eggs there. He then guards the eggs. They are fun to watch.

In my pond with my goldies I have Mosquito Fish and American Flag Fish. My goldies pretty much ignore them.

 

Honestly, I'd say you're pretty well stocked for a 29gal. Weather loaches require a minimum 30 gallon tank (your 29gal is close enough) and the goldfish alone would require 20 gallons. If you didn't have the weather loaches, I'd say you could do a school or 10 or so WCMMs or danios. With the weather loaches, I wouldn't add anything else as your bio-load is pretty well used up.

 

Honestly, I'd say you're pretty well stocked for a 29gal. Weather loaches require a minimum 30 gallon tank (your 29gal is close enough) and the goldfish alone would require 20 gallons. If you didn't have the weather loaches, I'd say you could do a school or 10 or so WCMMs or danios. With the weather loaches, I wouldn't add anything else as your bio-load is pretty well used up.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but this is what I have come to assume from observation. The minimum tank size for some species is more dependent on activity and swimming space, rather than the bio-load. An example of this would be the minimum tank size for one goldfish being 20 gallons, while each additional goldfish thereafter being an added 10 gallons. I can't see why this would be the case, unless it was simply for added space and comfort for the goldfish. Am I getting this right? Regardless, I can see how my tank would be fully stocked, once my fish are fully grown.

If I were to upgrade to say, a 55 gallon, could I add some odessa barbs? I liked the American flag fish idea, but it sounds like they can get territorial. Anybody have any good experience with them in an aquarium?

 

The American Flag Fish get territorial if you have more than one male in too small of an area. If you stick with one male and two or three females, you shouldn't have any problems. They are egg-layers, so if you don't want babies, you can remove the eggs. You could also stick with all females. Then you shouldn't have any problems with aggression or with too many babies.

Common or comet goldfish need more swimming room than fancy goldfish. So, 3 comet goldfish need a larger tank than 3 fancy goldfish would be comfortable in. The common and comet goldfish also grow larger than the fancy goldfish, so once again they will need more room. All goldfish produce large amounts of waste. That is why a goldfish would need more water than an equal sized tropical fish such as some of the cichlids or barbs. Finding the proper sized tank to house a fish requires looking at adult size, activity level, and bioload. That is why the 1" per gallon rule really doesn't work for all fish. There are just too many variables to take into account.