Goldfish Eats White Mountain Minnow

Hello folks,

I am a beginner when it comes to fish keeping but I have been trying my best to maintain a healthy and vibrant aquarium. Like other beginners, I started off by buying two comets and two black Moor Goldfish from the local pet store.

I start off with a big bowl but soon realised the need to move on to a proper aquarium and accordingly set up a 30 gallon fish tank for my goldfish. Now, as you may all know that goldfish are very finicky in terms of tank mates. There are very fishes that go along with a gold fish. I did some research on the internet and bought two clown loaches and 4 white cloud mountain minnows.

I thought everything should go well from now, however within a week, one of my white mountain minnow disappeared. I thought my cousin must have stolen that from the fish tank because he always wanted one of those white mountain minnows. I thought that it would nigh impossible for one of my goldfish to just eat up the white mountain minnow. The clown loaches were out of the picture because they took at least two weeks to come out of hiding and start eating.

Two weeks later, I saw first hand how one of my goldfish came to the surface and just dragged a white mountain minnow to the bottom and ate it up. It happened, right in front of my eyes. I was horrified and terrified to say the least. By now I had lost two white mountain minnows and was super disappointed with myself to have not seen this coming.

If you have a goldfish, please please please do not put a small white mountain minnow along with it.

I have been more than generous when it comes to feeding my goldfish but since these guys can literally eat until they die, there was little I could do to control their appetite.

 

White cloud mountain minnows really are unsuitable tank mates for goldfish. The only tank mates for single tail goldfish in a tank are dojo loaches (clown loaches need warmer water than goldfish). It annoys me that so many places recommend white cloud mountain minnows and danios.

You do have stocking issues if you'd like to discuss them

 

White cloud mountain minnows really are unsuitable tank mates for goldfish. The only tank mates for single tail goldfish in a tank are dojo loaches (clown loaches need warmer water than goldfish). It annoys me that so many places recommend white cloud mountain minnows and danios.

You do have stocking issues if you'd like to discuss them

Please tell me what stocking issues I am facing. As I said, I'm a beginner so I don't know much. Trying my best to have a perfectly well balanced aquarium.

 

Clown loaches need a very large tank indeed and warmer water than the rest of your fish. They get to around a foot long are also schooling and should be kept in groups of 6+.

White cloud mountain minnows are also schooling and should be kept in groups of 6+ however as you have found out they shouldn't be kept with goldfish.

It is generally not a good idea to mix fancy goldfish with singletailed goldfish as fancies cannot swim as fast. The fancies may not get as much food. If you have female fancies and male single tails then the fancies will be very stressed if they are breeding and the faster males are chasing them.

Single tail goldfish get very large and are very active and need around 150 gallons minimum. While fancies stay slightly smaller and need 40 gallons.

I would recommend trying to rehome the goldfish (a good excuse for a goldfish pond maybe?) And clown loaches and doing a cool water community around the white clouds. You could have some peppered cories and celestial pearl danios with them.

 

Clown loaches need a very large tank indeed and warmer water than the rest of your fish. They get to around a foot long are also schooling and should be kept in groups of 6+.

White cloud mountain minnows are also schooling and should be kept in groups of 6+ however as you have found out they shouldn't be kept with goldfish.

It is generally not a good idea to mix fancy goldfish with singletailed goldfish as fancies cannot swim as fast. The fancies may not get as much food. If you have female fancies and male single tails then the fancies will be very stressed if they are breeding and the faster males are chasing them.

Single tail goldfish get very large and are very active and need around 150 gallons minimum. While fancies stay slightly smaller and need 40 gallons.

I would recommend trying to rehome the goldfish (a good excuse for a goldfish pond maybe?) And clown loaches and doing a cool water community around the white clouds. You could have some peppered cories and celestial pearl danios with them.

That sounds like a good idea, well a pond is not possible as of now since I'm just a college student and cannot afford to buy a land for constructing a pond but I will consider getting two different tanks for the re homing purpose. Thanlks.

 

No problem. Your fish will thank you for it

 

I would find someone else that maybe has a pond for your single tailed goldfish. Your two black moors would work well in a 40 gallon breeder (on sale at Petco right now in my area). Then you could have a community tank for your 30 gallon. If you have stocking questions about the community, just ask and someone can help you based off the types of fish you like.

 

I am sorry for your loss. Sadly, pet stores often mid-lead people on stocking. Goldies need to stay with Goldie’s. Nothing else except possibly a bristlenose pleco or similar cooler water bottom dwellers. As stated before, single tail Goldie’s don’t work with fancy goldies and are more suitable for ponds. I now have a pond because I made the same mistake. Best of luck on your restocking.