Keeping Goldfish Questions

first of all I know nothing about goldfish, NOTHING AT ALL. So don't shoot me for all these dumb questions I'm about to ask lol

I have never been interested in goldfish because I know they requiere larger tanks and I don't have the space and I really like nano tanks anyways. I have an empty 30 gallon and I was thinking to setting it up and getting a large fish to be in there. is there any single goldfish that I can keep in a 30g?

can I use sand substrate? I know plants are a no no, right? and also can they even be kept alone? and if not, a school of White Cloud Mountain Minnow or any cold water tetras would work with one in a 30g?

I understand they prefer cold water, so I won't need a heater at all correct?

Also I have a canister filter, and I can get a HOB filter as well. I've heard that they can be dirty fish

 

You can keep 1 or 2 fancy goldfish in a 30 gallon. Sand is fine. Plants like java fern or anubias tied to a rock would work. Some minnows or cold water tetras are ok. A heater isn’t necessary but I would do one because the temperature will be more stable if your house changes temperature. 2 filters would be a good idea.

 

You could do one or two Fantails in a 30 gallon no problem, with or without substrate. But goldfish do like digging in the sand. Some leaf litter won't hurt either.

They're temperate fish, so heater isn't required. I have a Calico "Fantail" that I keep alone with other community fish, one of them being a White Cloud Minnow.

As far as filtration, I prefer Canisters, but a HOB will be fine as well. Just be sure you get the proper-sized one.

Goldfish poop a lot, but I don't find them to have more bioload than any other fish. A lot of people do feed their goldfish quite a bit. I usually only feed mine once a day. Bioload is about how much you put into it that matters the most, IMO.

I keep a bunch of water sprite and duckweed in my tank, the latter of which my Faintail loves to eat; but the water sprite is so densely grown, it protects all the duckwed from being eaten at once. I also have Asian Dwarf Lily and Java Fern, which it leaves alone.

 

Gourami36 scarface

that's great info guys tanks. I would much rather just keep one unless its a MUST to be keep 2. and Scarface it would be great to see a picture of the tank

 

They are social but don’t have to be with another goldfish. I have a 1000-1500 gallon pond with around 30-40 common goldfish. I probably need to give some away if I can catch them

 

Gourami36 scarface

that's great info guys tanks. I would much rather just keep unless its a MUST to be keep 2. and Scarface it would be great to see a picture of the tank

You can definitely do one, although some might disagree. If you think it might need another of its kind, it'll be easy to find another one. But I think you'll see that after the fish has adjusted, leaving it by itself is fine. In fact, I have two goldfish tanks, one with a single and another with a pair (used to have three). No difference whatsoever, health-wise.

The tank in question is actually the blackwater "biotope" tank I posted a while back with all the leaf litter and tannins which I was planning on putting cories in (decided not to, until I move my goldfish out). I'll have to post an updated photo as the water sprite and duckweed have definitely took over. There are also the Java fern and dwarf lilly, the latter of which has done really great, growing large leaves and root structure. But the Fantail loves it. It spends a majority of its time rooting through the litter or among the floating plants, eating algae and detritus. I actually feel sorry for my pair of goldfish in the other tank that have nothing to do because the tank is very minimalist.

 

They do okay on their own, but they do enjoy the company of their own kind. I think at least a thin layer of sand would give a solitary goldfish something to do during the day. They love to sift the sand looking for food. I would also plan on feeding leafy vegetables (mine love spinach). I just wash a leaf or two, pop in the microwave for 10-15 seconds (I'm lazy and don't feel like blanching), and then use a veggie clip to attach it to the side of the aquarium. I would stay away from structures that have any holes in them .. goldfish WILL get stuck if there is any way possible. Mine don't bother the anubias in their tank. I also bought the huge Marineland fake bamboo to take the place of tall plants. I cut it off at the water line and then attached a plant weight to the part I cut off and made an additional plant out of it. This:

 

Great! and when you guys say fancy tail goldfish does that inlcude the Moor Goldfish? or is that a different type?

 

Moors are fancy goldfish.

 

This is an old pic. The Calico "Fantail" was still fairly new then and has colored up nicely since. I'll post a new, entire tank pic sometime this friday or saturday. I'm out of town (I usually am).

 

that looks great scarface

thanks Max077

 

Gourami36 scarface

that's great info guys tanks. I would much rather just keep unless its a MUST to be keep 2. and Scarface it would be great to see a picture of the tank

The only reason I don't like to see just one kept is that they are social. Plenty of people keep just 1 in a 30 gallon.

 

Hi. I use to keep Goldfish. I had Ranchu's & Oranda's. I use to keep 2 in a 30 until they got big. I moved them to a 55. They are messy!!!

 

Hi. I use to keep Goldfish. I had Ranchu's & Oranda's. I use to keep 2 in a 30 until they got big. I moved them to a 55. They are messy!!!

I hear that at lot, that they are messy lol which makes me rethink the idea of white sand maybe I should get black.

The only reason I don't like to see just one kept is that they are social. Plenty of people keep just 1 in a 30 gallon.

I can get a school of tetras

 

I hear that at lot, that they are messy lol which makes me rethink the idea of white sand maybe I should get black.

Black would be good. I did bare bottom tank's with some river rock's.

 

Black would be good. I did bare bottom tank's with some river rock's.

That looks great! thanks for sharing.

 

It's not really a bad thing to see the poo ... means you know where to clean it up. I have black sand and it doesn't hide goldfish poo. Black sand makes it easy to see the giant earthworm like deposits they leave everywhere (no joke .. they are huge!).

 

haha that's true too, it would make it easier to clean

 

That looks great! thanks for sharing.

Thanks!!! Can't wait to see what you come up with!!!

 

I really would suggest getting a pair. Seeing how my goldie group behaves with each other compared to when I had to quarantine them individually, was very different behavioural wise.

 

I've always kept my godies with white cloud mountain minnows. They're charming little fish with a LOT of personality!

 

I've always kept my godies with white cloud mountain minnows. They're charming little fish with a LOT of personality!

I have some white cloud minnows now and those little guys are great!

I really would suggest getting a pair. Seeing how my goldie group behaves with each other compared to when I had to quarantine them individually, was very different behavioural wise.

I would get a pair if I don't have to upgrade to a bigger tank once they become adult. If one would not be happy by itself, I would just drop the idea of getting one

 

I've always kept my godies with white cloud mountain minnows. They're charming little fish with a LOT of personality!

Whoops, should add that your bullet goldfish may predate on the minnows, so I find Orandas and Blackmoors do well

 

Hi. This is an Oranda I had named Bubblehead. He is in a 12 gallon quarantine tank. As you can see he is big. He got even bigger.

 

I would get a pair if I don't have to upgrade to a bigger tank once they become adult. If one would not be happy by itself, I would just drop the idea of getting one

I totally think a pair of fancies (particularly the smaller varieties) would do fine in a 30 gallon tank, with good filtration - reccomend something like a HOB or a canister for an increase in water volume, which never hurts regardless of the species IMO.

 

Hi. This is an Oranda I had named Bubblehead. He is in a 12 gallon quarantine tank. As you can see he is big. He got even bigger.

That's a lovely fish. I'm thinking about a buttefly tail calico goldie. Love calico pets! My dream dog is a calico australian sheppard

 

That's a lovely fish. I'm thinking about a buttefly tail calico goldie. Love calico pets! My dream dog is a calico australian sheppard

I LOVE the calico pattern. They are sooooo pretty!!! Those sheppards are GORGEOUS!!! I hope you get one. I LOVE dog's!!! I have a Sealed Reverse Brindle Boxer Liliana!!! She's my baby!!!

 

I LOVE the calico pattern. They are sooooo pretty!!! Those sheppards are GORGEOUS!!! I hope you get one. I LOVE dog's!!! I have a Sealed Reverse Brindle Boxer Liliana!!! She's my baby!!!

Ohhh boxers are great! we had 2 growing up.

Exploring my options!

saw these guys at my lfs last night!

They have this beautiful all black ranchu! but its $200 and I'm not paying that much for a fish lol






really like the patterns! especially the last one

 

Nice find. You don't normally see calico Ryukins around very often. None of them are Ranchus. Ranchus have no dorsal fin, and have growth around the head and face.

 

I do like the last one pictured ... a lot. Snatch it up!

 

Nice find. You don't normally see calico Ryukins around very often. None of them are Ranchus. Ranchus have no dorsal fin, and have growth around the head and face.

I found this at Pacific. And I know these are not ranchu lol I was saying that they also have some nice Ranchu for sale.

I do like the last one pictured ... a lot. Snatch it up!

Ya! He was my favorite

 

I found this at Pacific. And I know these are not ranchu lol I was saying that they also have some nice Ranchu for sale.

Oh nice. I bought a common goldfish from them early last year and still have it.

I think you should get a Ryukin over the Ranchus, given the choice. Being the contrarian that I am, I think most beginner goldfish people should keep Commons, Comets, and Fantails over the fancier varieties. Even in bad aquarium conditions, they seem to live a lot longer and have less health problems, overall.

 

Yeah? Good to know. I like the Ryukin better anyways!

 

LOVE the last pic of the calico. Such beautiful scales

 

Did you ever get your goldfish? Here's an updated pic of my Calico goldfish cull sold as a Fantail. As you can see, it has a single tail and not a double. I wish short-tailed Shubunkins were common and popular, but this little guy is the closest thing to one, so I snatched it up. Earlier, you asked about keeping goldfish with tropical fish. It's not a popular idea, but I do it. Here's Fred and Meemo ( the goldfish):

 

Great looking Goldfish!! And I haven’t gotten mine yet! I'm just planning now.

 

Great looking Goldfish!! And I haven’t gotten mine yet! I'm just planning now.

You could do a planted tank. Some plants I find that work well with goldfish are water sprite, dwarf lily, Java fern and Java moss, and Subwassertang (large clump in the back). I'm in the process of redoing this tank and cleaned up a lot of the substrate (leaves), and will eventually add coarse, white sand. I'll probably remove all the water sprite as well to add another lily species.

 

The short little tail is so cute!

 

You could do a planted tank. Some plants I find that work well with goldfish are water sprite, dwarf lily, Java fern and Java moss, and Subwassertang (large clump in the back). I'm in the process of redoing this tank and cleaned up a lot of the substrate (leaves), and will eventually add coarse, white sand. I'll probably remove all the water sprite as well to add another lily species.
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what size is this tank again? looks great man. Ive been so busy that I haven't even had time to get the tank together, we are thinkng about moving soon so I'm just going to wait unitl we move, I already have 4 tanks that I would have to take apart, I don't want to add a 30 gallon to that mess lol

 

what size is this tank again? looks great man. Ive been so busy that I haven't even had time to get the tank together, we are thinkng about moving soon so I'm just going to wait unitl we move, I already have 4 tanks that I would have to take apart, I don't want to add a 30 gallon to that mess lol

Thank you. It's a 20 gallon long. I'm actually moving out soon too. It's too expensive living in Manhattan. I rather just commute from NJ and back.
I understand wanting to hold off. Was planning on getting a 37g, but decided to wait, until after the move. It's already stressful enough having to worry about the fish and move the tanks. Good luck. Hope everything goes uneventful.