Single goldfish?

I was wondering if goldfish thrive solo in a tank or if they prefer tank mates?

I have an empty 29 gallon tank I have been thinking about starting a cycle on. My first thought is to put goldfish in there (ryukin was what I was thinking) but given the tank size I don't think 2 or more will work.

So will a goldfish thrive alone in this size tank? (the filter is ~200 gph)

 

for an HOB that is a little small for that tank for a filter, if its a canister then it would be ok.

As for alone, I have seen it, but why not put some schooling fish in with him/her. In a 29 you could do a nice school of something to go along with the goldie as the centerpiece to the tank. There is quite a selection of fish that will do well in colder water tanks.

 

If you had the time to be super diligent, you could do two of the smaller Fancies (like Fantails). But I think a Ryukin and a school of White Could Minnows would look nice

You'll want a much larger filter for a goldfish tank. I'd run 350 or more gph, and as the fish gets bigger, 50% or more weekly water changes.

 

You could probably keep one by itself, as long as you have stuff in the tank for the goldie to play with. My goldfish like to play with each other.

 

Goldfish are very interactive. If you "played" with a single specimen, it wouldn't get so loney