Goldie Tank Planning

Sitka · August 2009

I was wondering what I should turn my 55 gal. tank into. I recently had 2 Jack Dempseys and a 14" Plecostomus occupying the tank, until I was able to get my 110 gal. tank, but the person who was going to sell me the tank, decided they wanted to keep it. So instead of keeping these 3 fish, who needed more than my 55 gal. tank to thrive, I had given them to a friend that has a 125 gal. tank for the 3 to be happy in. So now... I've got an empty 55 gal. tank that needs some occupants. Im addicted... More like obsessed with aquiriums. They're my favorite part of the zoo, and any petstore. I've always been fascinated with fish for some odd reason. My interest was first sparked when I was 7 yrs. old, and had gotten 5 "feeder Common Goldfish" for "summer entertainment". My aunt thought they they wouldnt last very long, and were good summer 'pets'. As-well as all the fireflies that I kept in my room in Mason Jars

As the summer progressed... The fish slowly started to "disappear". Of-course they didnt die (well they did in a way)... Even though I did have them in a little "fish bowl" with no filter, and didnt even know about cycling tanks until I was about 10 yrs. old. At the end of the summer... Only Black Feathers was still alive. Goldie, Scooby, Grim and Ed had all been eaten by him apparently. So I took him home after summer had ended. And then as he grew bigger... So did our tanks. He currently resides in a 75 gal. tank all by himself, as he tends to eat/kill anything that is in his tank. He has 2 filters for his water, an 80 gal. filter and a 60 gal. filter. And he does well. He's about 14" long. And 10 yrs. old. Believe it or not. Ima cry if he ever dies. It'll be sad. My Tank: I have a 55 gal. tank that has been cycled for 3 yrs. It will be empty for another 2 mo. before adding anymore fish, but filters, and cleaning process, etc. will remain as it had already been scheduled when there was fishies in the tank. SO I wont have to worry about my tank not being cycled long enough, etc. I dont really have to worry about filtration. I have a 75 gal. and a 60 gal. filter in the 55 gal. tank. And of-course a 30 gal. Penguin Filter that currently isnt being used. But I'll add that to another tank later. Then I have a 60 gal. undergravel filter that is in the 55 gal. tank. Im a filter freak

It's not too heavy on decorations, as it was just used to temporarily house a Pleco, and 2 Jack Dempseys. It has several hiding spots on both ends... But I'll get more/better decorations later. ANYWAY... Onto my tank planning... Goldfish Tank: Since Goldfish need 20 gals. (preferably) for just 1 Common Goldie, then an additional 10 gals. per additional Goldie, I'd only be able to get a max of 4 Common Goldies. But am going to use this as a rule with the Fancy Goldies as-well. That way the tank wont be overcrowded, and yeah... Goldies are poopy monsters!! Goldie Option 1: <a href="http://www.bristol-aquarists.org.uk/goldfish/common/red_common_goldfish_2003-1.jpg"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">3 Common Goldies</a> Goldie Option 2: <a href="http://www.your-goldfish.com/images/Oranda_right_side_by_MH_ick9s.jpg"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">2 Oranda Goldies</a> <a href="http://z.about.com/d/freshaquarium/1/0/N/4/dec05.jpg"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">2 Ryukin Goldies</a> Goldie Option 3: <a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/227/445926647_09b6b87945.jpg"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">2 Bubble Eyed Goldies</a> <a href="http://www.your-goldfish.com/images/Celestial_Eye_by_Bristol_Aquarists_Society.jpg"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">2 Celestial Goldies</a> Goldie Option 4: 2 Oranda Goldies <a href="http://freefishcaretips.com/sitebuilder/images/Lion_Head_Goldfish-480x400.jpg"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">2 Lionhead Goldies</a> Option 5: <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0Js4q23LxSc/STD8WQMj-4I/AAAAAAAAAV0/lm4Xi1mVdDc/s200/black+moor.jpg"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">2 Black Moor Goldies</a> 2 Lion Heads Goldies If you have any ideas for Goldie Mixtures, let me know. HOWEVER, Common Goldies can only go with Comet, or other fast, slim bodied Goldies, as it would be harder for the "Fancier, slower" Goldies to get food. Same goes with Fancy Goldies... They can only be with other Fancies. Im not going to do any Community Tanks right now... As it will be harder for me to transport millions of fishies when I leave next year. So a few Goldies will be easier.

BuffyBoarding · August 2009

O.o you should get the bubble eyed ones and the lionheads =D Dunno if those two can be placed in the same tank or not -not a feesh person- I've got one little betta and he's good enough for me =D But those two breeds *are feesh called breeds?* would totally be amazing

DoodleBugHolding · August 2009

They are poopy monsters... x_x I have one goldfish my little sister wanted. If I don't clean it's fishbowl every week and a half it'll turn completely green. To help as an easier solution we bought two bowls. It helps so you can easily transport her to one bowl and clean the other whenever ^^; Haha. Sorry to ramble off. Now about the fish mixtures! Have you seen a Pearlscale goldfish? I think they're pretty ;3 I personally like the bubble-eyed ones. They are just entertaining to look at. Hehe. Maybe pair them with the Black Moore? If that's possible. Maybe a Lionhead or Ryukin instead of the Black Moore.

Sitka · August 2009

I dont use "fish bowls". Even for my 8 yr. old Betta that "can live in a fishbowl". He resides in a 10 gal. with a 30 gal. filter. Im extremely against the whole "fish bowl" concept. I use more than enough filtration for my 75 Gal. tank that houses my 10 yr. old Common Goldie, so the "mess" isnt a problem in my tanks. The ones I've listed are the species that my petstore sells. There arent any Goldie breeders up here. SO I just have to use the local petstore. So we dont have any Pearlscales, or anything else other than what I've listed.

BuffyBoarding · August 2009

Buffy still votes for lionheads with the bubble eyed ones =D

CORY · August 2009

I had a black morre one. But we had it in a pond and it didnt survive to long. It killed it self by hoping out of it. so i dont know xD

DoodleBugHolding · August 2009

Sitka wrote:

I dont use "fish bowls". Even for my 8 yr. old Betta that "can live in a fishbowl". He resides in a 10 gal. with a 30 gal. filter. Im extremely against the whole "fish bowl" concept. I use more than enough filtration for my 75 Gal. tank that houses my 10 yr. old Common Goldie, so the "mess" isnt a problem in my tanks. The ones I've listed are the species that my petstore sells. There arent any Goldie breeders up here. SO I just have to use the local petstore. So we dont have any Pearlscales, or anything else other than what I've listed.

What's wrong with fish bowls? I mean. Usually Goldfish are kept in cramped conditions in pet stores with around 60 for each tank. I'm sure they think a bowl is a lot more spacious then that. When I was younger I had a betta that lived for probably five or six years xD He lived in one of those box-shaped fish tanks you can buy at a pet store. That was a lot smaller then the bowl that we keep our gold fish in now. So I don't see the problem with it o.O Plus. Not everyone can afford big tanks with special filters and what not x3

dogtrainer101 · August 2009

they keep the fish in those types of conditions cause they have to other wise they would have to have fish shipped in every day which would get overly expensive. In fact fish bowls are way to tiny for gold fish as they can get really big and need room to grow having them in small containers stunts their growth and shortens their life span. Also with changing the water your not supposed to change the whole thing at once cause it looses all the good bacteria thats there.

DiamondPuppy0809 · August 2009

dogtrainer101 wrote:

they keep the fish in those types of conditions cause they have to other wise they would have to have fish shipped in every day which would get overly expensive. In fact fish bowls are way to tiny for gold fish as they can get really big and need room to grow having them in small containers stunts their growth and shortens their life span. Also with changing the water your not supposed to change the whole thing at once cause it looses all the good bacteria thats there.

Fish (maybe not all, but goldfish) grow to the size of their tank, as long as it's not an extremely tiny tank... I clean all of my fish tanks completely each time I do it (wash it with Dawn dish soap, the rocks, tank and all). We were told to never do it or else our fish would die. They said not to use any soap and only to clean portions of the tank each time. Guess what? I clean it completely at once with dish soap (THOROUGHLY rinsing) and my fish have always lived longer than the petstore predicted.

Zagari Wolf · August 2009

I like option 2. But that's just because I'm a fan of Ryukins. I'm a betta person (have 18 of them and have a pair in the spawning tank now) so I know next to nothing about Goldfish. I do know the rule of thumb is 5 gallons per goldfish. They are yucky creatures. I'm so glad that someone is well educated before going out and buying goldfish. On another note, small bowls are no good for any fish. For bettas, the rule of thumb is 2.5 gallon is the least for one fish. Otherwise, one gallon per inch of betta. I have 9 females in a 20 gallon sorority tank. Goldfish are a lot bigger than bettas. Here's an awesome link to an article and pictures about keeping a goldfish in a bowl. <a href="http://www.ultimatebettas.com/index.php?showtopic=5660"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">http://www.ultimatebettas.com/index.php?showtopic=5660</a> <a href="http://www.ultimatebettas.com/index.php?showtopic=4460"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">http://www.ultimatebettas.com/index.php?showtopic=4460</a>;

Sitka · August 2009

As mentioned before, I have a 10 yr. old, 14" long Common Goldie. I know that the "fish grow to their tank size", is also a bad misconception as are the fish bowls. I have nothing against people who keep their fishies in bowls, but I just would never do it myself. Common Goldies will keep growing regaurdless of how big their tank is... Hence the reason why we have a 75 gal. rectangle tank for Black Feathers... Cause he keeps growing.

Which must be his varied diet of Freeze Dried Brine Shrimp, FD Bloodworms, FD Daphnia, Carrots, Lettuce, and Shelled Peas. And of-course he gets Goldfish Flakes, but all this is leveled out throughout the each week. I've always paid for my fish, as-well as other pets by myself. I've saved up monies to get them. Which is what I've done once again to get these Goldies. I've found that Craigslist will become a fish aquarists best friend if you're not wanting to purchase brand new items, which that's how I've always purchased my tanks. I have kept Goldies in bowls before... That's where Black Feathers had lived for the first 3 yrs. of his life. Then when I became more knowledgeable about fish, I've always saved up to purchase tanks. Even if they were only a few gals. but always had filters, even if they were just to the size of the tank, or a bit smaller. I wasnt trying to put anyone down in any way for using bowls. I just would never do it, as mentioned before... Goldies are extremely big ol' poopy monsters. And grow fairly quickly. While Black Feathers was growing throughout the past 10 yrs. I ended up purchasing a bigger size tank pretty much every year. I started out in a fish bowl. Then went to a 10 gal. then to a 30 gal. then 55 gal. Now he's currently in a 75 gal. So I myself am guilty of keeping them in fish bowls, and dont any anything against anyone who has/does. The reason why I have major filtration addictions... Is because I hate cleaning out the tanks. But have found that the more filtration I do... The easier it is to keep Nitrate and Amonia and Ph Levels, etc. down, and I dont have to clean out the tanks as often. (Im a tad lazy when it comes to cleaning out the fish tanks.) Any other Goldie Suggestions? I'll check on the Lionhead/Bubble-Eyed mixture, and see if I can go that route too. I know that both Lionheads and Bubbles have poorer eyesight, and are also both slow, so it may be okay... As for the Goldies "rule of thumb", I've always just gone by the 20 gals. for 1 Goldie, then an additional 10 gals. per additional Goldie. Just easier in-case they get really big, like Black Feathers did.

Zagari Wolf · August 2009

I hope you didn't think I was throwing those links at you. You seem like a VERY well responsible and educated goldfish owner. I'm so glad to see people out there like that. I was just posting those links for education purposes to show others that bowls aren't always the best.

Sitka · August 2009

lol, thankies. I have some sort of thing... Im not sure what to call it... But I always have to do research on everything that I own, so I can know it forwards and backwards. I didnt get my Jacks for around 5 months before I got Dragon to make sure that I was making the best choice for a 110 gal. tank. With Jacks, you need 55 gals. per 1 Jack. Well I did go against the rule, and had kept 2 juvenile Jacks in a 55 gal. but it was only temporary. And since I wasnt able to get that 110 gal. I ended up rehoming them. I know that Jacks get bigger than what my guys were... Runt was actually about 5", and Zip is bout 2". But they do/can get 6-10+ inches long, and I didnt want them to have to be in that tank with their "aggression" problems as they had gotten older. I know that most people havent successfully kept Plecostomus AKA Plecos or "Algae Eaters" together, as they will "attack the Goldies and suck the slime off them". Dragon was pretty aggressive, even for a Pleco. But I guess being 6 yrs. old and living in an overstocked tank for 5 of those 6 yrs. I would be too. I purchased the tank used. And Dragon had been in the tank his entire life. He had shared the 55 gal. with Oscars before. And when I purchased the tank, he as housed with 3, 8" Tinfoil Barbs, and a pink colored Cichlid... Im not sure what species it was. But it was about 7" long. I ended up leaving all the other fish with the previous owner, and just took Dragon. I know tons about Goldies, but I guess you could always learn more. *reseraches Lionheads with Bubble-Eyeds.*

Zagari Wolf · August 2009

I'm trying to rehome my pleco as we speak. Mr. Jenkins is only about 4" right now but I know he needs more room than my tiny 20 gallon. My cousin gave him to me for Christmas and didn't know how big they got. I'm not having the best time finding anyone who is suitable to own him though. I feel like crap for keeping him in a small tank.

Sitka · August 2009

yeah, Common Plecos get huge... Its hard trying to find places that are big enough for them. Dragon did very well in my 55 gal. and I would've kept him if he got along well with Goldies, but doesnt.

Hibachi · August 2009

I like option three, they are awesome looking. 8D I like parott fish.

I'm not much a fish person, but my grandma has a few betas, and they are so pretty.

iluvdogs111 · August 2009

Personally, I like option two.

I'm not a huge fan of common goldfish. I mostly like bettas.

Sitka · August 2009

I did find some Shubunkin Goldies in Anchorage. The tanks they were in though... Were seriously only like 5-7 gals. And there was HUNDREDS of "feeder Goldies" in one of the tanks... TONS of Oscars in the other... It was horrible. But if I cant find any at my local petstore, then I wont get one. The people at Wal-Mart kept telling me that Goldies (no matter the species) grow to their tank size... NO they dont. GAH I hate when people keep telling me that over and over... If they're dealing with fish, and are trying o sell fish to someone, then they need to really learn about them, regaurdless of if they're into fish or not. That's like going to my local petstore and having them tell me the wrong crap about fish. I'd like -die-. Im going to keep researching the breeds. I just got an extra $100 to spend on Goldies of my choice... But I'll probably get 2-4 Goldies, then either get another tank for another Betta or just get accessories for the tank. But I will find out what breeds Ima get first. My final decision will be made here later after I go to our petstore and see what the species available are, observe them, and see how "healty" they are, etc. Then my FAVE. part of bringing them home... Quarentining (sp?)!!! Im being -very- sarcastic. lol.

Sitka · August 2009

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Goldie Tank Planning

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