29 gal suggestions for Goldies.

Tue Jun 01, 2010 5:21 am

Tee hee c: That sounds really nice! What kind of goldfish are you thinking about?

 

Tue Jun 01, 2010 7:33 am

If you paid shipping.
I'll cut you a deal on some "AA" goldfish.
The down side is you'll have to trust me to pick them.

Rick

 

1968 was a LLLLLLLLLLLLONG time ago, ahh the smell of napalm and burning bra's!!!!

Ive kept native fish before, they are cold water fish and I dont think the set up would be different.

what you have there seems fine, and from what I understand goldfish move the substrate to their liking like alot of cichlids do.

Good Luck on it, I know my ex loved her little moor's, I personally just see a fancy carp but I do have alot of resources availble at my fingertips and am willing to help any way I can. PM me to remind me to go thru my books and articles ive saved over the past 15 years.

 

Substrate. Gravel provides a breeding ground for bacteria that eat debris and can cause disease. Gravel can also be a hazard if goldfish swallow it or get it stuck in their throats. Either use a layer of gravel small enough to pass through a goldfish (course sand), or use a single layer of larger rocks too large to fit in their mouths. You can also have a bare-bottomed tank, but goldfish love to dig so they are happier in a tank with substrate.

Plants. Plants can be used with goldfish but it is not always an easy thing. Goldfish like to think of plants as their own salad bar and you may have to try a few before having success. Good ones to start with are java fern, Anacharis, java moss, Sword plants, dwarf Anubias and Crypts.
Find plants they do not like.
Use plants that float - hey they cannot be uprooted
Use plants that can be tied down - you're one up on them with this one
Find alternative ways to pot your rooted plants. Use clay pots with substrate. I have used plastic mesh to help keep the plants in place.
Plant several at a time. It may just confuse them too much
Try semi-aquatic plants. They are green and there a couple that will utilize nutrients from the water and do fine even if submerged. And for some reason most goldfish do not like to eat these.

Keep a stable temperature, Goldfish can adjust to a wide range of temperature as long as you don't have big swings. My goldfish are kept @ about 80*F in the summer without a problem.
pH should be over 7 (preferably over 7.4). However if your KH (which measures your alkalinity) is low (under 80 PPM) you may see pH swings and if you experience pH drops between waterchanges you should look into increasing your alkalinity (KH) so your pH stays stable. Crushed coral or crushed oystershell added to a high flow area can also be used to increase KH and keep pH stable Some general hardness (GH) makes for happier fish.
Provide large surface area. Goldfish fare better in tanks that are long, rather than tall. Longer tanks provide a larger surface area for optimal gas exchange.
Make sure there is surface movement. If the filter does not provide movement add some airstones.
Do not overstock. More fish means less oxygen per fish.
Perform partial water changes weekly or biweekly (20-60%) to take care of the waste not dealt with in the biological cycle and to replenish the minerals and other good stuff the goldfish have used up.
If you take care of the water, the water will take care of the fish

Feed goldfish once or twice a day (more often if they are babies and juveniles)
Feed a varied diet
Do not overfeed.
If you feed dry food (pellets or flakes) make sure they are good quality ones and not too old
Feed a varied diet of shrimp; krill and some live foods such as daphnia and worms. .
Omnivores like their vegetables. Feed washed greens, spirula, peas, oranges, mellons most any thing you can think of a goldfish will eat it.
Some goldfish are sensitive to dry food - particularly dry flakes. You may have to presoak your dry food or if see problems (like flipover) eliminate it from the diet.

I also have a ton of resources available so just let me know what you need.I'm sure between all of us we can find what you need

Rick

 

A tank for goldfish isn't far from any Just skip on the heater thermostat, or set it on 20-24 degrees I keep my tank at about 20-22 degrees without a heater.
And the stocking of a goldfish tank is a bit different than calculating the stocking levels of other tanks, a common way of thinking is that one adult fish needs a minimum of 20 gallons, and then you add another 10 for each additional goldfish. And the filter needs to have twice the capacity as the tank, as in a 40 gallon tank needs a filter for an 80 gallon.
Fancy, eggshaped goldfish need a varied diet and a good quality staple pellet as a base + veggies such as peas, lettuce, cucumber... along with some frozen or freeze-dried live foods. Otherwise they may get constipated and develop swim bladder issues as a consequence. I fed mine some small piece of banana recently, they seemed to like tearing it apart xD

Here's a good site with different breeds described: <a class="postlink" href="http://exoticgoldfish.net/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://exoticgoldfish.net/</a>
I have a little chocolate Oranda that I call Claymore, he's a really beautiful, eggshaped fish They are included in the link as well!

Ask absolutely anything you need to know more about goldfish! I'd be happy to help