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Goldfish Community Tank
General: Goldfish have been bred in
captivity for over 1,000 years. The result of this is a wide variety of
colors and sizes of goldfish. A fancy goldfish tank is low maintenance,
and you don’t have to worry about them hurting each other. They will
entertain you with some incredibly beautiful fins and form. The modern
aquarium stocked with fancy goldfish can offer a very beautiful addition
to any room. To truly enjoy them, design your tank for goldfish keeping
only, and do not mix in tropical fish.
Tank Conditions: Goldfish are very hardy; just do not crowd them. The bigger the tank the
better. Long low tanks (16" or lower) are preferable over extra tall tanks. Give them
plenty of swimming room with some bushy plants. The tank must be kept clean
and well filtered. Use one or two good power filters, with a supplemental
air pump. . Another option
is an undergravel filter and an outside power filter.
(Canister filters also work well) Fancy goldfish do not like excessive water
movement. Water output from filters should be directed away from the center
of the tank. Follow all normal aquarium maintenance
procedures such as a partial water change monthly, test pH monthly, ( Keep
it 6.8-72) and change filter cartridges monthly. We recommend you add
one tablespoon of aquarium salt for each 5 gallons of water. Aquarium salt
is very beneficial to goldfish.
Temperature: Goldfish should be kept at temperatures of 60-74 degrees.
Goldfish are not good choices for rooms that are not air conditioned in
summer.
Goldfish in fish bowls: A small fishbowl is a very undesirable place
for a goldfish. For best results purchase a filtered aquarium of 10 gallons
or more.
Goldfish with Tropical Fish: For best results do not mix
tropical fish. Do not mix fancy goldfish with channel cats or
koi. You will be able to provide the proper feeding, and tank
conditions only in a goldfish specialty tank, and you will be rewarded with
healthier fish.
Compatibility with other Goldfish: You can mix various
sizes of fancy goldfish in the same tank.
Feeding: Feed goldfish twice a
day. (Once a day is all right every once in a while.) Goldfish like to feed from the middle and bottom. Catfish are
not required in goldfish tanks.
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What to Feed:
* Hikari Fancy Goldfish Pellets
* Tetra Fancy Goldfish Pellets
* Spirulina Pellets
Some good supplements are brine shrimp, tubifex worms, frozen bloodworms,
and even a group or two of live plants. Be sure to
carefully observe feeding and remove any extra food after 5 minutes.
Special Feeding Considerations for Fancy Goldfish: The orandas, lionheads,
bubble-eyes, and other strains with egg-shaped body have a distorted swim
bladder and this sometimes causes poor buoyancy and poor swimming ability.
This leads to a competitive disadvantage at feeding time and they are best not
mixed with fast moving fish, koi, or comet goldfish. Also some fancy goldfish
may gulp in air when feeding from the surface and this has the potential to
causes balance problems. For this reason most goldfish hobbyist prefer to feed
their fish sinking pellets rather than floating flakes. For fancy goldfish
purchase a quality goldfish sinking pellet food. Specialty goldfish foods
promote the proper color and growth. Avoid "bargain brand" foods
because they will just add to the pollution in the tank. Hikari Fancy goldfish
pellets are also designed to encourage head growth on fancy oranda goldfish.
Size/Growth: Goldfish can grow up to 10". They are moderately quick growers. They
will grow quicker in large tanks.
Availability: We receive weekly shipments of fancy goldfish. Different varieties will be
available each week. It is our policy to deal only with goldfish specialty
suppliers in order to insure the healthiest stock. This normally consists of
Domestic raised or Japanese Imports.
How
Many? About one small goldfish per 5 gallon is a good rule of thumb.
Larger goldfish will require more room. That will
give them some growing room.
| 10
Gal |
1-2 small goldfish |
|
20 Gal |
4-5 small goldfish |
|
30 Gal |
4-6 small
goldfish, or 3 medium size fish |
|
55 Gal |
8-10 small goldfish,
or 5 medium size fish |
|
75 Gal |
10-12 small goldfish, or
6 medium size fish |
Longevity: Goldfish are among the longest lived of any aquarium fish. Average life in
the home aquarium is about 8 years. There are documented cases of goldfish
living in captivity for 30 years or more.
Breeding/Sexing:
Goldfish come from temperate regions of the world, and are therefore
seasonal breeders. They breed in the spring. At breeding time males develop
white spots on their pectoral fins (it looks like they have ich on their
fins). The female lays adhesive eggs among bushy plants such as hornwort or
cobomba. The male fertilizes the eggs immediately afterwards.
Problems: Link
to our Fancy Goldfish Problem Chart
Popular Varieties: Black Moor, Bubble-Eye, Celestial,
Comet, Fantail, Lionhead, Oranda, Pearlscale, Ryukin,
Shubunkin, Veiltail
Link to our Fancy Goldfish Varieties Chart
