Difference between tropical and goldfish?

[sholi]

I'm thinking of getting a 30g with 4-6 red lionhead goldfish. (4inch long)

I was wondering, what is the difference between a tropical fishtank and a goldfish and the maintence?

What i know about difference between goldfish tank and tropical already:
-produce lots of waste
-coldwater
-goldfish=sensitive eyes, turn on room light, then tank light
-eats/digs most plants
-needs gravel

What i want to know
-if my goldfish were to get a parasite infection, can i use tetra parasite guard tablets?
~i used them on my current guppies twice and it worked beautifly!
*once my guppies had poop white stringy poop and one of my guppy had red spots all over her.

-how often should i change their tank water? (once a week like tropicals?)

*im gonna buy a air pump for the fish

So is there anything else i need to know? Post and thank you!!!

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I'm thinking of getting a 30g with 4-6 red lionhead goldfish. (4inch long)

I was wondering, what is the difference between a tropical fishtank and a goldfish and the maintence?

What i know about difference between goldfish tank and tropical already:
-produce lots of waste
-coldwater
-goldfish=sensitive eyes, turn on room light, then tank light
-eats/digs most plants
-needs gravel

What i want to know
-if my goldfish were to get a parasite infection, can i use tetra parasite guard tablets?
~i used them on my current guppies twice and it worked beautifly!
*once my guppies had poop white stringy poop and one of my guppy had red spots all over her.

-how often should i change their tank water? (once a week like tropicals?)

*im gonna buy a air pump for the fish

So is there anything else i need to know? Post and thank you!!!

With fancy goldfish the usual rule is first fish need 20g and then 10g for each one after that. So you could have 2 in a 30g tank. I don't keep gf myself but I know they need more frequent PWC because of the large amounts of waste.

 

[nextgeneration40]

dont quote me but I think the going rule of thumb for goldfish is 20 Gallon for the first one and 10 more for each that follow... so you can have 2 in a 30g..

 

[sholi]

Yeah but these goldfish only grow up to 4 inches, not 12inches like comets, black moores, etc.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Yeah but these goldfish only grow up to 4 inches, not 12inches like comets, black moores, etc.

The 20g 10g rule doesn't apply to commets or common goldfish. It is for fancies like the lion head and moore.

 

[sholi]

Oh, ok then, i see so the pwc is the same as tropicals right? Empty 25%, dechlorine new 25% and put in tank.

I heard of some method of dechlorining the water which is different than tropicals.
I have a dechlorinor which dechlorines in a minute, for my tropical, i empty 25%, then get 25% with same temp, put conditioner in for minute, then pour in tank.
Can i do that with goldfish once a week?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Oh, ok then, i see so the pwc is the same as tropicals right? Empty 25%, dechlorine new 25% and put in tank.

I heard of some method of dechlorining the water which is different than tropicals.
I have a dechlorinor which dechlorines in a minute, for my tropical, i empty 25%, then get 25% with same temp, put conditioner in for minute, then pour in tank.
Can i do that with goldfish once a week?

Yes. PWC are performed the same as with tropicals. One thing you need to do is keep an eye on your nitrAte readings and preform PWC as needed. (same as tropicals) So, if your testing 20ppm at the end of the week do a 50% PWC to bring it down to 10ppm. Even better would be 2 25-30% twice a week to keep the concentrations more stable. Even if the nitrates aren't necessarily high still do a weekly PWC to prevent the build up of dissolved solids.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[sholi]

Yep it did, thank you what about the medications though? is it usable on goldfish?

 

[jsoong]

Yeah but these goldfish only grow up to 4 inches, not 12inches like comets, black moores, etc.

Not true, lionheads can grow to 6-8". <The world record holder for fancies - Bruce - is a lionhead & is ~16" long!>

Even at 4" 6 lionheads will need at least a 50 gal breeder, and preferably a 75 or 80.

Fancy goldfish is sub-tropical, not cold water. Prefer temp is mid 70's. They do not "need" gravel. Many a sucessful goldfish tank is bare-bottomed. For substrate, you have to be careful to not have sharp edges or gravel sized to be stuck in the fish's throat. So, either bare-bottomed, sand/fine substrate, or smooth pebbles that is too big for the fish to eat (3/4" +).

You will need massive filtration even with a big tank ... 10x tank vol per hour water turnover is usual.

So for a 30 gal, I would suggest only a pair of fancies, no more.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Yep it did, thank you what about the medications though? is it usable on goldfish?

Honestly, I don't know sorry. Just guessing that most of them you would be able to use in tropical and goldies.

 

[jsoong]

As far as meds goes, although the usual tropical meds can be used on goldfish, it is really only good for external parasites. Because of the thick bodies, goldfish do not absorb meds well from the water. So apart from the simple external parasites like ich, tropical meds are not of much use. <And ich can be treated simply with salt.>

Normally, we treat goldfish ailments with food containing anti-biotics or anti-parasiticals. In serious cases, injectable meds are used. <You need a vet to do this.>

 

[sholi]

Not true, lionheads can grow to 6-8". <The world record holder for fancies - Bruce - is a lionhead & is ~16" long!>

Even at 4" 6 lionheads will need at least a 50 gal breeder, and preferably a 75 or 80.

Fancy goldfish is sub-tropical, not cold water. Prefer temp is mid 70's. They do not "need" gravel. Many a sucessful goldfish tank is bare-bottomed. For substrate, you have to be careful to not have sharp edges or gravel sized to be stuck in the fish's throat. So, either bare-bottomed, sand/fine substrate, or smooth pebbles that is too big for the fish to eat (3/4" +).

You will need massive filtration even with a big tank ... 10x tank vol per hour water turnover is usual.

So for a 30 gal, I would suggest only a pair of fancies, no more.

By sayin need, i mean if u wanted substrate, i heard sand gets caught up in goldfish's throats...

 

[sholi]

Honestly, I don't know sorry. Just guessing that most of them you would be able to use in tropical and goldies.

Its fine, turns out on the reviews of the sale of this med, it actually works for goldfish

 

[jsoong]

By sayin need, i mean if u wanted substrate, i heard sand gets caught up in goldfish's throats...

As long as the sand is small enough to pass through the fish's system, it is fine. You want something smaller than 1/16" for sure. Sharp angular sand that is coarse grade will likely hurt the fish's mouth. Substrate that get stuck in the throat is actually the usual aquarium gravel at 1/4" or so ... just the right size to cause trouble.

 

[jlk]

I actually think fancies need bigger pwcs than other fish due to their high bioload & general messiness. I actually do 2x wk changes of 50-70% (depending on nitrate) to keep my guys clean & healthy. Many goldfish breeders & fanatics actually do 100% daily water changes. My tanks are planted and i have no issues with plants being eaten or dug up but my guys get veggies daily to pick on instead. Why are you asking about meds?

 

[LyndaB]

Oh, ok then, i see so the pwc is the same as tropicals right? Empty 25%, dechlorine new 25% and put in tank.

I heard of some method of dechlorining the water which is different than tropicals.
I have a dechlorinor which dechlorines in a minute, for my tropical, i empty 25%, then get 25% with same temp, put conditioner in for minute, then pour in tank.
Can i do that with goldfish once a week?

With a fish with large bioload, you want to do healthier water changes. I would advise a minimum of 50% weekly. And that's for the two fish.

If you use a dechlorinator (like Prime) you don't need a conditioner, too.