what kind of load do you think my tank can accomodate?

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Tank120

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I have a 120 gallon tank with a Fluval FX5 filter. I currently have 1 oranda, 3 Lionhead orandas, a red cap oranda and a comet. Total of 6 fish. Then I plan to take two of your telescopes in the Spring. I realize that any fish I add need a couple of months in-between additions so the tank water can adjust to the new load. I would love to have 2 Panda Orandas. I wouldn't mind having a couple of Ryunkins, but they are not a must. Currently, my water parameters are ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrates 0 and pH 7.6. What kind of load do you think my tank can accommodate?

There is one large plecostomus that still needs to go back to the LFS when the weather warms. He is more interested in eating algae wafers than cleaning my tank and he is chasing the fish away from them.

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Panda orandas? Do you mean panda moors? I recall someone else asking about 'panda orandas' awhile ago and I asked them to post a pic- can you do the same?

Do you plan on keeping the comet in this tank or will he be going outdoors?
 
I couldn't steal the pictures, so here is the link.

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Whoops, hit the wrong menu item. We will try this again. They are just beautiful. I have tried to order them through my LFS a few times, and they can never get them. As far as the comet goes, he is about 4"-5" now. He is quite peaceful and has never shown signs of aggression. He just hangs around with the other fish. I no longer have an outdoor pond but thought I would give him to my DIL when she gets her 55 gallon set back up. They just moved, so it may be a bit. Just in case the picture isn't big enough, here is the link http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=830+835+961&pcatid=961

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Black is extremely unstable in orandas and ranchus. The top left fish is under going demelanization and will soon be completely orange then likely fade to white. The two 'panda' orandas are just pictured in a transitional phase and are under going demelanization as well. They will be completely white in less than a year, more likely in under 6 months. They will have yellow tinted heads and possibly yellow tinted fins as well. I would not purchase a fish based on color as its guaranteed not to last. :)
 
That is very important to know. I know that you have told me that black is unstable and likely will lighten. So they are actually up-charging for fish during the change by giving them another name.

Well, I guess I will order from the Raingarden later this summer. I really liked the fact that you could see the actual fish you were going to buy.

So back to tank load. How many do you think I can safely keep based on an average grown size?

I wanted to thank you for all of the help!

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Hi Tank120 :)

Brand new member here, offering advice. Hope that's okay. :) The typical rule of thumb for fancy goldfish is 55 gallons per adult fish. They grow to about 8+ inches. For comets, commons, and shubunkins, 100+ gallons per fish is recommended. They can grow to 12+ inches.

Of course, not everybody agrees with these numbers, I'm just sharing what I've learned from keeping my two comets. I've measured their growth. In three weeks, they grew a full inch. Hence the reason that, though they're currently in a 55 gallon, I'm scrambling to raise money for a much bigger tank ASAP. :)

Why such large tank space required? Beyond the huge amount of waste goldfish produce, they also can become stunted, meaning that in a tank that is too small their outsides will stop growing, but their insides won't, leading to a slow, painful death.

So in your 120 gallon ... going by the typical rule of thumb, you could really only have two goldfish. (I know. It sounds crazy in that huge tank, but they get BIG fast.) But you can probably get away with three, absolute maximum four, with careful monitoring of your water parameters and regular water changes. I hope I was able to help you in some way. :) Good luck with your goldies and definitely post pictures when you get them. I haven't quite figured out how to view those yet, but I'm sure I'll learn fast. :)

Oh--I meant to ask, you said you had 0 nitrates in the tank. How long have you had the tank running? I ask because a cycled tank has some low nitrates at least, so I was curious. :)
 
My Tank

Thank you for your advice. I am afraid that I have a rather unconventional setup. I read a book, "The Ecology of the Planted Aquarium", by Diana Walstad. It guides you in a way to raise fresh water plants without the use of injected Co2.

There is 2" of soil on the bottom of the tank, covered with about 1-1/2 inches of pebbles. It has been set up like this for three years. I must have good bacteria out the wazoo.

The tank is over filtered with a Fluval FX5. It has three stages and currently all are biomedia and polishing pads. I only clean these in tank water.

Last week when cleaning my tank, I realized that there had been a drastic reduction in return, so I thoroughly cleaned the filter.

This week when doing my 50% water change, there was just more than a trickle from the returns. I completely disassembled my filter. I pulled the motor off and gave the impeller and all orifices a good cleaning. I was praying that the computer board was not going out.

I hooked the filter back up and yeah, perfect water return.

I tested the water before I did my water change. Parameters as follows: ammonia 0, pH 7.8, nitrites 0 and nitrates barely registering ( just slightly orangish). I was surprised at these results, since the filter, had without my knowledge, not been working properly. I am still guessing that the beneficial bacteria in the soil from the bottom of the tank are full of beneficial bacteria, as well as the biomedia in the filter. I do clean the top of the pebbles for debris. I also maintain good aeration at all times.

My three Lionheads will be no more than 6", the red cap oranda up to 10" and the orange and white oranda up to 10". The comet is to be rehomed in Spring. My daughter is taking him to her MIL's for her big pond.
 
The issue isn't filtration. I have no doubt that you have an incredible tank--Walstad's book is amazing. That said, the issue is that the fish need more space. I'm glad the comet is being rehomed. If you'd consider also rehoming a few of the other fish to the pond, you'd ultimately have happier, healthier fish in the long run. In such a wonderful tank, three fancies would be in fishy heaven. :) Good luck, whatever your personal decision in this matter, and happy fishkeeping. :) Would you post some pictures of your tank? I'm sure lots of people would love to see an example of a Walstad tank. :)
 
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