Goldfish General

[Mooshy]

Hey guys Goldfish are some of the most commonly kept fish. So, I wanted to set this thread up as a place to be able to ask general Goldfish questions. There's a lot of misinformation out there so this could be a great place for discussion considering how many Goldfish enthusiasts we have.

I have a few questions of my own.

I know there is a recommended temperature range, but what is the best temperature 68, 66 etc. ?

I currently keep 3 2 inch fancy Goldie's in a 20 gallon tank with a 30 and 20 gallon filter and a supplementary 20 gallon grade sponge filter. I perform 25% water changes week does this seem sufficient? Because the ammonia levels are 0, but my Goldie's gills seem a bit red.

How does one know if the flow from the filter's is too strong ? I want to make sure my Goldie's are not stressed.

 

[PremativePeat]

You may not believe this but in a small town called Talent Oregon this is a a road called Gabage Lane, and on that roads end when I was there in the late 1960's my jaw dropped to see a natural pond in a yard with gold fish living in the pond at temperatures in the low 50's degree F ...yet take small insects on the surface of the water...mind you they had to already have survived freezing and below conditions that existed just a month or so earlier and snow was still on the ground. They were wild not domestic. PP

 

[eduguy]

Once the goldies grow up they cannot be kept in that tank.
20 gallons for the first goldie and then 10 more for every extra one.
Red gills:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f17/red-gills-143875.html
Hope I helped.

 

[jlk]

What type of goldies do you have? Commons/singletail goldfish are a bit more tolerant of temp ranges than their fancy siblings. A general range for fancies would be anywhere from 68-75f, midrange 72-74.

What are your parameters for nitrite & nitrate & ph and what type of tests are you using (liquid or strips)? With rather small water changes on a messy, heavily stocked goldie tank, I suspect that their red gills may have something to do with something amiss with your parameters before anything else.

 

[Mooshy]

What type of goldies do you have? Commons/singletail goldfish are a bit more tolerant of temp ranges than their fancy siblings. A general range for fancies would be anywhere from 68-75f, midrange 72-74.

What are your parameters for nitrite & nitrate & ph and what type of tests are you using (liquid or strips)? With rather small water changes on a messy, heavily stocked goldie tank, I suspect that their red gills may have something to do with something amiss with your parameters before anything else.

That's great I keep the tank at 73. Glad that checks out

One Ryukin, one Oranda, and one Pearscale. I know I will have to upgrade, but they are only ~1 inch right now(not including tail). As of right now is the tank overstocked ?

Nitrate 20

Nitrite 0

PH 6.8

I'm using strips. A liquid kit is on its way

Two days ago I performed a 50% water change. I came home from college and was only able to bring 10 gallons of the old water.

 

[Mooshy]

You may not believe this but in a small town called Talent Oregon this is a a road called Gabage Lane, and on that roads end when I was there in the late 1960's my jaw dropped to see a natural pond in a yard with gold fish living in the pond at temperatures in the low 50's degree F ...yet take small insects on the surface of the water...mind you they had to already have survived freezing and below conditions that existed just a month or so earlier and snow was still on the ground. They were wild not domestic. PP

I didn't know wild goldfish existed, at least not within the US. Very interesting story. Thank you for sharing it.

 

[Mooshy]

Once the goldies grow up they cannot be kept in that tank.
20 gallons for the first goldie and then 10 more for every extra one.
Red gills:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f17/red-gills-143875.html
Hope I helped.

Thanks for the help

 

[Mooshy]

Side note
They are all active and seem to be doing well.

 

[PremativePeat]

Mooshy, it is likely they were at one time someones pet that lived in the empty house on that property, and it was a some what deep natural pond that could have even extended a distance below ground...for it was like a crack in the ground...no decorations or proper formation simular to what a human would make (not square, round, or rectangle) just a jagged crack like and widend in the middle of the crack between 3 and 4 feet across, by 6 to 8 feet long. It was a local preacher that showed me this most unusual thing I ever saw that had live swimming fish. PP

 

[jlk]

I didn't know wild goldfish existed, at least not within the US. Very interesting story. Thank you for sharing it.

Wild 'goldfish' actually exist almost everywhere in the world thats habitable. They are carp and have existed long before man ever started to domesticate and breed them as pets.

In respect to your tank situation, I would really increase your water changes ALOT until you can get them into a much bigger tank (40-50+g). They may 'seem' small right now but they will grow exponentially in their first year or two of life given adequate water and healthy diet. Heres more info on goldfish and their care- please ask if you have any questions!

http://www.myaquariumclub.com/goldfish-101-11174823.html

 

[Sambo7475]

My sister has a farm that is near a creek. In a hole in one of the pastures, we found some goldfish and minnows swimming around. The hole is only about 10 inches in diameter, but more than 6 feet deep, I am pretty sure it connects to the creek underground. We were amazed when we saw the fish. We were trying to sink a fence post to keep the horses from stepping in the hole, but the post (6 foot long) sunk all the way down. We ended up just placing a small fence around the hole to keep the horses away. Your story reminded me of this. I'll try to take a picture of it next time I'm over there.

 

[PremativePeat]

Sambo7475, I know and understand how you felt it is really...well shocking to see the gold fish alive and well in the wild. Oh and like you that hole in the ground was deep, and the preacher said he has fished a line in that hole before, and it was very deep...but didn't give me approximations. Where do you live ( just for me to know approximate), and nothing more. PP

 

[Sambo7475]

I live in southern michigan. I've heard of fish living in underground streams and such, but have never seen it for myself until now. It was very odd.

 

[Teakwood]

That's great I keep the tank at 73. Glad that checks out

One Ryukin, one Oranda, and one Pearscale. I know I will have to upgrade, but they are only ~1 inch right now(not including tail). As of right now is the tank overstocked ?

Nitrate 20

Nitrite 0

PH 6.8

I'm using strips. A liquid kit is on its way

Two days ago I performed a 50% water change. I came home from college and was only able to bring 10 gallons of the old water.

If you did a 50% change to days ago your nitrates were a teensy bit on the high end try keeping nitrates below 20Ppm with at least 2 50% water changes a week. I bet there gills will be normal in no time

 

[PremativePeat]

If you did a 50% change to days ago your nitrates were a teensy bit on the high end try keeping nitrates below 20Ppm with at least 2 50% water changes a week. I bet there gills will be normal in no time

Teakwood, just remember though the goldfish is very hardy don't do things with sudden change...let me give you a meaning to say if the water temp is 80 degrees, don't drop it to 70 immediately...it really messes even the best of fish up. And since you mention gills as if a problem has this fish been subjected to ammonia burn? If so it will likely never heal per sai.
Your name Teakwood...I love to work with that wood on model tall ships of sail. PP

 

[ryukins]

20ppm nitrates in two days is a lot. It could be due to several reasons: the tank is too small/filtration is not adequate/overfeeding/something rotting in the tank.

What type of filter do you have?

 

[Teakwood]

Teakwood, just remember though the goldfish is very hardy don't do things with sudden change...let me give you a meaning to say if the water temp is 80 degrees, don't drop it to 70 immediately...it really messes even the best of fish up. And since you mention gills as if a problem has this fish been subjected to ammonia burn? If so it will likely never heal per sai.
Your name Teakwood...I love to work with that wood on model tall ships of sail. PP

I'm no goldfish expert just gave an opinion that might help. My maiden name was wood. My dad wanted to name me teak, my mom vetoed it....

 

[PremativePeat]

Nice story Teakwood. PP

 

[Mooshy]

20ppm nitrates in two days is a lot. It could be due to several reasons: the tank is too small/filtration is not adequate/overfeeding/something rotting in the tank.

What type of filter do you have?

Aqueon quiet flow 30 and a top fin 20 and a supplement sponge filter

 

[ryukins]

You are probably seeing nitrate rise so quickly because you are overstocked. With a 20 gallon you would have 1 goldfish ideally. Two fancies only if you are willing to do more water changes or if you have a large established bio filter.