New to goldfish - help me with diet and other concerns!

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allysonwonderland

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
May 26, 2013
Messages
87
Location
Tampa, FL
A few weeks ago, my mother in law inherited a 55 gallon tank from my SIL plus an 8 inch common pleco who we believe was stunted from living in a 20 gallon for 7 years. He's been in the 55 for a year with no growth.

MIL has always wanted goldfish. I said OK, 2 fancies should be fine. She got 3. I think she's still technically overstocked with the pleco, and she knows she's not allowed to buy anymore. One little white fantail who's about 2.5 inches right now, her orange oranda is 3 inches with a pretty small wen so far, and a calico oranda is about 3.5 inches and his wen is all over his head and he has cute squishy cheeks.

The tank retained its cycle with the original filter media from the Top fin 75 it came with, plus I put on my old biowheel 50 with filter media right out of my healthy tropical tank. Ammonia and nitrite have been 0, nitrate barely detectable. Maybe 10? I've been doing two large water changes per week to get myself in the habit of it for when they get big (I live in the apartment above them so it's no big hassle.) PH is around 7.5, water is very hard where we live. Temperature around 72 F and stable as they use central air.

Anyway, to get to the questions. I know goldies can and should eat more than just store bought food - can you give me a list and theoretical schedule? So far they've only been eating Omega One sinking goldfish pellets in the morning and they nibble on the pleco's algae wafers at night. I also have no idea if I'm over or under feeding..they always look hungry and they eat every last bit! I'm not used to feeding such a small number of fish.

Secondly, do you think this is enough filtration for a large bioload like this? I'll probably replace the top fin 75 at some point, it doesn't seem very strong? The flow is weaker than the marineland 50.

Third, the calico oranda is not always active. He swims around a lot during and after feeding, and he likes swimming in the current during water changes, but sometimes he just sorta sits in the middle of the tank. The other two are always making full use of the space. No other signs of anything going on except two recent little white wen growth spots. Is this a big concern? I've heard goldfish need more oxygen than other fish. We have the two HOB filters and 2 feet of bubble wall. Anything else we need to do?

Any other special goldfish things you want to tell me, please do!
 
Btw goldfish are scavengers and always look for food so maybe that's why they look hungry all the time


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Goldfish always look hungry so don't be tempted to overfeed - I have 5 common goldfish in a 90g and even after they are fed they look starving. They don't really have stomachs so they are always hungry. If you see long trails of poop instead of a short amount that falls to the bottom of the tank then they are likely overfed.

For the food - I also feed clean duckweed (not from a wild pond - illegal and risk of parasites) but live plants (the cheaper ones - elodea, etc) are always appreciated.

I also get veggie pellets for mine, occasionally bloodworms as a treat they enjoy too.

You are a little overstocked but with regular water changes and good filtration you should be okay - just keep an eye on your parameters and watch if your pleco grows as well.

The one that isn't very active - anything other than the white spots? They don't look like ich do they?
 
Thanks for the replies!

Salukie that first video about feeding was great. I'm going to subscribe to her because it looks like she has a lot of content that can really help me out!

newgirl thankfully it's not ich. I've battled that a few times in my tank. They're three little white balls, sort of soft looking, on the wen that I've read are caused by new growth. No other symptoms besides that and inactivity! And great tip about the poop trails...I've noticed that the smallest fish often has a long string but the bigger two don't.

I'm attaching a video I took this morning to show the activity of the other two versus the calico, but unfortunately it got pretty blurry when I zoomed in on his head. Within the next few days I'll try to get some pictures.
 
Hello - check your current isn't too strong - can your goldfish basically stay in one spot without having to swim hard? If they are having to swim hard to move anywhere in the tank then this could be why the smaller one is staying more still and lower in the tank.

Have had this with a few different types of fish, they essentially hide from the current. You can 'baffle' with some aquarium sponge or if you have a hang on the back try turning it down for an hour or two and seeing if your calico starts moving around more.
 
Gah!! They're so cute! That oranda is adorable!! No idea why it bottom-sits. I wish I could help you. I hope you get it sorted out.

Maybe try the "sick fish" section... Might get more replies?
 
Hi there,

I have a tank of four fancy goldfish where three are active but the fourth, Gus, likes to rest in a particular corner most of the time. He loves meal time and will spend ages watching me through a screen of hair grass, but he loves going back to his corner.

If you saw his behaviour in a human, you would think Gus was depressed. He has always been the same since he was a baby.

Maybe a personality thing with both of our fish, if their tank mates are active?


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Ps I give my fish peas for supper every night - they adore them, and it helps their tummies.

I prefer to source fresh peas - I peel the skins off and chop into bite size chunks with my finger nails.


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If the goldfish are under 1yrs old feed 3 small meals a day plus veg. At this age they need this for growth they grow rapidly in the first 3 yrs once they hit 1yr slowly reduce feed to 2 a day ( kp the meals small but regular whilst under 1yr). Veggies they can eat. Par boiled peas(deshelled) brocolli, asparagus, runner beans, cabbage try them with different green veg see what they like best. Salads such as cucumber (zucchini in USA) lettuce they like some fruits tangerine,grapes. ( I avoid fruit myself cause dirties water) remove any uneaten food after an hr. Feed frozen or live blood worm brim shrimp once a week as a treat. Goldie's like an algae wafer occasionally. Veggies don't class as meal.

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