Goldfish Companions

[sunilgeorge1]

Hi Guys,

I have a 70 Gallon tank with 9 fancy GoldFish. I need you guys to advice me on what other fish I can add to the aquarium. I was advice to add maybe 10 red/pink Zebra Danio and some Gold Apple Snails.

Any advice will be much appreciated.

Cheers
Sunil

 

[Blueiz]

Since goldfish are coldwater fish, you're not going to want to mix tropicals with them. You may be able to get away with adding some tropicals that prefer the cooler end of the warm scale.

A couple cold water fish that come to mind are white cloud minnows and weather loaches

 

[fishboy444]

blood fin tetras are good in cold water but loose their color.Temp. 64-83 degrees faren.

 

[jsoong]

Apple (and other) snails will be fine with the goldies. Tetras or Danios are not so good ... apart from temp incompatibility, you also have problem with food, etc.

The best small fish to keep with goldies are white cloud mountain minnows. They can be kept at the same temp as your golds & eat the same food. However, they may well be snacked on if small. As long as the white clouds are over 1" in size, they should be OK with fancies. <Common & comets will eat them at any size ...> Also, get a good size school, there is strength in numbers. And have a bit of cover (plants, caves, etc.) in case the goldies get ideas.

Other cold water fish like loaches (weather, hillstreams) may be kept with golds. If you heat your tank to mid 70's you may also try a DWARF pleco (rubberlip & bristlenoses only ... others may attack the goldfish). True Siamese algae eaters also do fine. <Make sure they are NOT flying foxes or Chinese algae eaters, which are sometimes labeled as SAE.>

 

[blue71]

I would buy some koi, I had a bunch of goldenapple snails with my goldfish and koi, they did great, good luck!

 

[Blueiz]

Koi really get to big to be housed in a 70 g tank with the current stock.

 

[blue71]

Koi really get to big to be housed in a 70 g tank with the current stock.

Eventually they will, but I picked up a small koi (4in) at petsmart for $5 and he live quite contently in in my 55g for 4 years, and then he became too large, so I traded him in at my LFS for credit.

 

[StarryEyedTiGeR]

Fancy goldfish prefer warmer waters. Comet goldfish (feeders) prefer cooler temperatures. Since you have fancy goldfish it will be alright for you to add tankmates. I have a fancy goldfish myself with 1 oranda, 2 ryukin, and 1 red telescope. In that specific tank I also have 1 hi-fin spotted pleco....everyone gets along wonderfully. The water is pristine and within the correct range, and best of all my pleco keeps it in good shape! (Please do not mix koi with fancy goldfish...koi can be fin nippers and they prefer colder temps, where the fancy goldies are slower swimmers (so can't avoid the fin nippers well) and prefer warmer waters.

Your goldies will grow larger (typically between 6-10+" if they're fancy) Make sure your tank is an appropriate size for whatever you add. I would not recommend neons or zebra danios (unless you're wanting the giant danios)....if a goldfish can fit it into its mouth, it will eat it. You can however do some nice apple snails (they prefer a harder water for their shells), larger tetras like buenos ares or lemons, larger cherry barbs (make sure they're not fin nippers...mine are not, but some can be!), bigger cory cats, and a nice hi-fin spotted pleco. You've got a few options as long as you take into consideration the tempature/water requirements for each fish. I've always mixed other fish with my fancy goldfish, and have never had a problem!

(I typically feed my goldies flakes, pellets, frozen blood worms, and occassional algae wafers (They go insane for those!! I buy them for my pleco, but the goldies love them too!)

 

[sunilgeorge1]

Thanks Guys for all the advice !!

I think I will go in for a few Golden Apple Snails. I have two Commets so I am sure they will feast on the Zebra Danio. The Zebra Danio and Cloud Mountain Minnows were less than an inch at the LFS so decided against getting them.

I wonder if these two Commet chappies will mess around with the Golden Apple Snails ? Also, how many snails can I put in the tank. I have ten Fancy Gold in a 70 gallon tank !

 

[jsoong]

Comets should not bother the snails (unless they are babies less than 1/2" or so.). Some goldfish are known to nip at the snail's tentacles when fully extended. The snails are smart enough to keep them retracted if that is the case. < Although one of the reason people like to keep apple snails is their nice long flowing tentacles.>

Apple snails can get to 3" or so in size & they have the bioload of a small goldfish. You are pretty much max out on your 70 gal as is when all your fish get big. <The comets will need to go into a 6 or 8 foot tank (or a pond) when full grown at 12-18".> If your fish are small, you can try 2 or 3 apple snails. But do monitor your tank parameters since you are near the limits of tank capacity. <The snails only live a year or so. So when your fish get big, you will not be replacing them.>

 

[sunilgeorge1]

Thanks for all the info guys ! I got six golden apple snails and they are doing fine.

Also needed some help on LED Moonlight effect for my 4 ft. tanks.
1. Are they harmful for the Goldfish ?
2. Have any of you tried these LED Moonlights ?
3. How long can we keep these LED lights on and do they accelerate algae growth ?

Thanks in advance.

 

[eja206]

hey, i would agree with everyone else here, i keep goldfish and have kept them successsfully with both white cloud mountain minnows and danios. but for some real character i really would advise a weather loach. i have 2 with my goldfish at the mo. they love humans (always come to my hands if i am cleaning the tank) and are very peaceful. also very funny to watch as they pick up some funny habits! one of mine likes to go into a hole in my driftwood and hide with just his whiskers poking out!

 

[Samantha_p]

I have tropicals with my goldies

I know lots of people are gonna disagree with me but it's ok
to put tropicals with goldfish. I have a 125 gal tank with 4 fancys
and 2 comet with 5 angels ,2plecos, couple of platys for over a year and
they all get along, none have died on me.goldfish are very hardy and adaptable fish they will do fine in warmer water.I always keep my tank @82f.