Many golfish noob questions... :]

[Sati]

I am totally new to goldfish, save the ones I had when I was very young. My boyfriend has his eye on a fish at the lfs. I believe it's a panda Oranda, but I would have to go back and look again to be sure. I don't know goldfish species very well after all :] I'm trying to figure a way to get keep this fish until we move in about a month. I have a 38 gallon FW tropical community tank that's quite full of tetras, a pleco, loach, platy, betta, etc and I don't believe this goldfish would be compatible with them. The BF and I are going to be getting separate places so I'd like to get him his own tank with this fish because I know he's going to miss my fish quite a bit. I do have a 10 gallon that's not set up right now. I guess my question is if I move some water from my 38g to the 10g along with my large hi-fin platy to help cycle the tank faster would that be a suitable home for the goldfish? I could also transfer some of the gravel and even the filter to transfer bacteria. I'm also wondering just how cold or warm a goldfish tank should be. I thought they were coldwater preferring maybe around 68F but I read that 82F is ideal for fancy goldfish here: http://users.megapathdsl.net/~solo/puregold/care/care1.htm#essentials I keep my tank at about 78F. Also, I have heard that goldfish specifically need goldfish food so feeding him in my community tank sounds like it would be rather tricky.

So many questions :}

The 10g has a AquaClear Mini filter, and a Penn Plax Therma Flow “PC” heater, with a standard hood. Is that suitable for a goldfish? I don't have any decorations for the tank currently. I know goldfish are plant eaters so I could eventually get some plastic or cloth plants. Do they need places to hid amongst plants/caves?

Sorry for rambling on so much, heh.

 

[tkos]

The 10 gallon will be an okay home for now. Later it will need at least 30 gallons as they produce a lot of waste. While not a coldwater fish like regular goldfish (such as comets and koi) from what I understand they like th etemp in the low 70sF. This probably means room temp is fine for them. I would hook that AC Mini up to the 38G right now and stuff a bunch of filter material from the other filter in it. Then when you bring the goldfish home just move the AC mini over. Don't try and cycle in that short of a time with the platy, it will only be stressful for the poor guy, especially with a move coming up.

Yes, Goldfish need a diet high in carbs and low in protein, so tropical fish food isn't a great idea. Buy goldfish food.

They do enjoy decorations. I tend to like the silk or nylon plants instead of the plastic ones as fish tend to rub into them and the plastic ones can rip delecate fins.

The filter, heater and hood are fine for a goldfish, but don't put more than 1 in a 10 gallon or it will overwhelm its capacity very fast.

 

[Sati]

Thank you, Tkos :] I have the tank cycling now. I went to the lfs to check on the Panda Oranda and that tank is being treated for ick. They said they have been getting many orandas in lately, so the BF may just have to wait. Thanks for the tip on plastic plants. I'll definitely avoid those now. As for my platy, he's a huge monster of a fish who has lived through some mishaps so I thought he would be the hardiest of all my fish to move to the other tank. I ought to name him Mr T or something, heh.

 

[Allivymar]

Theres a great site for goldies here Sati: http://www.goldfishinfo.com/

They recommend temps of 74-78F for specialty goldies like orandas; a little warmer then most people think, so that heater will come in handy.

 

[Sati]

Interesting Allivymar... So I could keep the oranda in my community tank temporarily *if* he got along with the others. I'll read up with that site. Thanks! :]

 

[sweetsuvvyb]

I keep my goldies at around 75-76 (I have a red cap oranda and a fantail). I have a silk plant...although I'm going to attempt a couple live plants soon (most likely they'll end up eaten...but oh well). I'd recomend a substrate that they can dig around in without hurting themselves...I've had problems with my oranda getting scuffed up on my gravel (not to mention they take pieces of gravel in their mouth, and i'm really worried he's gonna cut his mouth!). The oranda is also very into the pleco's cave...mostly they are very active and curious fish. I feed them goldie flakes, as well as blanched veggies, and they always manage to get a couple chomps out of the pleco's wafers.

Good luck!

 

[Sati]

What kind of substrate do you use, Sweet? I've never used anything other than gravel, but sand is very visually appealing to me.

My BF was so happy to see the 10g set up when I told him I was trying to get him his fishy, heh :]

 

[Allivymar]

Actually, I wouldn't keep him with the others. Not because of temps, but because goldies are REALLY messy as sweets will testify LOL and that makes em not good tank mates. Plus, their dietary needs are different, and theres no way to keep em from gorging on the more protein based food of the tropicals.

 

[Sati]

Yes, I am not going to keep him with the others. I was just thinking that he *could* (as far as temperature) if there were some kind of emergency of some kind.

 

[Allivymar]

Ahh gotcha

 

[sweetsuvvyb]

Right now, I am using an epoxy-coated dolomite gravel. One of the fish hasn't had a problem, but the other one is particularly rambunctious, and in his adventures, lost a couple of scales. I was thinking of switching to a different gravel, but since my filter doesn't have a biowheel, i was looking at it being a big pain in the arse.

Theoretically you could put a goldie in a community tank....they would probably annoy the heck out of the tanks residents, though, and might end up getting their fins nipped.

 

[Sati]

You mean because not having a biowheel, removing the gravel would also remove a lot of beneficial bacteria? Sorry, I have never had a filter w/a biowheel so I'm pretty dumb about them

 

[sweetsuvvyb]

Yea...i posted a question about it a while back...basically i'd have to remove half at a time...or put the gravel in some kind of mesh bag and leave it in the tank while the bacteria recolonated the new gravel. My tank is waaay overstocked right now, so it took a long time to get the bacteria stable in there to begin with (since I had to do a lot of cleaning to keep up with the amount of poop my guys were shooting out). I decided to hold off until I set up my bigger tank, i'll be sure to shop around a little bit more when buying my substrate.

 

[Sati]

I have that same substrate in my 10g. I'll never buy that junk again...