How Big?...Or Not...

[laurelhed]

So I would love some input/insight to help with figuring out where to put a large tank in my small house. I currently have a 20gal with 6 goldfish; 1 common, 1 comet, 4 comet/common mix, I think, and one common pleco (don't bother telling me how overstocked I am. I know). I think the correct formula for goldfish is 20gallons for the first, 10 gallons for every one after, and for "normal" fish it is 1 gallon per inch, right? So the goldies could do in a 70 gallon tank, and the pleco, which I know could reach 2' but will probably stay a few inches under, would need another 20 gallons to herself. So theoretically, a 90 gallon would be ok for these guys, right? Comets are a bit smaller than common goldfish, too. I just can't imagine where I can fit a 125gal in my 100+ year-old house with somewhat dodgy floors. But a 90...
I do have a small pond outside which could house 3 goldies just fine, but they all seem so happy together, and we just love all their personalities and they're all so beautiful. We would really miss having them in the house with us! They are all currently right about 2", including Daizy the pleco, and all seem to be growing at the same rate, so I will need to upgrade soon! Thanks in advance for any input!

 

[Mumma.of.two]

IMO a 90g won't cut it sorry. Common plecos need a 125g tank to be housed correctly. The 20g for the first and 10g for each after that applies to fancy goldfish only unfortunately. Fancies are 6-12 inches and commons and comets can reach 18 inches plus. For a fish reaching that size i'd recommend a tank even larger than a 125g. That being said if your fish may have been slightly stunted meaning they might not reach (but there is still every possibility) their full expected length. I'd say a minimum 125g to house them all but even then they might out grow it. If you can move the three to the pond then IMO the remainder of the fish could probably be housed in a 90g providing it provided enough length and width to allow the fish room to swim and turn around.

 

[laurelhed]

Really looking at dimensions, I can see what you mean about the 125gal. Plecos are strong, active swimmers who need space to do their thing.

 

[Donkey Gun]

If you have access to your crawl space or a basement, you could always reinforce the flooring.

 

[jlk]

How big is the pond outside? If its atleast 150+gals, i would consider putting all 4 goldies outside. If you do not want to stunt your goldies, you realistically should look into the biggest tank possible bearing in mind these type of fish are 'pond' fish that really should be kept in a pond. They can reach lengths of @18inches & would need tank space that would allow them to actively swim & turn around (atleast 24inches width-more for the pleco). I would actually consider a tank size of atleast 150gals, preferably more. Let us know how big your outside pond is!

 

[laurelhed]

My "pond" is a 6' clawfoot bathtub redone. Would easily accomodate 3 goldies, perhaps 4, all I need to do is get good filter and raccoon-proof it! Lost 3 Shubunkins a couple years back... I thought about reinforcing the floor. That would have to happen. Also thinking that in the interim, I will split everyone up into smaller groups-two goldies & pleco in a 60-75gal (for now), 3 goldies outside, 1 goldie in 20 gal. Can 1 goldie be ok by itself tho? Would she be ok with some small (tiny) tankmates? Or does she need another goldie buddy?

 

[jlk]

In the interim, this should work. I would not put anybody else in the 20gal though. Good luck!