fancy tail goldfish eat other fish?

purproadking

i have a fancy tail Goldfish in a 30 gal community tank and i bought 10 neon tetras to put in the tank with them, there are other fish in the tank also but i'm down to 3 neons with no idea where they went. the Goldfish are the only fish with a mouth big enough to swallow them. they only dissapear at night. so will a Goldfish eat these neons?

jaysee

Goldfish will eat anything that they can catch that will fit in their mouth. Whether the neons were eaten alive or they died and then the Goldfish ate them, it's impossible to tell.

HMlairy

I agree with jaysee, it's a bit touch and go with Goldfish and other fish. I've heard stories of the Goldfish eating the smaller fish, I've heard of the smaller fish nipping the Goldfish and I've heard of them getting along fine.
Do the Goldfish seem overly agressive towards the neons?

Pufferfish22

Just a thought, neons are tropical and Goldfish cold water, neons will die in cold water, could this have happened?

sik80

+1 pufferfish22 - Goldfish and neons are incompatible because of thier different temperature requirements.

My friend had a Goldfish, which she saw eat a white cloud minnow in front of her!

jaysee

This is incorrect. Neons actually do better in the low 70's, which is completely compatible with a Goldfish's temp range. Many fish that are labeled as "tropical" are in fact subtropical. Goldfish are not coldwater fish, they are temperate fish, meaning they live in areas that experience warm and cold periods. If Goldfish were really cold water fish than they would require a chiller, and I don't know a single Goldfish keeper than has a chiller. Many people who keep Goldfish in ponds report temps up to 90 degrees. Certainly no one chills a pond - it would be cost prohibitive.

Lupin

I agree with this. Fancy Goldfish prefer much warmer water. Ideal temp range for them is 72-78 degrees. Singletails tolerate cooler waters better than fancies can.

The only reason neons and Goldfish are absolutely incompatible with each other is Goldfish will indeed anything that fits their mouth. It is NOT because of aggression but because of their opportunistic nature. They will eat what they think is food.

jaysee

Small corys are also a concern with Goldfish, as they can accidentally (or not) get sucked up in their mouth while foraging off the bottom. I know someone who had to literally cut a cory to pieces to get it dislodged from the Goldfish's mouth.

HMlairy

There is an overlap of temperature range... Goldfish = 20 - 25C. Neon Tetra = 22 - 26C, so it is doable...
But tetras grow to about 1.5 inches, which is still small enough for a Goldfish to swallow

aura09

gold fish ARE coldwatere fish and exposed to high temps although they will be able to survive in warmer water is bad for them over the long run messes up with there insides so def keep them in a Goldfish only tank with no heater :)