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Goldfish!!!

4K views 17 replies 5 participants last post by  Zephyr 
#1 ·
How many fancy goldfish *talking about double-tailers here* can live comfortably in a 30 gallon tank?
 
#2 ·
well if you're talking full size you're looking at 1, maybe 2. General rule of thumb for goldfish is 2 gallons of water per inch of goldfish (as opposed to 1 gallon per inch with tropical, goldfish have higher metabolisms and produce more waste). Under that rule, you are looking at about 15 inches of goldfish. However, the rule actually changes as the fish grows because you have to look at the volume of a fish and not just its length. Generally the more wide and voluminous a fish is, the higher its metabolism will be and more ammonia output. A fantail goldfish can grow from about 8 inches up to 12 inches...in which only one would really be suitable for a 30 gallon tank.
Goldfish tend to be known as small fish that do not live very long but that is usually because they are kept in very small tanks or bowls. A goldfish will live about 20-25 years if given the proper space and care. I know it is hard to keep one small goldfish in a 30 gallon tank but if you were to follow the 2gallon/1inch rule right away and get 15 tiny goldfish...they don't really have much space to grow. So anyways, hope that info helps you a little in deciding what you do. If you ever plan to move up to a bigger tank down the road you could start with more fish now knowing that you will give them more space when needed.
 
#3 ·
The varieties I'm planning on keeping *been thinking ryukin, bubble-eye, black moor, or fantail* have been listed on most websites as 4-6 inch maxout length. So would 3 or 4 be okay? I know some of the others *shubunkins, comets, and I've even heard of orandas* max out at 9-12, so I'm staying away from them.
 
#4 ·
orandas tend to be the larger of the fantails but I have seen ryukins get bigger than 6 inches. Bubble eyes won't get as large, i'm not a huge fan of those though as its a perfect example of "going too far with breeding". They are also known as Celestrial Goldfish because the large bubble sacs under their eyes mean that they can only look up "towards the stars". That being said, you have to make sure they eat from the surface or while food is falling. They don't have a lot of range of vision and have been known to starve because they simply cant find food. Personally even if they only maxed out at 4 inches, 4 of them would be too much in a 30 gallon. Can I ask what kind of filter you are running? Due to the ammount of ammonia that will be produced in a goldfish tank, you need to make sure you have a good filter with lots of space for bacteria to colonize undisturbed. I am usually conservative when I suggest anything about goldfish because way too many people think you can cram a ton of them in small spaces. To be honest, 3 or 4 would be fine for quite awhile but I think 3 full size ones are pushing it and 4 is probably too much. IT will be awhile to you have full sized goldfish though so its your call.
 
#5 ·
Penguin bio wheel, I forget the exact number but it's the largest model they produce. And I thought there were bubble-eyes and celestial eyes, the latter lacking the bubles and only having the eyes pointing upward?
 
#6 ·
yeah there is a slight difference, I use the term celstial with both because I believe the bubble eye was a mutation of the celestial but I could be wrong. But yeah, you are correct in that. Nevertheless, the same problems occur and are actually worse with the bubble eye, having less range of sight. The largest penguin biowheel is the 330/350 and has the double biowheels and cartridges. (the 350 is the newer version of the 330). This should be anough to handle the bioload of a goldfish tank as they are rated for up to 75 gallon tanks...so good job on that :) Biowheels are one of the best ways to hold bacteria undisturbed in a filter so you could probably push the limits a little with your tank. Start off slow though, maybe with just one goldfish or 2 if you are getting them small and use a good bacteria supplement.
 
#8 ·
you mean to start your tank faster? THe thing is, the beneficial bacteria needed to breakdown ammonia and nitrite are not freefloating...which means their wont me much just swimming around in the water you use. If you have a bit of filter media from the ponds filter you could use that if you feel comfortable that your pond is free of disease and parasites. Most of the beneficial bacteria will reside there. Considering you aren't packing it with fish anyways, I would just start off slow and do it the normal way. Use regular water with a conditioner and a bacteria supplement to speed up the process. No sense in risking the chance of bringing anything bad from outside into your aquarium. Just my opinion though.
 
#9 ·
Goldfish are notorious for pollution. However tempting it may be, don't overstock your tank. In a 30 gallon, 1 or 2 tops. They get large if you keep up with water changes, and live for a long time.

Honestly bro, invest $20.00 in a heater and go tropical. Your choices of fish immediately increase 50 fold and you can have quite a bit of variety in a 30 gal.
 
#10 ·
yeah your variety does increase but huge gldfish do look really nice and is actually a rarity. Most people are in disbelief when they actually see a goldfish grow more than 2 inches, lol. I do tropical but if done right, a goldfish tank can be beautiful. I have an addictive personality though and I wouldn't be able to just throw 1-3 goldfish in a tank and just leave it at that, lol. I love going to the fish store and buying new fish. MattD does bring up a good point, people tend to want to overstock godlfish tanks so if this is a hobby where you want to keep going to the fish store and pick out new fish...tropical may be a better option. Goldfish are cool though and the large ones fetch a pretty penny :) (I sold a 4-5" ryukin once for $80!).
 
#11 ·
Zephyr said:
How many fancy goldfish *talking about double-tailers here* can live comfortably in a 30 gallon tank?
Only one. I don't think you should risk using pond water. Too many risk are involved there. External parasites such as fish lice are quite common in ponds.
 
#12 ·
After doing some research and averages, I've found that I can safely assume that these are the following maximum lengths for the listed goldfish *rounded up to the nearest tenth*:

Bubble-Eye/Celestial Eye- 4.3 inches.
Black Moor- 6.2 inches.
Oranda- 9.5 inches.
Ranchu/Lionhead- 3.5 inches.
Pearlscale- 4.1 inches.
Ryukin- 6.5 inches.
Fantail- 8.5
Vieltail- 4.1 *excluding fins*

Therefore, I can conclude that not only is each breed of goldfish different, but also that many people who group fancy goldfish into one size class are wrong.

I have made the executive decision to raise one group of the following in the 30 gallon tank, based upon my findings:

Bubble-Eye/Celestial Eye- 3-4
Black Moor- 2
Oranda- N/A
Ranchu/Lionhead- 3-4
Pearlscale- 3-4
Ryukin- 2
Fantail- N/A
Vieltail- N/A
 
#18 ·
Now that I think about it, alot of goldfish breeds are mixes. *Oranda ryukins, fantail oranda* so if I were looking to purchase a mix breed, maybe I should average the sizes of the pure strains to get the maximum length. :?
 
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