Goldfish Obsession

[kczoe321]

Ahh I have a soft spot for ranchu because I think that they are too cute for words @Dana Lee

And yes, I have found that a bare bottom tank is much easier to clean and maintain. My goldies sure know how to make a mess

On another note, people have told me that the bare bottom makes the tank look "artsy" and like I was going for a modern minimalistic approach...I don't have the heart to tell them that I just don't feel like taking the time to clean out sand or gravel

 

[Kaliska]

Yeah, a 46gallon would run a little better with 3 instead of 5 goldfish. A lot of people use plants to help out the water quality in goldfish tanks since they are such a huge bioload. You can get hardy out of water plants like spider plants and just trail some roots in. Do you have a biowheel or anything besides basic HOB filter material since you have no substrate and minimal decoration? The tank stability would be safer with more surfaces for the bacteria needed to maintain the nitrate cycle.

I am setting up an aquarium room. I have 2, 10s and a 40 breeder up right now and a 30 long I'm planning a rivertank in. A whole bunch of my tanks went to get stored at my mom's stable so I should have at least one 55g, maybe 2 if the brace holds on the 2nd, a 29g, and several 20g longs. I've had freshwater fully planted with co2 injection, species tanks from rock to all levels of planted, brackish water, and saltwater nano in the past. For my one biggest tank I want a 75g predrilled for a reef setup. I had a 90g once but I found it was too frustrating with my short height. Even if I got a python to relieve the strain of having to lift buckets up to the height of my shoulder when doing water changes I still couldn't really reach anything without going partially underwater. It was just too massive so 75g is probably the biggest I will ever go again.

 

[Kiwibird08]

Fish wise, I love goldfish! If I ever had a fish tank again, they would likely be on the top of the list species-wise. I think they are such neat looking fish, especially the fancier varieties like you have

I had one as a kid I won at a school carnival (just one of the little 'plain' kinds). "Fish" lived for about 8 years, but sadly jumped out of his tank one night while I was asleep Back then though, he was just in a small 5 or so gallon and no filters or anything so my mom made me change the water, rinse the gravel, wash the plant and castle once a week. No idea they needed large tanks, filters and should only have partial water changes. Hardy fish goldfish are! My only aquatic pet these days is Mr. Newt. Don't know if my husband would be ok with a second large aquarium in the house lol. I still have his "baby" tank though, but at 5.5 gal it's only really appropriate for a betta or maybe a couple guppies (or another baby newt).

 

[kczoe321]

Yeah, a 46gallon would run a little better with 3 instead of 5 goldfish. A lot of people use plants to help out the water quality in goldfish tanks since they are such a huge bioload. You can get hardy out of water plants like spider plants and just trail some roots in. Do you have a biowheel or anything besides basic HOB filter material since you have no substrate and minimal decoration? The tank stability would be safer with more surfaces for the bacteria needed to maintain the nitrate cycle.

I am setting up an aquarium room. I have 2, 10s and a 40 breeder up right now and a 30 long I'm planning a rivertank in. A whole bunch of my tanks went to get stored at my mom's stable so I should have at least one 55g, maybe 2 if the brace holds on the 2nd, a 29g, and several 20g longs. I've had freshwater fully planted with co2 injection, species tanks from rock to all levels of planted, brackish water, and saltwater nano in the past. For my one biggest tank I want a 75g predrilled for a reef setup. I had a 90g once but I found it was too frustrating with my short height. Even if I got a python to relieve the strain of having to lift buckets up to the height of my shoulder when doing water changes I still couldn't really reach anything without going partially underwater. It was just too massive so 75g is probably the biggest I will ever go again.

Hmm I never thought about that. Should I get more decorations and stuff like that to provide more surface material? I used to have a filter with a biowheel but this new one does not. I do a large water change every 3-4 days, do you think that helps?

The spider plant idea is great! I will have to look into getting some. I am an avid plant lover, so thank you for that suggestion.

And ohmigosh an aquarium room sounds like a dream come true. You should totally post pictures of it on here when you are done setting it up! Would you only have goldfish tanks in that room, or would you have tanks with other species as well?

 

[kczoe321]

Fish wise, I love goldfish! If I ever had a fish tank again, they would likely be on the top of the list species-wise. I think they are such neat looking fish, especially the fancier varieties like you have

I had one as a kid I won at a school carnival (just one of the little 'plain' kinds). "Fish" lived for about 8 years, but sadly jumped out of his tank one night while I was asleep Back then though, he was just in a small 5 or so gallon and no filters or anything so my mom made me change the water, rinse the gravel, wash the plant and castle once a week. No idea they needed large tanks, filters and should only have partial water changes. Hardy fish goldfish are! My only aquatic pet these days is Mr. Newt. Don't know if my husband would be ok with a second large aquarium in the house lol. I still have his "baby" tank though, but at 5.5 gal it's only really appropriate for a betta or maybe a couple guppies (or another baby newt).

First, I just wanted to let you know that Kiwi is adorable! Your signature is awesome

If you do get a goldfish any time soon, you should absolutely post the pictures on here! I love looking at other people's fish and how they set up their tanks.

I know exactly what you're talking about when you're talking about having "fish" in a 5 gallon tank...I was worse! My first goldfish was given to me for free, he's the oranda in the first picture that i posted on here, and when I got him I had no idea about true goldfish care and I had him in a two gallon tank for a few weeks before I did research and realized my mistake! Now I know better and I still feel bad to this day. I guess we all have to start somewhere though, right?

You have a newt??? That is so cool! I would love to see Mr. Newt some day

 

[Kaliska]

A few rough or somewhat porous rocks work great to help maintain a bacteria population for the nitrate cycle. If you have soft water though be careful what rock you put in because things like limestone/texas holey rock will raise ph and then every water change you will be messing up the ph. Also you can do a sponge filter if you don't mind the pump and bubbling. The extra aeration is beneficial and the sponge will hold all the bacteria a tank needs. If your HOB filter has the space the smallest change to the tank would be to stick a sponge in there. Always rinse sponges in aquarium water (what you are changing out is good) so you don't kill the bacteria and have to start over.

I prefer labyrinth fish. The gouramis, bettas, paradise fish.... I also want a rivertank with probably white clouds or I've been looking at rainbowfish and hillstream loaches. Hillstreams go under a lot of weird names in stores but they are very flat sucker fish designed to be arrow dynamic in a very fast river flow. It's not really possible to make the water move too much for them to get around. From the bottom they look kind of like rays. http://tanzawa-sky-club.air-nifty.com/photos/uncategorized/2009/01/16/puliensis13.jpg reticulated_zps314fdc30.jpg Photo by manzman10 | Photobucket

 

[Dana Lee]

Here is my special needs Ranchu "Winky" (she has one eye). To make the bottom of my tank look blue I put a cling on decal on the underside

 

[kczoe321]

CUTENESS OVERLOAD! @Dana Lee

Seriously, all of your fish are way too cute to be real. I feel like they each need to be the inspiration for fish stuffed animals. The missing eye only adds to his personality and charm. What a doll.

 

[Dana Lee]

Thank you so much! My breeder is East Coast Ranchu, you can find her on facebook (she has lots of pics). She is the ranchu queen and literally the best! Seriously, I was new to goldfish and she was there to help me get a sick fish medicated and better. She is so helpful and nice

 

[Kolkri]

Very pretty. So glad you know your tank is over stocked and have plans for this issue. I have 8 in a 125 gallon tank.

 

[kczoe321]

I've heard of East Coast Ranchu! I hear that the fish from there are very high quality, no wonder your fish are amazing! @Dana Lee

 

[kczoe321]

Thank you

And oh yes, I do a ton of water changes to make up for my tank being overstocked. Only the best for my water babies

I'd love to see a picture of your tank and fish! It's my dream to one day get a 125 gallon tank. Do you find that it is difficult to maintain it? I know that it takes me a while to completely clean and change the water in my 46 gallon tank, so I can't imagine doing one that is even larger! Please share your secrets @Kolkri

 

[Kolkri]

I have a python. No not a snake but a hose that connect to my sink so I can do water changing. It is easy I start it and walk away. All I have to do is keep an eye on the tank. I have canister filters that I only clean when they start to get slow or noisy. I don't have any issues with algae so rarely have to clean the sides. The bigger the tank the easier the maintenance. 15 to 20 gallon per fancy goldfish. 20 to 30 for each long bodied goldfish. Even more is better.

 

[kczoe321]

I have a python. No not a snake but a hose that connect to my sink so I can do water changing. It is easy I start it and walk away. All I have to do is keep an eye on the tank. I have canister filters that I only clean when they start to get slow or noisy. I don't have any issues with algae so rarely have to clean the sides. The bigger the tank the easier the maintenance. 15 to 20 gallon per fancy goldfish. 20 to 30 for each long bodied goldfish. Even more is better.

Do they sell the pythons at big chain stores like Petsmart or Petco? It sounds like a very convenient tool to have! Are they expensive?

Also, I just saw this cute little smiley! Thought it applies to all of us and our love of goldfish ----->

 

[Kolkri]

Yes they have them and yes they are not cheep. But they last for years and years and worth every penny. So save up for it.

 

[Dana Lee]

I've seen pythons for $50 at a chain shop we have here in NJ called "pet supplies plus" I don't know if they are nationwide. I plan on getting one soon cause cleaning the tank with buckets is a pain. I like pet supplies plus because they stopped selling birds a few years back which I think is nice.

 

[Ribbit21]

FYI, Pythons are usually cheaper on amazon than at the pet store. I bought a 25 foot one for $35 recently. They are great if you have a larger tank.

I ended up with 2 goldfish by accident. They were feeder fish for a huge African clawed frog I had. Welp, the frog died before he could finish off his meal, leaving 2 goldfish behind. I have no clue what kind of goldfish they are, one is gold and the other is grey. I had them in a 20 gallon tank while I figured out what to do with them. Well, I'm a clutz and ended up cracking that tank while moving it. I had to stick them in my other tank, which I really didn't want to do. The temp is a tad too warm for goldfish and it has some other aggressive large fish in it. Fast forward 2 weeks and the goldfish have quadrupled in size. Monster fish LOL! Still have no idea what to do with them long term. I have a 120g tropical river style tank with a Featherfin Catfish, XL Pleco, 2 Dwarf Indian Puffers, clown loaches, killifish and a few other small fish. The goldfish don't really fit in, although they seem to be thriving.

 

[kczoe321]

Wow, pythons really seem like they make a huge difference when it comes to cleaning your tank.

Are they capable of draining the water and also filling the tank back up? I have been using a siphon to drain my tank water and then I fill it manually so the idea of some help with that is very enticing. @Dana Lee

@Ribbit21 I would love to see some pictures of your monster goldfish! Your river tank sounds so so soooo cool! Not going to lie, I'm already jealous of it just from how you described it. I would just sit in front of it all day with a cup of coffee and watch. I also have the same question for you though, does your python both remove the water from your tank and put it back in? Or can it only perform one function?

 

[Ribbit21]

I use the python to both clean gravel/remove water and add fresh water. It hooks up to your faucet.


Here is the grey/brown goldfish. It's maybe 4 inches long now. Not huge, but it was only an inch long less than 2 months ago. It seems to have some permanent scars.

Here is the pretty one. This one hasn't grown very much at all.

Here is Nessie the pleco. She is about 11-12 inches long now.

Then there's Lacey the Featherfin Catfish. She's close to 7" long now and probably full grown. She's so fat!

Here is one of the 2 Indian Dwarf Puffers. I have a male and female. They are an inch long, but full of attitude.

Here are the Golden Wonder Killifish. A nice breeding pair, although I never find the eggs soon enough to raise any of the babies. Killifish are fun! I gave them some live crickets the other day. Gobbled them right up!

 

[Dana Lee]

Yes, the one I was looking at both takes the water out (and puts it down the toilet) and fill it back up (by attaching to the sink)