Is there a trick to keeping fancy goldfish?

Quo Vadis

Gambusia
MFK Member
Apr 12, 2014
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Wisconsin
I have kept a lot of "difficult" fish, but i have seriously had the worst luck with fancy goldfish. And its not from not doing enough water changes/not big ebough tank etc. I have only had small goldfish, in large tanks, yet they always seem to die of something or other... Is there something Im missing? I like the puppy cuteness of goldfish (particularly lionheads and orandas) but are fancies worth the heartache?
 

Aquadestroyer2

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jun 24, 2012
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From what I've noticed, the best thing you can do its start with high quality fish, some of the ones coming into pet stores have some bad genetics.

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DDK

Plecostomus
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May 25, 2013
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Could you possibly answer some questions?

Are you 100% sure its cycled?
How are you acclimating the fish?
Are you doing large water changes right away?
What is the temp of the tank?

Gold fish are gold fish and pet stores treat them like garbage so doing a large/frequent water changes can put them into shock leading to death. Sometimes water changes kill fish just because the fish isn't used to it. But you answering the questions I ask should let us better help you!
 

duanes

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I throw my 4 goldfish and 2 smallish koi in a 500 gal pond in spring, and pull them out in fall, and put them in a kiddy pool in the basement. I don't feed them in winter, and only occasionally feed them in summer.

for filtration I use a standard sponge pond filter that flows thru DIY combination fractionator/biofilter.
The pond below is where they go, and you can see the filter working if you click on the pic
 

spiff44

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Dec 20, 2007
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Not all goldfish are equal as it applies to constitution. I tried getting a couple fancy ones to keep with 9cent feeders that I had and they didn't last very long either. Try just a regular feeder comet.. they look way cooler once they get big and they resist just about everything.
 
What do you want to know? I'm sort of a Goldfish expert.. :)

Fancy goldfish are difficult to keep (I assume you mean orandas and ranchus and lionheads and ryukins). The main reason, like most goldfish, is that they produce massive amounts of urine and poop. Another reason is that they don't fare well with slim bodied goldfish. Another reason is their compact bodies..

You want success with fancy goldfish? Keep at least 30 gallons per fish for short bodied fancy goldfish, and at least 40 gallons per fish for long bodied fancies like Orandas. Keep your tank free of decorations for the most part - overfilter like crazy. Manage your feeding to include fasting. Make large water changes often.

After that its a crap shoot (pardon the pun) depending on the genetics of the fish. Further I suggest keeping the water between 72-76 degrees for short bodied goldfish.

Let me know if you have anymore questions and i'd be happy to go in-depth for you.
 
From what I've noticed, the best thing you can do its start with high quality fish, some of the ones coming into pet stores have some bad genetics.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
This is true.
 
Solid rules for goldfish:
20 gallons per fish
Good water quality
Quarantine them coming home for six weeks

After that it's just really hard to kill a goldfish.
Glenn
30 gallons is a minimum.

Its really easy to mistreat a goldfish to be truthful, most fish can be kept without dying (the fish).
 
I throw my 4 goldfish and 2 smallish koi in a 500 gal pond in spring, and pull them out in fall, and put them in a kiddy pool in the basement. I don't feed them in winter, and only occasionally feed them in summer.

for filtration I use a standard sponge pond filter that flows thru DIY combination fractionator/biofilter.
The pond below is where they go, and you can see the filter working if you click on the pic
Ponds are the ultimate, but predation and climate can be factors.
 
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