A couple goldfish questions

[ccichc]

I'm about to turn one of my fish tanks to a cold water goldfish tank.

I am very interested in Ranchu and Oranda. I get these guys have a few health problems..

Everyone is saying goldfish need air stones is that necessary if I have two sponge filters in the fish tank that already produce a fair amount of bubbles/oxygen?

Will gravel hurt the oranda or ranchu?

Is NLS as a staple diet with peas ok for them? Will kiwi harm them?

Thanks..

 

[ccichc]

L Lupin

 

[fishhead0103666]

Go_redfish
If the goldfish were to ingest the gravel then it could cause an internal blockage.

 

[Go_redfish]

Cheap, pet quality fish i have kept in gravel bottom planted tanks. It makes a beautiful display. There is the risk that they will swallow gravel and be unable to pass it though. It is also harder to keep a gravel bed clean. DO NOT use sand. Fine grain sand damages gill filaments as they snuffel around in it. Coarse grain will sit in their gut and impact and kill the fish.

I've seen river stone used that makes a lovely display but again, hard to keep clean and maintain water quality.

As far as diet goes, goldfish can eat pretty much anaything as they are ominvores. Any dry goods you're going to feed should be pre soaked and it is better to feed them mid water or from the bottom rather than from the surface. I use gel foods as a staple with ground flax seed and feed fruits and veggies to offer variety. Some of my fishes favorite treats include apples, oranges, banana, kiwi, pealed grapes, peas, broccoli, broccoli leaf, spinach, zucchini, romaine lettuce, and steamed white rice. In my experience, GF do better on a diet heavy on plants and lighter on animal proteins.

 

[Go_redfish]

Forgot to address the sponge filter question. Sponge filter should provide enough aeration but be careful not to over stock. I stock at 20 gallons per adult fish up to 5or6 inches. I tack on an extra 10 gallon for anything bigger than that and this seems to be the sweet spot.

 

[ccichc]

Forgot to address the sponge filter question. Sponge filter should provide enough aeration but be careful not to over stock. I stock at 20 gallons per adult fish up to 5or6 inches. I tack on an extra 10 gallon for anything bigger than that and this seems to be the sweet spot.

You rock! I cant wait to order some now.

If you have any other tips or tricks I'd greatly appreciate it

 

[ccichc]

Cheap, pet quality fish i have kept in gravel bottom planted tanks. It makes a beautiful display. There is the risk that they will swallow gravel and be unable to pass it though. It is also harder to keep a gravel bed clean. DO NOT use sand. Fine grain sand damages gill filaments as they snuffel around in it. Coarse grain will sit in their gut and impact and kill the fish.

I've seen river stone used that makes a lovely display but again, hard to keep clean and maintain water quality.

As far as diet goes, goldfish can eat pretty much anaything as they are ominvores. Any dry goods you're going to feed should be pre soaked and it is better to feed them mid water or from the bottom rather than from the surface. I use gel foods as a staple with ground flax seed and feed fruits and veggies to offer variety. Some of my fishes favorite treats include apples, oranges, banana, kiwi, pealed grapes, peas, broccoli, broccoli leaf, spinach, zucchini, romaine lettuce, and steamed white rice. In my experience, GF do better on a diet heavy on plants and lighter on animal proteins.

So you'd recommend a bare glass bottom? I assume the sponge filters will hold enough beneficial bacteria

 

[Go_redfish]

So you'd recommend a bare glass bottom? I assume the sponge filters will hold enough beneficial bacteria

sponge filter will hold plenty of bb. Just stick it in a seperate bucket of tank water and ring it out when you do water changes.

You cant over filter. With GF you should double down on what ever the filter is rated for. I will run 2 filters rated for 60g on a 40g breeder, for example. The benifit to sponge filters is areation with less current. Fancy GF tire in a tank with a lot of fast current. Its like making a fat kid chase the ice cream truck 24/7. You will see more bottom sitting in a high current tank.I also use sumps and trickles.

I usually keep show quality fish (when my neighbor doesn't poison my ponds) and its safer to keep them on bare bottom. Live plants are a great benefit tho. If you have no substrate in the tank, a good alt is floating plants. Horn wart and water sprite are good for eating up nitrates. Hyacinth flowers. There are options that are benifical and can be made very attractive with a little imagination.