Goldfish in a tall monster tank?

[illumnae]

I've been keeping South American cichlids in a 600 gallon 7' L x 3' D x 4' H tank that I recently decommissioned. Thinking of what to keep in the tank now as my next project and one of the options that I'm considering is keeping fancy goldfish - ranchus and/or orandas. The tank has a large 6' remote sump and is circulated by 2x Abyzz A200 run at 60% each. The flow in the tank is strong but not overly so (I had discus in the tank previously), but I set it at that flow as I needed it to circulate the large tank without having dead spots and setting the pumps at 60% allowed the fish poop to get swept up into the overflow without disturbing the sand (if I keep goldfish I won't have sand).

Would there be any issues in keeping Ranchus or Orandas in my setup? My main concerns are the height of the tank (4ft high) - whether the goldfish can swim around easily - and the flow.

 

[tlindsey]

I've been keeping South American cichlids in a 600 gallon 7' L x 3' D x 4' H tank that I recently decommissioned. Thinking of what to keep in the tank now as my next project and one of the options that I'm considering is keeping fancy goldfish - ranchus and/or orandas. The tank has a large 6' remote sump and is circulated by 2x Abyzz A200 run at 60% each. The flow in the tank is strong but not overly so (I had discus in the tank previously), but I set it at that flow as I needed it to circulate the large tank without having dead spots and setting the pumps at 60% allowed the fish poop to get swept up into the overflow without disturbing the sand (if I keep goldfish I won't have sand).

Would there be any issues in keeping Ranchus or Orandas in my setup? My main concerns are the height of the tank (4ft high) - whether the goldfish can swim around easily - and the flow.

The current from the filters would need to adjusted so the Goldfish won't struggle to swim. I don't see the height of the aquarium being a issue.

 

[FINWIN]

Ryukins, Orandas and Ranchu would look good...so would Moors.

 

[jjohnwm]

Never tried it...not really a goldfish guy...but I seem to recall reading once about possible problems that result when goldfish breeds that are essentially "short-bodied" forms, which I assume would include the ones you are looking at, have difficulty with their swim bladders in deeper water. Maybe check a more goldfish-specific website?

Out of curiosity...why no sand? Goldfish that I see are always scooping up mouthfuls of it and chewing the organic stuff out of it, just like Geophagus. Why deprive them of their fun?

Haven't owned a goldfish in something like 50+ years; it's a gaping hole in my aquarium experience. Maybe someday...

 

[illumnae]

Thank you all for your responses so far! I recall reading the same about short bodied goldfish and deep water as well which is why I was concerned. As for the sand, I've read that goldfish can accidentally ingest the sand and develop internal problems. I was also advised to go bare bottom by a local goldfish breeder for water quality reasons

 

[vosen30]

Nice tank you have. But You need to keep some small things on your mind for your goldfish. You need to keep your fish healthy, you should change at least half of the water in the bowl or aquarium every 3 days. Goldfish like plants, and variety in their food, like Repashy Super Gold Gel Food, Xtreme Pellets, Hikari Gold, Extreme Spirulina Flake, Hikari Blood Red Parrot, Leftover Plants, and Algae. Goldfish spend lots of time exploring their tanks to entertain themselves, so set up your tank in such a way as to provide lots of stimulus for your fish. Gravel, plants, ornaments and airflows can all make life interesting for your fish.

 

[tlindsey]

should change at least half of the water in the bowl or aquarium every 3 days.

I agree about the bowl but most keep goldfish in fully cycled aquariums with filters. So probably bi-weekly or large weekly water changes will be fine.

 

[Adictd2Fsh]

Hell, a tank that big you can keep what u want even a few koi. It would be awesome with a variety of fancy, comet, sarasa and koi. Just make sure your other fish are good sized so your koi don’t try and suck them up on accident. Good filtration, the water flow won’t effect them too much as long as it’s not blasting through like a jet. They will love the height as well. They like to swim up down and all around. My grandmas goldfish koi pond is 6 feet deep.