question about fish

[aqualuigi]

hey everyone,

i am probably going to get goldfish, like orandas. the thing is ive kept freshwaters fine (the tank was so stable it was pretty much impossible to unstabilize it), but all of my goldfish have died on me, both fancy and just plain goldfish. its rather upsetting. when i start again this time its going to be a 130 tank and like a max of 4 fancy goldfish, and im only starting with 2. what am i doing wrong? how much food does one give (as compared to freshwater)? does it have to do with ph? the water i had was always a little acidic where i used to live, i think... only a little. and id get random outbreaks of massive massive ick, even though im sure im not overstocking. any advice?

 

[paradise]

man, It sounds like something that you should be asking goldfish experts, I would recommend a specialized forum, there are a couple of HUGE goldfish specific sites out there.

 

[alanhill]

Fancy goldfish are not that easy IMHO - which probably means I'm not keeping them properly either. They can do well for years, then look 'off colour' for a day or two with no obvious symptoms and yet nothing seems to reverse their decline.

Alan

 

[Ibn]

Is that 130 gallons or 130 liters (about 34 gallons)? Quite a difference there and I'm gonna assume 34 gallons here.

As for care for these guys, the #1 rule for them is stocking level. I would look at the maximum size that these guys can attain instead of how little they currently are. These guys will grow out to become behemoths even when they start out so small. I've kept some for a long while and I've since given them to my grandmother who has kept them to this day. The common goldfish/comets are hitting 12"+ and the fancy ones are around 8" long without their finnage. With that size tank, if you're going with a 30 gallon tank or so, I would go 4 of them max in there.

Filtration. Lots of it if possible. The tank that the above goldfish are in (4 total in a 40 gallon; 2 common goldfish, a black moor, and I believe a ryukin if I recall correctly) is filtered by a hang on the back filter that outputs 600 gallons per hour. Even with such a beefy filtration, the tank has to be cleaned once every 10 days or so and the media changed.

Food. Just feed them portions about the size of their eye. There stomachs aren't really that big and they'll continue to eat to the point of bursting. Also food has a tendency to expand and once in awhile you'll see them floating on top due to this.

Lastly, for fancy goldfish, add a heater into the tank, especially this time of year in the states, since its winter time. Just set it to a low setting (like 65-70). The reason for the heater is due to the fact that fancy goldfish, through the process of hybridization/development, aren't as hardy as their wild counterparts.

 

[aqualuigi]

thanks for all the response guys. the sad thing is it turns out i might not be able to use the 130 gallons (yup gallons) after all cause its too heavy for the floorboards or something. i didnt know that you can keep 4 in a 30 gallon though - i thought they needed more room than that. thanks about the food though - thats really helpful. and i thought that the general advice was to let them hibernate in the winter (?). in this book (not that ive tried) it said to essentially slowly lower the temperature coming into winter and feed less and then put them into like a 5 gallon bucket and lower the temperature enough so that they follow their natural pattern and hibernate for a while. and then theyll use up all their fat and be healthier again and can eat and stuff. well im not trying anything that fancy until i make sure i can maintain them properly.