What to put in 55 gallon tank..

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Paperlantern4

Gambusia
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Feb 6, 2014
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I took a long break from this website since I had a bit of an argument with some members due to a profile picture (won't get into details). But, now I'm back. I've had my 55 gallon tank for a bit over a year now and it's running well but I've failed to stock it with what I originally intended. I originally just wanted one mormyrid (elephant nose) and maybe a few other small peaceful fish.

However, before I could find an elephant nose I started rescuing fish people were pretty much throwing at me. So now I have a bristle-nose pleco, a jumbo danio, a regular danio, a gold gourami, and a yoyo loach (I had too many snails at one point). Like I said, it's a 55 gallon with a sand bottom and a filter made for a 75-100 gallon tank. I want just ONE interesting/beautiful fish that can be comfortable in this tank.

I was at my LFS the other day and saw a shubunkin goldfish. I'm not usually a gold fish fan but I fell in love with it. Am I correct in that they grow 18+ inches and are only for ponds? Could one possibly live a healthy and comfortable life in a 55 gallon along with the current inhabitants? I do regular water changes. If not, what would you recommend for me?
 
are you going to get rid of your other inhabitants or were you planning on adding a goldfish ontop of what you have???

Coz besides possible size issues, goldfish are cold water fish where as you keep tropicals...
 
I was not planning on getting rid of the current fish since they are basically all rescues (besides the yoyo loach). Also, oh, I didn't realize the goldfish wouldn't at all be compatible with the current fish :/. I guess that option is out of the question then. Thanks!
 
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Yeah, you want to keep goldfish by themselves in a heater-less tank. I've heard of people keeping Dojo loaches or zebra danios with goldies, because they can handle cooler temps no problem.

I enjoy my goldfish tank. I've got a basic fancy, two orandas and a comet in a 55g. My comet is 2yrs old and about 5".
 
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Yeah, you want to keep goldfish by themselves in a heater-less tank. I've heard of people keeping Dojo loaches or zebra danios with goldies, because they can handle cooler temps no problem.

I enjoy my goldfish tank. I've got a basic fancy, two orandas and a comet in a 55g. My comet is 2yrs old and about 5".
 
Yup, gold fish is out, but not sure about Elephant Nose with your current stock, so better wait for someone with a little more experience to answer that question...
 
A few years back my sister won a goldfish at the fair, I threw it in my tank as a snack for some oscars and it survived 3 yrs. It grew to about 10 inches. I had to get rid of it because it got too aggressive. It was kept in a 78 degree tank the whole time. But like everyone said it's not ideal they are coldwater fish.
 
Yep, goldfish will grow fast and produce more waste at 78F than they will in cooler temps. The really cool looking comet goldfish I have was a carnival win by one of my darling children 2yrs ago. Kept in a room temperature tank and fed lightly with a decent quality pellet food, it's only about 5" at this point and really is a pretty fish with big flowing fins.

The other 'issue' with goldfish is, they're a social fish, but not necessarily a schooling/shoaling fish. they need other goldfish around to be comfortable. Try a single goldfish by themselves and you'll see what I mean.
 
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Goldfish do need to interact with other goldfish. The one I had was just as aggressive/territorial as the cichlid tankmates.

It was a cool fish tho. It changed color throughout it's growth, from an ugly brown to grey to orange and finally white with bright orange patches.
 
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