Type of fish to add to tank with 2 fantails?

[buffy24]

Hi everyone!

I have a quick question that I would like to have some advice on. I am wanting to get a third fish for my 57 litre tank and I would like to know what type of fish can be mixed with fantails. I did hear that you should only get other fantail fish but I don't know if this is true or not.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Have a great weekend

Buffy24

[Lisas_lair]

Personally, I wouldn't mix any other type of fish with goldfish. Your tank will eventually be too small for these fish anyway as they mature.

Ken

[lil_jess]

platy, swordtail, bottomfeeder, upside down catfish, etc. Fish that are not carnivous

[Damon]

Nothing else will fit in that tank, as stated above. Its already overstocked and you are risking stunting the fish as it is. They will not live a full life in that tank.

[HollywoodBob]

Over stocked with 2 fish? Really? Oh crap.

-HollywoodBob

[DevarioDevario]

goldfish can reach 14" or more and they are suposed to live for around 35 years.

the best place for goldfish is in a pond, not a fish tank.
keeping them in tanks this rule of thumb should be observed
20 gallons for the first fish, and 10 gallons for each additional fish.
this is because they are ammonia producing machines.
also if keeping gold fish in tanks, you should do a 20% water change every other day, again because of the amount of ammonia they produce.

I also noticed one of the replys suggested some tropical fish as companions, this is a big no no
the goldfishs' protective slime coating has bacteria that is highly toxic to tropical fish.

[judya]

I need a conversion of liters to gallons - how many inches or centimeters is it, and I can convert.

You are speaking of fancy goldfish, right? the kind with eggshaped bodies with wide fan tails? If so, they are coolwater fish amd should not be mixed with anything tropical. There are dojo loaches (also called weather loach, cause they swim around when there is a weather change) that can handle cool water. Make sure any plants used are for coolwater as well, such as anacharis.

Other fancy goldfish (lionheads, bubble-eyes, etc.) can be mixed with fantails, but the common streamlined comet goldfish should not be, as they will get to the food faster than the fancies.

Goldfish do produce a large quantity of fish waste, and need excelllent filters and water changes. So you want to make sure there are not too many in a tank, and that the tank is a good size. Don't overfeed, even though they will beg for food all the time

Good luck and enjoy your fish!

[lil_jess]

aquabid is down, but i just figure out that aquaauctions.com is good to go auction while aquabid is down.

[Z Man]

A 57 litre tank is only 15 US gallons. Small for just one goldfish.

[aquariumfishguy]

Originally Posted by lil_jess @ Sun Jan 23, 2005 1:08 pm

aquabid is down, but i just figure out that aquaauctions.com is good to go auction while aquabid is down.

Should we assume you are the owner of this site? This has been posted several different times in various threads.

Anyway, yes 15 gallons, and that is too small for even one goldfish IMO. You should probably begin with 20 gallons minimum for fancy goldfish. With two goldfish, you would be looking at 40 gallons minimum. Good luck!

[lil_jess]

just trying to help other while waiting for aquabid. Please excuse me.

[aquariumfishguy]

I don't excuse you. But then again, I am not the owner of Fish Forums, so you do not need to explain yourself to me.

All I care about is helping people who ask for help. Personally, I do not consider interrupting a thread by posting a promotion of another site 10-15 times helpful.

[buffy24]

Originally Posted by DevarioDevario @ January 23rd, 06:43

goldfish can reach 14" or more and they are suposed to live for around 35 years.

The oldest fantail I have is around 7cm in length, the other fantail in the tank is around 5cm in length.
I would expect to upgrade the size of my aquarium as the fish grow and require the space.

Originally Posted by DevarioDevario @ January 23rd, 06:43

the best place for goldfish is in a pond, not a fish tank.
keeping them in tanks this rule of thumb should be observed
20 gallons for the first fish, and 10 gallons for each additional fish.
this is because they are ammonia producing machines.
also if keeping gold fish in tanks, you should do a 20% water change every other day, again because of the amount of ammonia they produce.

The instructions that came with my tank say that approx. 1cm of fish = 1.5 - 2 litres of water.
So 57 litres = approx. 28.5cm of fish? Given that I've only got 12cm of fish in the tank at present, I'm confused as to why some people are saying it's overstocked
Are my instructions wrong?

Originally Posted by DevarioDevario @ January 23rd, 06:43

I also noticed one of the replys suggested some tropical fish as companions, this is a big no no
the goldfishs' protective slime coating has bacteria that is highly toxic to tropical fish.

As the fantails are coldwater fish, I wasn't considering adding tropical fish to the tank!

[Damon]

The goldfish are NOT coldwater fish. Common misconception. They are a coolwater fish but still need descent temps to aid in digestion. And I'm glad you wern't thinking about adding tropicals to the tank. Shows you're doing your homework. Unfortunately, the instructions are written by buisnesses trying to make money and they are very inaccurate. The 1 inch per gallon rule is useless. Goldfish have a much higher body mass than other fish and produce a lot much more waste. You wouldn't keep a 10 Oscar in 10 gallons of water would you?
But waiting for them to grow before upgrading is not healthy for them. They will not grow at the normal rate and may never reach full size.

[buffy24]

Originally Posted by judya @ January 23rd, 16:31

I need a conversion of liters to gallons - how many inches or centimeters is it, and I can convert.

57 litres = 13 UK gallons = approx. 15 US gallons.
Tank dimensions are approx. 60cm x 30cm x 32cm

Originally Posted by judya @ January 23rd, 16:31

You are speaking of fancy goldfish, right? the kind with eggshaped bodies with wide fan tails? If so, they are coolwater fish amd should not be mixed with anything tropical. There are dojo loaches (also called weather loach, cause they swim around when there is a weather change) that can handle cool water. Make sure any plants used are for coolwater as well, such as anacharis.

Yes, your description is correct. I think I saw the loaches you are talking about at the pet shop over the weekend. Are they small (the fish I saw were 1-2cm in length), with a long, thin body, preferring to stick to the tank glass?

Originally Posted by judya @ January 23rd, 16:31

Other fancy goldfish (lionheads, bubble-eyes, etc.) can be mixed with fantails, but the common streamlined comet goldfish should not be, as they will get to the food faster than the fancies.

The assistant in the pet shop also advised against mixing common goldfish with fantails, as they wouldn't get along?

Originally Posted by judya @ January 23rd, 16:31

Goldfish do produce a large quantity of fish waste, and need excelllent filters and water changes. So you want to make sure there are not too many in a tank, and that the tank is a good size. Don't overfeed, even though they will beg for food all the time

The filter I'm using seems to be handling the waste OK, and I know what you mean about begging for food

Originally Posted by judya @ January 23rd, 16:31

Good luck and enjoy your fish!

Thanks, and thanks for taking the time to reply - that goes to everyne else who has taken time to reply to me too

[buffy24]

Originally Posted by Simpte @ January 23rd, 21:27

The goldfish are NOT coldwater fish. Common misconception. They are a coolwater fish but still need descent temps to aid in digestion. And I'm glad you wern't thinking about adding tropicals to the tank. Shows you're doing your homework. Unfortunately, the instructions are written by buisnesses trying to make money and they are very inaccurate. The 1 inch per gallon rule is useless. Goldfish have a much higher body mass than other fish and produce a lot much more waste. You wouldn't keep a 10 Oscar in 10 gallons of water would you?
But waiting for them to grow before upgrading is not healthy for them. They will not grow at the normal rate and may never reach full size.

I think I'll stick with just the 2 fish at the moment, and do some more research and lurking on the forum in the meantime!
It's quite confusing for a beginner with all of the (sometimes) conflicting advice I am reading.
Thanks for your help!

[judya]

Weather loaches look more like snakes in the body, have little whiskers, usually several inches long, a tannish/yellowish color with little speckles, and not a sucker fish
http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/wloach.html

[Stew]

Originally Posted by DevarioDevario @ Sun Jan 23, 2005 6:43 am

I also noticed one of the replys suggested some tropical fish as companions, this is a big no no
the goldfishs' protective slime coating has bacteria that is highly toxic to tropical fish.

I'm intrigued by this. Do you have any links to articles I could read more on the subject?

[Fishfirst]

the in/gal cm/liter rules are boogues... they don't consider the fact that some fish produce more waste than others, some fish are wider than others, some need more swimming space, and some are more sensitive... Goldfish need 20 gallons for one fish and 10 for each additional fish... as stated above.

[osteoporoosi]

I would say that they need more than 20 gallons. They really grow huge and produce an incredible amount of waste. 40 gallons for one fish and 20 more for each additional fish sounds more like it. Believe me, I'm not exaggerating. big tanks for big fish, eh ?
heres a picture:
http://www.ifs.tas.gov.au/fact_sheet...20goldfish.jpg
more info about goldfish:
http://www.fishbase.org/summary/spec...ary.cfm?id=271