Sorting Out The myths about Goldfish

[hoofclopson]

MYTH #1

ALL GOLDFISH NEED IS A BOWL, FOOD, AND GRAVEL;
this statement is false. Goldfish need much more than that; they need:
1)a good sized tank. (the rule of thumb is 15 gallon for 1st fish,then 10 gallon for each additional fish.
2) gravel, plants, and other decors.
3) a good method of dechlorinator(or dechlorinated bottle water), stress coat, etc.
4)pump,and filter



GOLDFISH ARE "JUST" FISH
I HATE this saying!!!!!! goldfish are just as good as any other fish. just because they are very cheap doesnt mean a darn thing!!!they should still be respected and well taken care of.they ARE still animals, and, just like any other pet, they are the owners responsibility. they shouldnt be allowed to got to waste because theyre about a quarter each.

[Buggy]

Ok, I agree so far. What else ya got?

[manda]

i run into a handfull of more of people with tropical fish in there gold fish tank! maybe add that one to your list

[hoofclopson]

im still thinking...............

i dont know that much about tropical fish, sry.

[Scuba Kid]

no, shes saying goldfish should not be kept with tropical fish as goldfish are coldwater.

[Kyoberr]

I agree with you, they are the same as a rare fish just with a different body. They just happened to end up as a gold fish.

By the way, I don't know much about goldfish, but can the ones that you buy in the store for 20 cents grow into the kind that you have in your avatar? Or are they both differen't kinds? I was under the impression that they were different kinds of gold fish.

[Scuba Kid]

Goldfish are all the same species of fish. The different kinds are all genetic variations of the same species. Just a little fact.

Anyway, the kind you get for 20 cents, which I'm assuming you mean feeder goldfish, are comet goldfish. They get up to a foot long and are not the kind in hoof's avater.

[Buggy]

The $.20 goldfish, or "feeder goldfish" are comets and they get very large. His is a fancy tail variety. Not so big but cost more.

[hoofclopson]

the fish is a fancy goldfish. it is different than the 20 cent goldfish, because of thier tails. they do not change as they grow.

[Gourami Swami]

... And because comets get much larger. The Fancy's can still push 7-8", but the comets I have seen over a foot.

[hoofclopson]

ya, my goldfish is 5-6 inches long.

[Clerk]

I would say 20-35 Gallons Per adult goldfish, in an ideal situation.

[flamingo]

My aunt is known for her "obsession with all types of goldfish". She has large koi, fancy goldfish, bubble-eyes, comets etc. and they do get quite large.

[Willow]

Yeah....I was at PetCo yesterday, one of the clerks answered the phone while I was in the check-out, and the caller was somebody who was trying to keep 4 goldfish in a 2.5 gallon MiniBow. The caller wanted to know why the fish kept dying (duh!). The clerk kept asking "You do know goldfish get to be a foot long, right?", which I thought was rather enlightened for a big-box pet store employee. The caller must have been protesting that HIS goldfish weren't a foot long, so she gave up on that tack and finally said "You'll need a gallon of water per inch of fish, so if one of your goldfish is 2.5 inches long, then you can only have that one in the tank". She had to repeat that several times before the caller understood. He'll probably run right out the Wal-Mart and pick up 2 or 3 new goldfish. Some people. I suppose if she had told him that he's eventually need a 55g for his 4 fantail goldfish, he'd have fainted.

[starbuck]

i went to PetSmart yesterday, there i got a 6" long fancy goldfish. Im not sure what kind it is, I heard it could be a lionhead

but hes really big.


((i had fun w/ the colors))

[Niki2105]

I dont see a problem with housing tropical fish with goldfish as long as you dont keep the water too cold. I have a few tropical in my Goldfish tank just because i had no other place to put them when i had to take down there tank. Goldfish are called cold water fish because they can survive in freezing temperatures not because you have to keep them in such cold water. I find that when their water is too cold they become sluggish and kind of kick into a hybernation mode. Anyway thats just my thoughts. Niki.

[gem]

How about the myth that a goldfish will only grow to the size of it's environment. WRONG!
A goldfish will be stunted in an environment that is too small for it. Stunting causes major health issues and shortens the life of the fish.
Also....IMO...rule of thumb for goldfish keeping (even the fancies and orandas) is 30 gal for the first fish and 10 gal each additional. In addition to size of tank, really good filtration and airation as well as frequent water changes should be done, as they produce alot of waste.
Just a note: Koi.....not the same thing as goldfish. Koi should be kept in a large outdoor pond or a minimum of 100 gal tank for maybe 2 - 3 Koi. My 2 cents. = )

[starbuck]

wait, i thought it was 15 for the first, then 10 for each additional.

[Kyoberr]

Okay thanks you guys. I see now. I never knew that they grew to a foot long. That would be cool. They must grow fairly slow, especially in smaller tanx.