Anyone kept/keep goldfish?

[swee'pea99]

Any hints and tips? Will a 60 quid all in one kit from Amazon do the job or should I buy something less or more complicated/expensive from my local pet shop? Any advice much appreciated.

 

[stephec]

They're a messy fish that create lots of waste so need good filtration and maintenance, they also grow large which means you need a good sized tank.

If you've not got the room a small tropical community is just as easy to look after, unless you really want goldfish that is.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

They're a messy fish that create lots of waste so need good filtration and maintenance, they also grow large which means you need a good sized tank.

If you've not got the room a small tropical community is just as easy to look after, unless you really want goldfish that is.

Yes, you need a tank that is big enough, otherwise your fish will NOT thank you for it! 😭

 

[fritz katzenjammer]

Not good eating, hardly worth the effort.

 

[Stevo 666]

We 'inherited' goldfish when we bought our last house but one many moons ago. Bigg-ish (about 4,500l) outdoor pond sunk into the garden with some aquatic plants and a big pump/filter unit. Apart from feeding them the only real maintenance was cleaning out the sponges in the filter once every few months. Had to cover with a net as we weren't far enough from a Heron colony.

They were pleasant enough and the sound of running water was quite relaxing but when we moved we left them with the new owners and I wouldn't go out of my way to get another lot.

 

[oxoman]

I'm assuming there inside in which case a small tank and filter required. Don't place near windows or radiators. Definitely dirty fish. If changing water have a clean bucket thats never had any disinfectant in and fill the day day before and let it stand overnight. Can't remember why but tip was passed on by a pet shop owner. If in garden pond I've never filtered it, just keep it topped up if it gets to low and put a ball in for winter to stop it freezing completely. Nearly forgot protect from herons, they love garden ponds if they get to them.

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

Not an easy question to answer because...

Single tail goldfish like Comets quickly reach close to 30cm long and will quickly need a decent sized pond or a 6-foot tank.

"Fancy" goldfish usually grow smaller, are slower swimming under normal circumstances, but they release a lot of waste into the water... So the general guide used to be ~125 litres for one and ~50 litres for each extra fish.

Your goldfish could easily live for ~20 years if kept in decent conditions, by the way!

Have you got the goldfish yet, or just in the planning stage?

I have four tank operating these days from ~60l 2-footer to ~300l 6-footer, used to have six at one point in the last ~16 years, but only the now decommissioned ~450l 5-footer in the unheated garage regularly had an active tank heater (and lots of layers of insulation around it during the winter) to ensure it stayed above 18C under normal weather.
I do have heaters to use if it gets very cold, but normally, the back room stays above 18C and the lounge above 20C. In mid summer, the rooms and tanks can easily reach 25-29C.
In different tanks I have species like Dwarf Chain Loaches; Upside Down Synodontis; "Debauwi" Catfish relative; Silver Distichodus; Schoutendeni and Angelicus Synodontis; African Butterfly Fish; Leopard Bushfish. Most of them are 13-16 years old. My forum avatar is one of my old breeding group of Buffalo Head Cichlids, one of many species I used to keep without having to spend a fortune on heaters and lighting.

 

[PaulSB]

Our next door neighbours and great friends kept a goldfish. It became known as "that bloody fish." Their daughter won it at a fairground, it lived for 34 years. When they went on holiday no one wanted to look after it for fear it would die.

Well you can guess who was on feeding duty when it finally popped its clogs, by when it was actually a white fish. 😃 Our friends were very relieved when they got home........

.......be warned, a goldfish is not just for Christmas

 

[dicko]

Having kept tropical fish I would urge you to go the tropical fish way. Once you are set up with a tank, illumination, filter and a heater it’s just the fish to buy from a reputable dealer. They are relatively cheap to buy and much fun to watch them live their lives in their little world.

 

[PeteXXX]

At least you won't have to take them for a walk twice a day.. 👍

 

[swee'pea99]

If you've not got the room a small tropical community is just as easy to look after, unless you really want goldfish that is.

Funny you should say that!

My daughter's always liked 'em and she's moving out soon, so we thought we'd give her an easy lo-maintenace 'starter kit' for her new place. By the sounds of things they're not quite as lo-maintenance as I'd imagined, but I'm thinking maybe something like this might do the trick for a couple of small fishies...

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

My daughter's always liked 'em and she's moving out soon, so we thought we'd give her an easy lo-maintenace 'starter kit' for her new place. By the sounds of things they're not quite as lo-maintenance as I'd imagined, but I'm thinking maybe something like this might do the trick for a couple of small fishies...

Nope, small volume tanks like that are a nightmare to keep stable, as well as being highly unsuitable for a vast majority of fish.

Generally, you don't want tanks that are deep/deeper than the length, with a small surface area for the volume.

My second tank was a 60x30x30cm (~54l), but responsible fish options for it are far more limited compared to a 90x30x30cm.

My African Butterfly Fish, who originally had a paired partner when bought from the fish auctions that take place at Kempshott Village Hall back in '18, has lived in my 54l for ~8 years. ~6cm body length excluding tail fin, extremely sedentary unless spooked or evading predators. Will try to eat anything that will fit in its trapdoor mouth. Long fins vunerable to fin nipping species.

I've not bought any new fish since '18, but '10 to '18, https://www.aquarist-classifieds.co.uk/php/county.php?goto=Hampshire&page=1 (change county to your local areas) used to be a decent source to buy/sell tanks and fish (I bought and sold on there 10+ years ago). Most of my eight tanks are second hand, including my 6-foot, cost less than £70 each. My brand new Juwel Rio 240 cost ~£350 back in '10, the 54l (Juwel also?) was ~£60 back in '10!

 

[Dave7]

At least you won't have to take them for a walk twice a day.. 👍

Bloody hell, that's where I went wrong.

 

[stephec]

Funny you should say that!

View attachment 808516

My daughter's always liked 'em and she's moving out soon, so we thought we'd give her an easy lo-maintenace 'starter kit' for her new place. By the sounds of things they're not quite as lo-maintenance as I'd imagined, but I'm thinking maybe something like this might do the trick for a couple of small fishies...

I love Pearl Gouramis, this is mine at the moment 195L corner tank. I used to have six Discus in it until the Germans stopped breeding that strain over a year ago.

That little 17L Amazon jobbie is definitely not for goldfish, maybe a shoal of Danios, or some kind of Tetras.

 

[stephec]

Bloody hell, that's where I went wrong.

Probably shouldn't have fed them Pedigree Chum as well.