Goldfish and moving fish questions

I’m brainstorming for what to do with my new 20 gallon. I have considered a split betta tank, I’ve always wanted a gold fancy goldfish, and now that I know the basics about fish keeping, I may attempt. So my question is, what kind of goldfish can you keep in a 20 gallon. And if none, what kind can you keep in a 29 gallon? I have some livebearers in my 29 gallon, which I stocked thinking it was only 20 gallons.

I would do a 29g and get 2 fancy goldfish. IME they like each others company and in a 20g 2 would be a stretch to keep.

I don't have much experience with goldfish but I know @Deanasue knows a lot when it comes to goldfish.

SABWARNER16 said:

I’m brainstorming for what to do with my new 20 gallon. I have considered a split betta tank, I’ve always wanted a gold fancy goldfish, and now that I know the basics about fish keeping, I may attempt. So my question is, what kind of goldfish can you keep in a 20 gallon. And if none, what kind can you keep in a 29 gallon? I have some livebearers in my 29 gallon, which I stocked thinking it was only 20 gallons.

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Gold fish are super dirty so frequent large water changes are a must. They also need highly aerated water. So lots of water movement but not strong currents are a must. They require cooler water will eat most plants would recommend feeding them de shelled peas to keep them regular. They need tall tanks over long tanks as they are a deep bodied fish. , fancy goldfish get pretty big and are twice as dirty as most fish.general recommendation for fancy goldfish is 20 gallons per fish so a 29 for 2 is too small.

utahfish said:

Gold fish are super dirty so frequent large water changes are a must. They also need highly aerated water. So lots of water movement but not strong currents are a must. They require cooler water will eat most plants would recommend feeding them de shelled peas to keep them regular. They need tall tanks over long tanks as they are a deep bodied fish. , fancy goldfish get pretty big and are twice as dirty as most fish.general recommendation for fancy goldfish is 20 gallons per fish so a 29 for 2 is too small.

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Well I’m super appreciative for the info and I think I’ll stick with my bettas haha! I’m about to start my last year of nursing school so even if I had a big enough tank, I wouldn’t want to be do so many water changes lol. Thanks so much

A 20 gallon tank would be perfect for a fancy goldfish. Make sure you don’t buy a common goldfish for this tank for it will be much too small to accommodate their needs. I actually have a black moor goldfish in a 20 gallon and he does excellent!!

Sorry I’m just jumping in here. I raise goldfish and breed a few. Use your 29G tank. One fancy goldfish needs 20 gallons with 10 gallons more for each additional one. They are indeed, a companion fish and do need a friend. They aren’t “dirty fish” but do have large bio loads. You will need to do weekly tank cleaning and 50 - 70% water change. They can grow up to 10” if moved to larger tanks. I have 3 in a 75G and one is over 8”. They are friendly, smart, and good pets. They can live for up to 10 years. My biggest is going on 5 years old. They are cool water fish so try to keep them in 65-75F water. I love to show off my big momma. Her name is “Bug” because she was so tiny when I got her that she looked like a bug. Here’s a pic. First pic is her daughter, about 5” long and 2nd pic is Bug.

Deanasue said:

Sorry I’m just jumping in here. I raise goldfish and breed a few. Use your 29G tank. One fancy goldfish needs 20 gallons with 10 gallons more for each additional one. They are indeed, a companion fish and do need a friend. They aren’t “dirty fish” but do have large bio loads. You will need to do weekly tank cleaning and 50 - 70% water change. They can grow up to 10” if moved to larger tanks. I have 3 in a 75G and one is over 8”. They are friendly, smart, and good pets. They can live for up to 10 years. My biggest is going on 5 years old. They are cool water fish so try to keep them in 65-75F water. I love to show off my big momma. Her name is “Bug” because she was so tiny when I got her that she looked like a bug. Here’s a pic. First pic is her daughter, about 5” long and 2nd pic is Bug.View attachment 112707View attachment 112709

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Thank you so much for the info! And Bug is gorgeous!!!