Goldfish, Fancy Goldfish Profile.

[Yazan]

Goldfish, Fancy Goldfish

The Goldfish is a favorite fish for many. How many of us didn't keep one at one time or another? They are usually very hardy fish and can live in temperatures ranging from 40°F - 90°F (4°C - 32°C). It is important to note that Goldfish have an extremely long lifespan if cared for properly, so getting one can become a long term commitment. Many varieties are available with many different markings and colors including gold, orange, white and black.
The can sometimes come down with swim bladder disease and occasionally freshwater ich. It's very important to provide your fish with frequent water changes and quality, nutritious goldfish food.

You can also make life much better for your fish by getting some form of filtration, such as a box or corner filter with a small air pump. These small filters are fairly inexpensive and the filter media can be changed out easily when you do a water change.

To increase your chance of success with goldfish keeping, try not to keep them in a tiny goldfish bowl. A tiny bowl will become polluted quickly and you'll have to perform maintenance all of the time. Instead, get them at least a 10 gallon tank with a filter and heater.





Freshwater Fish Species Profile and Care Information
Scientific Name : Carassius auratus
Common Names : Goldfish, Comet, Moor, Black Moor, Lionhead, Oranda, Pearl Scale, Ryukin, Panda, Fantail Goldfish

Goldfish Care Level : Easy, good for freshwater beginners who are willing to perform the frequent water changes required.

Size : Usually 3 to 5 inches (8 - 13 cm), but can get bigger

pH : 6 - 7.5

Temperature : 40°F - 80°F (5°C - 27°C)

Water Hardness : 5° to 20° dH,

Lifespan : 10 - 30 years

Origin / Habitat : Asia

Temperament / Behavior : Very peaceful

Breeding Goldfish / Mating / Reproduction : Not very common in home aquariums but you can try. Give them a water temperature between 75°F and 80°F. Get them ready by feeding fish food high in protein and make sure that they have good water quality. When they are ready, they will lay their eggs on vegatation on the bottom of the tank. You will have to remove the adult fish to prevent them from eating the eggs which usually hatch within 7 days.

Tank Size : Preferrably a 10 gallon or larger

Compatible Tank Mates : Usually do better when kept with other goldfish.


Goldfish Diet / Food : Will gladly accept most fish foods, including flakes, live and freeze dried varieties. There are foods made specifically for goldfish.

Tank Region : All over the tank

Gender : Males may have small white spots around their gill areas around spawning time.

 

[GoldLenny]

Are you asking for input on this to be an article?

If so...

I recently started an article for a Fancy Goldfish Care Sheet on my blog... http/goldlenny.blogspot.com/2007/03/gold...y-goldfish.html I also have several other good goldfish care sheets/profiles and also point out some bad ones that are listed in the references.

I'm not sure you should include fancy with long-bodied as there are dramatic differences between what they need.

They are usually very hardy fish and can live in temperatures ranging from 40°F - 90°F (4°C - 32°C).

Partially true for long-bodied (LB) but false for fancies (RB). While LB's can survive at near freezing water temps, they cannot live in them forever. I think you should point that out. I would say "LB's thrive in temperatures ranging from 60F - 75F but can survive in temps between 40F - 90F". RB's do not do as well at the temperature extremes and seem to do better in the mid 70'sF, partially due to their pre-disposed susceptibility to disease/illness so temperature changes can cause stress to any fish and when they get stressed, they are more likely to get sick.

It is important to note that Goldfish have an extremely long lifespan if cared for properly, so getting one can become a long term commitment

"long lifespan" is subjective. I think you should point out that LB's can live for 25 years plus and RB's can also live for those time frames but are more susceptible to disease/illness so many do not make it that long.

You can also make life much better for your fish by getting some form of filtration, such as a box or corner filter with a small air pump. These small filters are fairly inexpensive and the filter media can be changed out easily when you do a water change.

I think you should point out that they need LOTS OF FILTRATION... not just a small box/corner filter. They need BIG TANKS and BIG FILTER SYSTEMS.

To increase your chance of success with goldfish keeping, try not to keep them in a tiny goldfish bowl. A tiny bowl will become polluted quickly and you'll have to perform maintenance all of the time. Instead, get them at least a 10 gallon tank with a filter and heater.

I don't think you should even bring up the idea that a bowl would be acceptable at all. Even a 10G tank would only work for a few months at most... for 1-2 RB's with plans for a MUCH LARGER tank. I think a 55G, 4' long tank should be the minimum sized tank for 2-3 RB goldfish for a couple of years and when the people see how big their goldfish got, they would be more willing to spend money on an even bigger tank since even a 55G is too small for big healthy 8" long RB goldfish..

Goldfish Care Level : Easy, good for freshwater beginners who are willing to perform the frequent water changes required.

I know many start off with goldfish but I'm not so sure they should be considered "easy, good for beginners" since goldfish need BIG tanks and lots of water quality care and most beginners do not have enough experience to handle the demands of water testing and changing that is necessary... or the expense necessary to set up a proper goldfish tank.

Size : Usually 3 to 5 inches (8 - 13 cm), but can get bigger

RB goldifish should grow to 6" to 8". LB goldfish should grow to 10" to 15"+

pH : 6 - 7.5

While they can live in low pH, goldfish do much better in higher pH levels since they like harder water with higher levels of KH. I would lean more towards 7.0 - 8.0+ pH.

Tank Size : Preferrably a 10 gallon or larger

I would say mandotory 10G or larger per juvenile for the first 6-12 months with 20-30G+ per goldfish for long term success.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Yes i agree with a lot of what GoldLenny has pointed out- also one of the few things you need to qualify for to write a profile on the fish forum is that you must have kept the fish in question for a decent period of time successfully, so unless you have kept all those types of goldfish, i would not advise writing profiles for them. Keeping fish gives you experience and you may learn a lot more about it by keeping it rather than just picking up info about a fish which you have not kept.

Also, you list both non-fancy and fancy goldfish. Fancy goldfish are basically all the short bodied goldfish, many of which were created in japan, non-fancy goldfish are th long bodied slim type goldfish which represent their wild type goldfish form a lot closer in physical shape and include fish like comets, commons and true shubunkin goldfish (not the colour type, but the actual breed).

For fancy goldfish, to keep one permanently, you need at least 20gallons for the first one and 10gals for every one after that. For non-fancy goldfish you need 75gals for the first trio (as they are sociable and should be kept together) and about 20gals for every one after that depending on the tanks dimensions. These are the minimum recommended amount of gallons to keep fancy goldfish in, the more gallons you can allow the better- because fancy goldfish are sociable fish, i would advise keeping them in at least pairs or trio's or more.

All goldfish need powerful filtration, if you do not use decent filtration, the water will foul very quickly as the goldfish grow larger and you will need to do very regular water changes (even more than twice weekly) and substrate cleaning sessions. Over-filtering goldfish tanks is good, most good goldfish tanks seem over-filtered in comparison to a lot of tropical tanks, but this is the norm for all good goldfish tanks.

Pretty much all fancy goldfish are sub tropical because pretty much all fancy goldfish were bred indoors rather than outdoors and over time they have adjusted to warmer cold water temps, non-fancy goldfish on the other hand like comets and commons have only been kept as aquarium fish up until very recently (i would say it people started keeping them indoors in the 1920's and onwards) and were primarily pond fish for the hundreds of years they have been in existance up until then.
Non-fancy goldfish like comets and commons still do better in ponds in general as they prefer rather cold temps in comparison to fancy goldfish. Non-fancy goldfish like comets and commons were originally bred in china where the upperclass kept and bred them in ponds and occasionally put them in aquariums for a day or so to show them off to visitors who came to parties etc.
Comet and common goldfish do best in temps from 10-20 degree's, but can be kept in temps up to 23 degree's (although this is not that ideal in the long run, as it speeds up their metabolisms, making them poop more, and need to have very well oxygenated and filtered tanks at such temps since oxygen disolves less at warmer temps etc).
Fancy goldfish do best in temps 17-23 degree's, they can be kept in temps cooler than that, but they cannot tolerate freezing temps and will die if kept outdoors in a pond that freezes during the winter.
No goldfish are tropical fish though, so temps 24 degree's or warmer are not good- although goldfish are often as tough as old boots and may be able to survive at warmer temps, it is not ideal for them and the effect it has on their metabolism will shorten their lifespans in the long run.

There are many types of fancy goldfish, but most will grow between 6-8inchs long, while comets and commons grow between 10 and 15inches long (sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more- it depends on many factors).
With the age thing, i'm not sure how much it varies for fancy goldfish, but slim type goldfish usually luve between 20 and 30 years old on average- there was a record breaking goldfish which lived to 47 years old, which goes to show how they can live for.

Also i would like to add with the gallons thing, that a lot also depends on the dimensions on the tank- a 20gal tall tank is no good for a fancy goldfish, it must be a long one as the goldfish need a decent amount of length in the tank to swim up and down and turn around- i would say for fancy goldfish, the tank must be at least 2 and a half foot long (preferable 3ft long or more though), while for non-fancy goldfish it should be at least 4ft long (preferably 5ft long or more though).


edit: Goldfish can make good beginner fish as overal they are still very hardy/tough fish in general, but their tank set ups are expensive due to all the filtration and large size tanks their need, so unless the beginner wants to start out with a tank 20gals or more, they are not ideal fish to start out with. For juvenile goldfish up to 3inches long, i would say a 10gal long would be adequate, but the goldfishs tank must be upgraded to a larger one once they reach the 3inch long mark IMHO.

 

[The-Wolf]

Scientific Name : Carassius auratus

slightly wrong
the current valid as taxon is Carassius auratus auratus

 

[Yazan]

Yes i agree with a lot of what GoldLenny has pointed out- also one of the few things you need to qualify for to write a profile on the fish forum is that you must have kept the fish in question for a decent period of time successfully, so unless you have kept all those types of goldfish, i would not advise writing profiles for them. Keeping fish gives you experience and you may learn a lot more about it by keeping it rather than just picking up info about a fish which you have not kept.

Also, you list both non-fancy and fancy goldfish. Fancy goldfish are basically all the short bodied goldfish, many of which were created in japan, non-fancy goldfish are th long bodied slim type goldfish which represent their wild type goldfish form a lot closer in physical shape and include fish like comets, commons and true shubunkin goldfish (not the colour type, but the actual breed).

For fancy goldfish, to keep one permanently, you need at least 20gallons for the first one and 10gals for every one after that. For non-fancy goldfish you need 75gals for the first trio (as they are sociable and should be kept together) and about 20gals for every one after that depending on the tanks dimensions. These are the minimum recommended amount of gallons to keep fancy goldfish in, the more gallons you can allow the better- because fancy goldfish are sociable fish, i would advise keeping them in at least pairs or trio's or more.

All goldfish need powerful filtration, if you do not use decent filtration, the water will foul very quickly as the goldfish grow larger and you will need to do very regular water changes (even more than twice weekly) and substrate cleaning sessions. Over-filtering goldfish tanks is good, most good goldfish tanks seem over-filtered in comparison to a lot of tropical tanks, but this is the norm for all good goldfish tanks.

Pretty much all fancy goldfish are sub tropical because pretty much all fancy goldfish were bred indoors rather than outdoors and over time they have adjusted to warmer cold water temps, non-fancy goldfish on the other hand like comets and commons have only been kept as aquarium fish up until very recently (i would say it people started keeping them indoors in the 1920's and onwards) and were primarily pond fish for the hundreds of years they have been in existance up until then.
Non-fancy goldfish like comets and commons still do better in ponds in general as they prefer rather cold temps in comparison to fancy goldfish. Non-fancy goldfish like comets and commons were originally bred in china where the upperclass kept and bred them in ponds and occasionally put them in aquariums for a day or so to show them off to visitors who came to parties etc.
Comet and common goldfish do best in temps from 10-20 degree's, but can be kept in temps up to 23 degree's (although this is not that ideal in the long run, as it speeds up their metabolisms, making them poop more, and need to have very well oxygenated and filtered tanks at such temps since oxygen disolves less at warmer temps etc).
Fancy goldfish do best in temps 17-23 degree's, they can be kept in temps cooler than that, but they cannot tolerate freezing temps and will die if kept outdoors in a pond that freezes during the winter.
No goldfish are tropical fish though, so temps 24 degree's or warmer are not good- although goldfish are often as tough as old boots and may be able to survive at warmer temps, it is not ideal for them and the effect it has on their metabolism will shorten their lifespans in the long run.

There are many types of fancy goldfish, but most will grow between 6-8inchs long, while comets and commons grow between 10 and 15inches long (sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more- it depends on many factors).
With the age thing, i'm not sure how much it varies for fancy goldfish, but slim type goldfish usually luve between 20 and 30 years old on average- there was a record breaking goldfish which lived to 47 years old, which goes to show how they can live for.

Also i would like to add with the gallons thing, that a lot also depends on the dimensions on the tank- a 20gal tall tank is no good for a fancy goldfish, it must be a long one as the goldfish need a decent amount of length in the tank to swim up and down and turn around- i would say for fancy goldfish, the tank must be at least 2 and a half foot long (preferable 3ft long or more though), while for non-fancy goldfish it should be at least 4ft long (preferably 5ft long or more though).


edit: Goldfish can make good beginner fish as overal they are still very hardy/tough fish in general, but their tank set ups are expensive due to all the filtration and large size tanks their need, so unless the beginner wants to start out with a tank 20gals or more, they are not ideal fish to start out with. For juvenile goldfish up to 3inches long, i would say a 10gal long would be adequate, but the goldfishs tank must be upgraded to a larger one once they reach the 3inch long mark IMHO.

Yes I have kept fancy goldfish and commens.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Yes I have kept fancy goldfish and commens.

All of those types of fancy goldfish though ? Keeping one type of fancy goldfish isn't nesarsarily the same as keeping another type- for example, the care for a celestial eye goldfish is different from a veiltail goldfish.

 

[lizjamie]

Just a question about what has been said above - I have an oranda in a 12 (UK) gallon tank. I have had him 10 months and he is between 1 and 1.5 inches Iwould say not including his tail.

Are you including the tail in the 3 inch size for when the tank needs to be upgraded?

Is he of normal size for this age? Just the article implies that after a year you should be getting a bigger tank thus he is supposed to be 3 inches no?

Thanks for your help,

A worrying mother.

 

[denis coghlan]

Keeping one type of fancy goldfish isn't nesarsarily the same as keeping another type- for example, the care for a celestial eye goldfish is different from a veiltail goldfish.

I agree with this completely, as far as I'm concerned you need to keep celestial's in a "padded" water cell to stop them damaging themselves.

 

[giobelkoicenter]

My goldfishes