Goldfish rocks

[Divinityinlove]

Finally got a second hand 60l for my 3 goldfish (was told that is the minimum, hope it is OK size wise).

I'm now wanting to ensure I get the set up right from day 1.

Is there any concern for goldfish regarding dragon rocks and similar not so smooth edges on rocks?

I'm thinking pea size gravel, natural with no colour.. Larger than they would try to eat -- some larger rocks, river rocks, dragon rocks etc for hardscape and some slate?

But I'll check their natural habitat out more. The first article i read said keep a bare bottom tank which I don't mind, but do they really like plants? If not, perhaps I'll keep artificial or jusr hardscape but before I look into plants, I'm checking substrate... If they don't need plants ..... Bio rocks'll maybe be good.

Just please help me with highlights from your experience with goldfish or years of research as I am just starting. So far they were in my temp container whilst I tried to figure out pond situation, now since I have to work out how to plug in filtration outside... I've adopted for a 60litre second hand tank... Until I can afford a system for a pond. It'll be likely a year or more maybe...

Thanks for suggestions to make them feel at home.

 

[Colin_T]

The minimum size tank for small goldfish is 3 foot long. Bigger tanks or ponds are needed when the fish are mature and have gained some size. If you haven't set the tank up yet, maybe take it back and get something bigger.

Most single tail goldfish can grow to 10-12 inches long (not including the tail).

Most double tail goldfish can easily reach 6 inches long (not including the tail).

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Goldfish like to pick up gravel or sand in their mouth and spit the sand out while eating any food in it. You can use pea gravel if you like but small gravel (normal aquarium gravel) is the most commonly used.

Never have a bare bottom tank for any fish. It stresses them out and disorientates them.

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No sharp rocks or stones like slate in the tank. They can cut the fish.

Limestone is suitable because it's smoother and also helps buffer the pH so it stays above 7.0, where goldfish like it.

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Goldfish need a bit of plant matter in their diet. You can use sea weeds from Asian supermarkets (or the Asian food section in a normal supermarket). Duckweed is a small floating plant that gets eaten. Most soft leaf aquarium plants are suitable for them. You can use vegetable flakes/ pellets for fish.

 

[Divinityinlove]

Might as well put the betta in the 60l then and get a bigger tank for the Goldies. Although when I got the second two at pets at home, she said 60l minimum. Is it possible they're a different type?

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Might as well put the betta in the 60l then and get a bigger tank for the Goldies. Although when I got the second two at pets at home, she said 60l minimum. Is it possible they're a different type?

Unfortunately the average Goldfish doesn't stay small for very long...despite what that oh so helpful shop person might tell you.

They grow big, they grow fast, they are seriously mucky blighters...and tbh...and imho...do not belong in aquariums where they might stop growing externally when they cannot get a decent swim space, but internally they keep growing, thus causing untold health issues that usually end their life prematurely

Goldfish should be in ponds where they can roam and hide and enjoy life to the fullest.

(When I was a kid, I won a teeny weeny Goldfish at a fair. A few years (and a few pond extensions) later that teeny weeny Goldfish was close to a foot long and still growing)

 

[Colin_T]

Might as well put the betta in the 60l then and get a bigger tank for the Goldies. Although when I got the second two at pets at home, she said 60l minimum. Is it possible they're a different type?

What do you mean by a different type?

 

[Essjay]

Although when I got the second two at pets at home, she said 60l minimum

I would not believe anything a woman at Pets@Home said. That store has a terrible reputation for advice.

This has much better advice

Goldfish For Beginners

Types and Sizes of Common Goldfish Breeds First of all, never underestimate the size of fully grown goldfish. There are no 'dwarf' breeds of goldfish, whatever 'the man in the shop' might say; even the smaller 'fancy' types have the capacity to grow to a good six inches/15 cms in length...

www.fishforums.net

Fancy goldfish need a tank that is a minimum of 100l for one fish, with an additional 50l for each additional fish (so, 150l for two fish, 200l for three and so on). While they can be started off in smaller tanks, getting a larger one should be made a matter of priority, as goldfish are fast growers in their first few years.

 

[Divinityinlove]

What do you mean by a different type?

Unfortunately the average Goldfish doesn't stay small for very long...despite what that oh so helpful shop person might tell you.

They grow big, they grow fast, they are seriously mucky blighters...and tbh...and imho...do not belong in aquariums where they might stop growing externally when they cannot get a decent swim space, but internally they keep growing, thus causing untold health issues that usually end their life prematurely

Goldfish should be in ponds where they can roam and hide and enjoy life to the fullest.

(When I was a kid, I won a teeny weeny Goldfish at a fair. A few years (and a few pond extensions) later that teeny weeny Goldfish was close to a foot long and still growing)

i'm just shocked I've never heard this about goldfish nor seen a goldfish at full size, and so often they're kept in aquariums. Even when I looked up pondfish it said in articles that shubunkin are larger and goldfish are smaller so if you have a small pond keep shubunkin (

I now look at a photo of a shubunkin, and worry that one of the goldfish I was given from petsathome has coloration more like a shubunkin than a common goldfish../ red, white and black spots... wtf...

They're going to have to go in the 60l glass tank temporarily at least out of the plastic container I had for the rescue one until I get a pond.

I'm trying to aim for the 3foot length, 3 foot deep pond suggested here before and can't find one on ebay premade, trying to get it custom made but just want to ensure I can create a DIY filter with solar pump and find an appropriate place to put it -- does anyone know a good supplier of above ground /raised ponds , like those bathtub style pond containers? I saw an idea on youtube of a DIY filter which could save me grands, using a water pump and hose for water to be pumped up from the pond, through the top of the 20l plastic "trash can" container full of media, and the water will flow back out of a hole drilled in the bottom of the bin, also oxygenation the water if it's above the surface and agitates the surface.... My only question was... will this work if the media inside is not circulating and aerating much since the water usually goes from the bottom and out the top which pushes around the media and creates flow inside the filter right??

I think at the same time, I'll just put ads out for someone who has a pond already, if they can take 3 more. I'd love to keep them but if I don't have the means, I just don't so I will check both avenues and whichever comes first, I'll go with it --

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Go to any garden center that has an aquatic section or DIY store (large one like B&Q) and you'll find premade ponds or pond liner kits etc

 

[Divinityinlove]

Go to any garden center that has an aquatic section or DIY store (large one like B&Q) and you'll find premade ponds or pond liner kits etc

I've called up https://www.angelfishaquatics.co.uk/ and they said they'll take the fish -- they've got ponds and I hope they'd get sold onto responsible owners which I cannot guarantee but I've also messaged a few pond keepers with goldfish already, it seems however they are wanting to trade in goldfish for koi anyway, so it's hard to find a goldfish lover (which I absolutely would be given the means damnit!) so this might be my best option -- there was another aquatics store near me with a big pond but who don't take coldwater fish now for some reason -- my best option is this right? They've got good reviews about health fo their animals. Least they'll have more friends. Hopefully someone will buy them and love them.

 

[Divinityinlove]

Now I can buy a male betta for the 60l and he will have a good home --

 

[Colin_T]

Shubunkins are goldfish. The ones I knew about were developed in Bristol in the UK. They grow to the same size as the orange, white, bronze and red goldfish (12 inches+ body size without the tail included in the length).

Wikipedia has some info on shubunkins claiming they were made in the early 1900s by crossing calico telescope eye goldfish (moors) with comets. That is false because calico moors didn't appear until the late 1980s and early 1990s, nearly a 100 years after the fish was allegedly made. So someone at Wikipedia hasn't done their homework.

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If you want a large above ground pond, Google aquaculture suppliers. They sell large plastic ponds that are free standing and come in a wide range of sizes. I am looking at one for my place that is 8ft diameter x 4ft high. They are made from UV stabilised plastic and usually have a 20+ year warranty. They do smaller ponds too.

 

[Divinityinlove]

Shubunkins are goldfish. The ones I knew about were developed in Bristol in the UK. They grow to the same size as the orange, white, bronze and red goldfish (12 inches+ body size without the tail included in the length).

Wikipedia has some info on shubunkins claiming they were made in the early 1900s by crossing calico telescope eye goldfish (moors) with comets. That is false because calico moors didn't appear until the late 1980s and early 1990s, nearly a 100 years after the fish was allegedly made. So someone at Wikipedia hasn't done their homework.

------------------
If you want a large above ground pond, Google aquaculture suppliers. They sell large plastic ponds that are free standing and come in a wide range of sizes. I am looking at one for my place that is 8ft diameter x 4ft high. They are made from UV stabilised plastic and usually have a 20+ year warranty. They do smaller ponds too.

That is a good size for goldies. I'm just wondering if I have time to research and set up the pond before the goldies require more space... I'll have to check how fast they grow as I was anxious to give em to a pond owner right away -- l'll do a bit more browsing as to whether I can get the pond from your suggestions. Thanks!

 

[Divinityinlove]

Shubunkins are goldfish. The ones I knew about were developed in Bristol in the UK. They grow to the same size as the orange, white, bronze and red goldfish (12 inches+ body size without the tail included in the length).

Wikipedia has some info on shubunkins claiming they were made in the early 1900s by crossing calico telescope eye goldfish (moors) with comets. That is false because calico moors didn't appear until the late 1980s and early 1990s, nearly a 100 years after the fish was allegedly made. So someone at Wikipedia hasn't done their homework.

------------------
If you want a large above ground pond, Google aquaculture suppliers. They sell large plastic ponds that are free standing and come in a wide range of sizes. I am looking at one for my place that is 8ft diameter x 4ft high. They are made from UV stabilised plastic and usually have a 20+ year warranty. They do smaller ponds too.

I will try that google search -- my main issue is, how do you plug in mechanical filtration outdoors? Do I have to have extra plug socket with rain protection installed with wires under the concrete or.. What do people do when the pond is far from the house? So far I have seen solar powered pumps as basic filtration but doesn't seem enough and I've seen YouTubers with large mechanical filters but didn't ever show how it is plugged into the electricity supply.

How are you planning to filter your 8x4?

 

[Colin_T]

under ideal conditions goldfish take 3-4 years to reach full size