My Memory's Bad...just a few questions on Goldfish

[Rocketman]

Hi everyone, this is the first time I've posted in the Coldwater forum.

I work at a Pet Store, (Pet Supplies "Plus") and am now the only serious fishkeeper who works at the store...the other one was fired last week. Almost half the people we get in the store want goldfish, and the rest want some tropical fish to put into a goldfish.

Most of this is taken care of by itself, as it just takes some explaining to people who never realize that Goldfish and regular tropical fish were not the same things.

However, is it possible to put goldfish in a Community fish tank? Assuming there is enough space, etc, is the temperature acceptable?

[RTR]

I have kept both for extended periods, and for me the answer is no.

Goldfish are large, hungry, messy feeders who need (but rarely get) space and clean water. I allow 30 gallons per goldfish from day one in my tanks, and large fancies get moved up from that quickly.

Tropicals and goldfish are just never going to share feeding times well, nor will ordinary tropical setups, space allowances, and maintenance ever cope with a goldfish.. One or the other or both is going to suffer.

But I don't know how you are going to be able to teach the fish-buying public what a goldfish really needs in captivity either. Folks never accepted my practices even when they saw the results in front of them - a massive Lionhead or a low show-quality Oranda alone in a 75 just freaks people out - first for the fish itself, then for the setup it is in. They could never seem to get the concept that the fish were ordinary and well maintained for a few years to become what they saw in front of them, and that it was the setup and care that produced the result.

[Rocketman]

I should print your reply out and post it by our fish tanks, RTR.

[Aderynglas]

At my favourite FS they have the ultimate illustration of how big these fish grow and the room they need. They have a 6'x2'x2' display with 3 fancies in it, oranda, lionhead and fantail. Its beautiful as they have silk plants and large pebbles as well as gravel. Its hard to ignore the fact that these fish grow when you see them in the shop with the sale tanks :D :D

[RTR]

Don't do it, Rocketman - it would kill the business. How many folks think they are going to get a goldfish setup for the kid at about the price of dinner, and would be willing to switch over to the price of a luxury car payment instead.

But as with Oscars and other large cichlids, (Pacus are beyond the Pale), puffers, tinfoils, Bala sharks, clown loaches, etc., folks just can't grasp what it takes to maintain large fish well. I drop out of most threads when folk say they will move the fish up in a year or two "when it needs it". That is too late. Fish grow fast when they are young and actively growing, and they also stunt easily during the same time frame.

But I do wish more stores had displays such as that - it might help.