Goldfish Mates

[MoMenny]

I have a 55 gallon tank with 4 goldfish. The tank always becomes so dirty, I was wondering if there was some sort of sucker fish that could live with goldfish. I have been told in the past that nothing but goldfish can live together because of some amonia they give off. If you have any suggestions on how to keep the tank cleaner longer it would be much appreciated.

[ChilDawg]

4 goldfish in a 55 might be a little too much bioload, but any of the plecs which are okay with cooler water could do pretty well in that tank (provided you get rid of a few goldies).

Also, the "butterfly pleco"/"hillstream loaches" from Asia might be what you are looking for...

[TJcanada]

What do you mean by dirty? What kind of goldfish do you have and how big are they?
Gold fish are natural bottom rooters/feeders, they can keep a tank pretty clean all by themselves - with help from thier keepers via very good feeding/maintenance practices ....
Hillsteam loaches and/or Butterfly plecos(whatever;) ) aren't somethng I would personally suggest for tankmates - different requirements all together in my opinion, not a good mix.

Just my thoughts for now......
TJ

[ChilDawg]

Just going by what I had read...but I suppose that I screwed up. TJ, you are a goldie expert, so I will defer to you on this issue.

[avoxo]

Hi Mo, I will have to agree with TJ, mixing goldfish with any other kind of fish will lead to problems in the long run. Most pleco's or otto's will acquire a taste for the slime coating on goldfish. Regular tank maintenance is a must.

What you need to do is check to see if you have enough filtration, then watch how much you feed them, (if you have not found out yet goldfish will eat and eat and eat). I also have 4 goldfish (all of which are 3 inches and up) in a 55-gallon tank. This time of year I only feed mine every other day because of the cooler temperatures. They are still all healthy and happy.

Avoxo

[val]

Mo, to Aquaria Central, home of the goldest fishkeepers on the internet:)

What kind of filter do you have and how long has it been set up? I would echo the thoughts of others that GF and others usually don't mix.

One thing that works for me, though, is to use an airstone which increases surface aeration in your tank. GF eat a lot, and they seem to breathe a lot, but then, they are big fish.

How often are you feeding your fish? Most fish can be underfed and will be healthier than if they are overfed...

Val

[aquariaddictus]

I am overwintering some goldfish (comets, nothing fancy) indoors, since they did not seem to have enough meat on their bones, so to speak, to survive their first winter outdoors. I put them in my platy/swordtail tank, and kept the temp at the lower end of the tropical range. All have done well, and it's been 7 months now. Platies and swords will also tolerate salt, if you are one who believes in using salt with goldfish.

As for cleaning, there is no fish that will clean up the 'dirt' that goldies are capable of generating. Filtration and regular vacuuming are crucial.
good luck
judy

[TJcanada]

ChilDawg, I am by no means a goldfish expert, but thanks;)

I agree with val and avoxo, overfeeding isn't a good thing - feeding fish small amounts a few times a day is the average - I, like avoxo, tend to follow a "season" approach to feeding - more in the warm months and much less in the cold months(even if I have to simulate those conditions).
As for cleaning, there is no fish that will clean up the 'dirt' that goldies are capable of generating. Filtration and regular vacuuming are crucial. - Judy hit the nail right on the head:D


As for tank mates..... Like Judy, I have kept goldfish with a few different species - I stay away from pleco's and/or loaches for the reasons that avoxo has stated(while this happens alot there are exceptions and some who have no problems).
Let's see over the years... guppies, wcmm(white cloud moutain minnows), a few different barbs(rosey and golds), and swords. This isn't something I advocate, but if you have a good sized tank and keep the stocking low with good filtration(etc etc) then everything should run smoothy. I haven't kept fancy goldfish in several years... at the moment I'm keeping shubunkins and comets - in a pond. In the summer months they cruise the water with a few guppies ... thinking of maybe adding something else this year as well, who knows...

Well Mo... would like to hear your comments to the questions asked here :)

Regards, TJ

[MoMenny]

Thank you to all the people who responded. I think I will just stick with my 4 goldfish and keep cleaning the tank. These fish were classroom fish and the class no longer wanted them so I took them. I really know nothing about the filtration and all that. I was given the 55 gallon tank from a friend and it came with a filter and some other things I have no idea what they are. I have had two of the fish for about 2 years and the 2 new ones Ive had for about 3 months. They get along good and seem to be healthy so I dont think I will change anything. Again thank you for the responses.