Stocking ideas for 65, 55, 20's, and 10

Sounds like a lot of goldfish for a 65, no? I don't know mcuh about them but I would think that would be way overstocked. 12 goldfish? Also, water temps for Goldfish and loaches are different. That tank would not work IMO.

3 honey gouramis and "some sparkling gouramis" in a 10g is definitely overstocked. One honey in a 10g and a small school is ok.

Some swordtails get pretty long, 20gal may be too small.

I don't know if I would trust the convict with the ram...

I've kept plecos in 72-76 degree water without problems...

Can't really help on the community tanks... good luck

Sawyer said:

Not 12 goldfish, the 6 commons/comets and ryukin goldfish while they're small, when they outgrow that tank the commons/comets will go in my pond

Click to expand...

What kind of a pond are you talking about? Depending on your pond type, it is illegal to dump them.

Realistically, you should get fish for your aquariums that you plan on keeping in your aquarium. It is similar to buying a pony to live with you in the city, sure a pony may be cute to start off with and fit just fine in your back yard, but are you going to go out to the local state park and release him when it gets to big?

clown loaches like to chase and gently nip each others tails. in my experience they will stress the goldies out and probably tear their tail fins

Hi Sawyer! Welcome to the hobby. I'm glad you've joined us and hope you enjoy the site as much as the rest of us do.

You're asking such great questions in this thread. Glad to see another newcomer who's willing to take the time and effort to thoroughly research and plan for the tanks and fish's care before getting them. Bravo!

You're so lucky you have a place for a nice pond setup. I'm envious! Since you're asking for specific info about goldfish care, I thought I'd direct you to our Cold/Temperate Water Forum. We have many very knowledgeable members contributing to this topic of goldfish keeping. If you'd like to post a separate thread in that section, more of our goldfish experts will see this and be able to share the expertise they have to offer. You'll find that forum here: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=26.

In the meantime, I thought I'd pull out the goldfish questions you've asked here and give you some general info relating to them.

First, the different types of goldfish we keep are all the same species, descending from the same common carp. This is similar to dogs being of the same species with vast differences between one type (or breed) and another. Also like dogs, different goldfish "breeds" are identified by their physical characteristics; i.e., size, body type, finnage, and other specific distinctions. And each of these types have certain care requirements.
Having all this out of the way, I'll get back to the 65 gallon tank setup and outdoor pond option you were asking about.

Sawyer said:

I have many tanks with no fish and eventually I want to stock them but I'm not sure if my plans are over or under stocking. so just let me know if it's over or under stocked, if the fish aren't compatible, if certain fish would be better in other tanks, recommend numbers, etc

65gal- After I set up this tank I'll have 6 common/comet goldfish (3-4 inches long), 1 Ryukin goldfish (2 in.), and 2 plecos (3-6 in.) (these are fish I already have) but the plecos will move into a bigger tank when they get older and the commons/comets will move into my pond. When will they outgrow the tank?

When they do I'll have:
6 fancy goldfish (2 veiltails, 2 ryukins, oranda, black moors), 3-5 clown loaches, and 3 small plecos (5 inches or under). I know the clowns and plecos are tropical and goldfish aren't but the tank will stay around 70-75 year round without any heater since I live in a warm area.

Note: all my tanks will have good filtration (my 65 has a great wet/dry filtration that will be perfect for messy fish like golds and plecos) and they'll all have tons of live plants and plenty of hiding spots for fish.

Click to expand...

We need to stop already at the point where you list the 6 commons and comet goldfish that are already 3-4 inches long. These 6 fish at that size have already outgrown your 65 gallon tank and should be moved immediately to a pond setting or at least a 100-120 gallon tank if kept indoors. I realize they still seem very small now, but the volume of water they need to continue growing and developing normally in healthy condition, requires this. If they are kept in a smaller 65 gallon tank any longer, they will naturally produce a chemical which will stunt their natural rate of growth and seriously weaken their immune system -- risking a wide range of diseases that can lead to premature death, and drastically shortening their potential lifespan. If given the full 20 gallons per fish volume/space and proper care NOW, each of these fish will more than double in length, reaching approx. 8-10 inches within the next 6 months. Your 65 gallon tank can safely house only 3 of these goldfish at their present size.

The 6 fancies you intend to keep together would need 15 gallons of water per fish, thus requiring a minimum tank size of 90 gallons or more. Your 65 gallon tank would work well for only 4 fancy type goldfish.

The clown loaches and plecos are not compatible with goldfish at all. This has already been mentioned about the loaches in this thread. For more information about goldfish-pleco incompatibility, I'll add here the information I posted recently which explains why.

Kashta said:

Plecos should never be kept in the same tank with goldfish for several specific reasons...

Aside from (#1) their natural taste for the slime coat produced by high bodied fish, like goldfish, they also (#2) need vastly different tank setups.. tropical conditions vs. coldwater/temperate conditions.

(#3) Competition for food becomes a big problem, as well, for the much less gregarious pleco living in the same tank with such active, boisterous goldfish. Goldfish are omnivores who are constantly looking for leftover bits of food -- which is the same as that needed by the pleco. This makes it a constant challenge to keep a pleco well fed in the same tank.

Most importantly, goldfish are still a pond fish species despite the fact that we keep them in aquariums. They are much more prone to problems of parasitic infestation/illness because of this.... goldfish are also more susceptible to illnesses/disease resulting from their unique digestive limitations. Invariably, when the need for medication arises for the welfare and good health of the goldfish, (#4) plecos cannot tolerate the same medications and dosages needed for treatment.

Needing to keep the water clean and water parameters stable in goldfish tanks is also a major consideration, as (#5) both goldfish and plecos produce an inordinately high level of waste. Adding a pleco to an already heavy bioload makes it that much more difficult to maintain the good water quality conditions necessary to prevent sickness, disease, parasites, and other common health problems for the goldfish.

Click to expand...

If you'd like to browse through the entire thread for the discussion we had about this a week or so ago, you'll find that in our coldwater section by following the link below.
The recommendations I have to give you about these goldfish may seem disappointing. But if you're willing to spend some time browsing through the last one/two dozen threads posted by our members in the coldwater forum, you will quickly understand why this is so important. We have many threads there describing an assortment of very serious, life-threatening health problems which resulted from keeping goldfish in tanks that are too small for too long a period of time.

Please look into this further as you consider realistic options for the fish you want to keep. Our experienced members who keep goldfish have already learned to avoid making the same very common mistakes - the hard way. And our beginning goldfish keepers are going through a lot of anguish trying to treat and care for sick and dying fish they have, simply because no one was there to give them the proper advice and warn them about these problems ahead of time.