how many goldfish can i keep in my tank?

[wataugachicken]

kokosgoldfish says that you can keep a goldfish in a ten gallon tank and that nitrites under 2ppm are safe. no and no. also suggests, of all things, hillstream loaches as tankmates. the kind of river-like current they need in the tank for proper oxygen levels would toss a fancy goldfish like a feather in the wind. also, you don't put a hillstream loach in a tank to eat algae, you put algae in the tank to feed the loach. . .

the other two links are identical species profiles, the last one just has nicer graphics. doesn't say anything about goldfish.

just because something can tolerate lower water temps doesn't mean they should be kept with goldfish. plecos produce a lot of waste when fed properly (though not when forced to make a living scraping algae) and rubberlips in particular need good water quality.

 

[fishcatch22]

Rubberlips only grow to 4 - 5" and have the same temp requirements as goldfish.

My Rubberlips have lived with my Goldfish for years and all are thriving.


http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/comfish.html

http://home.earthlink.net/~ecotank/id14.html

http://www.aquariumlife.net/profiles/plecostomus/rubbernose-pleco/100074.asp

I know all about rubberlip plecos and their requirements, my paremnts have owned them before. I still do not beleive that is the most ideal for either fish. I know they can live their entire lives in goldfish tanks. it is simply the fact that they, as most other plecos should have tropical freshwater of between 74 and 80 degrees to do their best, and goldfish need a temp of around 72-64 degrees to thrive. I have seen plecos maintained in good CW tanks before, and they were not really thriving compared to those maintained in good tropical FW tanks.

 

[76Explorer]

We'll agree to disagree concerning the tank requirements for a true L187b rubberlip pleco.

These fish live in cold water streams in their natural environment. My tank temp stays between 70 and 72F. My rubberlips are fully grown, eat well, have good color and are very active at night. If that's not thriving please let me know what is. I have a 23" bubble wand with a large air pump that gives them a nice current to swim against in the tank. I should have said they have similiar temp requirements with goldfish because they are not the same. Both can do well in a tank around 70 degrees based on my research and personal experience.

I would say PlanetCatfish.com is a reliable source and this is what they list the L187b temp requirements as:

20.0-23.0°C or 68-73.4°F

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=318

Sorry to have taken the thread off topic. :devil:

Have a good one!

 

[Rbishop]

I know all about rubberlip plecos and their requirements, my paremnts have owned them before. I still do not beleive that is the most ideal for either fish. I know they can live their entire lives in goldfish tanks. it is simply the fact that they, as most other plecos should have tropical freshwater of between 74 and 80 degrees to do their best, and goldfish need a temp of around 72-64 degrees to thrive. I have seen plecos maintained in good CW tanks before, and they were not really thriving compared to those maintained in good tropical FW tanks.

Him don't think so, try a temp of 68-73.

 

[SquirrelOsO]

for fat slow moving fancy goldfish (oranda's, ranchu's etc) no pleco or any other sucker mouthed fish should be kept with them. heck even otto's arent good
for faster moving goldfish like comets and shubunkins then yeah id say it can be done, but not for the odd breeds of goldies
theres no need for a pleco in a goldfish tank anyway. goldies eat algae just as good as any pleco out there. maybe not so good on the glass but all it takes is a swipe of an algae magnet to clean that up.
plants are roughage, i highly doubt that a fish can overdose or overeat a plant. they spend more time destroying it than actually swallowing it anyway

i have a large pond with lots of plants goldfish and koi. in off season months they live entirely on plants and algae with no supplement feedings from me. have i ever seen one die from over eating a plant? no. but they can die from over eating prepared foods

everyone has their own method of doing things, and its kinda hard to understand and to know what method people do when its just written on a message board. i may write something one day only to entirely change my mind the next
anyhoo heres my 220g now with four goldies, 3 oranda's and one black moore

 

[Aussie_hippie_2]

Awesome looking fish. Awesome looking tank!

 

[ohbly]

Awesome looking fish. Awesome looking tank!

awsome background

 

[thang_bom]

very nice tank SquirrelOsO

what kind of plants float on top of the tank?


thanks

 

[SquirrelOsO]

thanks :

floating are frogbit and water lettuce. they dont touch the water lettuce and most likely never will, but the frogbit they love! must taste yummy :laugh:

 

[thang_bom]

where did you buy frogbit and water lettuce? I want some for my 125-gallon tank.

I currently have 5 small and 3 medium goldfish in my 125-gallon tank. I want to buy one more medium ryukin. Do you guys think I can add one more?

one small orange red cap oranda
two small pearlscales
two small red & white ryunkin
two medium chocolate with cap orandas
one medium blue with cap oranda

I have one eheim ecco cannister 2236 filter, one whisper 60, one powerhead 1200 (Maxi-Jet) in the middle top of the tank, and an undergravel jets network(8 jets total), which are using two Maxi-Jet 1200 plus prefilter sponges. I also change 25% of water once a week.


thanks all.

thanks :

floating are frogbit and water lettuce. they dont touch the water lettuce and most likely never will, but the frogbit they love! must taste yummy :laugh: