Do any of you aquarists here keep fancy goldfish? I would love to get a black moor and an oranda someday, but I know they need a huge tank to grow in and require a lot of cleaning.

They certainly are beautiful fish though and I'd love to hear your experiences if you have any to share. Pics of your tank would be awesome too!

I have a black moor and a pearlscale goldfish and they are little characters much more fun that my tropicals they even take food from my fingers and seem to be tame for fish They don't need an over big tank but for two fish your looking at a 30 gallon plus tank and for them to be cleaned out once a week at least but it all depends on your water stats as to how often they need cleaning its just something that can vary with different tanks and set ups. If you get a large enough tank and don't mind the cleaning out once a week then i say go for it

I will try to get some pictures of my tank as i don't really have any but i will try to get some, I have a 55 gallon heavily planted tank and i have just the two fish in there but i'm planning on adding a panda oranda quite soon then thats it i think

Heres one of the best photos i have of my pearlscale sorry its a little blurry but best i have on here as fish are so hard to photograph as never stay still for long enough

I don't like having to clean the tank that often with goldfish, but I think they are very pretty fish. I had a comet once that grew around 5 inches... I had it a loooong looong time ago, so I don't have pics... I had it in a 20g tank with some other tropicals (I don't know if this should be done or not... I was around 12-13 and I didn't had internet or a source of info to learn how to care for my pets). Well, even though they are the "cheap" goldfish, they are beautiful when they grow! I really loved that fish, lean with very long tail. I just wish they weren't so messy... cause they are very pretty.

Yes I've always thought goldfish were beautiful. I've never had a proper fishtank and would love to set one up eventually. But I'd have to cycle it before adding any of the fancies, since I don't think they'd hold up well during that initial process.

Amethyst, how did you cycle your goldfish tank? With or without fish? What kind of filters do you use?

I cycled my tank mainly without fish, i added plants from a cycled tank at my local fish store and they added some bacteria to my tank and i also added food daily so it started to rot down and produce ammonia and in turn nitrites and nitrates so my tank became full of good bacteria but nearer the end i added a fish my black moor and i changed 20% of the water every few days for the first few weeks until i reached zero on ammonia and nitrites and a steady level of nitrate and then i added my pearlscale and my tank has been level ever since with a weekly water change. I used that method as at the time i knew no one with fish and wasn't 100% sure about using neat ammonia to cycle the tank but if you know people with fish you can seed your tank that way with gravel and dirty water and old filter and adding food everyday till the ammonia and nitrite spike and once they are level you can add your fish. Goldfish (even some of the fancies) tend to be hardy little fish and can withstand cycling better than most fish (infact some people buy goldfish for that reason and then return then for tropicals which in my opinion isn't on but each to their own) but i prefer the fishless cycling method as more humane and have used it ever since as used the goldfish filter to cycle new tanks

I use a strong box filter that came with the tank and i've never had any problems with it, i have to rinse it once a week in the dirty water to get the muck off it as with them being goldfish it builds up pretty quickly as they are really dirty fish Infact some people even use two filters an undergravel and a box filter but i've always just used the box one and never had any problems whatsoever. The most important part of kit you can have for goldfish is a good filter as it keeps the water crystal clear and also adds oxygen to the water if kept near the surface!

I think they make fascinating pets and i could sit and watch them for hours. I think thats why i love Bettas so much aswell as pretty simular to the goldfish in the fact that they have huge personalities for such little fish

umm..... i have a fan tail..... LOL! i'm an ammature, i don't know if that is fancy or not...

If its got a fan tail then yes its a fancy goldfish if its got the single tail then its a normal goldfish if you get what i mean ?

I also would prefer to do a fishless cycle. Which plants do you recommend for goldfish (especially for starting a new tank) and what kind of food did you use? Just regular goldfish food?

In theory I'd like to start my tank exactly the same way you did, because it is more humane and I don't plan on keeping any other fish after cycling besides two fancy goldies. It feels wrong to me to "use" other fish to cycle a tank and then return them for new ones. I just want to get it right the first time.

So I am considering getting two filters and maybe a 30g tank, but I read that undergravel filters get clogged often in goldfish tanks because they're so messy. Can you have two box filters or is that too much? And what is the best way to do weekly (or every few days) water changes? Siphon?

I totally agree with you when you buy a fish it should be for life and not just to cycle

I have read the same about undergravel filters so never used them with my goldfish i have always used the box filters if you get a good quality one you should only need one but some people have two it all depends on quality of filter you get and tank conditions and it is postioned near the surface you shouldn't need to get an airstone either as the filter alone should provide enough oxygen in the water for two fish

As for the plants I used bacopas of some kind in my fish tank as they withstand goldfishes attempts to eat them. My local fish store advised me that they were the best and i've had two plants now for over 2 years and they are still going strong, i have to cut them back once a year but give great coverage and grown in no time. I also have a amazon sword which has also withstood any attempts to be eaten. Any plant is ideal as will bring bacteria with it from the fish store and add it to your tank. I also added a few flakes of normal goldfish food everyday for over a month and as it started to break down my tank cycled. There are also lots of tablets and potions you can add to your tank that are supposed to help it cycle some people are fans of these and some aren't. I did add some bactozyme tablets to mine and they did seem to do something as the levels went off the scale for a week then levelled back off so they did have some effect no matter how small but its all down to personal preference. I was re reading on using neat ammonia and if you can get hold of it it sounds simpler than i first thought. You add 5 drops per 10 gallon (so thats 15 drops in a 30 gallon) per day and test till you hit a nitrite spike and then cut the amount you use to half till you get stats of zero for ammonia and nitrite and a healthy level of nitrate and you should keep adding it till a day before you get your fish and make sure the levels stay at the desired level. I haven't tried this method as always been unsure about how much to add but a lot of people use that method and works so it is something i might consider trying in the future

I clean my tank out once a week and i alternate using a jug one week and using a siphon to get the muck out of the gravel the other so not to disturb all the good bacteria. I rinse my filter in the dirty water once a week as its always covered in muck but i'm always careful not to over disturb it and just give it a gentle rinse.

Goodluck if you decide to get a tank, fish keeping is such a worthwhile and fun hobby to get into. The longest and hardest part is waiting for the tank to cycle as you'll find yourself itching to get some fish as i know i was

Thanks for the GREAT advice! Now I have more questions LOL. How much should I expect to spend when starting up my goldie tank? I'm looking for a used tank and filter but not having much luck here!! Any cost saving tips? Oh and what size box filter do I need?

Didn't cost me over much and once its set up the running costs are minimal, just the food, dechlorinator and testing kits that cost every once in a while. Your going to need a tank and a good filter which you could get second hand quite cheap just make sure its got not leaks etc.... The you will need gravel or whatever substrate you want to use, any decorations you might need and plants and then the dechlorinator and food, also its a good idea to get a bucket that you will only use for the fish for water changes. It cost me under £70 british pounds so not sure what that works out as in dollars and thats including my fishies As for a filter well i always ask advice at my local fish store my filter is designed for the size tank i have but i know it goes on how many litres it pumps out per hour so the higher the number the better the filter for a larger tank

Do you have to use special gravel (I think it's called flourite) to grow live plants?

I may have found a 30 gallon long tank and accessories, so I may be PM'ing you with more questions, Amethyst!

I just use normal gravel and a little substrate such as aquatic soil although i have gone without in the past and i've never had any problems and my plants are thriving well apart from when the little fishies decide to eat them, oh and the silk plants And ask any questions you want as if i can help you i will as i know what its like starting out with fishies so if theres anything you want to know don't hesitate to ask

I used to have three fancies, a black moor, a Redcap oranda and a calico fantail. They were fun fish, especially the redcap. I named her Lucy (red top.. i love lucy, it fit, haha) and she was so funny. She would swim up to the surface and lay over on her side and let me pet her. Then id feed her and she'd swim around all happily. The calico and black moor were so pretty as well. I had them when I was like 13, i had them at least 2 years maybe. unfortunately i went out of town for the summer and my grandparents tried to clean the tank for me since it was so dirty, but they didnt make it through the process, my grandparents really didnt know what they were doing. They are messy fish though, i was always having to clean their tank. Ever since them I've only had tropicals.. I'd love to have another redcap.. but I always want a saltwater tank as well! hahaha. someday when I have a huge house I'll have 1 of each type of tank. :-)