# Do goldfish get lonely?



## finnfinnfriend

I just want to know for sure. I wouldlike a gfish tank someday but I would only want one as a pet. Another fish buddy for me lol...


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## aemaki09

I dont think so.. A lot of them live their lives a lone. I'm sure they would enjoy company but wouldnt know any different without it.


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## Kithy

Yes, they do. They like to have social tank mates, generally that are goldfish. But you need to have enough room for them. For one goldfish you need about 20gallons and another 10 for each additional fish.


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## psyduck

I think so.


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## thekoimaiden

I'm a bit late to the party, but yes, goldfish do get lonely. After having kept two goldfish in my 55 gal for 7 years, one of them passed suddenly. The other languished for a few days and then died, too. He seemed to be frantically searching for his lost buddy until his last minute. When I acquired another goldfish (single goldfish in a 55 gal) he remained by a tiny mirror I'd placed on the side of the tank because he thought it was another goldfish. He only stopped this and "came out of his shell" when I added another goldfish to the tank. Now they are best buddies. 

So while goldfish will be a good fishy buddy for you, they have fishy social needs (unlike betta) that do need to be fulfilled. But having other goldfish in the tank doesn't make them interact less with you. You get a whole swarm of fish greeting you instead of just one.


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## Olympia

I demonstrate swarm:
http://s1096.beta.photobucket.com/user/worldlyaffections/media/goldies1.mp4.html


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## finnfinnfriend

thekoimaiden said:


> I'm a bit late to the party, but yes, goldfish do get lonely. After having kept two goldfish in my 55 gal for 7 years, one of them passed suddenly. The other languished for a few days and then died, too. He seemed to be frantically searching for his lost buddy until his last minute. When I acquired another goldfish (single goldfish in a 55 gal) he remained by a tiny mirror I'd placed on the side of the tank because he thought it was another goldfish. He only stopped this and "came out of his shell" when I added another goldfish to the tank. Now they are best buddies.
> 
> So while goldfish will be a good fishy buddy for you, they have fishy social needs (unlike betta) that do need to be fulfilled. But having other goldfish in the tank doesn't make them interact less with you. You get a whole swarm of fish greeting you instead of just one.


Could I keep two fancies in a 55 gal? I don't think I would ever want a tank larger than that...


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## thekoimaiden

finnfinnfriend said:


> Could I keep two fancies in a 55 gal? I don't think I would ever want a tank larger than that...


Oh most certainly! You could do three and maybe even four (depending on how high the nitrates climb).


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## Kithy

finnfinnfriend said:


> Could I keep two fancies in a 55 gal? I don't think I would ever want a tank larger than that...


I have 3 goldfish in a 55gal and it's a bit of keeping up with how much they produce but if you can get a few plants to help with water quality and you don't mind vac'ing up waste ("spot cleaning") it's doable. Two should be okay in a 55 gal just be cautious with over feeding.


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## finnfinnfriend

thekoimaiden said:


> Oh most certainly! You could do three and maybe even four (depending on how high the nitrates climb).


Cool . Even for their whole lives though? Will they grow to their full potential? A couple of 12+ inch fancies would be a magnificent sight


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## sandybottom

goldfish are cold water schooling fish.i would put 4 in a 55. these fish need serious filtration. two big hobs or a hob and canister. fancies have a varied diet. be careful picking out substrate as some can pose a choking hazard.small fish like otos and small corys are choking hazards too. so are some snails. wait, everything is a choking hazard for goldfish.lol. and don't mix fancies with single tail varieties, the fancies will be out competed for food. they get soul crushingly lonely when a tank mate dies and they are the only two, so get atleast 3 if not 4. i have a calico and a blue oranda and i will soon be getting my ranchu. but i would love a pond full of watonai goldfish. a wakin-ryukin cross.


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## thekoimaiden

finnfinnfriend said:


> Cool . Even for their whole lives though? Will they grow to their full potential? A couple of 12+ inch fancies would be a magnificent sight


Yep. They can live in a 55 gal their whole lives. Actually most fancy goldfish don't get that big. Pet store fancies usually top out around 8 or 10 inches. Buying from a breeder will probably give you a better chance of getting a huge goldfish if that is what you want.


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## finnfinnfriend

thekoimaiden said:


> Yep. They can live in a 55 gal their whole lives. Actually most fancy goldfish don't get that big. Pet store fancies usually top out around 8 or 10 inches. Buying from a breeder will probably give you a better chance of getting a huge goldfish if that is what you want.


Well an 8 or 10 inch fancy would still be awesome. It would be nice to get some from a breeder as well, though. Would the 55 work with larger breeder specimens? And would you reccommend twice weekly PWC's for this situation? Thanks for all your help btw


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## thekoimaiden

If you can get goldfish from a reputable breeder, go for it! Just keep in mind, they don't ship well. I'd love to have a good breeder within driving distance of my house, but I don't. Sadly I'm reduced to pet store fish. 

If you do get a fancy goldfish that grows larger than 10 inches, then an upgrade to a 75 gal would be best. It is just as long as a 55 gal, but it's a little thicker and taller. I'd like to upgrade to one eventually because it would allow me more goldfish ^-^ (and that's always a good thing). 

As for weekly PWC, when the goldfish are older, then yes, that's a good idea. Smaller fish won't produce as much ammonia and if you can manage to slip some live plants in there, then you'll only need a once weekly PWC when they are younger. I've also experimented with the idea of adding a sump/refugium for plants. I've seen it done with other goldfish tanks, but I just need to find the time and supplies to make it work in my tank.


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## finnfinnfriend

thekoimaiden said:


> If you can get goldfish from a reputable breeder, go for it! Just keep in mind, they don't ship well. I'd love to have a good breeder within driving distance of my house, but I don't. Sadly I'm reduced to pet store fish.
> 
> If you do get a fancy goldfish that grows larger than 10 inches, then an upgrade to a 75 gal would be best. It is just as long as a 55 gal, but it's a little thicker and taller. I'd like to upgrade to one eventually because it would allow me more goldfish ^-^ (and that's always a good thing).
> 
> As for weekly PWC, when the goldfish are older, then yes, that's a good idea. Smaller fish won't produce as much ammonia and if you can manage to slip some live plants in there, then you'll only need a once weekly PWC when they are younger. I've also experimented with the idea of adding a sump/refugium for plants. I've seen it done with other goldfish tanks, but I just need to find the time and supplies to make it work in my tank.


If and when I get goldfish, I might slip some live plants in there. I don't like using them with bettas (just my preference) but with goldies they can also snack on them! lol. 

Like I said earlier though, I would never want a tank bigger than a 55gal, so maybe I should just stick with pet store fishies. What % of the water needs to be changed each time, and how do you do it? I know for my betta I just fill up the bucket with dirty water, dump it out, fill it with clean water, and add it to the tank. done. But even that bucket with 2-3 gallons of water in it is getting kinda close to my limit as far as weight I can carry, so I could PROBABLY carry a bucket with five gallons of water in it, but that's really pushing it, and that's only 10%!


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## Kithy

finnfinnfriend said:


> If and when I get goldfish, I might slip some live plants in there. I don't like using them with bettas (just my preference) but with goldies they can also snack on them! lol.
> 
> Like I said earlier though, I would never want a tank bigger than a 55gal, so maybe I should just stick with pet store fishies. What % of the water needs to be changed each time, and how do you do it? I know for my betta I just fill up the bucket with dirty water, dump it out, fill it with clean water, and add it to the tank. done. But even that bucket with 2-3 gallons of water in it is getting kinda close to my limit as far as weight I can carry, so I could PROBABLY carry a bucket with five gallons of water in it, but that's really pushing it, and that's only 10%!


When I do a big change for my 55 it's usually about 15-20%. You know those big yellow kitty litter buckets? I fill those up. Two with clean water and I usually have to make two trips to empty the dirty water in my third bucket. 

I've been thinking of picking up a skateboard to at least move the water but as for pouring it in the tank I use a big measuring cup. It's like 3 cups worth. I used to use my 1 gallon bowl. It takes awhile to get the full bucket down to a liftable size but it's better than throwing your back out, for sure.


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## finnfinnfriend

So it will just take awhile?


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## Kithy

finnfinnfriend said:


> So it will just take awhile?


For water changes? A bit. Bigger tanks mean more work moving water but less frequent changes usually. While they're small you won't have too much trouble. 

I only empty about half the bucket with a smaller cup or something until I can lift or (or I get someone else to lift it for me)

I'm usually done with a 20% change in 10 minutes, give or take. Lately I just spot clean the tank. But I don't like seeing goldfish poo everywhere xD


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## sandybottom

get a water changer like a python or have someone handy make you one.


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## finnfinnfriend

Yeah maybe I would just get a python...

How big do just the bodies of petstore fantail goldfish get?


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## thekoimaiden

finnfinnfriend said:


> If and when I get goldfish, I might slip some live plants in there. I don't like using them with bettas (just my preference) but with goldies they can also snack on them! lol.
> 
> Like I said earlier though, I would never want a tank bigger than a 55gal, so maybe I should just stick with pet store fishies. What % of the water needs to be changed each time, and how do you do it? I know for my betta I just fill up the bucket with dirty water, dump it out, fill it with clean water, and add it to the tank. done. But even that bucket with 2-3 gallons of water in it is getting kinda close to my limit as far as weight I can carry, so I could PROBABLY carry a bucket with five gallons of water in it, but that's really pushing it, and that's only 10%!


Ideally, you don't want the goldfish to munch on your plants as you want them to grow and remove a lot of ammonia. I've found that slipping the plants in when they are young helps reduce their propensity to snack on them. Also adding large mature plants usually stops them. 

For water changes, I do a 50% PWC weekly. I don't use buckets anymore as it gets rather backbreaking with my 4 aquariums. I use a python water changer; it has been one of the best investments in fishkeeping I've ever made. You remove the water using the 25 ft hose and then replace it directly from the faucet. You add the decholrinator directly to the tank as it works instantly to remove the chlorine. I honestly cannot imagine maintaining my goldfish tank as I do without my python. 

There isn't really a good way to tell just how large a goldfish will get that's why we give the range of between 6 and 10 inches. Some breeds have a tendency to get larger than others. Like telescopes and fantails usually get rather large because their bodies are longer than that of a ryukin or ranchu. Oranda also have a tendency to get big. Breeding, food, and environment all play a role in adult size. While we can control two of those, the third is our wild card. Who knows what kind of stock your or my pet store goldfish came from. So that's why we can really only give you an estimate.


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## finnfinnfriend

Thanks for the info! I mean ballpark how long does the body of a fantail get average max?


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## finnfinnfriend

omg I just looked up how a python works and I WANT ONE SO BAD NOW. Does it really remove the chlorine from the water?


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## hannah16

Olympia said:


> I demonstrate swarm:
> http://s1096.beta.photobucket.com/user/worldlyaffections/media/goldies1.mp4.html


I'm SO jealous... How'd you get them to let you pet them???? My mom once told me oscars let you pet them but I've never tried it of course.


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## sandybottom

finnfinnfriend said:


> Thanks for the info! I mean ballpark how long does the body of a fantail get average max?


anywhere from 6-10. fantails can get big too. people just usually kill them long before that.


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## sandybottom

finnfinnfriend said:


> omg I just looked up how a python works and I WANT ONE SO BAD NOW. Does it really remove the chlorine from the water?


the python does not remove the chlorine. prime or other water conditioners do. i made my own and it only cost me about 20$$. waterbed fillers work great. and you can use brass fittings so your threads don't get stripped. vids on you tube to make these under ... diy python.


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## thekoimaiden

finnfinnfriend said:


> Thanks for the info! I mean ballpark how long does the body of a fantail get average max?


It will take somewhere between 3 and 4 years for a goldfish to reach its max size. This time will be shorter in warmer water and longer in cooler water. Pond goldfish will take even longer than this due to hibernation in the winter. 



finnfinnfriend said:


> omg I just looked up how a python works and I WANT ONE SO BAD NOW. Does it really remove the chlorine from the water?


It doesn't remove the chlorine from the water. That's why you add Prime directly to the tank. But they do make water changes sooooooo much easier. I can do water changes on 4 tanks in under 1 hour now.


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## finnfinnfriend

The video for it said that it aerates the water removing chlorine lol. I thought that sounded wrong, but It's not like I wouldn't use conditioner anyway...Would a python be to big and powerful for a 5 gallon betta tank?


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## sandybottom

even if it gasses out chlorine, it would not out gas chloramine.


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## thekoimaiden

I think a python is a bit big for a 5 gal tank. It's even on the large side for my 10 gal tanks, so I have to remove the gravel vac (that part that screws on to the end) and just use the hose to remove water.


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## finnfinnfriend

thekoimaiden said:


> I think a python is a bit big for a 5 gal tank. It's even on the large side for my 10 gal tanks, so I have to remove the gravel vac (that part that screws on to the end) and just use the hose to remove water.


Hmm... Well is it compatible with other gravel vacs?


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## thekoimaiden

If the gravel vac has the ability to screw into the python hose, then I can imagine it would.... Hmm... you're giving me ideas to see if I can make a smaller attachment for my python. It might help out with the algae problem in the 10 gals....

Neat fact about the python is that it can screw into a garden hose. The eastern US has been in a drought situation now for a few months. Since I remove about 60 gallons of water from my tanks each week, when we haven't had any rain I screw the python hose into a garden hose and stick it out the widow. Our lawn is one of the greenest in the neighborhood!


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## sandybottom

nothing like fertilizer rich poo water to make the posies grow. me too. sure saves on the water bill.


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## finnfinnfriend

thekoimaiden said:


> If the gravel vac has the ability to screw into the python hose, then I can imagine it would.... Hmm... you're giving me ideas to see if I can make a smaller attachment for my python. It might help out with the algae problem in the 10 gals....
> 
> Neat fact about the python is that it can screw into a garden hose. The eastern US has been in a drought situation now for a few months. Since I remove about 60 gallons of water from my tanks each week, when we haven't had any rain I screw the python hose into a garden hose and stick it out the widow. Our lawn is one of the greenest in the neighborhood!


Nice!


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