They are also schooling fish that need to be kept in a group of five or more. If their school is too small, they are likely to become stressed and more aggressive. Pro Tip: If you have a mixed tank, goldfish can be fed a sinking food while you give top feeding fish something like flake food.
This also keeps goldfish from swallowing air while they eat. This may help prevent swim bladder disorder. White Cloud Mountain minnows are another small fish that will have to rely on speed to keep out of the mouths of hungry goldfish. This small fish really is an underrated gem in the hobby. They can thrive in the same temperature range as goldies. They are a slim-bodied fish that has bright red fins and an iridescent stripe that runs from nose to tail.
They are a fast moving fish, almost to the point of seeming hyperactive in the extreme. They can outpace any goldfish, which is a good thing considering they are small enough to be swallowed whole. They are an interesting bottom feeder that is very compatible with goldfish. But they can reach a length of 1 foot 30 centimeters and should be kept in a group of three or more. This species is a bit of a tank buster. Dojo loaches weather loach has a long eel-like body that is uses to swim in a serpentine motion.
This species does a good job of keeping the substrate free of uneaten food as it searches the bottom with its face whiskers called barbels.
These unusual fish prefer a sand bottom. Banded corydoras are a species of South American catfish. They are a highly social fish and should be kept in groups of at least five, more is even better.
They are very peaceful. They have a flat belly, high sloped forehead and a cluster of barbels around their mouths that they use to search the bottom for food. This species can be a bit difficult to find in live fish stores. Platies are generally thought of as a tropical fish, but they can easily thrive in the low 70s along with goldfish.
They are thick-bodied for such a little fish and platies come in a huge variety of patterns and colors. Platies are livebearers, meaning that they give birth to live young instead of laying eggs. They will readily breed in an aquarium. However, adult fish usually eat the fry unless they are moved to a separate tank. Juvenile platies may be tempting for goldfish to eat, but they are a very fast moving species that should be able to outswim most species of goldfish.
Provide some hiding places with artificial plants and other decor to give your platies a refuge from the goldfish when they need it.
Often confused with catfish, hillstream loaches actually come from the family Balitoridae, and can make an excellent tank mate for your goldfish due to their habits and ability to thrive in lower temperatures. The main type sold in the aquarium trade is also known as the tiger hillstream or golden ring butterfly sucker.
A wonderful fish to look at, hillstream loaches have evolved to have a streamlined body, flat belly, and horizontal ventral fins used for clinging to rocks , giving them the appearance of a small stingray. This species is a bottom-dweller, so will rarely come into direct contact with your goldfish. Spending their days clinging to glass, rocks, plants or driftwood.
Coming from the Corydoras family, what sets the Brochis apart from common Corys and makes them suitable for a goldfish tank mate is its thick- set body and size growing up to 4inches.
This size and their spiny dorsal fins means no goldfish is going to try and fit them in their mouths. These peaceful bottom-dwellers like to spend their time forging through substrate; vacuuming up all the left-over food your goldfish will waste as well as snacking on algae.
Now, if you put the same goldfish in a bigger enclosure, it will have more space to swim and exercise. So, the fish will naturally be much happier and healthier. Each goldfish needs at least 10 gallons of water. You should not place more than one fancy goldfish in a small tank of 20 gallons. So, a pair of goldfish will need an aquarium that can hold at least 40 gallons of water. Although the aquarium may look empty initially, it will be the right environment for your goldfish to grow and thrive.
Over time, your goldfish can grow to between 6 inches and 2 feet long. So, it is sensible to invest in a big tank earlier on. Or, you will have to upgrade when your fish outgrow their enclosure. For every new goldfish, you should add at least ten extra gallons of water to prevent overcrowding. Additionally, your goldfish will have access to space and resources to flourish. Well, you should remember that these aquariums are only temporary arrangements till the fish find a permanent home.
Also, pet stores clean and maintain the tanks continuously as opposed to a home aquarium. Nevertheless, it is not an ideal environment for goldfish in the long term. You may already know that goldfish defecate into the same water that they live in. They eat a lot and eliminate most of what they consume. This process dirties the tank very quickly. And goldfish are highly affected by water quality. An increase in ammonia levels will impact their health and well-being. To prevent them from falling sick, you must frequently change their water.
It means that tank maintenance will be an ongoing task for any goldfish owner. Changing the water too often is costly and difficult. Filtering the water is more practical. A goldfish filter will temporarily remove the waste from the water and keep it aerated and clean till the next water change.
Although you will still have to clean the filter to keep it running, it is much easier than changing the water every few days. Do goldfish need live plants in their aquarium? Although goldfish do not need live plants, they thrive in planted aquariums. Goldfish like to snack on edible plants in their surroundings. Planted aquariums will also provide baby goldfish plenty of places to hide from the adults. They can hide from their parents and other predators until they grow big.
If you do not want your goldfish to eat all the plants and turn your aquarium into a wasteland, choose fast-growing plants or types of plants that they do not like. Giant Danios are blue-green with gold markings and sparkle as a group in your tank! They also do best in groups of 5 or more and need about 5 gallons capacity per fish. Like barbs, Giants enjoy swimming in a current and will flock to those areas of your tank, leaving the still regions for goldfish.
The silver and black-striped Zebra Danio is a common community fish and is easy to find in most aquatic shops or online. They can reach up to 3-inches in length and prefer to live in groups of 6 or more in a gallon tank. Zebra Danios usually stick together, and their fast swim style makes it hard for fancy goldfish to catch them. They add a nice splash of color and movement to goldfish tanks, and their budget cost makes the risk rather minimal.
The tiny 1. White Clouds are a very pretty and colorful fish with silver-green scales and a pink to red tint to their fins. Allow at least gallons for every group of 10 you add to your goldfish community.
The Japanese Rice Fish, also known as the Medaka , is an interesting species that can survive in fresh, brackish and marine tanks! These 1. The Medaka is not a common fish and you may have to search for them online.
These colorful silver, blue and green fish are native to the River Murray in Australia and can reach up to 4-inches in length. They seem to do best in groups of at least 4 and can be nippy with slow-swimming fish like Bettas.
Interestingly, they have also been kept in large gallon tanks with single tail goldfish and often do well in smaller tropical fancy goldfish tanks! The peaceful and shy Scissortail Rasbora is another schooling fish that often does well with fancy goldfish. These long, thin silverfish sport black markings on their tails and bodies and can reach 6-inches in length. They prefer open areas for swimming and schooling, but often hang out near plants and decorations when they feel unsafe.
If you opt for Scissortails, be sure to get a group of at least 6, and 10 is even better! I recommend allowing 15 to 20 gallons free capacity for a group of 10, and more is usually better. Bottom dwellers like catfish and loaches are often added to community aquariums to scavenge for leftover food scraps and rotting vegetation. Most of these fish are very peaceful, but some species can be territorial and sensitive to having their space invaded.
A few options that often do well with fancy goldfish include :. Corydoras Catfish, or Cory Cats as they are commonly called , are a group of over species of small scavenging bottom dwellers commonly found in planted aquarium communities.
These peaceful fish come in a variety of sizes, and depending on the species range from 1 to 3 inches in length. Cory cats are not usually recommended for goldfish tanks because single-tails often grow large enough to eat them, especially the dwarf Corys. But you could likely keep a small school of 6 in a gallon fancy goldfish set-up. If you offer them plenty of hiding places your fancies will probably learn to ignore them.
Their ideal temperatures will vary depending on the species you choose. The Hillstream Loach is a shy scavenger that is suitable for ponds as well as aquariums and could work out with either single-tail or fancy goldfish. While they only reach about 3-inches at adulthood, they prefer to hide under rocks, logs, and plants as they search for food. They prefer to live in large aquariums so they can set-up territories, so I would not try to keep these guys in a tank under gallons.
The Weather or Dojo loach is another interesting bottom feeder to consider for your large goldfish tank. These fish are sensitive to changes in barometric pressure and get agitated when a storm is brewing! One thing that makes these fish especially challenging is their ability to climb.
Your tank will need to have a secure lid with vented coverings over every opening, or they may pull a disappearing act on you. I once found my Weather loach hiding in my filtration system after he climbed up the intake and squeezed through a gap! If your tank is large enough and you have the experience to handle the high-level care some require, these could make for some exotic and unique goldfish companions! If you are up for a real challenge and have a tank at least 75 to gallons , then you might try keeping an exotic and delicate Bamboo Shrimp with your fancy goldfish.
These filter feeders hang out on the decorations in the center of your tank and wave their broad fan-shaped antenna around to capture microscopic particles of food! Ghost or Glass Shrimp are a common and popular option for planted community tanks and are useful algae-eating scavengers who spend most of their time sifting through your sandy substrate looking for food.
The trick to keeping a group in a goldfish tank is to give them lots of hiding places. Your goldfish will still probably end up eating at least some of your shrimp since Ghosts rarely grow larger than 1.
But with a plentiful supply of plastic plants, rocks, logs and decorations to hide among, chances are that a few of your shrimp will survive, and they are a lot of fun to observe!
Another possibility is the bright red scavenging Cherry Shrimp! These active invertebrates are the most popular freshwater shrimp in the aquarium trade and can be found inexpensively in many stores and online. They can reach 1. As with the Ghost Shrimp, the trick to keeping them safe from your goldfish is to provide plenty of hiding places on the bottom of your tank.
They also prefer sandy substrates and a lot of plastic plants of varying heights. If you really want to try something on the edge, you could keep an aquatic salamander like the Axolotl with your fancy goldfish. They are nocturnal, and adults can reach up to inches in length, so an Axolotl may hunt your goldfish at night when they are sleeping.
No one told me that it was a bad idea to keep African Dwarf Frogs and feeder goldfish together, and by the time I heard the news my gallon community set-up had been running problem-free for 5 years! Dwarf frogs are entirely aquatic and spend most of the day hiding under your decorations and plants. They can reach up to 3-inches in length but many are smaller; it just depends on the specific species you have. They are not an ideal tank mate, and no one would actually recommend them, but why not try keeping some of these with your single-tail or Fancy Goldfish?
The way to maximize your chance of success is to pay close attention to the capacity of your tank and to rearrange the decor and plants to give each species their ideal and preferred environment. Jen has more than 30 years experience as a biologist, aquarist, and fishkeeper. She is an expert in setting up new tanks and maintaining naturally-planted freshwater habitats, and has experience raising a wide variety of aquatic species.
Great advice, you know your subject.
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