Hey! You seem to know a lot more about goldfish than me (I only really know that they can get big, are social, have bad poop, and are cold water fish) so I was wondering if I could get some advice? Sometime (likely) next year Iām going to be having a 120 gallon aquarium (4ft wide x 2ft long x 2ft tall) and Iām debating between freshwater and saltwater (Iāve been doing saltwater aquarium research for the last year and a half) and if itās freshwater I would really like for the inhabitants to be some kind of goldfish! Iām considering goldfish > saltwater because I know Iām not going to be living in the same place forever (like I hope to be moving within the next ten years but it definitely wonāt happen sooner than 5 years) and goldfish might take better to the move than saltwater fish (and I also want pet goldfish sooo). I know that goldfish are long lived fish which is one of the reasons why I prefer them over other freshwater fish (plus theyāre so plump and round!). If possible I would like to have goldfish of different colors/patterns if thereās any you can recommend to me? After I eventually move theyāre going to have a MUCH larger aquarium which is the size I already have advice of how to stock for, but theyāre going to be in the 120 gallon for at least 5 years so thatās what Iām planning for. Iām sorry that this was so long! I just like to know in great detail how to properly take care of animals before I have them in my care :>
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Ok take 2 cause tumblr ate this before! Sorry if itās a little disjointed, Iām trying to slap together all the points I covered the first time from memory.
Goldfish are a wonderful hardy, friendly choice for a big tank like that. Iām obviously going to vote for them over saltwater but Iām a little bit biased, I adore them so much ^.^Ā
Those are some weird dimensions though, so Iām waffling on what type of goldfish to recommend you. 4 feet is a bit short to be keeping multiple single tails. But 2 feet is also fairly deep for fancies; tall tanks can put more pressure on their rounder bodies and sometimes exacerbate congenital swim bladder issues. Iād probably still say fancies.Ā
The hardiest breeds are generally fantails, ryukins, orandas, and other similar types. These can sometimes even be mixed with single tails as well. The next tier down would be ones like telescopes, ranchus, lionheads, and other more bumbly fish with more obvious modifications. Those guys sometimes do better more with their own kind, or in mixed groups with a little extra attention paid to make sure they get their share of food. Iād steer clear of the very fragile breeds, your bubble eyes and celestials and the like.Ā Every breed comes in a whole range of colors! Red/orange obviously, white, yellow, calico, etc. Black however is generally unstable in goldfish, only black moor telescopes and calicos reliably (usually) keep black coloration through adulthood.Ā
The one thing I do feel like I should mention is that fancies donāt live as long as single tails. Theyāve unfortunately been bred, in the US at least, for looks more than strength for a long time now, and are pretty genetically messy as a result. Buying a healthy looking baby with good conformation can help but still, the average lifespan for fancies is more like 6-8 years. I donāt know if that changes anything for you, itās ok if it does.
Apologies if I missed any other questions in there? Let me know if thereās anything else I can help with, Iām happy to answer
(Oh and if you happen to be looking for fish to fill said tank, I have five or so little cutie patootie one year old fantail/oranda mutts I raised who are looking for homes! As well as three small rescued single tails also up for adoption)
