Questions about my two new fantails

[James95 10]

Hi Everyone!

I'm new here. I mostly keep tropical fish and kept fancy goldfish before, but I recently bought two small calico fantails. I used to belong to another goldfish forum that was unfortunately shut down (The GAB, goldfish aquarium board). Right now I have them in a fully cycled 20g along with a tiny common pleco. For filtration I'm using a whisper filter and an undergravel filter. I do have a few questions for you experts out there...

1. How soon will I have to upgrade? I certainly don't want to stunt these little guys! They're tiny right now but I'm wondering how quickly they'll outgrow the 20. I'm want to get them a 33 or 40 gallon. Would that we adequate for their adult size?

2. Should I have any concerns about the pleco? He was sort of an impulse buy and I'm already thinking about rehoming him. I read that some plecos end up sucking the slime coat off of goldfish. That's scaring me already.

3. Does anyone have experience planting live plants in clay pots and covering the bottom of the tank with large river pebbles? Is this easier when it comes to cleaning and maintenance?

Thanks in advance. I look forward to getting back into the fancy goldfish world. The tropicals have been fun but I missed gold old goldies

[motherredcap 6,284]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

The 40 gallon breeder seems to be the tank of choice for many here on the forum with 2 fish. My general hunch is that your fish will outgrow your 20 very quickly and then 33 shortly after. While some people have fish that outgrow their 40 (stocked at 2), many people keep the 40 for the life of their fish. It depends a bit on the individual fish.

I do not know plecos but I have seen them attacking fish at the pet store. The pleco people can comment on this particular kind of pleco.

Many of us have plants in pots. I have done so in the past, although now my plants are glued to rocks. I think that it makes cleaning fairly easy, although I do take everything out twice a month to do a big clean.

Edited January 25, 2014 by motherredcap

[fantailfan1 26,742]

What kind of Pleco is it?

Welcome and I'd love to see some pics of your fantails.

[number20121 2,663]

As for the pleco: A common can grow to be 18" long. These fish need a lot of room and should be kept at least in a 55g.

They can become a hazard for your goldfish due to food competition. The pleco is a lot more timid and if kept with goldfish, chances are the pleco will not get enough food and as he grows older and bigger, the hunger will eventually lead him to start sucking the delicious slime coat off the goldfish.

Dropping algae wafers in will do no good, the goldfish will eat those up as well before the pleco has a decent chance.

The only way to keep this from happening is by providing enough food for the pleco, best in form of fresh vegetables that are clipped into the tank at night. The goldfish take a long time to eat fresh veggies, and the nocturnal pleco has hours and hours of time to feed on a big slice of cucumber, zucchini, a bunch of greens etc.

That still is not a guarantee that everything works out well, but by taking the food-issue out of the way makes a big difference. I currently have a pleco with my goldfish, have had them together for years without issue since I make sure there is food for the pleco.

Last but not least, independent from food: Plecos are "clean up fish" that will take care of ill or injured fish. If your goldfish ever gets sick or manages to injure himself, I would definitely either quarantine the goldfish or place a divider in the tank to keep the pleco away from the goldfish.

One more thing: no matter what type of plecos, these do need a piece of driftwood to graze on. The fiber they consume that way is important to their digestive system.

[James95 10]

Hi guys! Thanks for the quick replies. The pleco is a common pleco, nothing special. I've only kept them with little tropical fish in the past (like guppies and mollies) so I have no idea how they do with larger fish.

On tank size... I was thinking 40 long versus 40 breeder since it will fit on my current stand below my 55. Does that make much of a different? Thanks! I will post pics when I can. I won't be home until next weekend but will do so then! :-)

EDIT: thanks, Oerba! I will probably rehome him. Thanks seems to be the best idea!

Edited January 25, 2014 by James95

[James95 10]

But I can post pics of my other tropicals are soon as I figure out how... Lol! Is there an attachment/upload option?

[HomerJay 4,668]

1. I would plan to upgrade in less than a year. And I would go with a minimum of 40 especially if you plan to keep a pleco with them. Common plecos can grow to a foot or more over time.

2. Most of what I have read states that it may not be a good idea to mix the common pleco with Goldfish. The pleco will need to be kept well fed (algae in the tank will never be enough, and many are not even algae eaters) if you do not want it to go after the goldfish. I personally have never kept them together, so I am only going by what I have read.

3. I glue the plants in my tank to rocks using superglue gel. I don't see a problem planting them in pots.

[number20121 2,663]

Hi guys! Thanks for the quick replies. The pleco is a common pleco, nothing special. I've only kept them with little tropical fish in the past (like guppies and mollies) so I have no idea how they do with larger fish.

On tank size... I was thinking 40 long versus 40 breeder since it will fit on my current stand below my 55. Does that make much of a different? Thanks! I will post pics when I can. I won't be home until next weekend but will do so then! :-)

EDIT: thanks, Oerba! I will probably rehome him. Thanks seems to be the best idea!

A long tank is generally better than a tall tank when it comes to goldfish. The larger the surface area, the better the oxygen exchange.

Great idea about rehoming the pleco before he becomes a problem!

[Georgia 3,820]

I'd refrain from covering the entire tank floor with river rocks, waste may easily fall through the cracks and build up over time, and you may not be able to siphon all of it. Taking out all the rocks every water change would certainly fix this, but I don't see why you'd want to go through that. Especially if you plan to do it in the 20 gal, depending on the size of the fish, you'll probably be doing very frequent water changes.

Putting a few rocks here and there will certainly be OK, many people on the forum have their tanks decorated like this, just make sure you move them around once in a while.

Welcome to the forum, and I'm glad you've jumped back into the world of goldfish keeping!

[koko 14,340]

But I can post pics of my other tropicals are soon as I figure out how... Lol! Is there an attachment/upload option?

you need to use Photobucket or some kind of hosting to show photos here

[James95 10]

Thanks! So I uploaded a bunch of pics I've taken to a shutterfly site... Here's the link. (PS, for those who love furry animals too I think there are a couple shots of my boxers mixed in!).

https://james95.shutterfly.com/

Edited January 26, 2014 by James95

[DieselPlower 2,123]

You could use river rock as long as they are well spread out. If they are tightly packed you will not be able to get your water changer / siphon down to the bottom to suck up the debris and it will be a nasty mess. Been there, done that. Never again.

[4prettyfish 2,702]

With all the great advice you already received I'll just say, Hello and Welcome to the Forum.

[James95 10]

Thanks for the warm welcomes and great advice This seems like an awesome place already... so much more kind hearted and friendly than other fish forums I've been on!

[Mikey 6,780]

I would like to say this. Dollar per gallon sale is going on at Petco!! (At least I think it still is) so while you can't I would get a 55 for 55 dollars if you have the room

[James95 10]

I would like to say this. Dollar per gallon sale is going on at Petco!! (At least I think it still is) so while you can't I would get a 55 for 55 dollars if you have the room

I missed it! The sale ended today

[Mikey 6,780]

Oh no. check out Tropiquarium. They had a good price on a 20 long it was 27 dollars it was black silicon and was a good quality brand. I wonder how much the 40 and 55 would be. And then again, you can check the 55 gallon starter kits out or a 36 gallon starter kit

[James95 10]

I'll have to give them a call! I usually buy my tanks from Petco during the sale but totally forgot. The other issue with the 55 is the height... I would only have a few inches of clearance between the lower tank and the bottom of the top tank. The 40 is shorter so I would have more room to would with :-)

Sent from my BlackBerry using Tapatalk

Edited January 26, 2014 by James95

[Helen 8,511]

Welcome to kokos! good luck with your fish your boxer is adorable

[yafashelli 9,540]

welcome to kokos!!!

[Justin 383]

Welcome! This forum is great and its members are the most knowledgable people in the entire goldfish keeping hobby. We're all pretty friendly, too!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[jenzaar 11,605]

Hello and welcome!

[Flipper 13,057]

welcome to Kokos!

Your boxer is adorable

There have been horror stories on hear about plecos sucking on their goldfish

We always say go with the biggest tank you can. The fish will love it

[ashlee18 1,169]

Welcome! You got lots of great advicr so I just went to look at your boxer pics...I have two of them slowly pushing me out of bed right now lol

[James95 10]

Thanks guys! Yeah they're pretty awesome dogs... I love the breed and wouldn't trade them for anything. We have two now, Max, who is a senior citizen at 13 and Brenna, who is about 3. Both were rescues