What is the hardiest breed of fancy goldfish?

[pandamanda111 150]

Hi Everybody!

I'm new to this website, so bare with me. This is the first question i have ever posted on this website.

So- now, my question:)

I had two young Ryukin goldfish in my tank, but they recently died from a gill disease which i tried to treat, but the medicine didn't work in time. I really liked having the Ryukins, and i always kept the water quality perfect, and did 25% water changes 2x a week. I fed them a pinch of food every morning.

So- can anybody recommend the hardiest breed of fancy goldfish that doesn't get sick easily? I am going to get 2 more goldfish today or tomorrow, but i don't want them to get sick and die like my previous ones did:(. My tank is NOT large enough for a comet or common goldfish, and i don't plan on getting a tank that is, so please recommend fancy goldfish breeds. THank you!

-Mandie

[haley_tichonuk22 1,157]

Well how big is the tank and what is the filtration on it? Do you know about cycling of the tank? http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/cycle.html

[pandamanda111 150]

the tank is 10 gallons, but i will get a larger tank (30g) as the fish grow. I will probably get the 30g in about 6mo-1 yr, as the goldies i will get will only be about an inch, as petsmart tends to have young, small fish. My tank is well filtered, and yes, properly cycled. thank you for the reply!

Edited November 24, 2011 by pandamanda111

[number20121 2,663]

Hi there and welcome to Koko's!

Most fancy breeds are actually quite hardy Important is that they are kept properly, like 10x filtration, 50% water change weekly (this will replace more old water with fresh water than two 25% weekly changes!) minimum, high quality food.

If you want to, you could give us a detailed description of your setup and we can help figuring out where improvements - if needed at all - will be of great benefit to the goldfish. Brand/name and gph-rating of your filter, which food exactly, tank decor, gravel and so on.

Great thing that you will be upgrading to 30 gallons soon, that will be perfect for two fancy goldfish! There again make sure though that you have 10x filtration on that tank to keep the fish healthy

[pandamanda111 150]

I got the top fin goldfish starter kit from petsmart. it seems to be a pretty good tank. i like it:) plus it came with a lot of other things like a filter, a net, a light, a hood...etc. feel free to look at it on petsmart.com. i added:

-a bubbler-

-gravel

-decoration

-fish;)

-thermometer

-a dash of dissolved aquarium salt

-a live plant

i am so excited that people are responding to my post! thank you guys so much!:):)

[pandamanda111 150]

oh, and by the way, i use water conditioner and a bit of anti-ammonia stuff

[number20121 2,663]

Doesn't sound too bad! You will definitely want to upgrade your filter with the new tank. I started with the Top Fin 10 starter kit too, way back when I had not much idea about goldfish. LOL

The filter turns over 80gph, that is only 8x filtration instead of the 10x. You will definitely want to do one 80% water change weekly if you have two fish in this tank

You do not need to add aquarium salt unless the fish is sick or for quarantining a new fish.

Bubbler is a fantastic addition!

Water conditioner: one of the best and highly recommended on here is Seachem Prime. Pet$mart carries this brand. It might seem a bit expensive, but really isn't. You need only 2 drops per gallon, and the 8 fl.oz. bottle (costs about $ 10) will last you for many months. It does not only remove the chlorine and chloramine in the tap water, but also detoxifies ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, and will also make certain heavy metals in the water safe for the fish Definitely a great choice for water conditioner!

With gravel, make sure you have only a very fine layer. The reasons for this are that gravel can hold on to waste and bad bacteria can develop. The thinner the gravel layer, the less likely.

Additionally in a 10 gallon tank which is already a bit small for even one goldfish, gravel and decoration will replace water volume and so even less water is available for the fish. By having only little gravel or none at all, there is more room in the tank for water. More water volume per fish means better water quality. Every little bit can count, and you would be surprised by how much room gravel can take up!

Food should be sinking pellets. Floating pellets and flakes cause the fish to swallow air which can lead to swim bladder problems. I love the Omega One sinking pellets from Pet$mart! In addition some fresh, steamed veggies (mine go nuts for zucchini, cucumber, spinach and romaine lettuce), steamed, shelled peas and frozen foods from the pet store (frozen blood worms, daphnia, brine shrimp, mysis shrimp etc).

That way you provide the fish with a wide variety of food, which is quite healthy for those little buggers

As payment for all this info I accept photos of your fish, posted on this forum (because we all are addicted to seeing the other members' little ones! )

Edited November 24, 2011 by Oerba Yun Fang

[tithra 4,917]

Just wanted to say welcome!! Looks like you've already gotten some excellent advice

[AquaAddict 26]

yeah what she said. Seriously that maybe one of the most informative posts i have ever seen on a fish forum!

Edited November 24, 2011 by Patti

[pandamanda111 150]

Wow! Thank you sooo much for all that fabulous and helpful information! i really appreciate the time you took to help me. if you don't mind, i just have one more question for you, as you seem to know lots about fish. what kind of fancy goldfish would you recommend for me? Should i stick with ryukins or try something else? i will upload a picture of my deceased fishes (if i can figure out how...) and when i get my new ones, ill be sure to upload pictures of them!

[Helen 8,511]

welcome and good luck

[tithra 4,917]

You should stick with whatever type of fish you like best IMO, if you follow Fang's advice and continue asking questions when you are unsure you will be all set

[alistairw 89]

Fantails are a good starter fish imo. I started my hobby with 2 little ones in a 5 gallon tank. I lost my big female Sam last year to dropsy but Frodo is still going strong and he will be 6 in April. He has been through ich, ph crash, transported twice over 70 miles each time in a rubbermaid container and had 4 different tanks. He has taken all of this in his stride and has never once shown any sign of swb or floatiness

[Shamu23 8]

in my opinion, I think fantails are generally the easiest to keep. they are the least mutated, so they tend to have less inherited problems. Telescopes have done pretty well in my tanks as well. I have found that orandas are definitely most difficult, at least in my experience

[dnalex 13,633]

I would agree with Alistair that a good starter fancy goldfish would the a fantail. After that, I think that all the other types of fancies are equally hardy in an aquarium setting, except for celestials and bubble eye types, who clearly require some extra care.

[pandamanda111 150]

Thanks guys! If petsmart has fantails, I will get those:) if not, I think I'll stick with ryukins? How does that sound? Mine weren't that hardy, but supposedly theyre supposed to be a hardy breed...

[pandamanda111 150]

hey guys:) i have another question (sorry!). it literally takes me 3 hours to do an 80% water change. is there a better (faster) way? i am currently using a gravel vacuum.

[dnalex 13,633]

You should get a python (or Aqueon) water changing system. This should make it a lot faster. I couldn't manage my tanks without mine.

[molbert73 2,080]

How does it take 3 hours with your gravel vacuum on a 10 gallon tank? It only takes me 2.5 hours to drain, scrub, and fill my 125 gallon. Hmmm, maybe look into another siphon? I got mine on clearance at petco for like $7.

[tithra 4,917]

I agree... if you can get the aqueon water changer that hooks up to the faucet that would be ideal (that way you don't have to carry buckets), but they are a little pricey, so I don't know if your parents will go for it

[xchairity_casex 28]

either that is the TINIEST syphon on the planet or its clogged when i had guppies and was raising fry i was useing a piece of airline tubeing to syphon a 10 gallon didnt even take that long :/

[pandamanda111 150]

My bathroom is too far from my room though:(

[Shamu23 8]

with a ten gallon tank, it should only take 2 5 gallon buckets to drain the whole thing, if that takes u 3 hours, it might be time for a bigger siphon. i can do all 12 of my tanks in 3 hours (only a 25% water change, but a bunch of them are much bigger than 10 gallons). if ur bathroom is far from ur tank, then get a python

[Helen 8,511]

you do have the bucket you're emptying in at a level lower than where the tank is eh? there is no reason why you should take so long to empty a 10G.

take a photo or video of your set up when you do a WC so we can all have a look at what you're doing and make suggestions.

[AquaAddict 26]

Ok now that Im done laughing about the tiny siphon comments i would have to agree you need to check the thing for clogs. I can change 500 gallons of water in 3 hours. Something has to be wrong. I would fix whatever issue you are having with changing water then get some fantails.