What Size for a Fish Tank?

The large goldfish is best suited for a pond and it sounds like you are already aware of this. Most likely, your foot-long goldfish is a common goldfish. Does it have a single fin and a flat (sleek) body? If yess, then its a common goldfish (like the feeder type). These fish get to be 18 - 20 inches long and are really best suited for ponds or very large indoor aquariums.

To keep the common goldfish indoors you're going to need a VERY large tank. By large I mean 125 gallons or more and the tank needs to be the long type. It's a very bad idea to keep two small fancies with such a strong swimming common goldfish as your bigger goldfish will out-compete the smaller goldfish for food. The two fantails will eventually grow to be about 6-8 inches in length. Keeping a pleco with goldfish generally isn't a good idea. Plecos are tropical fish and should be in water warmer than what goldfish prefer. Goldfish are bottom feeding scavengers and clean their own tanks well enough.

The two fancies need to be in a 20 gallon tank minimum with a very good filter. If you must keep them with the big goldfish, you'll need a minimum 150 gallon tank. I would not keep the pleco in with the goldfish, but should you decide to do this, make sure you watch it closely. They have a nasty habit of sucking the slime coating off of goldfish.

If you can't get such a large tank, I would find someone to take the large goldfish and the pleco. This would leave you with the 2 fantails which can easily be kept indoors in a 20-55 gallon tank. I know the prospect of having to give up the big goldfish isn't pleasant, but it would really be best for the fish.

Good Luck!!

Hi Jennifer, I sympathise with your dilemma & your Goldfish is huge!! you must have been looking after him very well :) If he is a streamlined type then he will still be growing & needs a least a 100 gallon tank or he will become stunted. If he is a fancy then he will still need a large tank-perhaps 70 odd gallons.

I know it may be hard but if you cannot provide such size of tank in your new place I would think about advertising him on your local Freecycle Group or Craig's List. Wait until you have quite a few replies & you can pick the ones which look the best-caring people will often put quite a lot of info in such replies & will not mind in the least if you want to visit their homes to look at where your fish will be moving to-I know I would do that & if I was adopting I would be very happy to let people see where their fishy friend was going to live!!

Regarding your other fish the Pleco is best housed away from Goldfish because they have a liking for sucking holes in their slime coats during the night when no one is watching & the Goldies are sleeping so he really needs a 40 gallon & another Pleco as a buddy. Your 2 Goldfish will be fine in another 40 gallon, I'm sorry if this is bigger than you were thinking but the fish have to have room to grow.

I agree with Finatic. I know you don't want to give up the large fish but if you love it. you'd want what's best for it. Is there anyone who could take it where you would still get to visit it?

That being said if space is the issue, you absolutly need to separate the fish.

If it were me, this is what I would do. I am not a fish store employee nor do I claim to know tremendous amounts about fish, but I've always had successful tanks since I was 18 years old and I am just running on experience...

I would get a 20 gallon tank for the 2 fancies which shouldn't need much space. maybe on your dresser... extra counter space in the kitchen? do have a large L-shaped desk? My point being that you probably wont find a problem for a tank that small.

This way you can get a much smaller tank for the other 2. I would leave the big one and the pleco together and get a 75 gallon. I would say a 55 but the only difference is in width. a 55 is 12"x48" and a 75 is 18"x48".

If you kept all these fish together I would say get at least a 90 gallon.

the 1 inch rule is often misinterpreted as it is actually the 1-3 inch rule!!! you must reasearch how long your fish will get FULL GROWN first. then, if your fish is thin width wise (like dory from nemo) you may use the 1" per gallon rule. If they are round fat fish (like a goldfish) you should use a 3" per gallon rule.

The 1 inch/gallon rule doesn't apply to deep bodied fish like plecs and goldies. Goldfish need 20 gallons for the first fish, and then 10 gallons for each one after, so a minimum of 40 gallons. Since they can grow over 12" in length, 40 gallons will eventually be insufficient.

Plecos are tropical fish, requiring temperatures of 72 F or above and aren't the best tankmates for the coldwater goldies. Plecos can reach 24" in length, which obviously can't live in a 24 gallon tank, it's way too small.

I'd recommend two different tanks - one for the goldfish, one for the pleco.

And so your tanks need to be just as absolutely big as you can squeeze in your home.

hiya, in case you have saved fish in the previous why do no longer you attempt your hand at a tropical tank set-up. this could require a heater besides as a filter out and pump. a solid starter tank could be 70 to ninety litres. Juwell tanks are suited for a starter tank and are available already geared up with all the kit different than the fish. with regard to the fish, good starter fish are continuously Guppies or platies. those could be housed with Gourami's, rainbows. Pakistanni loaches are ordinary to maintain and are lively backside living fish. Rams are advantageous little Cichlids to maintain in a community set-up besides. flora are fairly significant besides, the stay ones are superb fairly than pretend. i'm hoping this facilitates.

Well first off it's never a good idea to put aquarium fish in a local pond, they can destroy the natural ecosystem. At minimum I would go for a 65 -75 gallon tank, bigger if you have the space. Pleco's can get at least a foot long as well. And who knows how big your other fish will get ;) You may even consider having 2 tanks i your fish continue to get very large.

LOL yeah I don't think a 12 gallon would work for your 12" fish! I'd say bigger than 75 gallons for that guy, 75 being the bare minimum. I don't know how big they get though. If he is going to get bigger than a foot....I'd base the tank size on the largest he would possibly get. Good luck!

well you'll need the fish to be able to turn around and be able to swim at least 4 body lengths figure at most the fish will get is probably 1.5' you you'll want a 18'' (front to back) by at least 6'.

i dont know what a ''huge'' tank is in your opinionbut it sounds like you'll need a 125 or bigger to not have to ugrade any further.