How long will a fantail goldfish grow to be and how long will it live?
by Aquaboy on Friday, June 4th, 2010 | 6 Comments
If kept in a good 20 gallon tank with a good filter and heater setup? I am thinking about saving my money to buy one. I like big fish.
Care tips will also be appreciated.
How would you “interact” with a fantail goldfish???
Fantails can get 8 inches, sometimes more, and they live well over 10 years. Some live twenty.
Your tank size is good, I doubt it will need a heater unless your house is less than 60 degrees.
Know the nitrogen cycle, get a gravel syphon and water tests, if you only have one put it in a high traffic area and pay attention to it.
You’ll get out of your fish what you put in to it. A well cared for fish is more active, brighter, interactive, and don’t get sick.
It depends greatly on the genetic of the fish you bought. Mostly it would grow to the size like its parents. Even the smallest breed could attain the size of three inches. With correct feeding your goldfish will grow big in your twenty gallon tank…..Just like any adult fantails that you see in pet shops. Goldfish will live very long when given the right care. The oldest goldfish was known to live for 45 years.
Though some Goldfish breeds are delecate, Common goldfish are actually very hardy which is why they make such good pets. They can survive in outdoor ponds (even at tempratures which freeze the surface) and will eat almost anything.
However goldfish are also far messier than tropical fish, and produce a lot more waste. They only have an intestinal tract, without a stomach. So they cant digest excess proteins, and instead excreet it back into the water. This is a problem that needs to be addressed either with heavy filtering, frequent water changes, or both. If this is not done, they will eventually pollute their own water to the point where it is toxic, and they will die.
WATER QUALITY
In general water should be clear. But it is not an absolute indicator of how good the water is for your fish. Cloudy water can still be fine, and crystal clear water can still be toxic.
Water Changes
Water changes are never bad for your fish. You can do them every day. But with proper filtration (and assuming your tank isnt overpopulated), you can reduce the frequency of water changes to once or twice a month. Changing 20% to 50% of the water volume is good. Do not forget to use water conditioner on the new water, and if you use aquarium salt, that will need to be (proportionally) replenished as well.
Temperature
Goldfish are coldwater fish, but are healthier in a heated tank. The ideal temprature of the tank should be in the 68F to 75F degree range, but they can tolerate temperatures from as low as the 30s to as high as the 80s.
Warmer water holds less oxygen, so fewer fish should be kept in warm tanks (or additional effort taken to increase oxygen, such as surface agitation or airstones). They can tolerate temperatures to around 90 degrees….any hotter than that and you will need to cool down the water or they will die. I have used a couple small pieces of ice in the power filter, but you could also accomplish this with a water change using cold water.
If you live in a cold area, you can buy a heater for your tank to maintain a warmer temerature. But in most areas, indoor room temperatures are probably sufficient to maintain their ideal range. Common goldfish can also tolerate near-freezing water (32 degrees). Common goldfish can even weather periods where ponds are frozen over, so long as they have enough oxygen. But fancy varieties are probably too delicate for such cold water.
Temperature changes should be gradual so as not to stress the fish. All tanks should have a thermometer so you can track the temperature. Most pet stores sell adhesive strips that you can stick on the outside of the tank that are very cheap (under $2) and unobtrusive.
New fish should be acclimated to the water temperature before putting them into the tank. Float the bag on the surface of the water for 15 or 20 mintues before putting them into the tank.
Keep in mind that a stable temperature will discourage breeding behavior. So if you want to breed them, you need to mimic conditions in nature; starting from a cold period and gradually warming. See the breeding section for more information.
WHAT IS pH?
pH measures how acidic your water is. A pH of 7 is considered neutral and is ideal for goldfish. Above 7 is considered alkaline (aka “Soft Water”). Below 7 is considered acidic (aka “Hard Water”).
The pH scale is logarithmic…so a pH of 5.5 is ten times as acidic as a pH of 6.5. This is important in that the more radically the pH changes, the more it will stress your fish. If the pH changes by more than 0.3 per day, it will stress your fish. The “normal” range for most fish is between 6.5 and 7.5.
Water can be “Hardened” (made more alkaline) or “Softend” (made more acidic) by way of chemicals that you can buy at most pet stores. Read the instructions and be very careful when altering your water pH.
Carbon Dioxied and high water temperatures will tend to make water more acidic (lower the pH). Oxygenated water will tend to be higher pH.
Be aware that the importance of pH is often exaggerated. A stable pH is more important that maintaining it in the ideal range for Goldfish. The process of altering the pH of your tank is likely to stress the fish more than the fact that it is not in the ideal range.
AQUARIUM SALT
In nature Freshwater is not the same as what comes out of your tap. Tap water is truely salt free, but most freshwater is not. So a “freshwater” tank can contain small amounts of salt and still be fresh water.
Goldfish dont absolutely require salt in their water, but it does enhance their immune systems by stimulating them to produce more mucus over their scales. Goldfish are supposed to be slimy. This is normal and desirable. Salt will enhance gill function (allowing fish to absorb oxygen a little better) and reduces the rate of nitrite buildup in the tank.
Aquarium Salt comes in
cartons like thisIn addition, salt is toxic to many parasites that infect goldfish (including Ick, the most common parasite). So a salt environment will augment their immune systems in this way as well. Higher concentrations of salt are used as “salt baths” to immerse sick fish in for short periods.
Salt tolerance of other fish
Goldfish can tolerate low levels of salt. Almost all freshwater fish can tolerate salt to some degree. But be aware that some freshwater fish do not tolerate salt well at all, so make sure you dont have any of these fish in your tank and do not plan on adding them. They include tetras, catfish (including plecos), loaches, and any scaleless freshwater fish (though the consensus seems to be that you shouldnt mix goldfish with tropical fish anyway, salt or no salt). Snails are also not crazy about salt water, but some freshwater snails can endure the amounts you will use in a goldfish tank.
Be sure to use only Aquarium salt
Do not use iodized table salt. Table salt has Iodine, which is poisonous to fish. You can use Kosher salt but its best to remove all doubt and just use aquarium salt from a pet store. Always fully dissolve salt before adding it to the tank. Undissolved salt can chemically burn your fish.
The normal amount of salt for a freshwater aquarium is one rounded tablespoon per five gallons of water volume (there are three teaspoons in a tablespoon, and two table spoons equals one ounce). But follow the directions on the box. To avoid stressing your fish, add the recommended amount of salt slowly (1/4 normal amount per day for four days).
A low concentration of salt is 0.1% (1 teaspoon per gallon). A medium concentration is between 0.1% and 0.5% (5 teaspoons per gallon). A high concentration is 0.9% (9 teaspoons per gallon) or above.
High concentrations should only be used for very short term treatment for sickness. Medium concentrations are dangerous in the long term and could kill your live plants as well. 0.3% is the maximum amount of salt that is safe for goldfish in the long term.
Keep track of salt collected in your tank
You must keep track of how much salt is in your aquarium. The only way to remove salt is through water changes. Salt should be fully dissovled before being added to the tank. Direct contact with undissolved salt can chemically burn your fish.
Regarding evaporation
To avoid accidentally putting too much salt in your aquarium, make sure you top the water in your tank BEFORE you do water changes. Replace salt in the new water proportionally before putting it into the tank. Once the fish are already acclimated to salt water, you dont have to worry about putting it in slowly anymore.
Salt has a lot of advantages, but you have to pay attention when using it. If you do lose track of how much salt is in your aquarium, the safest course of action is to start over. Do three 50% water changes over the course of a week (adding no salt), and then begin adding salt slowly as if it is a new tank.
BIOLOGICAL FILTRATION
This referrs to the bacteria that naturally live in your aquarium. You dont have to put these in; they come in your fish and populate your tank by themselves. The function of these bacteria is to neutralize waste products in the water produced by the fish, reducing the frequency of water changes.
Nitrification (Aka “Biological Cycle” aka “Start up cycle” aka “Nitrogen Cycle”) is the process by which beneficial colonies of bacteria establish themselves in a new tank. They come with your fish (so the process cannot start until you actually put fish in the tank), but it takes a period of time before they can replicate themselves sufficiently to function as a filter. It is possible to cycle a tank without using any fish (by way of adding ammonia yourself) but the process is involved and more complicated.
Do not be fooled by crystal clear water; the fact that your tank looks clean does not mean it is not toxic to the fish. Unlike a lake or a river, an aquarium is a closed system. Waste products produced by your fish and from decaying food in the tank remain in the tank unless they are removed or neutralized.
Ammonia Test KitThis can be accomplished by frequent (daily) water changes, but for most people this is impractical. The alternative is a biological filter; using plants or colonies of benign bacteria to convert the waste for you, so you dont have to change the water as often.
Ammonia
When urine and feces decompose in the tank, am
Bottom Line: They live for about a decade and grow to fit the size of their tank. I also think that more than one would be nice as then the other one has someone to play with!
Fantail goldfish can grow to be about a foot long and live about 15-20 years with proper care. A 20 gallon tank is fine for now, but eventually you will probably want to get something a little bigger. Most people say a fish will grow to the size of the tank, but that isn’t really true. Basically the fish will grow until it no longer has enough room and then it dies. Goldfish don’t need heaters in their tanks, just keep the temperature above 60 degrees. Make sure you do 15-20% water changes every week. I recommend using a siphon hose with a gravel vacuum or a product called the Python which actually attaches to your sink faucet and sucks out water while you vacuum the gravel. Then you switch the setting and it fills your tank back up. Also, be sure to check the ph, nitrate, nitrite and ammonia levels periodically.
20-15 years i asked at the pets store. they are awsoe fish though but they get lonley without a mate. infact i used to have one it lived to 17 years old we got a mate for it though!!1
hey there… glad you added me as a contact =)
Wow you got some long answers there haha… exspecially that one.
OK first of all GOOD for you for wanting to get a 20 gallon for one gold fish. Most people dont do their research first and think they could put about 10 in there
One fancy tail gold fish can get up to a foot long… here is a pic… http://cellar.org/2002/recordgoldfish.jpg
They can live for up to 20-30 years if given a proper home and care.. i think the record is 42 year…
I’m not sure what you mean by interact with…. but the gold fish will learn to recognize your face and will come to the front of the tank to great you. They Love Orange slices and will almost eat it from your fingers.
OH and i saw these website… it was AMAZING not sure if you could actually train your gold fish to do this.. .but it would be pretty COOL…
http://www.petfishtalk.com/interviews/training_fish/training_fish.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a93vne4CVCU&feature=related
This ones the best hahah make sure to watch the video…
http://www.fish-school.com/
if you can get your fish to do this then send me a video haha
Megs ♥