[AquaticLife] I’m back
Orandas, Ryukins or any other round-bodied goldfish (fancy goldfish) will be OK with two of them in a 55G as long as there is weekly tank maintenance done.
Long-bodied goldfish like Comets, Commons, Shubunkins, Wakins, Jikins (and any other newer long-bodied varieties that may have popped up from cross-breeding) need REALLY BIG TANKS or preferably should be in a pond. They are big-time swimmers so they need at least an 8′ long tank… or longer for the bigger ones.
As a general rule for all fish, fast swimming fish should be given a tank at least 8X+ longer than the expected adult size of the largest fish in the tank. Slow swimming fish should be given at least 6X longer than the expected adult size of the fish. This is why a 55G, 48″ long tank is OK for round-bodied goldfish that usually grow up in the 6″ to 8″ range…. although there is always Bruce the Oranda who currently holds the Guinness World Record and is 18″ and still growing.
Here is a pretty comprehensive list of the various goldfish varieties http://www.bristol-aquarists.org.uk/goldfish/goldfish.htm although breeders are always playing Dr. Frankenstein and coming up with new mutations every day. I like goldfish and have had ponds in the past and have a couple of fancies now, but I don’t agree with everything that is done to them from a breeding standpoint to make new fancy features to try and sell more goldfish to collectors and hobbyists. I’m all for capitalism and would probably classify as a capitalist pig… but each time they do these series of inbreedings to get a specific new external organ features, it usually means other internal organs will also suffer from various deformities resulting in fish that are much more prone to being sickly and/or dying earlier deaths than the “normal” goldfish.
Lenny Vasbinder Fish Blog - http://GoldLenny.blogspot.com (Links to any articles referenced in above reply are listed on the right side, alphabetically under Labels and also under Archives by Year, Month)
Category: Philippines Internet Koi Society
