# Stocking goldfish in a 50 gallon?



## humdedum

Hello! It's me again, except now I'm lurking in the coldwater section. 

So tomorrow I'll be purchasing a secondhand 50 gallon all-glass tank. Obviously it will take about...oh...three or so weeks for fishless cycling with some Cycle of other bacteria source. 

Luckily, the long wait of cycling means I get to plan. 

I'm interested in having a few fancy goldfish (since I'd need something even larger to consider an active common or comet, etc. goldfish). For a 50 gallon, would two or three be acceptable? 

The filters are Whisper bio-wheels (actually the tank comes with three, so I may end up just throwing them all in). 

I've been scouring the Internet for good stocking "rules" (obviously the inch thing is moot; one oscar is a lot messier than ten neons). What seems most sensible is 20 gallons for the first fish, then 10-15 for each new one. 

When I was little I was the Princess of Overstocking, so I'd really hate to do that again. What do you think? 2 or 3 in fifty gallons? (Standard dimensions)

Thanks in advance (and I'm so sorry for all the questions I've been making ya'll answer, lol)!


----------



## Blazer

Im a beginner so how do you start a threas on this website


----------



## Blazer

how do you start a thread


----------



## humdedum

Go to the board you want to post in, and find the red button that says "New Thread". If you look at the current threads, move your eyes to the left and on the top left corner, almost as if it is resting on the corner of the threads. The button is there.


----------



## Ghost Knife

humdedum said:


> Hello! It's me again, except now I'm lurking in the coldwater section.
> 
> So tomorrow I'll be purchasing a secondhand 50 gallon all-glass tank. Obviously it will take about...oh...three or so weeks for fishless cycling with some Cycle of other bacteria source.
> 
> Luckily, the long wait of cycling means I get to plan.
> 
> I'm interested in having a few fancy goldfish (since I'd need something even larger to consider an active common or comet, etc. goldfish). For a 50 gallon, would two or three be acceptable?
> 
> The filters are Whisper bio-wheels (actually the tank comes with three, so I may end up just throwing them all in).
> 
> I've been scouring the Internet for good stocking "rules" (obviously the inch thing is moot; one oscar is a lot messier than ten neons). What seems most sensible is 20 gallons for the first fish, then 10-15 for each new one.
> 
> When I was little I was the Princess of Overstocking, so I'd really hate to do that again. What do you think? 2 or 3 in fifty gallons? (Standard dimensions)
> 
> Thanks in advance (and I'm so sorry for all the questions I've been making ya'll answer, lol)!


I kept Red Cap Orandas, Black Moors, and Calico Butterflies for a few years in a 55 gallon tank and had great success. The downside is that they give off quite a bit of waste and get as big as a softball. If you get one of these types of goldfish/Orandas and they are small when you get them then I'd say you could keep 4 in a 50 gallon for probably 2-3 years. If you got 2 you probably keep them in that 50 for much longer.


----------



## humdedum

Ghost Knife said:


> If you get one of these types of goldfish/Orandas and they are small when you get them then I'd say you could keep 4 in a 50 gallon for probably 2-3 years. If you got 2 you probably keep them in that 50 for much longer.


The only sort of home this tank would be is a permanent home, so two it is. Thank you! :console:

EDIT: Oh, I had another quick question: Gravel or not? I know it's not necessary when you don't have an UG filter, but then again goldfish like to sift through the bottom, right? But they're also messy, so keeping it clean and without gravel would be good...right?

So, maybe a thin layer of gravel?


----------



## egoreise

I would definately do gravel. More for appearances. It's easy enough to vacuum, but if you don't have it, you will be amazed how much goldfish poop shows up and how annoying it is to try to get rid of it on a daily basis!


----------



## Mr. fish

Ghost Knife said:


> I kept Red Cap Orandas, Black Moors, and Calico Butterflies for a few years in a 55 gallon tank and had great success. The downside is that they give off quite a bit of waste and get as big as a softball. If you get one of these types of goldfish/Orandas and they are small when you get them then I'd say you could keep 4 in a 50 gallon for probably 2-3 years. If you got 2 you probably keep them in that 50 for much longer.


Errm, hope you dont mind if I chime in 

A few years of life span with fancies is not even close to great success. Goldfish can live up to 20 years if maintained properly. My fancy is going on 9 years old now and doesn't show any signs of stress or stopping anytime soon.



humdedum said:


> The only sort of home this tank would be is a permanent home, so two it is. Thank you! :console:
> 
> EDIT: Oh, I had another quick question: Gravel or not? I know it's not necessary when you don't have an UG filter, but then again goldfish like to sift through the bottom, right? But they're also messy, so keeping it clean and without gravel would be good...right?
> 
> So, maybe a thin layer of gravel?


Humdedum,

3 fancy's would be a comfortable fit in a 50 gallon tank.
15-20 gallons for the first, then 10 for additional.

As long as you got double filtration and keep up with your weekly water changes you'll have great success.

I would go with a gravel substrate, dont get it too small due to goldfish like to sift thru the bottom for whatever food they can find and you dont want them swallowing tiny gravel pieces.

Also as far as food goes, I feed mine twice a day. The morning they get some type of protein source which can be flakes or frozen bloodworm's, shrimp etc. Then at night they get a veggie source because they are omnivores and love plants. (Chopped up zucchini, Peas, Spinach or even Oranges)


----------



## Ghost Knife

Mr. fish said:


> Errm, hope you dont mind if I chime in
> 
> A few years of life span with fancies is not even close to great success. Goldfish can live up to 20 years if maintained properly. My fancy is going on 9 years old now and doesn't show any signs of stress or stopping anytime soon.


I had mine for three years and all of them were still living. I just simply broke the 55 I had them in down to make more room in my house.


----------



## Mr. fish

Ghost Knife said:


> I had mine for three years and all of them were still living. I just simply broke the 55 I had them in down to make more room in my house.


Where did they go?


----------



## humdedum

Mr. fish said:


> 3 fancy's would be a comfortable fit in a 50 gallon tank.
> 15-20 gallons for the first, then 10 for additional.
> 
> As long as you got double filtration and keep up with your weekly water changes you'll have great success.
> 
> I would go with a gravel substrate, dont get it too small due to goldfish like to sift thru the bottom for whatever food they can find and you dont want them swallowing tiny gravel pieces.
> 
> Also as far as food goes, I feed mine twice a day. The morning they get some type of protein source which can be flakes or frozen bloodworm's, shrimp etc. Then at night they get a veggie source because they are omnivores and love plants. (Chopped up zucchini, Peas, Spinach or even Oranges)


Thanks so much!  The tank came with about five different filters (lol) so I could practically just hang all those different ones along the back and it would be one clean tank.


----------



## Mr. fish

humdedum said:


> Thanks so much!  The tank came with about five different filters (lol) so I could practically just hang all those different ones along the back and it would be one clean tank.


Yea lol

Only problem wit that is you might heat your tank up a bit...

Goldfish like the 67-72F range


----------



## humdedum

The tanks are actually all in the unfinished basement (at request of the parents  ). That's quite funny, I was just about to ask you about temperatures. 

I know everyone says "room temperature" for cool water fish, but the basement-thing does change the circumstances. I have an empty ten gallon and I might try cycling one the filters in it (as if I'm cycling the tank itself). Would 69 or 70 be a good temperature, then?


----------



## Mr. fish

humdedum said:


> The tanks are actually all in the unfinished basement (at request of the parents  ). That's quite funny, I was just about to ask you about temperatures.
> 
> I know everyone says "room temperature" for cool water fish, but the basement-thing does change the circumstances. I have an empty ten gallon and I might try cycling one the filters in it (as if I'm cycling the tank itself). Would 69 or 70 be a good temperature, then?


69, 70 is just fine...
As long as you dont start getting up to 76-80 area you'll do just fine.

The basement may rise your temps up a bit, but, weekly water changes should kick the temp back down.


----------



## humdedum

Mr. fish said:


> 69, 70 is just fine...
> As long as you dont start getting up to 76-80 area you'll do just fine.
> 
> The basement may rise your temps up a bit, but, weekly water changes should kick the temp back down.


It's usually around 60 degrees or so in the summer. In the winter it's who-knows-what temperature.


----------



## pinetree

I keep orandas and I'll suggest doing a bare bottom tank. Goldfish are very messy so it makes the tank easier to clean. Also, goldfish will try to eat anything, including gravel. If you go with gravel, make sure it is quite large sized because as they grow, their mouths will get large and they'll start trying to eat the gravel.

Lots of filtration is important, too. Try to shoot for 10X the water volume per hour. If it's a 55, you want to be able to filter 550 gallons per hour.


----------



## Mr. fish

pinetree said:


> I keep orandas and I'll suggest doing a bare bottom tank. Goldfish are very messy so it makes the tank easier to clean. Also, goldfish will try to eat anything, including gravel. If you go with gravel, make sure it is quite large sized because as they grow, their mouths will get large and they'll start trying to eat the gravel.


I personally don't recommend this advice at all.

Not only are bare bottom tanks ugly, dull and boring. They show all the fish goods at the bottom and don't provide a bed for the ben. bacteria. As long as you got a good gravel vac you can suck up all the fish goods underneath the gravel.

Pine tree is correct on the gravel tho, bigger pieces are suggested like I said in the post above due to the fact goldfish are scavengers and love to sift thru the bottom for left over food. But, they will know the diff between gravel and food and just spit the gravel back out.


----------



## Ghost Knife

Mr. fish said:


> Where did they go?


Sold them to my LFS for nearly $100.


----------



## Mr. fish

Ghost Knife said:


> Sold them to my LFS for nearly $100.


Not bad at all... My LFS woulda probably only gave me half of that store credit lol


----------



## Ghost Knife

Mr. fish said:


> Not bad at all... My LFS woulda probably only gave me half of that store credit lol


Well, it was store credit. I gave them 1 Red Cap Oranda (baseball size) and three softball sized Black Moors of which two had turned completely gold. They wanted to give me $50 and I finally made them give me $80.


----------



## humdedum

Ghost Knife said:


> Well, it was store credit. I gave them 1 Red Cap Oranda (baseball size) and three softball sized Black Moors of which two had turned completely gold. They wanted to give me $50 and I finally made them give me $80.


Wow. I would get so attached to them...  

When I was little, I used to cry at every single fish death...then it got tiring when dozens of fry would die at once. 

EDIT: Okay, I went and just tested all five secondhand filters on my empty ten gallon to see which ones work. The ones in bold actually work properly. The other ones are either missing parts or are just plain non-functional.

*Penguin bio-wheel 200 *
*Whisper power filter 40 
Penguin bio-wheel 350 *
AquaTech 5-15 HOB filter (has all parts, but doesn't flow)
Unknown brand filter (missing impeller)

Would a combination of the wokring ones (or all three) be sufficient in a 50? Sorry; last time I had goldfish I was a total fish-killing ignoramus, and now I'm super-paranoid and feel like I need to know EVERY. LAST. THING. about goldfish.


----------



## PostShawn

I'd do double the filtration with keeping up on water changes and you should be fine with 3 in a 50g. I have my 55g overstocked but they are going in an outdoor pond soon. I would suggest large gravel. Like half inch size if you can find it. It will give the bottom a better look then bare and it will be too big for the goldfish to swallow. They will scavenge off the bottom so you just don't want to have small gravel or sand. I would do all 3 if you can. The 2 bio-wheels alone are basically rated for one 50g tank. If you can eventually try to pick up something with a gph flow rating of about 600-900 and that combined with the 350 you would be better off. 

Good luck.


----------



## pdoyle2

Hi, I have had a comet goldfish for a little over 9 years, won him at a carnival. He is in a 20 gal and is going strong. I may be doing it wrong but the 9 years suggests he is okay. He has a gravel bottom with some fake plants and such to swim through. As far as filtration, I just have one biowheel filter going and thats it, no under gravel filtration system or anything and when he was in my college apartment people would always comment on how clean the water was and I didnt do anything to it. I rarely changed the water, just added as it evaporated. So good luck to you and your new fish!


----------



## Ghost Knife

pdoyle2 said:


> Hi, I have had a comet goldfish for a little over 9 years, won him at a carnival. He is in a 20 gal and is going strong. I may be doing it wrong but the 9 years suggests he is okay. He has a gravel bottom with some fake plants and such to swim through. As far as filtration, I just have one biowheel filter going and thats it, no under gravel filtration system or anything and when he was in my college apartment people would always comment on how clean the water was and I didnt do anything to it. I rarely changed the water, just added as it evaporated. So good luck to you and your new fish!


That's certainly believable if the comet is the only fish in the entire 20 gallon. You could probably get away with doing a water change once a month or so.


----------



## ilovemyfish2

humdedum said:


> Hello! It's me again, except now I'm lurking in the coldwater section.
> 
> So tomorrow I'll be purchasing a secondhand 50 gallon all-glass tank. Obviously it will take about...oh...three or so weeks for fishless cycling with some Cycle of other bacteria source.
> 
> Luckily, the long wait of cycling means I get to plan.
> 
> I'm interested in having a few fancy goldfish (since I'd need something even larger to consider an active common or comet, etc. goldfish). For a 50 gallon, would two or three be acceptable?
> 
> The filters are Whisper bio-wheels (actually the tank comes with three, so I may end up just throwing them all in).
> 
> I've been scouring the Internet for good stocking "rules" (obviously the inch thing is moot; one oscar is a lot messier than ten neons). What seems most sensible is 20 gallons for the first fish, then 10-15 for each new one.
> 
> When I was little I was the Princess of Overstocking, so I'd really hate to do that again. What do you think? 2 or 3 in fifty gallons? (Standard dimensions)
> 
> Thanks in advance (and I'm so sorry for all the questions I've been making ya'll answer, lol)!


:fish:
Yes 3 fancy goldies would do good in the 50 gallon tank. For healthy and happy fancy goldies i recomend giving 30 gallons to the first fish and 10 extra gallons to each addtional. Doing it this way will give everyone the room they need. As for the filtration, i would use them all.


:fish:
240 gallon tank 
Filtration= 2 Fluval FX5’s canisters (total 1800 gph), 1 Penguin Biowheel HOB (300 gph), Oceanic Aquarium chiller ½ hp (750-1500 gph)
Aeration= 2-12” air sticks

4 Ryunkin (red, red/white, white, and calico)
3 fantails (gold, rosette, calico)
2 blue Orinda
3 panda Orinda
2 black Orinda
2 pompoms (brown)
Still stocking this tank

75 gallon tank
Filtration=1 Penn Plex cascade canister (265 GPH), 1 Penguin Biowheel HOB (300 gph), Aqua Euro USA 1/10 HP Max Chill Chiller (315gph)
Aeration= 12” air stick

1 black moor telescope
1 black moor
2 panda moor

20 gallon qt tank


----------



## ilovemyfish2

Mr. fish said:


> I personally don't recommend this advice at all.
> 
> Not only are bare bottom tanks ugly, dull and boring. They show all the fish goods at the bottom and don't provide a bed for the ben. bacteria. As long as you got a good gravel vac you can suck up all the fish goods underneath the gravel.
> 
> Pine tree is correct on the gravel tho, bigger pieces are suggested like I said in the post above due to the fact goldfish are scavengers and love to sift thru the bottom for left over food. But, they will know the diff between gravel and food and just spit the gravel back out.


I agree with you on this.


----------



## ilovemyfish2

PostShawn said:


> I'd do double the filtration with keeping up on water changes and you should be fine with 3 in a 50g. I have my 55g overstocked but they are going in an outdoor pond soon. I would suggest large gravel. Like half inch size if you can find it. It will give the bottom a better look then bare and it will be too big for the goldfish to swallow. They will scavenge off the bottom so you just don't want to have small gravel or sand. I would do all 3 if you can. The 2 bio-wheels alone are basically rated for one 50g tank. If you can eventually try to pick up something with a gph flow rating of about 600-900 and that combined with the 350 you would be better off.
> 
> Good luck.


Yes, i agree with this also. I use polished river rock which is just the right size so that they will not choke on it and yet they can nudge them aside for any hiden goodies. Why not give them something they love to do.


----------

