Goldfish will need a substrate and décor items to complete their tank setup. A strong filter is a must, unless you have lots of fancy goldfish that are blown around by a strong current. This includes any metal algae scrapers.Īlthough these recommendations focus on tanks, there are lots of other components you will need for your goldfish tank. Never use glass cleaning supplies on acrylic since it will scratch the material. How you clean your aquarium depends significantly on what type of material is present in your tank. Acrylic is lighter and more durable, but often not as clear as a glass tank. Glass is more traditional, but can be delicate and heavy. For fancy goldfish, a tank depth of 18 inches or less is best to manage their buoyancy.Īquarium tanks come in two materials: glass or acrylic. This can be aggravated by a lot of water pressure on top of them from a very deep tank. If caught early and moved to a larger system, these can be corrected.įancy goldfish in particular are prone to buoyancy disorders. If they are forced to turn in tight spaces, you may see spinal disorders. Being larger fish, you want to make sure your fish can turn around easily whenever they like. Narrow aquariums may fit your home, but they are not the best choice for goldfish. Goldfish can grow up to 12 inches long, so although they may start small, plan for your fish to get a lot bigger! This can cause lots of issues with your water chemistry, so the larger volume of water to dilute everything out, the easier maintenance will be. This means that there is a lot of food wasted in your tank. Goldfish have low feed-to-mass conversion, meaning that they eat a lot and don’t put on much mass. When it comes to goldfish, the more water, the better. What to Look For in Goldfish Tanks Tank Volume It’s also available in a kit version that comes with its own components. Our favorite goldfish tank is the Tetra 55-Gallon glass aquarium, which is a fantastic platform for any variety of aquarium kit. We also have several other tanks we love that may work better for your specific setup. For example, comet goldfish require a lot of filtration, while some species of fancy goldfish with specific swimming difficulties may need a carefully directed flow of water so they do not get pushed around the tank.

Our favorite goldfish tank is the Tetra Glass Aquarium 55 Gallon Rectangular Fish Tank, which allows for custom filtration tailored to your goldfish. Goldfish can also grow to be quite large, and fully grown goldfish should have 50 gallons of space. Instead, your tank should provide approximately 20 gallons of water per fish.

These tanks are too small for an adult goldfish, let alone multiple goldfish. We also recommend against the small, 10-gallon aquariums commonly marketed at pet stores and big box retailers. If this is your first aquarium, check out our list of everything you’ll need to keep your fish happy including a robust filter, décor, substrate, and more. It is inhumane and cruel to keep your fish in a standing cup of water with no filtration. Despite the long association between goldfish and bowls, fish bowls are not proper homes for any fish. When setting up any tank, all fish require aeration and filtration to keep their tanks healthy.”ĭon’t put your goldfish in an antiquated bowl. “Owners can avoid this by only adding a few fish at a time or having a very large system. Jessica Koppien-Fox, DVM and CertAqV-a certification for experts in aquatic veterinary medicine-told The Spruce Pets. “Goldfish tanks are frequently overstocked when they are new, leading to New Tank Syndrome,” Dr. Even if you have a large system, the key is to keep your bioload low so your fish stay healthy and your maintenance routine minimal. Goldfish are messy fish that need lots of space to swim and dilute out their waste. When it comes to selecting the best tank for your goldfish, size is key.

Goldfish tank ideas