Aquarium size to accomodate 4 Goldfish[2 fantail and 2 ryukin]?

Question

I am planning to buy 2 fantail and 2 ryukin goldfishes from petsmart. I learned that they would grow upto 6 inches and 25 gallon tank should be the minimum i must look at.
I am looking for some advice from the aquarium owners/goldfish owners on the right size for the tank. I want my goldfishes to live longer, so I dont want to completely rely on the advice from petsmart. Also the tanks seem pretty expensive, is there a store/website that sell not-so-expensive aquariums?

Thanks a lot for all the answers! I have come down to two options - 1. If I want to start with four infant goldfishes 55-60 gallon should be the minimum tank size and I can upgrade eventually
2. If I want to start the hobby on a small-scale with 25 gallon tank then I would stick to buying two infant fishes instead of four. As I progress and develop more knowledge and experiece on aquariums and goldies, I can always upgrade. Thanks a lot for helping out guys!

Answer 1

The absolute minimum amount of water you can have for one goldfish is 10 gallons of water per fish. So, the absolute minimum size tank you could have right now, even for the little babies, is a 40 gallon tank. And this rule increases as the size of the fish increases. Ryukins and pearlscales are fancy goldfish who can grow especially large; up to 10-12 inches and will need a huge amount of water. See the link for Bruce, the record holder for largest fancy goldfish, and he's only an oranda! As adults, your goldfish will need at the very minimum of 20 gallons of water per fish, and if they ever get over 8 inches in length, will need around 40 gallons of water per fish. You can buy a 40 gallon tank now with the plan of upgrading in a couple of years, or you can buy the correct size to start with and then not have to worry about getting anything larger. A 60-75 gallon tank should do you well for quite a while, but if you take good care of your goldies and they grow large, you may need a larger tank still. Please read up on cycling the water, the nitrogen cycle, proper water changes and tank cleaning, proper filtration, diseases, etc. The more knowledge you have before getting your fish, the better chance your fish will have of being happy and healthy, which will make you happier too! Good luck! I love goldies!

Answer 2

I would recommend, at minimum, ten gallons per goldfish so that would be a 40 gallon tank for four goldfish. Bigger is definitely better, especially when it comes to goldfish which are pretty high in their ability to create waste and pollute the tank they are in. Larger tanks provide more space for the fish, more wiggle room for problems with water quality and therefore the fish will be less stressed, happier and healthier. If you can swing a 55 gallon or 60 gallon your goldfish will love you for it and you'll have an easier time keeping a larger tank's water parameters stable.

Tanks are fairly expensive especially as they get larger. Glass is much cheaper than acrylic. The stand for the tank will also set you back some. There is no web site that is a good deal for fish tanks because the shipping charges on a fish tank are exorbitant. Your best bet is to buy locally. Ask around and look for a sale!

Answer 3

Well petsmart will try to upsale you look goldfish can live up to 25 years koi 35 yrs ryukin is in that same area .Dont know where you live but pet supplies plus is cheaper . Now to your fish Q goldfish dont stop growing as do some of the other fish you said you wanted 4 so 25 -29 gallon will do I would suggest a 55 gallon they are more expensive but once you get into the hobby youll want more and youll alreadt have the room

Answer 4

Goldfish are large fish that produce alot of waste. The bare minimum for fancy goldfish is 20 gallons for 1 fish, then 10 more gallons for each additional fish. So the absolute smallest you can go is 50 gallons for 4 fancy goldfish. Even that is borderline too small, so the bigger you can get the better off they will be. If you would rather go with 25 gallons, then 1 goldfish is the most you could get.

Answer 5

For every baby goldfish you will need 10 gallons, which would mean you would need a tank no smaller then 40 gallons if you buy them as babies. After about a year (2 tops) they will need at least 20 gallons each so either get the 80 gallon tank to start or plan on upgrading. Those fish can actually get larger then 6 inches, it's more like 8-12 inches.

If you want more opinions from goldfish keepers join the forum over on this site, http://kokosgoldfish.com/

Answer 6

Hello darlin'

I applaud you on doing your research first. Normally we are just cleaning up messes around here.

I have kept fancy goldfish for years. Currently I have 5 fish in a 75. Some are full grown at about 9". I have two juveniles that are only about 2 inches. I also have a pair of Dojos. I do a 25% water change weekly- at least I try to. My water chemistry is always within parameters.

I couldn't imagine having all my fish 9"long and in that tank. I will have to move one or two out eventually. I would say get a 75 for your 4 adults and maybe consider a pair of dojos- they are great fish.

In the spring pet stores start bringing adults in for peoples ponds. It is a good time to get some beautiful large fish. I enjoy the dynamic of different sizes.

As fo the tank talk to some smaller pet stores. When I set up my 75 they gave me 20% off everything I bought for fish that day. It saved me a lot of money. Also, try Craiglist for used tanks and check the classifieds.

Answer 7

If you want to have healthy gold fish then you should shold have a minimum of 10 gallons of water per goldfish. Gold fish are coldwater fish and the typical temperature in an home is quite high for them which accelerates their meatbolism and causes them to produce a lot more waste than a tropical fish.

To keep them very healthy perform regular water changes and feed them a good quality goldfish food.

Answer 8

4 full grown gold fish in less than 55 gallons is animal cruelty. WalMart sells tanks cheap. So does Petsmart. You'd be suprised how competitive some locally owned shops can be. Shipping tanks is expensive.

Answer 9

I love the ornamental goldfish! I got some bad advice when I had them and bought an 18 gallon tall tank. First of all, don't get a tall tank, get a long one. An 18 gallon tall tank has about the same amount of oxygen surface as a 10 gallon long tank. I was told that you need 10 gallons for each fish. Good luck to you!

Answer 10

Well I honestly would go with the advice that they told you at petsmart. If you want your fish to live a long time, I would definitely get at least a 25 gallon tank. Goldfish are extremely dirty fish.