What do you need for the perfect goldfish aquarium?
New fishkeepers are often shocked to discover that what’s stopping 30 gallons of water from spilling across their carpet is simply glass and glue, which is all that modern fishtanks are made out of.
Fear not, silicon glue is immensely strong, and compared to the old wrought-iron or putty-framed fishtanks of yesteryear a well-made all-glass aquarium is far less likely to leak. Acrylic (also known as ‘plastic’) tanks are even more robust, being fashioned out of one molded piece of material. They’re quite expensive compared to glass though, and they do tend to scratch rather easily.
What else do you need? Goldfish have been kept in little more than watertight vessels with gravel on the bottom for hundreds of years, so technically the answer is ‘nothing’. However there are various bits of equipment that will make keeping your goldfish healthy much easier.
Let’s consider what equipment you need for an ideal goldfish aquarium.
The fishtank
Get the biggest goldfish tank you can afford and fit comfortably into your house. Goldfish can grow quite big, and some varieties such as Common and Comet goldfish really like to swim, so they appreciate room to stretch their fins.
Just as importantly, coldwater fish like goldfish require lots of oxygen in the water, which means you can’t crowd too many into one aquarium. If your tank is too small, you’ll be limited to keeping just one or two fish. Frustrated, you may be tempted to add too many, which is where the problems start…
A tank of two-foot in length is the minimum size we recommend for goldfish, with a width of at least a foot. The tank can be as tall as you like, but keep in mind a taller tank doesn’t let you keep any more fish, as we explained in our How many goldfish can I keep? article. Tall aquariums do look pretty though.
If you can get a three- or four-foot long tank, so much the better. Your fish will be happier, and you’ll be able to keep a nice shoal of fish. One of the delights of goldfish is watching them interact, so we always like to have a few per aquarium if possible.
Air pumps and airstones
You can blow bubbles into your fishtank using a device known as an air pump. The effect is very attractive, and fish seem to prefer moving water. Most importantly though, such circulation increases how much oxygen your tank water holds, by moving old water to the top of the tank, and by creating ripples in the surface water that helps with oxygen exchange. Using a pump can therefore increase how many goldfish your tank can hold, although we generally prefer to stick to the normal levels and have an extra margin of safety. If you do keep more fish, be sure to leave your pump running 24 hours a day.
Aquarium filter
Filters aren’t strictly vital, but they do make keeping goldfish much more enjoyable. A good filter will keep the water clean by straining out particles, and it will also purify the water biologically, which removes the toxins created by the waste products and leftover food of your goldfish. For more information, read our article on the types of aquarium filter.
Lighting
A bright lighting unit over the aquarium is a must. Not for growing plants (goldfish soon devour most of them, unfortunately) but to help you see your pets! Specially-made florescent tubes are ideal for our purposes, and come tweaked to show off the colours of your fish. Don’t be tempted to use ordinary units from the hardware store unless you really know what you’re doing; water and electricity is a deadly combination.
The aquarium substrate
Bare-bottom tanks look very unnatural, so you’ll want to put a layer of gravel or sand in your tank. Aquarium gravel comes in all shades and tones, and provided you buy it from a reputable store it’s really down to your personal taste what you use. We recommend small-sized natural coloured ‘pea’ gravel. It looks good, and it isn’t as likely to go ’stale’ as sand. Keep gravel to about an inch in depth, unless you’re using an undergravel filter.
Special bogwood, plastic plants, treasure chests and so on
Your fish store will have whole shelves devoted to decorations for your tank. Most cost more than the fish, and so many retailers dedicate more space to furnishings than to goldfish! Again, provided you’re buying your decorations from a decent shop, it’s down to you what you choose for your aquarium. Don’t put unknown stones or other objects into an aquarium, since they may introduce toxins that are harmful to your fish.
We’d suggest a few clumps of plastic plants and a smooth stone or two, together with a nice gnarled piece of waterlogged bogwood, but if you want your goldfish to live in a multi-coloured Disney World, don’t let us stop you. The fish won’t mind, but do be sure to leave enough room for them to swim about.
Heaters
These aren’t required for indoor goldfish aquariums, and you should be highly suspicious of any retailer who tries to sell you one.
Please make sure you read our guide to setting up your goldfish tank to learn how to put all these items together. Your tank should be filled with water and up-and-running for a couple of weeks before it holds any fish, and you should build up to the maximum number of goldfish gradually.
Click here to learn more goldfish secrets!
Filed in: Care, Equipment
Mar 6th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
LOL. My first tank was all blue marbles and purple plants. I think I even had a plastic diver in there that bobbed his head with air bubbles. I’m all about the naturistic look nowadays though.
Nice site BTW.
Oct 20th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
I have a 10 gallon aquarium tank set up with filter and water conditioner started today and ready to go, but how long should I wait until I can put fantail goldfish in the tank and how many should I put in? Also should I get air pumps for the the tank? Please reply to my request in this message. Thank you for your time and hope to hear from you.
Nicole
Nov 15th, 2008 at 7:37 am
@Nicole, sorry for delayed response. You want to wait about a day or two before putting any goldfish in when starting a new tank. Then add more slowly. I’d suggest maybe one a week. For a 10 gallon aquarium, assuming it’s a normal size (so longer than it is high) you only want to keep 2-3 fancy goldfish. with an airpump operating 24 hours a day, you might stretch that to 3-4.
But better to keep 3 happy fish than 4 unhappy ones.
Dec 13th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
I have a 10 gallon aquarium and I was wondering…What are the smallest breed of goldfish and how many can I have in the tank without a air pump?
Jan 1st, 2009 at 7:47 pm
A 10 G tank is not large enough for even a single goldfish. Long-bodied varieties grow to over a foot long and up to two feet long. Round-bodied varieties, while generally staying in the 6″ to 10″ range, can get much larger. The record holder, Bruce The Goldfish, is an Oranda that is currently 18″ long. Goldfish should live for 20 years or more… round-bodied varieties a little less due to the inbreeding that took place to create their fancy features… which also takes a toll on their internal features as well.
If you have a 55G 4′ long tank, you could successfully keep two fancy goldfish for quite a while. Putting goldfish in undersized tanks will result in them being stunted which will lead to many health issues and ultimately, an early death.
Lenny Vasbinder
GoldLenny in forums
Jan 12th, 2009 at 7:17 am
I have a 5 gal tank and I just want to know how many common, regular goldfish I should keep in there?
Feb 15th, 2009 at 5:52 am
@Rachel - Lenny is on the money. A 5-gallon tank is too small for goldfish. You could keep a small one in there for a year or so, but ultimately you’ll want to provide a bigger home.
Feb 20th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
how many goldfish would i be able to put into a 11L 14L and 21L tanks thankyou
Apr 2nd, 2009 at 3:34 pm
I’m currently setting up for my goldfish & I’m letting the water sit for a few days before putting the fish in (adding them slowly as recommended). What I’m concerned about is even the good pet stores keep a lot of fish in one tank, so the nitrate levels must be way higher than that in my new tank. Is this going to be a big shock for the new fish? Is there anything I should do to make the transfer easier for them?
May 19th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Every gallon of water can support 2.5 inches of goldfish. But if they are healthy, they grow quickly! About an in a year over their entire lifespan!
Also, a good guide is: 1 fancy goldfish per 10 gal (makes for lonely fish!) and 20 gal for single-tailed varietys (commons, comets etc.)
May 26th, 2009 at 9:37 am
Gosh, I must’ve been asleep when I wrote that!!! What I meant was for every INCH of goldfish you need 2.5 GALLONS of water. I’m soooooo sorry!!!
I hope noone crammed 25 inches of goldfish into a one-gallon tank on my advice!!! *sniff*
Jun 4th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
I inadvertently asked this question under the category of filters (it was really late) So, in hopes of a response, here’s my Q again:
OK I understand the fancy varieties grow large so they need a lot of room. How about the “feeder” variety. My son just wants to watch one swim around and I don’t have room for a 10 gal. tank. Would 2-3 of the little ones be OK?
Thanks
Paula
Jun 8th, 2009 at 1:55 am
Quote “OK I understand the fancy varieties grow large so they need a lot of room. How about the “feeder” variety. My son just wants to watch one swim around and I don’t have room for a 10 gal. tank. Would 2-3 of the little ones be OK?
Thanks
Paula”
Paula, the little feeder ones are the same as the big common goldfish. They are just babies. They will grow fast in the right conditions. In the wrong conditions they will die. So 2 or 3 would need a 30-40 gallon tank.
Perhaps you should get your son a book on fishkeeping and then when you get a bigger place you can get a fishtank. That way you will educate him on proper care of animals rather than giving him a bad experience.
There is also the possibility of getting a 5 gal tank and keeping 3 or 4 of the smaller tetras in there. You would need to have a filter and heater if you were to do this.
Jul 1st, 2009 at 8:30 pm
I got a common little goldfish from the fair as a child and kept it in a 20 gallon tank. My mother told me that fish won at the fair usually didn’t live long and I could get another one when it died. needless to say I still have that fish and it’s the same size it was when I got it.
Jul 2nd, 2009 at 12:13 pm
i have 4 fantail goldfish in a 60ltr tank i have plants and gravel plus afilter ichange the filter pads as recommended but constantly have to clean the sides of algae any suggestions
Aug 2nd, 2009 at 7:11 pm
today i bought my kids their firs tank (5 gallon) with led lighting and 3 gold fishes. the guy at store told me it was okay to let them in the water on the same day. to our frustration (specially kids) seems like their dying. They swim for a while and they stop and turn upside down like when they are dead, what did we do wrong? Unfortunatelly I do not know anything about fishes but I would love to learn and for my kids to have their goldfishes healthy, Are they going to dye??!!
Aug 7th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
@Naty :: I’m not an expert on goldfishes, but if you’d take a look at this quote from a recent post:
”What I meant was for every INCH of goldfish you need 2.5 GALLONS of water. ”
Obviously 5 gallons would not be suitable room for 3 goldfishes. The first thing you should probably think about is getting a tank that’ll measure to those standards.
Aug 16th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
How can I tell if the water in the tank is too hot for the goldfish? What is the ideal, or normal, temp for the summer months?
Sep 1st, 2009 at 9:34 am
I have a 12 gallon tank and just bought 7 goldfish. Just started to read on goldfish care. They are small goldfish about 1.5 - 2 inches long each. I don’t have an air pump just a filter. Am I ok for now or do I give away like 2-3 of my goldfish I just bought. Or do I get an air pump to help give the tank more oxygen?
Oct 11th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
some guy at the fair gave me 6 goldfish on top of the 2 i won .so right now i imagine there sufficating in the lil bowl there in . i’ll get them all set up friday . but my question is whats the difference between the goldone silver ones and gold and white speckle ones ? do they have different assorted needs or is it all general care?
Oct 31st, 2009 at 11:56 pm
You guys should hyperlink to your other articles wherever you mention them within an article. It would be much easier to navigate that way.
Dec 1st, 2009 at 2:07 am
ihave a 16 gallon aquarium with one fancy goldfish but iam planing to get more and a new filter is that a good idea?
Dec 1st, 2009 at 2:13 am
rigth now,i have no filter
Dec 3rd, 2009 at 12:22 am
ihave a 16 gallon aquarium with 3 fancy goldfish
Dec 22nd, 2009 at 8:19 am
Hi! My husband and I recently got two wonderful Shubuken goldfish! We did all the right stuff with setting up the tank, letting the water cycle, etc., but the tank temperature won’t go below 74 (it was 76-77 at its highest). We tried turning off the heater but it’s not cooling very quickly. Are we cooking our new fish?
Jan 24th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
All your tanks seems gigantic to me. I only have a 10L aquarium and I’m happy with it. I got a real water plant about 2″ high, a filter with air pump, gravel and a little windmill as decor. I got 3 fish in it : a fantail(2″) and two orandas(1.5″). Do you think I’m over crowding them? From your articles here it seems like I’ve lined them up for death row!
Feb 1st, 2010 at 9:35 am
I have a fish room got carried away but will love it. A 60 gallon hexigon, 3 ten gallons, two five gallons, 1 gal and a 3 gallon. Have to go shopping to get fish. Can anyone tell me the best kinds? In the 60 gal with the wet dry filter system it sucked up the small goldfish. I would also like to breed them. Thank you, Paula in Palm Bay Florida
Feb 2nd, 2010 at 2:23 am
hi thr,
just wanted to know few things.. i got a 1 feet tall fish tank & kept 4 goldfish & 4 small small zebras in it.
there is 1 oxygen pump,1 filter & 1 heater in it.
is it ok for the goldfish to stay in 1 feet tank or should i go for 2 foot tank.
please advise..
Feb 2nd, 2010 at 2:29 am
hi thr,
the site is really nice & helpful..
just wanted to know few things.. i got a 1 feet tall fish tank & kept 4 goldfish & 4 small small zebras in it.
there is 1 oxygen pump,1 filter & 1 heater in it.
is it ok for the goldfish to stay in 1 feet tank or should i go for 2 foot tank. can u also tell what does 10 gallons mean & how big should the fish tank should be to keep 4 goldfish & 4 small zebras?
please advise..
Feb 8th, 2010 at 11:22 pm
hi thr,
its been long..m waiting for a reply….
no one has replied me yet..
Feb 9th, 2010 at 12:10 am
can you please advise whether we can keep goldfish & angel fish together??
Feb 9th, 2010 at 12:12 am
can you please advise whether we can keep goldfish & angel fish together in the same tank??
Feb 27th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
i just bought a 29 gal tank and it running and doing it thing. not going to put any fish in for a week. i hate waiting lol.
what i would like to know is i want to put goldfish in my tank and i would like to know how many is a good number. and can i put 1 Coi fish in the tank also.
Feb 28th, 2010 at 3:12 am
I’ve noticed that none of the recent posts have been replied to. here is a link to the British Animal Welfare Foundation website which includes lots of helpful information which should give you a good idea of what to look for in a tank with regards to everything from goldfish number, cleaning, accessories and feeding.
I hope to help
http://www.bva-awf.org.uk/pet/buying/goldfish.asp
Have fun with your new fish
Feb 28th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
Hello
The fact is they are only 20 inches long and about 10 inches front to back. Anyone can find room for a 10 gallon. If you’re not one to judge length well in your mind just get a tape measure and look for yourself. It’s not big! Really. I bet most of you could find several places to fit a 10 gallon aquarium in your room.
I’m a tropical keeper and was just browsing here to brush up on goldfish care to help a friend. I felt a need to comment to the folks who say they don’t have room for a 10 gallon aquarium.
It’s been my experience that the average person who doesn’t know aquariums tend to think a 10 gallon aquarium is huge and expensive.
To save on costs check your local used ads or Craigslist.You can often get them for a few dollars or even free, especially if you live in a larger town or city.
Feb 28th, 2010 at 7:56 pm
Rhea, it is not recommended to keep angelfish and goldfish together. They have very different needs, the most important difference in this case is that goldfish require cool water temperatures and in most climates would not require a heater. Angelfish and other tropicals need higher temps and usually do require heated aquariums.
Keeping goldfish in too high of temperatures may be fine for a brief time but it’s very bad for their long term health.