The Ultimate Guide to Fancy Goldfish
Learn all about the care and supplies for fancy goldfish and find premier live fish for sale that are guaranteed to arrive alive with The iFish Store!
Maintaining an aquarium with beautiful, fancy goldfish sits high on the list of popular pets, third to be exact, just after dogs and cats!
At The iFish Store, we carry a wide variety of fancy goldfish that arrive alive from our online fish store. Take a look at the wide variety of fancy goldfish we carry and begin building your home aquarium today!
This page is devoted to fancy goldfish, so take a moment to learn about how a fancy goldfish can thrive in your aquarium!
Freshwater fish, such as fancy goldfish, are a delight to keep because their colors inspire and watching them swim around is calming — which is why so many health professionals like doctors and dentists have them in their waiting room!
Keeping fancy goldfish have so many benefits!
When you begin to build your aquarium consider fancy goldfish and their benefits including:
They help reduce stress - What’s more relaxing than getting lulled by clear water and fish moving about freely?
Fancy goldfish are quiet - Unlike dogs, cats, and birds, fish are quiet which make them a popular pet, especially if you need a low-key environment.
Fancy goldfish are a great learning opportunity for kids - Because fancy goldfish are relatively easy to care for, it can be a great introduction for a child to care for which is a great catalyst for personal responsibility.
Fancy goldfish are great for all spaces - Because fancy goldfish don’t require an overly large fish tank, they’re great in the 500 square foot apartment and a living room in a family home.
Fancy goldfish are an affordable pet - Think of a Great Dane, how much does it cost to feed a large dog like that? Fancy goldfish are small and are a much cheaper pet to feed and care for.
So, are you ready to embark on keeping an aquarium with vibrant fancy goldfish? Let’s explore the depths of fancy goldfish below!
One of the very first things we want to mention is that fancy goldfish are not meant to be kept in fish bowls. Somehow, we’ve epitomized fancy goldfish being kept in a bowl and fed fish flakes, but this is a huge fishkeeping myth — when fancy goldfish are kept in an optimal environment and fed the right food, they thrive and can live out long lives (up to 10 to 30 years).
Fancy goldfish are not found in the wild but are ancestors of the Prussian Carp that originated in Asia, and they embody a vast group of goldfish that come in a wide variety of colors, forms, and shapes.
The most common and recognizable fancy goldfish are orange, but they can be found in color patterns such as lavender, panda, and chocolate. As a result of selective breeding, some fancy goldfish stray far from the typical shape and have unique features such as bulging eyes, colorful, pronounced tissue on their heads, or enlarged nasal areas.
Fancy goldfish have a dream temperament that is peaceful and won’t disrupt the other fish in your aquarium — they play well with others!
In the information below, you’ll get to learn about fancy goldfish in depth — how to care for them and what they need to thrive!
Diversity is strong in fancy goldfish, but mainly what separates them are those with an egg-shaped body and double tail or anal fins.
At The iFish Store, you can find over 15 varieties of fancy goldfish to accompany your home aquarium. Below we’ll explore the most popular choices!
This type of fancy goldfish is hardy and can be kept in your aquarium or outdoor pond. They have a double tail and a slender body with colors that range from an orangey-red and white, black and orange, mostly white, or the typical orange color.
Their average size is around 10 inches, but they grow to be up to 18 inches.
This type of goldfish is easily identified by their exceptionally round body that almost resembles a puffer fish. They come in the standard orange color but are have white and orange patterns, white, or white and orange with black speckles. Their average size is around eight inches.
These fancy goldfish have the most distinct look — large, colorful air-sacs that are typically seen surrounding the eyes, but can surround the entire body of the fish, and grow to be up to four inches.
They come in a variety of colors — orangey-red, orange, white and orange, and black.
The lionhead goldfish has a growth, or hood, that surrounds the gill plates and cheeks that give it its distinct appearance — similar to a lion’s mane. They can reach up to five inches and range in a variety of colors, from white, orangy-red and white, orange, and black.
Fancy goldfish are freshwater fish and need a freshwater aquarium to survive. Again, fancy goldfish should not be kept in bowls and instead require a 20-gallons of water per fish.
It’s crucial to get the tank size right because if it is too small, you may stunt their growth. And, if they do reach their maximum growth, they produce a lot of waste which increases the ammonia levels which can cause health issues.
For an aquarium that gets the best oxygenation, a rectangular fish tank is recommended.
Fish tank filtration is important to the vitality of your fancy goldfish because it helps improve the water quality. Both an external water filter (at least twice the size of the rated size of the aquarium) and an internal filter should be considered for the best fancy goldfish environment.
Frequent water changes are still recommended even with the best water filtration, and changing at least 50 to 60% of the water every week.
Since fancy goldfish are related to carp, they thrive in environments with sand or fine gravel and plant life. But, before you start designing your next aquascape, know that goldfish love to munch on live plants so fake plants may be a better option.
Goldfish are a cold-water fish and they don’t require a heater. The optimal range of water temperature is 50-75 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s also vital to keep them away from external heat sources — heaters, radiators, or even a window that is flooded with sunlight.
Goldfish not only play well with others but they are very social, and love to have other fish around. One way to cut the life short on your fancy goldfish is to keep them alone and isolated. When these fish swim solo, they feel unsafe and exposed, which can cause stress and anxiety in fancy goldfish.
When it comes to ideal tank mates, your choices can be a bit limited. Many aquarium enthusiasts like to keep fancy goldfish with tropical fish such as mollies and guppies or subtropical fish such as danios, but this often poses a risk to all the fish in the aquarium — fancy goldfish are subject to being eaten or the other fish will suffer as a result of varying water temperatures.
We alluded earlier that fish flakes aren’t ideal for fancy goldfish. It’s not they’re all bad, but your fancy goldfish may not be getting all the nutrients it needs to live out a long life.
While high-quality fish flakes are better, fish pellets are best!
Pellets are chock full of nutrients from foods such as peas, kale, zucchini, shrimp, mosquito larvae, and bloodworms.
Feeding your fancy goldfish can be done a couple of ways — you can feed them twice per day, or if you have the time, feed them up to three or four times in smaller portions.
Mix up their food with pellets, flakes, and even frozen veggies. If you have both single-tailed and double-tailed fish that compete for food, ensure you drop a variety of floating and sinking foods that the slower fish can get.
Provided the tank environment is kept clean and at ideal temperatures, fancy goldfish are quite hardy, however, there are some health concerns to keep an eye on.
Because fancy goldfish have the same sized organs as other goldfish, their digestive system is compact and can get tight and clustered together, so, unfortunately, they’re subject to an increased rate of disease.
Common fancy goldfish diseases are swim bladder and liver disease.
Swim bladder - This is an easy disease to spot in fancy goldfish because they will either be sitting at the bottom of the fish tank or floating at the top. You can tackle swim bladder by not feeding them for 24 hours and then introducing fiber-rich foods such as frozen veggies.
Liver disease - This is not a disease that you can spot, and oftentimes, fish will die as a result so it’s important that you are feeding your fancy goldfish high-quality, nutrient-dense food.
If you fish begins to display any of the signs below, you may want to do some research to try and pinpoint what’s going on. These signs include:
- Discolored fins
- Inflamed fins
- Abdominal bloat
- Scraping their bodies on rocks
- Begin your aquarium with fancy goldfish today!
Fancy goldfish are a wonderful beginner fish that have a lovely playful yet peaceful demeanor. They are hardy given the right environment and are a hardy species that can be kept in all types of spaces, help reduce stress, and are a great first pet for children!
We have fancy goldfish for sale! Choose from a broad array of fancy goldfish — from Black Butterfly and Calico Pearlscale to the Red Cap Oranda — we have something for every fish enthusiast! Shop today!