Never Mix Goldfish and Tropicals; Well, Never Say Never

[robertprice]

Novice fishkeepers sometimes get the inclination to mix Goldfish with Tropicals, and I almost always discourage it. Even if you can find a fish that can live at as cool a temperature as a Goldfish, it's not likely to be compatible due to nipping, different food requirements, or territoriality.

There are 3 fish I can think of that are Tropical (sensu lato) which do make good Goldfish tank mates. One, the Dolphin Loach, has been getting publicity recently and as long as you have a tank over 50 gallons, you could add one. Same is true for a Weather Loach and White Cloud Mountain Minnows.

Anyone who has had long term success with other species together with Goldfish (indoors), please let us know.

[stevem]

i have to agree, i alway discourage people from mixing goldfish
there is one other fish I can think of to go with goldfish
mosquito fish(Gambrosia holobroki) similiar to guppies, but nastier, and cal tolerate cooler water

[robertprice]

i have to agree, i alway discourage people from mixing goldfish
there is one other fish I can think of to go with goldfish
mosquito fish(Gambrosia holobroki) similiar to guppies, but nastier, and cal tolerate cooler water

I forgot another one- The Chinese Algae Eater which can live in water down to 60 degrees and actually does well in slightly dirty water and eats a lot of the same things , so it's perfect for Goldfish.

[Cu455]

I have had koi, fancy, sunkenbunken, rosy minnows and african clawed frogs for almost 2 years.

[stevem]

no there are other fish that go with them
i have koi comets, cap heads, and shubunkins in my pond. I just do not recommend many fish to go with them
I have had raphael cats and even chanel cats, but the list is limited

[robertprice]

Goldfish don't live alone and isolated in ponds in the wild. The general rule that you shouldn't mix Tropicals with Goldfish is true, but there are lots of semi-tropical and temperate fish that do live with them. Some of these find their way into cool water aquariums, including several species of Sharkminnows, and Loaches. Much of the controversy is semantics - these are not "Tropical Fish" sensu stricto, but Goldfish can live with other cool water aquarium fish.

[Astchiefy]

Goldfish are in a class by themselves and people forget that there cold water species while tropicals are warm water fish. This mix up can all be avoided by doing research on fish before you buy them.

:angry:

[stevem]

yes goldfish are cold water fish, they winter very well in pond that are atleast 2" deep
when Kois are coolwater fish
they do not take as cold as goldfish do, and need deeper pond to winter
usually 3" or more

[robertprice]

You guys are getting caught up in semantics again. You need to consider a fish's temperature range before you go labeling it. Goldfish are not cool or cold water fish. They are fish with a wide temperature range which includes the lowest part of the range of some tropicals. Subtropics like Florida get cold sometimes, so labels are misleading. The Dolphin Loach is as close to a perfect companion fish for indoor Goldfish as you can find. Petland Discounts, the main supplier, requires that their stores keep them in Goldfish tanks. They can't overwinter in a partially frozen pond, but they can also be kept in Koi ponds that get down to the 50's. I keep mine with Red Ceibals, a subtropical fish, in the low 70's with lots of room. You can't put Goldfish in there though, not so much because of temperature, but because the Ceibals will rip their fins off and bully them. And you can't keep Ceibals with Discus, as the Discus need water too warm for the Ceibals.

So, in the preceding paragraph, i have accounted for the coldest and one of the warmest water hobbyist kept fish. I would say in general, you shouldn't keep Goldfish with other fish because, they are delicate, pretty defenseless, messy, and need different food than most tropicals, in addition to the water temp differences. Otherwise, a novice aquarist might look up Ceibals and Dolphin Loaches and think he or she could keep them with Goldfish. All will do fine at 70 degrees F, but the loaches are peaceful, non-territorial, and eat anything, whereas Ceibals are feisty little carnivorous cichlids that especially hate new fish.

Whenever I answer compatibility questions on Yahoo, i always include temp, pH, food requirements and behavior as necessary to check out.

[StuHersh]

Agree, never mix apples and oranges.

[robertprice]

Why not? I mix apples and oranges all the time in my frig. You can refrigerate both. They are actually quite compatible. What I am hearing in this discussion are a bunch of obsolete dictums about the sanctity of the lone Goldfish. Goldfish are community fish! You just have to have a peaceful cool water community.

Also you haven't defined apples and oranges. Are Goldfish the only apples, or the only oranges? There are over 20,000 different fish in the world, not two. Lots of them are peaceful cool water fish, like Dolphin Loaches and other loaches. They mix very well, regardless of what old school aquarists think. Learn about some new tank mates.

Also, you're gonna have to add Pears to your fruit basket. as I have elucidated before,Red Ceibals are cool water cichlids, and Dolphin and Weather Loaches get along fine with them and Goldfish, but Ceibals harass and kill Goldfish. Apples and Oranges aren't aggressive, don't misbehave and don't have territories. Fish do.

[stevem]

apples oranges
now Im hungry thanks

[robertprice]

Never feed Goldfish apples and oranges.

[robertprice]

Good for you. So you can mix apples and oranges!