Fancy goldfish resources & advice

[FyaNyan]

Hi everyone!

Does anyone have some good resources on fancy goldfish? (books, websites, videos, etc...) I checked out some books from my library, but the information seemed pretty inaccurate. I did watch the aquariumcoop care guide. Just want to find some other resources, too.

I am setting up an unheated 40g breeder for a single or a pair of the slow-moving fancy goldfish. Please feel free to share any advice you have (substrate, plants, stocking, pros/cons, warnings, experiences, whatnot), even if it’s only tangentially related.

Thanks 🙂

[gardenman]

As a rule, I like to buy fish that are small and raise them myself. Fancy goldfish are my exception to that rule. Swim bladder issues are so common in fancy goldfish that you're better off buying a healthy adult than trying to raise one on your own. If the fish has reached adulthood without a swim bladder issue, it should be okay. Young goldfish are much more of a gamble. I'm not sure anyone's done a real study on the issue, but my guesstimate would be that 60%-80% of young fancy goldfish will develop swim bladder issues based on my experience. Buying an adult fish saves you from the heartbreak of having a fish you raised just bobbing around upside down due to a swim bladder issue.

[FyaNyan]

On 5/12/2022 at 10:25 AM, gardenman said:

As a rule, I like to buy fish that are small and raise them myself. Fancy goldfish are my exception to that rule. Swim bladder issues are so common in fancy goldfish that you're better off buying a healthy adult than trying to raise one on your own. If the fish has reached adulthood without a swim bladder issue, it should be okay. Young goldfish are much more of a gamble. I'm not sure anyone's done a real study on the issue, but my guesstimate would be that 60%-80% of young fancy goldfish will develop swim bladder issues based on my experience. Buying an adult fish saves you from the heartbreak of having a fish you raised just bobbing around upside down due to a swim bladder issue.

I did not know this. Thanks for the head up! Goldfish also live a LONG time, so buying adult isn’t really cutting down the time you have to spend with it. At what size are fancy goldfish adults? I saw a large black moor at my LFS.