# Do goldfish need company?



## Eriya

We've just lost one of our fantail goldfish and as much as it makes me very sad (I keep looking for him in the tank and thinking he's just hiding somewhere...) I am also thinking about the future.

My partner would like to get another goldfish to keep Shadow company. However, I have always struggled with the size of my tank and now that Shadow is alone, the tank size is appropriate. So, if we were to not get any extra goldfish, I wouldn't have to worry about upgrading the tank. However, I do feel like the two goldfish used to interact. So I'm just wondering how social goldfish are and if there's any other kind of fish we could get to keep Shadow company and not have to upgrade the tank?


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## magpie

While goldfish are not strictly speaking a shoaling fish, they do seem to be quite sociable, and personally I feel they are better off in pairs or groups. I've recently had to quarantine one of mine while she recovers (hopefully!) from dropsy, and she is definitely not as active as she was in the main tank with her buddies.

Having said that, I wouldn't advise adding another goldfish to your tank if you think it is not big enough (you need around 150-160 litres for two fancy goldfish). I don't think it's worth sacrificing water quality & space just so that your goldfish has a friend 

Obviously, the ideal would be that you get a tank big enough for two, but that's assuming you have the funds/space to do so!

There aren't really any other fish that can go with goldfish, so if a bigger tank is out of the question then I think it's probably best to leave Shadow living alone


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## RachelleW

I would have to agree that if you think your tank is already a bit small for two goldfish.. maybe one is a better suite. I would like to think that he would enjoy having some friends around though.. how about getting a heater and maybe a smaller tropical fish with a small bio-load. You have to make sure you don't get the water too warm for that goldfish though since he is a "coldwater" fish.I have seen people mix tropical with coldwater though.

__________________
my ryukin fish is my favorite pet of them all


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## Fluketheduke

If your tank is to small for two,surley its to small for one.
Swimming round a fish bowl year after year (Pink Floyd).

Every thing needs company,get him a pal.


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## Eriya

Thanks for the answers. I currently have a 98L tank which I understand is enough for one goldfish but too small for two. I don't think I'm experienced enough to mix coldwater and tropical, especially since I've never had tropical fish before. I don't have the space for a bigger tank and was hoping to get a bigger one once I buy my own place, however there's no telling when that'll be. I think for now I might decide to leave Shadow on his own and get a bigger tank and another goldfish once we move. I just hope Shadow won't be too lonely :mellow:


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## Fishyfins

Yeah, 98L is really only big enough for a single goldie, certainly not two. I would leave him as is, or you may run into problems. Under no circumstances should coldwater and tropicals be mixed, as they require totally different temperature ranges. A goldfish kept at tropical (even at the cooler tropical temperatures) will be out of its comfort range, and will only be surviving, not thriving. Same with trops kept at coldwater temperatures, they may survive, but they wont be too happy.


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## Eriya

Fishyfins said:


> Yeah, 98L is really only big enough for a single goldie, certainly not two. I would leave him as is, or you may run into problems. Under no circumstances should coldwater and tropicals be mixed, as they require totally different temperature ranges. A goldfish kept at tropical (even at the cooler tropical temperatures) will be out of its comfort range, and will only be surviving, not thriving. Same with trops kept at coldwater temperatures, they may survive, but they wont be too happy.


Thanks for your answer. Like I mentioned, I wouldn't trust myself to mix the two, so will just keep Shadow alone till I can get a bigger tank


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## Phoenix24

magpie said:


> There aren't really any other fish that can go with goldfish, so if a bigger tank is out of the question then I think it's probably best to leave Shadow living alone


I kept my goldfish with white cloud mountain minnows with no issue. The minnows are small, peaceful coldwater fish, and a small shoal of these will not only look great, especially when they display to each other, but the presence of other fish (if you can't afford a large tank for a second goldy) will provide some company and confidence for your fishy.

There are other temperate (ie cool/cold) water species that thrive at room temperature. I'm not saying they are all as suitable as the minnows, but the species I have in my cool tank all seem peaceful enough with each other (I have golden barbs, odessa barbs, white clouds and rainbow shiners in my cold tank).


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## Acer

My goldfish definitely gets depressed if he's on his own. 
In his first few years he saw a few tank-mates come and go : Whenever he was by himself all he did was sink to the bottom and sit there, almost lifeless for weeks on end.
6 years ago we introduced a new friend and immediately he starts swimming again! Like a different fish. They've been very active and great tank-mates ever since.
Word of caution about the minnows, they're very small and unfortunately a few months ago I was tempted by 3, which soon became a very expensive lunch for my goldfish. :glare: They lasted all of 30 minutes. Maybe Zebra danios are large enough and temperate enough to live with a goldfish? 
Otherwise, why not get another goldfish and double how often you perform a partial water change??


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## Eriya

Acer said:


> My goldfish definitely gets depressed if he's on his own.
> In his first few years he saw a few tank-mates come and go : Whenever he was by himself all he did was sink to the bottom and sit there, almost lifeless for weeks on end.
> 6 years ago we introduced a new friend and immediately he starts swimming again! Like a different fish. They've been very active and great tank-mates ever since.
> Word of caution about the minnows, they're very small and unfortunately a few months ago I was tempted by 3, which soon became a very expensive lunch for my goldfish. :glare: They lasted all of 30 minutes. Maybe Zebra danios are large enough and temperate enough to live with a goldfish?
> Otherwise, why not get another goldfish and double how often you perform a partial water change??


That's good advice, however we hate doing water changes as it is, so having to do it twice a week would probably kill us


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## Phoenix24

If you get minnows you can get the largest specimens in the shop to start with. They are pretty fast swimmers - personally never heard of a goldy eating them but if its a possibility then you can always divide off a portion of the tank until the minnows are big enough (or set up a temporary grower tank, it needn't be massive, could even be a plastic box with a filter, bit of gravel and fake plants or elodea, until the minnows have reached a size above mouthful dimensions. Alternatively, I kept some of my small tetras in one of those nursery/spawner things until they were big enough to escape my angelfish - something like that might work for you.


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## Lurcherlad

Phoenix24 said:


> I kept my goldfish with white cloud mountain minnows with no issue. The minnows are small, peaceful coldwater fish, and a small shoal of these will not only look great, especially when they display to each other, but the presence of other fish (if you can't afford a large tank for a second goldy) will provide some company and confidence for your fishy.
> 
> There are other temperate (ie cool/cold) water species that thrive at room temperature. I'm not saying they are all as suitable as the minnows, but the species I have in my cool tank all seem peaceful enough with each other (I have golden barbs, odessa barbs, white clouds and rainbow shiners in my cold tank).


We were advised that cloud minnows could live with goldfish with no problems, but after a few hours we noticed that one of the minnows was missing a tail then disappeared completely a bit later - rapid catching of minnows and transferring into a flower vase as a temporary home!

The minnows lived for a few years at room temperature water quite happily, but on their own.


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## Fishyfins

Yeah, minnows and danios are very definitely a high risk addition with goldfish, and are often on the menu. Having worked in the trade for 6 years, i have seen it first hand many times, and heard it many times from customers. Its best to avoid keeping them together IMO.


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## magpie

I kept minnows with my goldfish for a year or two with no issues... until one day the minnows started disappearing. It appears that as soon as the goldfish grew big enough to fit the minnows in their mouths, that's exactly what they did. Definitely would not recommend attempting it.


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## Eriya

Ok, I think I'd be too worried to add minnows then. Wouldn't want them to be eaten


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## Miceandmore64

I own 6 goldfish that are about 5cm and they don't really have interest in one another.


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