Question

[Fishy friend2]

do fish need air pumps i am planing to have 1 telescope eye goldfish 1 red oranda cap goldfish 1 calico fantail goldfish and 15 zebra danios and there color morphs in a 55 gallon tank and i was wondering if they needed a air pump

 

[fluttermoth]

No, you don't need an air pump. As long as your filter makes the surface of the water ripple, there will be no need for extra aeration.

I wouldn't put zebra danios with goldies, personally. Goldies are best kept in a species tank, IMO; they are pretty greedy and will soon be able to fit a danio in their mouths....

 

[Fishy friend2]

even if the zebras are in a school that big and right now i have 2 goldfish with some zebras how come they havnt been eaten

 

[fluttermoth]

Luck...once the goldies realise that the danios will fit in their mouths, I'm afraid they don't usually last very long (of course, you may be lucky and have stupid goldies that never realise, but you can't guarantee it....)

Goldfish (well, carp anyway) in the wild are ambush predators; they'll wait until the shoal passes by and nip out and grab a few from the middle as they go past.

 

[Fishy friend2]

i think that telescope eye have bad eyesight so can i have all telescopes with danios

 

[fluttermoth]

lol; nice thought, but no, if the goldies can catch them they will, eventually.

Of course, there are always people who have individual fish that for one reason or another, allow them to get away with things (bettas with guppies, for instance, or angels with neons), but that doesn't mean that these things are not risky and goldies with small shoalers is one of those; it may work for some people, some of the time, but it's not something I could ever, with a clear conscience, recommend.

 

[XeroTolerance]

lol; nice thought, but no, if the goldies can catch them they will, eventually.

Of course, there are always people who have individual fish that for one reason or another, allow them to get away with things (bettas with guppies, for instance, or angels with neons), but that doesn't mean that these things are not risky and goldies with small shoalers is one of those; it may work for some people, some of the time, but it's not something I could ever, with a clear conscience, recommend.

I agree with fluttermoth

 

[Fishy friend2]

maybe i will start out with 1 goldie and 4 danios for 2 or 3 weeks and if nothing happens i might just get more because i at least want more than 1 species of fish in my tank

 

[XeroTolerance]

Sounds good.

 

[fluttermoth]

se i at least want more than 1 species of fish in my tank

I appreciate that mate, but some fish are just best kept in species tanks and goldies are one of those, really If you put a heater in you could think about bristlenoses maybe.