Plants: Rosewood Sydeco artificial plantsįish: Black moor, Calico ryukin, Red telescope, Red oranda, Chocolate oranda, Calico ranchu - all from Star Fisheries Lighting: Arcadia overtank luminaire, two 25w T8ĭécor: Unipac black quartz gravel, various sizes of stone and pebble Tank: 80 x 45 x 45cm/32 x 18 x 18” OptiWhite with cabinet The photoperiod is limited only to viewing times to help reduce nuisance algae. Lighting spectrum was also chosen to give best colour rendition, with a pinkish tube and full-spectrum tube used to bring out the colours of fish and plants to great effect. OptiWhite glass gives maximum clarity and, with overtank lighting, gives an enhanced perspective to the whole aquascape. The tank lends itself to this set-up, being relatively tall and wide, so suiting the tall-bodied fish. Two to three one-third water changes are carried out weekly to help maintain excellent water quality - and that’s something goldfish really deserve. To ensure good oxygen levels I pointed the filter outlet up to agitate the surface and against the back glass to prevent excess flow throughout the water column. I opted for two large external filters, each holding almost 10 l/2.2 gal of mature biological media. However, flow rate should not be too high as fancy goldfish don’t have the easiest time swimming. Goldfish produce lots of waste and have a relatively high oxygen demand, so good filtration is essential. PFK recommends a smaller number of fish - say three or four - or a larger tank for six of this size, long term.

The six goldfish came to me from Star Fisheries and are quite large (much bigger than I expected when planning this set-up) with the biggest, a beautiful Chocolate oranda, measuring almost 15cm/6' total length. If you consider that a good-sized fancy will hit 15cm/6” then a tank of around 36” x 12” would be the minimum - but the bigger the better! Even fancy varieties can grow quite large and need lots of room and good filtration to cope with their wastes.Īs far as swimming space is concerned, PFK suggests sticking to the 'six times rule' and using a tank that’s at least six times the typical length of an adult and twice the width. There’s always plenty of debate on recommended aquarium size for goldfish. The tallest plants on the left and shortest on the right would help give a pleasant sloping effect, with plenty of swimming space at the front and ends of the tank. Some low plants would creep over large stone, creating a nice foreground. Large stones would hide the lower portions of the plants and smaller pebbles in front of them would help create a visual flow throughout the aquarium.

Smooth round stones and pebbles would complement the goldfish profile and complete my desired ornamental look. I visualised the design… tall, spiky plants contrasting well with the round shape of the fish. However, basic composition rules can still be implemented effectively, such as the positioning of colourful plants and dominating hardscape. Although they are not based on trueĪquatic plants, they suited the style I wanted to achieve.ĭue to the high visual impact nature of fancy goldfish the planting and hardscape design would have to be striking and not necessarily naturalistic. I had never kept high quality fancy goldfish before and was excited about keeping something that contrasted so much with my usual taste in fish.įor instant impact and ease - as goldfish are rather prone to nibbling plants - I decided on artificial plants and the selection from Rosewood’s Sydeco range was very impressive. So when PFK commissioned a set-up for fancy goldfish I looked forward to a new challenge. Goldfish and aquascaping are two words rarely used in the same sentence. George Farmer responds to a challenge to set up a high-end artificial aquascape for fancy goldfish.

Fancy goldfish aquarium setup