Goldfish Breeding?

[Dolly1218]

Hi everyone. I have a 10 gallon fish tank with 2 goldfish, 1 snail, 1 sucker fish (idk how to spell the plectonomus?.. its real name lol), 1 cordiroy fish (supposed to be a bottom feeder like a catfish). I noticed 1 of my goldfish had a big belly for awhile and this morning she doesnt. My question is, although it may be silly, do goldfish lay eggs or birth live babies? I have a cave, plants, sand, and rocks in their and I wasnt sure if she would try to hide eggs/babies or just swim around having them...? Also does anyone know if my other fish would eat the babies/eggs? Or goldfish breeding tips would help also! I want to breed feeder goldfish for my duckies, they loved the minnows!! I tried keeping minnows in their too, but someone kept eating the tails off and they would die from the filter.. Thank you to anyone with advice!!

 

[Bunnylady]

Well, goldfish do lay eggs, but a 10 gallon tank is way, way too small to even raise the two you have up to breeder size. Have fun with your finny pets, though!


BTW, Do you mean Corydoras catfish and Plecostomus?

 

[Dolly1218]

Well, goldfish do lay eggs, but a 10 gallon tank is way, way too small to even raise the two you have up to breeder size. Have fun with your finny pets, though!


BTW, Do you mean Corydoras catfish and Plecostomus?

What size tank do they need? And yes Corydoras & Plecostomus, their names are hard to remember to spell correctly lol

 

[AinaWGSD]

For two breeder goldfish, probably a 50 gal. tank at minimum. Goldfish are very "dirty" fish and require a lot more tank space and filtration than some of the other tropical fish commonly kept as pets, about 20 gal. per fish. They also tend to prefer cooler water temperatures than your cory and plecostomus. And plecos are pretty "dirty" fish themselves all things considered. Also, goldfish will eat their own offspring if there isn't enough room in the tank for the smaller fish to get away.

 

[Dolly1218]

For two breeder goldfish, probably a 50 gal. tank at minimum. Goldfish are very "dirty" fish and require a lot more tank space and filtration than some of the other tropical fish commonly kept as pets, about 20 gal. per fish. They also tend to prefer cooler water temperatures than your cory and plecostomus. And plecos are pretty "dirty" fish themselves all things considered. Also, goldfish will eat their own offspring if there isn't enough room in the tank for the smaller fish to get away.

Oh ok thank you. Their tank is at room temperature and I have a filter that I replace/clean often. Their tank is always crystal clear lol. Will goldfish eat minnows? I had put 4 minnows in the tank to save for my ducks for a later date. All 4 had their tails eaten so they couldnt fight the current of the filter and died. Or maybe it was one of my other fish who ate the tails....? Thank you for all the information you have given me! Do you know if guppies could breed in this size tank?

 

[Bunnylady]

Would guppies breed in a 10-gallon? Just try to stop them!

But seriously, you'd have to provide lots of cover to keep the young from getting eaten, and you might have trouble getting them to the size you want as fast as you want, but almost any live-bearer will reproduce in a 10-gallon tank.

 

[Dolly1218]

Would guppies breed in a 10-gallon? Just try to stop them!

But seriously, you'd have to provide lots of cover to keep the young from getting eaten, and you might have trouble getting them to the size you want as fast as you want, but almost any live-bearer will reproduce in a 10-gallon tank.

Hmm ok. What kind of cover? I have a little cave that only fits 1 of the fish, actually I havent seen anyone but the sucker fish in it (I think he claimed it lol), a plastic tree/bush thing that the fish cant really get to the bottom or through the leaves, sand in a corner and big rocks on the opposite side. What else could I add? I would really only want them to grow to a minnows size.. Ok stupid question do guppies lay eggs or birth live babies, is that what live-bearer means? lol

 

[Nslangton]

They will breed anywhere; however, the adults will eat all of the eggs before they hatch. If they do hatch they will eat the baby fish before you even know you have them. Floating pond plants with long roots help hide the babies. The more hiding places, the better chance of survival. I don't see you having much luck in a Crystal clear tank. We have an outdoor decorative pond that is about 250 gallons with 5 fish. I have had only one baby fish in ten years. My mom seems to have babies every year, but out of the thousands of eggs she usually only gets about 5 fish. The babies look like tiny minnows. There will be thousands of them one day and the next day none. Gold fish are scrappers and will eat anything especially their young. If you can get any to hatch, I would move the adults to another tank as soon as you see them. The babies grow pretty fast and the adults won't be able to eat them after a month or so.

 

[mama24]

I bought my kids 3 guppies in Jan and put them in our 30gal tank with our ghost catfish and glass fish. My husband discovered yesterday that there are about 20 teeny babies swimming around now. They must have been hiding in the plants until they were too big to get eaten. They're extremely tiny, but I think too big to get eaten now.

 

[Dolly1218]

Ok thank you! I will get some more plants and hiding places. I won't be able to move the adults since I only have 1 tank but I am going to try to buy more plants etc to give them a better chance. Thank you all again!