I need 3 goldfish for my science fair project(which,by the way,i changed-bet you cant guess what it is!)and I was wondering what I should get. I am using a 55 gallon tank. I wanted to get a common or comet(rescue a poor feeder) and on oranda, but i'm not sure if the feeder would out compete the oranda.Also,what should I get for a 3rd variety? I don't like the varietys with the strange eye formations(telescopes,buble eyes,etc.) but other than that i'm not picky. what should i get?

Get a a ranchu or a shubumpkin! they're cool

Don't shubunkins need big tanks because theyre very active?Would they outcompete an oranda? I have to have 3 fish in the tank and i don't want to overstock.

Oooooh no shubumkins come in all sizes... they are generally quite peaceful. Mine Shu and Oranda get along fine together... Comets are the ones who will 'out-compete' a Oranda as they like to swim fast lots.

dang,there goes my rescue a feeder idea...Nobody wants to guess what i changed my project to?

Ok what are you going to do?
I remember your last thread got locked, so tread carefully

A goldfish memory test... for about 3 weeks I'm going to feed at the same time every day,put the food in the same place in the tank, and tap lightly on the glass a few times before putting food in.Then,after 3 weeks,'ll check where they are in the tnk before i feed them and see if they remember when and where the food comes in,and observe what they do and where they go when i tap on the glass,to see if they remember what it means(food)

Thats a better experiment but i would think you would need a control tank to spot any difference.

It would have been better to have 2 goldies in one tank and two in another so that you could have one tank where you didnt tap the glass and observe if the fish reacted to you or the tapping.

I used to tap when I fed my bettas as some of them hid at feeding times. I used tot ap the glass lightly to let them know it was feeding time and the females got the hang of it in a couple of days.

my fish know its feeding time as soon as the light goes on. they gather at the top and go crazy

Unfortunately, The only reason I am able to do this with a 55 gallon is that i have an empty one in my basement,and theres no way my mom will buy me another. So, would a shubunkin, a common or commet(whichever i get as a feeder) and an oranda be ok?I've just alway felt bad for those poor little feeders...

For a 55 gallon you are going to need to upgrade in less than a year with all those fish. If you plan on wanting to keep them then I would go for just one of those fish. If it was my choice then a shubunkin.

The teacher required that I use 3. Are there any of those that are small enough that I can have 3 in 55 without them outgrowing it?I'm ok with just about any species.

Could I get 3 orandas?Or shubunkins? My teacher said i need 3 fish to get an average,though if absolutely neccessary i can talk to my teacher again, but i don't think she'll change on this one...

well, you can get three fancy goldies since they get less big and require less room. for the comet/common/shrubby they get alot bigger so for a 55 gal 2 is the max.

What about a combo...2 fancies and 1 common/shubunkin/commet?
If not, 3 orandas would be fine,or maybe a fantail too.

In order to have the scientific method work properly, I think you'd need to go with three of the same breed of goldfish.

Though they are all the same species, the different breeds all have different advantages and disadvantages. Some are able to swim faster than others, or if your fish has lots of wen growth it might cover the eyes... all of this would affect how well it searches for food. I know you're testing the memory, but if you are using food as the incentive, feeding needs to be standard across the board.

I would suggest getting three fantails.

Another thing worth thinking about is if you're going to be able to follow through on the science end of it while your tank cycles. For the benefit of the fish, I'd suggest doing a fishless cycle, then you'll know that they are all being placed in a healthy environment, and your experiment won't be affected by poor health due to cycling.

That is, assuming you don't have an already cycled filter.

Shubunkins will not be compatible with fancies 90% of the time. (When I first started keeping goldfish, I tried this!) they will nip fins and get all the food. Have to stick with the commons, comets, shubunkins or fancies... can't really mix

Ok, i think i'm going to go with orandas. I always liked them. By the way, i don't have an already cycled filter...I've got 3! Yay tropical tanks! I can just switch a cartridge over from my 55 gallon loach tank.

If you can't get a separate tank, maybe you can adjust your memory trigger.

You can maybe find a divider for the tank and use some sort of visual aid at one side, and nothing in the other. Then see how fish on one side of the tank react as oppose to fish on the other with no visual aid.

There was also another test I read about once to see if fish could hear:

Play a flute or bell right before feeding, over time, if the fish can hear, then they will react when they hear the bell and get ready to be fed.

I'm setting up the tank this weekend. I'm saying this on thursday cuz I go to private school, and unlike the public schools in our area we get a day off tommarow Which filter should I seed from? Ive got a power filter on another 55 (tropical loach tank,YAY LOACHES) which has been running for less than a year, a canister on my 26 that has been running for almost 3 years, and a sponge filter designed for a 125 gallon tank thats been running in my 55 (same one) for less than a month. The weakest has been running the longest,but the strongest has been running for the shortest. Which do I use(which probably has the most bacteria)? I think no matter what species I get, I'll be rescueing it from certian doom in the cluthes of someone who is uneducated about goldfish if i get it from petco.

Ive just learnt this. Ive had to rehome my shabunkin as it laid into my orando and other fancies, it also managed after a huge fight with my goldfish to get him on the bullying team also.

orandos are lovely and you van different types. I have a red cap Orando.

So hows the set up going?

Just to correct some information...

Shubunkins have the same body shape as commons and comets and all three should reach about a foot in length.

I would get three fancy goldfish similar in strength for stocking and testing purposes. Orandas, ryukins and fantails are all pretty similar and one of each would be good if you want variety. Make sure you pick some healthy ones!

Your test should work. I conditioned my goldies to know it was meal time when I turn off the aeration