I was in the pet store this evening getting supplies and made the mistake of walking through the fish tanks. They had the cutest little pearlscale goldfish! The only reason I didn't come home with one of them is I was afraid they were too small to put in with my large fish. Now here I am at home, still wanting to go back and get the fish. What is the recommendation on mixing fish of different sizes? I have three large fish, each around 2 inches long (not counting the tail). The little pearscales were only about 3/4 of an inch.

You want the smaller fish at least twice the size of your larger goldfish' mouth. You would be amazed at how large an object they can get in there - and how large an object they think they can get in there!

If in doubt, section off a part of your tank for the little guy - using a plastic grid or a floating basket. He will grow really fast - they usually do!

Sounds like a cutie!

Thanks for the fast reply! I'm sure the pearlscale is too large to be eaten, I was just afraid it would be harrassed and unable to get it's share of food. But I might be able to help that problem by spreading the food out across the tank instead of feeding in one spot like I usually do. Will the big fish pick on the little guy?

Even with 75 gallons, I figure I won't buy any more than 5 or 6 fish, so I've been taking my time and only buying ones that I REALLY liked. Those little pearlscales really struck my fancy.

I recently did the same as you...went into a pet store & found a tiny goldie I HAD to get! I have always admired Blue Orandas that people post pics of here but have never seen one for sale. Then there it was so cute & TINY!! I got it (of course) & when I put it in my big tank I watched closely armed with my trusty net should a rescue be needed. Everything has gone just fine! Go ahead....get that Pearly!!

Occasionally, I find that it is the smaller fish that does the harassing. They move faster and can swim circles around a larger fish - nipping fins and swiping food!

In general, I would not worry too much. Put the food in multiple places and watch them eat. That way you can make sure they all get their due allotment. Provide some soft plants that the small ones can dodge through if chased - and all should be good.

When introducing new fish to an established tank, I like to move the plants and deco around a bit. This makes the tank "new" to the older fish as well - and starts them all out a bit more the same in learning a new home.

I do, however, want to stress that I NEVER cease to be amazed at what a goldfish can manage to stuff into its mouth. They will cram fish, rocks, suction cups, etc in - things you would have thought were FAR too large to even attempt to eat! If the smaller fish (or for that matter any stone, suction cup, loose biomedia chip, etc.) is not at least twice the size of the largest thing you think they may wish to attempt to eat, you may find it stuck halfway down your larger fish. We have had people on this site report just that.

Unfortunately, to save the larger fish, the smaller fish must be sacrificed.

Observe them carefully when adding a little guy to a big guy's tank. My big fellows would think nothing about gulping down a 2-3 inch baby - one snap and all is over!

I've never had a problem mixing it up size-wise in my tank. Generally, I've found that my smaller fish seem to have an incentive to grow or something, because they're bigger now than the ones that were larger!

LOL...

Little Mickey Blue is just fine in with the big guys!! I like my big guys but it is always fun watching a little one grow!!

I wouldn't worry about the little guy with bigger fish. I've just recently had to separate a 3" oranda from my 5 inch ranchu because the oranda wouldn't stop picking on the ranchu!!! This poor big behemoth of a fish was trying desperately to get away from this little oranda that insisted on biting his face! I finally separated them when, in an attempt to get away, the ranchu got stuck in a plastic plant. The little guys can be very tenacious!

Angela

My little guys and I mean little attempt to harass my bigger ones. Luckily Rocket is a pretty mellow fish and just seems to ignore Spikes attempts to push him around. Spike is less then two inches where Rocky is probably around 6.5 inches!

This is going to sound odd but this is how I feed them and so far it works really well. Originally the babies and the big guys were in separate tanks. I fed the babies floating Kari baby pellets (which I soak) and the larger guys I feed Hikari's Oranda Gold Sinking Pellets. At feeding time the babies zoom to the top for the baby pellets where the big one's wait for the larger sinking pellets down below. I'm sure this won't work forever but for the past month its worked just fine.