I'm thinking that I might buy 2 bubble eyes soon and I was wondering what kind of set-up they need so I know what to add or take out of my spare 20 gal.
Thanks!

I have not had any bubble eye goldfish, but I believe the biggest thing is having the tank safe for them. I think many members leave out the decor and anything that could cause damage to their eyes and leave it bare bottom to make looking for food easier.

Should I stay away from live plants? I have a couple in my big tank that I could put in there. I don't know what kind of plants they are but they don't seem rough.

I would think live plants to be soft enough, but will they be in pots or in gravel? That would be my only concern. I am hoping someone who has had these guys will chime in with their own experience. I think the only reason I have stayed away from these delicate fish is for the extra precautions you need to take with them. I think also, they need to only be in a tank with each other and no other kind of goldfish so they do not need to compete for the food.

I would put them in pots if the fish can't have gravel in the tank. I've never had a bubble eye before so I am as lost if not more than you.

this may help

http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzone.com/...c=53208&hl=

Edit only the first three post will help

Thanks.

okay here are some things on bubble eyes i have learnt from my cousin you can have gravel in the tank just make sure there are no sharp pieces and real plants are great. but of course you need the correct wattage per gallon of lighting for them to grow 2-3watts of light per gal

if you take photos of the plants i can help you identify them

As noted above, you do not want any sharp or abrasive things in the tank that could tear or poke the bubbles. They are filled with a thick jelly type material, so they do not "pop" but they will deflate. A deflated bubble can eventually re-inflate, but they rarely will match and often have "inclusions" - thick discolorations in them after an accident.

Gravel is fine - just as it would be for any goldfish - make sure it is large enough that they cannot swallow it. If you have multiple large stones that the fish is going to try to jam his head down between to get food, the bubbles may be damaged - so not not allow that type of setup.

The most important SETUP specialty that you need for a bubble eye is the filter intake grate changes. You must add in an extra layer to the grate to avoid the suction that can occur. To describe this, picture sucking on the end of a straw. You can put your finger over the end and it is sucked up to the end of the straw and held there with the suction. This is how just a tube intake on a filter can "suck" a regular fish and injure/kill it. Now if you crumple up a bit of paper napkin and put it on the end of the straw, the straw can still draw air through it as you suck, but your finger cannot get stuck - the air flows around the finger in through the napkin. The napkin stops the finger from getting stuck to the end of the straw.

If you put a grated end on the filter intake, a normal fish can escape, but a bubble eye, with the large bubbles is not capable. Those bubbles can be sucked down on the grate of the intake - much like your finger covering the whole end of the straw. You need to put something more between the grate and the bubble.

Many use a second grate - placed over the first. Koko uses the plastic baskets that come on real plants for aquaiums. This, fastened over the first grate will hold the fish's bubbles off the grate, allowing the water to flow around and into the filter. There is no suction and the bubbles are not damaged. I have used netting bags that are held out with the needlepoint plastic cut to fit inside and hold the bag in a circle. The bag is then tied up around the first grate. I like larger netting - 1/8 holds at least - so that the fish waste does not collect on them and goes into the filter. I am sure that you can figure out something that will work for you and your particular setup. The idea is to hold the fish off a distance from the first grate so that the suction of the filter does not trap the bubble.

Water parameters are the last HUGE thing with a bubble eye fish. They are a bit more sensitive to infection in their bubbles. Infections in the bubbles are extremely difficult to successfully treat...... A rampant infection can cause a bright red bubble that swells, then collapses and the fish dies...... A bubble eye should NEVER be used to cycle a tank - and should only be kept in pristine water.... NO ammonia, NO nitrite and low nitrates.....

I think they are beautiful fish. I have been looking for another bubble eye ever since my Ms. Weebles died, but have not found one that "wanted me".....

Thanks Daryl. That bubble eye is gorgeous! Could you take a picture of your filter so I can get an image of what it looks like?

I mentioned getting some bubble eyes this morning when my dad was asking when I was going to move the 20 gal back into storage and he caved! I'm excited! I need to buy a new filter and let it cycle and then in couple weeks I can head back to the LFS! I just have to pay my dad $15/month for electricity.

sharp objects are always not a good idea to have in your tank ... i find that ...the less decorations in the tank .. the more beautiful they are because of how they swim here and there ... there bubble just flopps side to side ^^