Fantail Goldfish?

Question
Can a fantail goldfish live in a 10 gallon for like 2 months, if it is less than 5 inches? You see, i currently have a ten gallon kit from a pet store a few months back that i had 4 balloon Mollies in.... all but one died, and she isn't looking to well currently. I had an ammonia strike and my pet store gave me some bad pH advice, and I'm convinced that's what killed them. If my last Molly does indeed... bite the dust... i would really like to get a fantail from the store in town. They have some beautiful ones (a gorgeous silver one I've had my eye on for some time)that i would love to keep. If i can keep my 10 gal going for a few months, i will be able to upgrade. (at LEAST a 20, probably larger) My current tank has a heater, Whisper filter rated for a 10 gallon, and a bubble maker (air stone? I'm not sure if that is the name...) I would thoroughly clean my tank before adding new fish to make sure no Molly germs (diseases that may have killed them, etc.) are left behind. SO... would that be terribly awful for a young goldfish for a few months, or is there something better for me to buy?? P.S... I'm also interested in angelfish and would be able to get a hex aquarium in necessary, but it would be a few months...

Answer
Hi Allie,

Sorry for the late response. Your question was sent to the Question Pool and I'm working through it to clear some back dated questions.

10 gallons would be sufficient to sustain a single Fantail in the short term. Eventually though I'd advise upgrading to the biggest tank within your budget and adding a couple more Fantails. Goldfish loosely shoal together, single specimens don't tend to thrive as much as groups. Goldfish as a species are notoriously messy and will produce vast amounts of ammonia in their urine. A single Goldfish needs at least 10 gallons to himself, keep the water surface churning to provide optimum oxygenation. You may notice the fish gasping at the surface for air if oxygen levels fall too low in the tank.

Never let the tank temperature fall below 13C otherwise you leave the delicate finnage open to attack by parasites. Try and keep your pH level as close to 7.0 as possible, Goldfish will accept minor fluctuations, but anything to drastic and their in trouble.

In terms of diet keep him on frozen green foods supplemented by either Daphnia or Bloodworm once or twice a week. Flake food swells in the gut and can cause buoyancy problems, particularly in Fancy Goldfish where the swim bladder isn't as tough as in common varities.

.....I assume you want to keep Angelfish with the fancy Goldfish. To be honest I wouldn't risk it, the long, flowing fins will be too much of a temptation for a pack of hungry Angels and it won't be long before there are huge chunks torn out of your Goldfish's dorsal and caudal fins. Not only will this ruin his appearance, hinder his aerodynamics but it will also allow fungus to set in which, if untreated, will cut his life short.

Many Thanks

Tom