Hi all!

I'm planning to buy a fish in a couple of weeks time, just wanted some general advice on fish keeping as ive never had fish before and want to get it right.

I quite like the look of the fancy goldfish, how big do they get and what size tank will they need? (im planning to only have one or two)

Any other tips??

goldfish come in 2 types. you have your fancies (such as oranda, moors and the like), and standards, such as comets and shubunkins.

standard goldfish grow to be about 12" long, and need uge aquariums from an early age. usually about 90L per fish. and when they grow up, they will be much better in a pond.

fancy goldfish are smaller (growing between 6 and 8"), and can live in smaller tanks, needing about 50L per fish. these fish will not be able to go in ponds though.

goldfish of both varieties are social fish, and are far happier when kept in groups of 2 or 3. so, if you wanted 2 fancy goldfish, you would need a tank about 100L, 3 you will need a tank 150L, and so on. The tank will also need good filtration as they produce a lot of waste.
And dont forget that the tank will need to be cycled fishlessly before adding the fish. basically, how filters work is that good bacteria inside them literally eats the waste chemicals the fish produce, thus making the water safe for the fish. this bacteria does not exist at first in the tank, and needs to develop gradually over time (usually 3 or 4 weeks). if fish are added during this time period, then no bacteria exist to remove their waste, waste levels rise, and the fish usually end up dying because of it (how many times have people bought goldfish to have them dye right away?). so, its much safer to add the fish once this cycle is finished however, its more complicated than just leaving the tank empty, as, for the bacteria to grow, there needs to be food there for it, and with no fish in there, no food will be available. so what you need to do is add the bacteria, and food for it yourself, in the form of household ammonia. if you google aquarium fishless cycle, then some good guides will pop up for you and explain the process in more detail.

and finally, well done on actually asking about the first and not diving in head first without reading about them. far too many people just go straight to the pet shop, select a goldfish and a small tank, and then come crying to us because they run into problems. its very mature of you, and im sure as a result, then your fish will thrive

wow i didnt realise they had to be kept in such a huge tank! glad i checked.
My friend has a tank which i can have, she is bringing in to me next week. Once i know how big it is i can decide what type of fish to get. She said its fairly big but i wont know til i see it. am quite looking forward to bringing home my new fishy friend! I spotted a lovely orlanda goldfish in the shop last week, hope he is still available when i get my tank!!