Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I have 4 goldfish (3 of which are comets) in a 1300L tank. I introduced 25 Silver Perch fingerlings last night (about 1" inch larger than the goldfish) and have now noticed that the comets long tails are frayed, which I suspect can be attributed to the perch nipping the fins.

I have also seen a larger perch fingerling "chase and harass" the goldfish. Obviously I am concerned that the goldies may now get a bacterial infection at the site of the damage.

Has anyone else experience of keeping silver perch and goldfish - is it a good idea? Will the situation fix itself once the fish all settle in, or is it best to remove the goldfish?

Welcome your thoughts......

I have some 25 or so cm silver perch, as well as smaller Jades in with goldfish (commets). It does not seem to present a problem. I expect the fins have been chewed a bit at times, but the aquaponic tank environment is so healthy that fungus at these sites has never been a problem.

maybe the perch might eat the goldies? When the silvers get bigger its a distinct possibility

I have a fantail (fairly slow goldfish) in with some silverperch (for a couple of months or so now) which are well fed.

However i have seed about 10 comets be massacared by 70 or so silver perch. The reason: they were hungry!!! There was a disease outbreak umong the silvers so they were transferred into a smaller tank (the goldfish tank) for treating (with formalin and salt) They were not fed as they were sick, and the feed only aggrivated to the problems. The silvers told us that they were better when they killed and ate most of the goldfish. There were goldfish carcases (just bones) on the bottom, in the filter and then there were the unlucky goldfish. There was one mising its eyes and chunks out of its side, and still alive

oh and the goldfish and silver perch were about the same size

I had one goldfish, feeder fish, in with my jades for a long time, It grew faster than the Jades in the winter time, and I was deluded into thinking that it might be a silver, a bit of a ring-in. As it got bigger it began to harass the jades, so I caught it and put it into the garden pond where it still happily resides.

My goldies have no chance of geeting bigger than the perch. For food they only get the crumbs (so to speak). Bit hard for a commet to eat a 4mm pellet (at least the size goldies I have anyway).

I have 4 shubunkins sp.? with my jades, they look happy and are growing well. Maybe the fantails suffer the fate of guppies, their tails say "look at me, i might be food" it their own fault, fancy show offs

I have 4 goldies in with 50 silvers. The silver are 2 to 3 times the size and they seem to be doing fine. Could be a little stressed and sleeping with 1 eye open but their task was only to be a feeder fish.

Can't wait for the guppies to start breeding... hmm bight sized snacks.

btw they have been in there 2 weeks now.

IMO the goldies are on borrowed time if you leave them in there. They are not blessed with the same speed or agility as the silvers, or the same hunting instinct, I'm surprised yours are still kicking FJ...

One thing I have noticed though with the goldies, the feeder fish (or "bronze" goldfish) are so much faster, agile, hardier, and more sneaky/elusive when you try to catch them, than the colourful goldfish.

I have a mixture of them in my back pond and whenever I try to catch them I always end up with the colourful ones first.

Perhaps it is something also to do with the colour of the fish that means the feeders are able to bluff their way along with larger carnivorous fish like silvers and jades.

I bet no-one has kept goldies with Barra though

simmo, you mean if they co-habit with yabbies / marron?

No I was more or less replying directly to Marcus (should have quoted).

If his goldies are already being harassed by the new arrivals they prolly wont last too much longer.

I was surprised that FJ, yourself and others have had goldies in with silver/jade perch, I always thought they would be eaten/harassed to death (unless they were a lot larger).

Any one know if koi and tilapia can go together?

what, with lime and salad?