Looking for goldfish in midwest

Budbudford · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 18

Hello all,

I am new to this newsgroup and have thriving goldfish in a 55 gal.
aquarium. I'm looking to expand my collection for more exotic types
of goldfish. Are Jikin and Tosakin impossible to find? I am having a
hard time just finding Panda Orandas! I live in Minneapolis and there
are a few "mom and pop" pet stores that have very good selections, but
are there any others "farms" around that have hard to find goldfish?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I hope to post pics soon.

Thanks,
Ed

Archived from group: rec>aquaria>freshwater>goldfish

sexywebie · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 13

I'm new to goldfish keeping, but I think a lot of people get their more
"exotic" goldfish from online retailers. If you don't want your fish
shipped to you, you might be able to find a breeder in an area that you
can drive to and pick up fish.

dr-solo · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 1445

a breeder of one of the most exotic goldfish is just north of you. He breeds Philly
veiltails. Foster, Allen R...7009 Town Hall Rd NE...Sauk Rapids, MN 56379-9754
>Phone: (320)253-0808
Drive up to get them, dont have him ship them to you.
For pictures http://home.wi.rr.com/drsolo/author/author1.htm look at fish montage,on
the bottom.
http://dandyorandas.com/ got tosas and panda orandas, no jinkins. You can order her
tape of the fish too, show you what she has. The tape with shipping is under 12
bucks. Ingrid

ed@cheapskatecr.com (Budbudford) wrote:

>Hello all,
>
>I am new to this newsgroup and have thriving goldfish in a 55 gal.
>aquarium. I'm looking to expand my collection for more exotic types
>of goldfish. Are Jikin and Tosakin impossible to find? I am having a
>hard time just finding Panda Orandas! I live in Minneapolis and there
>are a few "mom and pop" pet stores that have very good selections, but
>are there any others "farms" around that have hard to find goldfish?
>Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
>I hope to post pics soon.
>
>Thanks,
>Ed

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

Budbudford · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 18

Thanks a ton! I'll give a call. Sauk Rapids is only about 40 minutes away!

Ed

dr-solo · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 1445

OK.. now listen. Veils do best 2 in a 20 gallon, bare bottom and good airstones but
no horizontal power heads or anything that pushes them sideways. And those looong
fins really are attacked by nitrates, so gotta keep the nitrates under 20 ppm. Get a
tank cycled BEFORE you bring them home. If/when you get them, email me privately so
I can talk you thru the care on arrival. dr-solo@wi.rr.com Ingrid

ed@cheapskatecr.com (Budbudford) wrote:
>Thanks a ton! I'll give a call. Sauk Rapids is only about 40 minutes away!>
>Ed

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

Budbudford · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 18

I have a 55 gal. with a Magnum 350 Pro and a Bio Wheel 60. There is
also a 24" bubble wall for aeration. Nitrate and ammonia is next to
nothing. There is a problem with water hardness being too high which
is keeping my PH around 8.2, but I am slowly adding in r/o water to
take care of this.

Thanks for the great lead on the veils, but I would really like to get
my hands on a pair of panda orandas and red/black ryukins. I would
prefer them small (2 - 3"). I've been looking locally for months.

Thanks,
Ed

dr-solo · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 1445

well Al uses well water, easily as hard as you got. so the veils will be not suffer
much alkalinity shock either. Ingrid

ed@cheapskatecr.com (Budbudford) wrote:

>I have a 55 gal. with a Magnum 350 Pro and a Bio Wheel 60. There is
>also a 24" bubble wall for aeration. Nitrate and ammonia is next to
>nothing. There is a problem with water hardness being too high which
>is keeping my PH around 8.2, but I am slowly adding in r/o water to
>take care of this.
>
>Thanks for the great lead on the veils, but I would really like to get
>my hands on a pair of panda orandas and red/black ryukins. I would
>prefer them small (2 - 3"). I've been looking locally for months.
>
>Thanks,
>Ed

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

Tom La Bron · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 74

Ed,

I have Veils from Al Foster and my pH is usually around 8.0 - 8.4 all the
time.

Lots of luck on the Panda Orandas and the Red/Black Ryukins. These two
color combinations for the most part are not stable through the fish's
entire life. You may start out with Pandas but chances are they will end up
white. The same with the Red/Black which will eventually end up Red.

Tom L.L.
"Budbudford" wrote in message@posting.google.com...
> I have a 55 gal. with a Magnum 350 Pro and a Bio Wheel 60. There is
> also a 24" bubble wall for aeration. Nitrate and ammonia is next to
> nothing. There is a problem with water hardness being too high which
> is keeping my PH around 8.2, but I am slowly adding in r/o water to
> take care of this.
>
> Thanks for the great lead on the veils, but I would really like to get
> my hands on a pair of panda orandas and red/black ryukins. I would
> prefer them small (2 - 3"). I've been looking locally for months.
>
> Thanks,
> Ed

Budbudford · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 18

Thanks Tom,

If anyone else has info, please let me know.

Ed

Budbudford · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 18

I took the trip to Sauk Rapids this afternoon to visit Al Foster.
Goldfish JACKPOT! Bristol's, Veil's, Edon's, Ranchu's, and too many to
drool about. I had to leave, otherwise I would've been a poor man!
WOW! The selection is incredible!

Thanks to all for the leads!

Ed (budbudford)

user · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 1

>

Why do you recommend against having him ship the fish purchases? Is
there a problem with his shipping method, or some other issue?

Budbudford · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 18

Two reasons.

One, most people would prefer to pick out their own fish rather than
just have fish picked out randomly and sent out. At least I would.

Second, the fact that I'm only 40 minutes away to pick up a few fish
would save me $50.00 or more in shipping. Besides, my brother lives
about 10 minutes away.

It's a great experience to visit an actual breeder and see all the
different varieties they have to offer, especially if you have kids.

Ed

dr-solo · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 1445

he is in the middle of nowhere and he does 2nd day shipping, too long for GF to be in
a bag of water. very very hard on the fish. Ingrid

Underrtaker@webtv.net (. .) wrote:

>>
>
>Why do you recommend against having him ship the fish purchases? Is
>there a problem with his shipping method, or some other issue?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

Tom La Bron · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 74

Underrtaker,

Ed is just minutes away from Al, boy, wish I was only 40 minutes away. Al
and I would have some great exchanges.

Al has mailed me fish a lot of times, and they come through great. I live
in the boonies also, and there is no such thing as next day service by "any"
carrier, so I get my fish via USPS Priority Mail. The come through alive
and well each and every time.

Ingrid, doesn't know what she is talking about. She would have you think
that only Jo Ann can get fish to you health and alive. That is a bunch of
horse pucky. I have gotten fish from California and from the east coast and
have never had a problem with any delivery coming via USPO Priority Mail.
You tell Al want you want and I can tell you that I have never been
dissatisfied with what he has sent me.

Al is good guy and has great fish and gets them to you alive and well. The
one thing that I always stress is that the fish be mailed on a Monday. They
arrive early Wednesday morning and the post office calls me (sometimes as
early as 0630, but most of the time between 0700 and 0730, there are two
trucks that come in the early morning) to come and pick them up, because I
tell them in advance that the fish are coming.

HTH, and by all means don't let Ingrid's nay-saying put you off from getting
fish from Al.

Tom L.L.
". ." wrote in message@storefull-2377.public.lawson.webtv.net...
> >
>
> Why do you recommend against having him ship the fish purchases? Is
> there a problem with his shipping method, or some other issue?
>

Budbudford · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 18

Taker,

Al showed my his his whole farm and how he does everything. Right
down to the parents of the Philly Veil fry that I purchased. I may be
somewhat new at Goldfish, but I really got the feeling that this knew
what he was doing and talking about. It's amazing to see these unique
fish in person, and at such a great price.

He mentioned a show that's coming up this fall in Ohio that he'll be
at to sell off his frys from earlier this season. I'm considering it
would be worth the trip just to see this fish reach maturation, and
watch for how much they sell for.

I prefer getting goldfish when they are small. I really enjoy
"fathering" them and watch them grow, and at Al's prices, they are
really pennies on the dollar since I don't pay for shipping.

I can't wait to head back up in late July and get my Jikin and
Bristol.

Ed