How to Care for a Goldfish

Many people believe that a goldfish is far easier to care for than other types of pet fish. However, goldfish care is actually made more complicated by the messy nature of the goldfish. To care for a goldfish, those messes have to be cleaned up.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Goldfish
• Tank
• Filter
• Stress Coat
• Gravel
• Food

1. Set up a fish tank with a good under-gravel filter. A goldfish produces so much waste that a filter is a necessity. Some people may say that a side filter works just as well, but I've found that an under-gravel filter works far better for a goldfish because their waste is so heavy.

2. Use enough gravel to cover the filter and make sure that the goldfish won't get a fin trapped in it, but not so much that the waste won't filter through. Most fish books recommend a darker-colored gravel to keep stress to the goldfish minimal.

3. Change out some of the goldfish's water at least once a week. The larger the tank, the longer it can probably go without a water change. If you have a very small tank, changing some of the water out every day will probably be best. If you have to change it out so often, keep some water at room temperature at all times to keep the temperature in the tank from changing dramatically. A jug or two-liter bottle filled with water should provide enough for a few changes of 10-20 percent of the water in a small tank. Be sure to use Stress Coat or another chlorine inhibitor before adding the water to the tank. Read the back of the bottle for the exact dosage.

4. Have a good tank light that is on much of the day to simulate the light that would reach them in the wild. Just make sure that the light does not warm the tank too much. Goldfish are native to coldwater ponds and don’t like water that is warmer than room temperature. If you suspect the water is too warm, use a thermometer to check the tank. A lower wattage bulb may make the goldfish more comfortable.

5. Provide the goldfish with a good flake food or small pellet food. While there are specialty foods and supplements made for goldfish, goldfish are really scavengers and will eat just about anything. Fish food flakes are easy for a goldfish to eat and have plenty of nutrients.

Tips & Warnings

• You may have heard that goldfish don't live long or that a few months is a normal lifespan. It isn't. If you practice the proper goldfish care your goldfish could live for 30 years or even longer.
• When you first bring a goldfish home in a bag, make sure to set up the tank and then float the bag on top of the water before releasing the fish into the tank. This will keep the goldfish from going in to shock from a rapid temperature change.

[ryukinprincess]

on 8/24/2009 - Its not safe to change the water too often though, either - as it kills alot of the good bacteria in the water. Also: Emmaxx: 2 fish in 2 litres will not survive very long even if they "look fine" :( Unfortunatly, if someone put a small kitten or puppy in a shoebox, it would look OK too, for a little while - but it would be cruel to force it to survive in there for its lifespan and in its own feces, etc.

[vanijoe]

on 12/24/2008 Good info man.thanks.

A COMPLETE GUIDES ABOUT GOLDFISH CARE :
http://bestgoldfishcare.blogspot.com/

[Emmaxx]

on 11/28/2008 Hi again, i feed my goldfish pellets and every so often these things that look like brown tablets and they smell fishy but the thing is that once i clean the bowl out the next day it becomes really dirty and murky. Do you suppose it might be because we keep them near a radiator? But thats only on low.

[SDKP]

on 11/7/2008 He may need more aeration. He may be trying to get some air because the oxygen level of the water is low.

[Emmaxx]

on 11/4/2008 Yay!!! I found out that we are getting a bigger tank off my mums friend. By the way what does it mean when a fish is just in the water not at the top and is looking like they aree trying to eat but they are not. Please answer back