Goldfish tank water changes

Water changes are a key part of proper goldfish care.

Following the correct process of changing your goldfish’s tank water can be the difference between keeping your fish strong and healthy in water that is perfectly suited to its needs, and keeping your fish in poor quality water that is hazardous to its health…

In this post, we explain how often you should do a water change, how much water to change each time, and tell you some of the most common water change mistakes to avoid!

Changing your goldfish tank water

How often should you change your goldfish tank water?

Generally speaking, you should change some of your goldfish’s tank water once per week.

We say “generally speaking”, because you will need to do more regular water changes in some situations. For example, if your tank was not properly cycled before you added your fish, then you may need to change some tank water as often as daily, in order to keep ammonia levels under control. You should regularly use a test kit to keep an eye on your goldfish tank’s water parameters and change the water more often if you see spikes in ammonia or nitrite (see our post on cycling your tank).

How much water should you change each time?

You may have noticed that we said to change “some of” your goldfish’s tank water each week. You should not change all of the water at once! In a properly cycled tank, we suggest a weekly water change of around a third of your goldfish tank’s water.

How to do a water change

If you’re wondering how to actually go about changing your goldfish’s tank water then simply follow these 10 easy steps:

1. Buy an aquarium vacuum (also known as a siphon or hose).2. Get a bucket.

3. Turn off any equipment, such as your filter or air pump.

4. Stick one end of the vacuum into the bucket and the other into the gravel at the bottom of your tank. Switch on the vaccum (or manually pump if necessary) to remove the water from the tank and transfer it to the bucket. This removes both water and waste from your tank at the same time.

5. Keep vacuuming/pumping, while moving the hose around your tank to different areas of gravel, until around a third of your tank water has been removed (you may have to empty the bucket once or twice).

6. Remove your filter and place it into the bucket of tank water – note: tank water, NOT tap water – gently squeeze out your filter sponges to remove any gunk that may be blocking your filter.

7. Put your filter sponges back into your filter and re-install the filter in the tank.

8. Wash any other equipment or decorations in the same way – in tank water, not tap water.

9. Fill your bucket with tap water and – before adding it to your tank – treat the tap water with a product such as Seachem Prime . Follow the instructions on the bottle and do this for every bucket of tap water that you use.

10. Gently and slowly pour the treated tap water into your tank. You should do this one bucket at a time and very slowly. Otherwise, the change in water condition and temperature may shock your fish.

The biggest water change mistakes goldfish keepers make

There are three major mistakes that new goldfish keepers often make when doing a water change:

1. Washing their tank equipment and decorations in tap water – your filter sponges, gravel and decorations are where the good bacteria in your tank live! You should NEVER wash your filter, filter sponges, gravel or decorations in tap water, as it will kill this good bacteria! Instead, every time you do a water change, remove a bucket of tank water and use that to clean your tank’s equipment and decorations.

2. Not treating tap water before adding it to the tank – water contains chemicals that can harm the colony of good bacteria in your tank. You should therefore use a product such as Seachem Prime whenever you do a water change. Prime treats your tap water and removes chemicals that could harm your fish or bacteria colony, such as chlorine, so that the water is safe to be added to your tank.

3. Adding water too quickly – adding tap water too quickly or when it is at a very different temperature to your tank water can shock your fish. This can make your

goldfish stressed, which lowers its immune system and increases the chance of it getting ill.

Is this how you go about your water changes? Do you have any comments, questions or tips that may help other goldfish keepers? Leave a comment below!

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Goldfish Tank Setup: Cycling your goldfish tank

So you’ve decided to get a pet goldfish, you’ve bought a suitable tank, a large enough filter, and maybe some food, plants and decorations… all you have to do now is rush down to the pet shop and pick out your new fish, right? Wrong!

There’s one more very important step to goldfish tank setup and proper goldfish care, which you must follow in order to give your fish the best chance of living a healthy, happy and long life.

That step is called “cycling” your tank. Here’s what cycling is, and what you need to do…

What does “cycling a goldfish tank” mean?!

This may sound complicated at first, but don’t worry, it’s not too bad really and cycling your goldfish tank is very important – so stick with it!

Like all animals, goldfish produce waste. This isn’t a problem for them in the wild, as there is so much water in rivers and in the sea that their waste gets diluted and doesn’t do them any harm. However, in a tank – even quite a big tank – their waste will build up in the water (even if you do lots of water changes) and will damage their health.

This is where “cycling” comes in! When we talk about “cycling” a goldfish tank, what we’re referring to is building up a colony of “good bacteria” in your tank – mainly in your filter and gravel. These bacteria take your water through something called “the Nitrogen Cycle” and make it safe for your fish to live in.

There are two stages to this process:

1. Ammonia (a harmful chemical in fish waste) is turned into something called “nitrite”

This is good – because ammonia is bad for your fish, so you want to get rid of it! Unfortunately, nitrite isn’t very good for them either. So we need to get rid of that too!

2. Nitrite gets turned into something called “nitrate”

Bacteria to the rescue again! Fortunately, bacteria can turn nitrite into something called “nitrate“. Now, nitrate is still not “good” for your fish, but it’s a lot less bad than ammonia and nitrite, and is only harmful in high quantities. (You’ll prevent nitrate getting too high by doing regular water changes.)

How to cycle a goldfish tank

Cycling a goldfish tank is really easy. All you need to do is set up your tank as if the fish were already in it – including adding gravel (if you want gravel!), installing a suitable aquarium   filter and switching your filter on – then regularly add ammonia until your water tests show zero ammonia, zero nitrite and some nitrate.

Great! Wait, what? tests?! Yeah, this will feel a bit like chemistry class, but it’s important (and can be fun!). You need to test your water during the cycling process to see whether you’ve built up a bacteria colony that are getting rid of your ammonia and nitrite and turning them into nitrate. You do this using a test kit  (don’t worry – they come with instructions and are really easy to use!).

As well as a test kit, you’ll also need a source of ammonia .

Once you have your ammonia and your test kit – and you’ve setup your tank, with water added and the filter running – simply start adding one drop of ammonia per day for every gallon of water in your tank. If you’re using this product  then one drop per gallon will equal 2 ppm (“parts per million”) of ammonia. You can also buy other bottled ammonia, though the strength may vary.

After a few days, test your water for ammonia and for nitrites. You should see quite a high ammonia reading (as you’re adding it!) and maybe some nitrites. if you don’t see any nitrites then don’t worry – just keep adding ammonia each day until you do.

Once you get a nitrite reading, all you have to do is keep adding ammonia and start testing for nitrates. After a few more days – or possibly weeks – you’ll see nitrates start to appear. Once this happens, keep adding ammonia and keep testing for all three substances. Eventually, you will see ammonia go down to zero and nitrites go down to zero, while nitrate readings stay high. Congratulations! Your tank is cycled!

What to do once your tank is cycled

Keep adding ammonia until the day before you get your fish – this is to keep the bacteria “fed” until your fish arrive and start adding their own ammonia (waste)

Do a water change of at least 50% to lower nitrates before you add any fish

Add your fish one at a time and continue testing your water – adding too many fish could upset the delicate balance of bacteria in your tank and see ammonia or nitrites reappear

And that’s it! Follow this simple (even if it may sound a bit complicated at first!) cycling process and you’ll soon be ready to buy your first goldfish!

We know cycling can be frustrating, and may mean that you can’t bring home that first fish as soon as you’d like though, so see below for a few tips on how to speed the process up, a few warnings to make sure you don’t mess the process up, and a summary of the main points presented in this article.

Speeding up the cycling process

There are a few things that may help speed up the cycling of a fish tank.

High temperature: Keeping your water slightly warmer than you would usually can make bacteria reproduce more quickly.

Bacteria in a bottle: You can buy bacteria in a bottle to help start your bacteria colony. How well these products work is debatable. And don’t believe what they say about adding fish “instantly”. you should still add ammonia and test your water until it is properly cycled!

Borrow bacteria from a friend! “Eww…what?!”… Don’t worry, it’s not as disgusting as it sounds! We just mean that, if you know someone who already has a well established, cycled fish tank (which is free of diseases) then it can help to “seed” your tank with bacteria from there tank. Simply take some of their gravel or cut a piece of their filter sponge off and add it to your own tank to transfer the bacteria!

Warnings!

DO NOT clean your filter or gravel in tap water at any point during the cycling process or afterwards. Your filter sponges and your gravel are where the bacteria live and you don’t want to kill them! You should only ever clean your filter in water from your tank.

DO NOT listen to people who tell you to add “feeder” fish straight away as a source of ammonia. It’s cruel and they will almost certainly die. The above “fishless” cycle using bottled ammonia is much kinder!

DO NOT add too many fish at once – as mentioned above, this can ruin all of your hard work.

STAY PATIENT! Cycling a fish tank can take weeks – or even longer – but it’s much better than having unhealthy, unhappy fish that die soon after you buy them.

Summary

We know that cycling is a complicated topic and can seem confusing at first, but it’s important to realize that goldfish care starts before you get your fish, not when you get your fish. Here are the main things to remember:

Cycling is a vital part of keeping healthy fish Cycling should be done before adding any fish

Cycling means adding ammonia until enough bacteria exists to “eat” all of the ammonia and nitrites in your tank

You start the process off by adding bottled ammonia to your tank

Your tank should be fully setup – including the filter running – when you do this

You measure the levels of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates using test kits

You can tell when enough bacteria exists by test readings that show zero ammonia, zero nitrite and some nitrate

Once your tank is cycled, it’s important to add fish slowly (not too many at once) and still do regular water changes

Ten Steps To a Healthy Goldfish

Tank 1. A 20 gallon tank for a one goldfish, and an additional 20 gallons for each additional

goldfish. Mature goldfish average 6 to 8 inches in length and therefore they need a big tank for just one fish. Goldfish also produce more waste than any other fish. It is for these two reasons that goldfish need a big tank for just one fish.

A filter 2.Reason: Goldfish are very dirty fish when they process thier food it goes through thier

system fast since thier organs are squished into a tight space. Because goldfish create more waste than any other fish when they process their food, they require higher filtration levels than other types of aquarium fish. Filters for goldfish should move ten times the water per hour as the size of the tank. For example, if you have a 10 gallon tank, you need a 100 gph filter. If you have a 20 gallon tank, you need a 200 gph filter, and so on.

Setting up the new tank 3. Goldfish love to pick up rocks so in my opinion you should use river rocks (you can

find them at a Home Improvement store)that way the rocks are to big for the goldfish to get in there mouths and get one stuck in there. Make sure when you get your rocks that you rinse them well with water to get rid of any debris. Then add your rocks carefully in to the tank. Next use water that you have let sit out in a jugs or buckets for 24 hours so that the toxins have had a chance to evaporate from the water (chorine, bleach, ect....) to fill up the tank with. When you add the water to your tank place a flat dish in the bottom of the tank on top of your rocks so it doesnt splash the water so much. When done remove the dish. Dechlorinator is another option since chloramine won't dissipate over time from water.

New fish must be quarantined for a minimum of 4 weeks in a separate quarantine (qt) tank. It must be assumed that any new fish that has just come from the fish store is carrying some type

of bacterial disease and/or parasite. If you introduce a new fish to your main tank without first quarantining the new fish, you risk passing on any disease or parasite to all of your existing fish in your main tank and the tank itself. Quarantines typically consist of a salt treatment and a several rounds of praziquantel as directed.

Lights and Heaters 4. Goldfish need light, just like you and I. You will also need a light if you choose to

keep live plants in the tank. Heaters are not necessary in a goldfish tank. All goldfish can live in water temperatures from Mid 80s F to quite cold. Slim-bodied goldfish can tolerate low temperatures just above freezing; however, some fancy goldfish cannot tolerate water temperatures lower than around 55 degrees F. So, unless you want your tank at a constant temperature, goldfish don't need a heater. It is often more necessary to cool the water during the hot summer months. You can do this quite inexpensively by placing a small table fan so that it blows over the top of the water. There are also cooling fans made especially for aquariums.

Additives in the water 5. When setting up a tank or doing water changes you need to add some type of water

detoxifier/conditioner to help get rid of the toxins in the water. Chlorine, chloramines and trace elements are present in all tap water. These things can be very harmful to your fish. Some water supplies also have other things in the water that are very harmful to fish. There are two basic groups of water detoxifiers/conditioners. Dechlorinators rid the water of chlorine, chloramines and trace elements. Some of these are NovAqua+ and StressCoat. Many of these also have an additive to protect and enhance the fishes' slime coat. The other group not only neutralizes chlorine, chloramines and trace elements, but also temporarily neutralizes ammonia as well. Some of these are Prime and Amquel. Both groups have their benefits. Allowing your water to sit for 24 hours will allow the chlorine to dissipate, but the chloramine and trace elements will remain, so it is important to use a detoxifier/conditioner.

Test Kits 6. The ammonia and nitrite levels are the first killers of most tanks, so it is very

important to test your water daily while it is cycling and weekly once it has cycled. You need to have test kits for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. You should also have a test kit for ph. Test kits for GH and KH can also be very helpful. Drop test kits are much more accurate and reliable than the test strips. You need to check the water before every water change. Also, if you are going to use a detoxifier/conditioner like Amquel or Prime, you will need a test kit that is "salicylate" based, because the "Nessler" based kit will give false readings when using these products.

Plants 7. You can use real plants if you like, but goldfish are nibblers, and although nibbling on

plants is good for goldfish, your real plants won't live very long. There are some plants that goldfish don't really like to nibble on like Java ferns and the grass-like plants (the wider the leaves the better). If you don't want to spend a lot of money to maintain the looks of the tank, plastic or silk plants are better. Try to choose plants that are not sharp or pointy.

Decorations are fine to put in a tank, but, again, please make sure that there are no rough edges or sharp points. Decorations with hollow areas that fish can hide in are often not recommended as toxic gases can build up inside these hollow areas and can possibly make you fish sick.

Selecting Your Fish 8. Once your tank is cycled, you can start looking for a good and healthy goldfish.

What to look for:

a. Look at the tank the goldfish are in. Are there any dead ones in the tank? If there are, that normally means there is something wrong with the fish or tank and it is most likely that all of the goldfish in that tank will be sick.

b. Look at the fish you want. Is the fish you want aware of his/her surroundings? Is the fish actively moving around, is it looking around and very aware of things and nibbling at things or just staying in one spot? Goldfish that look more aware of what's going on are the better ones.

c. Look at the fish's eyes. The eyes should be clear and not foggy. If the eyes are foggy, the goldfish could have a disease or just blind.

d. Look at the fins. The fins should be erect. The fins should not be ragged. If the fins are always in the down position, or clamped, the fish could be sick.

e. Look at the fish over all. Make sure the fish doesn't have any signs of parasites (ick, anchor worm, etc.) or any type of disease (fungus, fin rot, etc.). These can generally be identified by white spots, white fuzzy patches, red spots or red streaks.

f. Once you have chosen your fish, make sure the pet store places the goldfish in a plastic bag, then in a brown paper bag, so the fish will not get stressed out by seeing what is going on around it. When you get the fish home to its tank, make sure you float the bag in the tank for 5 minutes so that the fish will get used to the temperature in your tank without stressing out the fish. After floating the bag in the tank for 5 minutes, open the bag and slowly let the water from your tank enter the bag and let the bag again float for about a minute. Then let the goldfish out and keep a close eye on the goldfish during the quarantine process to see if there are any problems with the goldfish.

Feeding Your Goldfish 9. There are many prepared foods out there for your goldfish and everyone has their

favorites. If you're going to feed you goldfish any pellet or flake food, please soak them in water from the tank for at least one minute prior to feeding. Un-soaked food will expand in the stomach (just like if you ate rice or bread) and the goldfish will eventually get swim bladder disease (sometimes irreversibly) and will not be able to eat and swim correctly. Fish should also be fed food that sinks and does not float for this same reason. Make sure to choose foods that are high in protein and low in fillers. Goldfish also need to be fed a variety of fresh fruits and steamed vegetables for full, proper nutrition. Feed your fish once every day; what they can eat in 1 - 2 minutes or the food will spoil the tank. Goldfish should also be fasted one day a week.

Water Changes 10. Water changes should be done once a week. For goldfish, it is best to do a minimum

of a 50% water change. To remove as many harmful bacteria from the tank as possible, it is also suggested that you do a 100% water change once a month. If you have a gravel substrate, you need to vacuum it very well to remove any uneaten food and waste that has collected in it. Rinse the filter, the filter media and decorations in tank water that has been removed from the tank. This will help preserve the beneficial bacteria that are living on them which make the water safe and healthy for the fish. Add clean water that has been treated with a detoxifier/conditioner.

Cycling When you have your tank up and running you will need to understand the general rule of

cycling the tank. You can cycle with or without fish. As fish can oftentimes die when you

cycle with fish, it is best to do a fishless cycle. It is very important to have a tank that is cycled or the fish can get sick or die. Please read this link about cycling. Cycling a Tank

KEEPING GOLDFISH: A BRIEF GUIDE FOR NEW OWNERS26 March 2004

INTRODUCTION

Although goldfish are easy fish to keep, they do have some particular requirements and need good care and attention if they are to be healthy and happy.

SECTION 1: WHAT THINGS DO I NEED TO KEEP GOLDFISH?

A TANK. It doesn't matter if it is plastic or glass but it must be a proper tank - bowls are completely unsuitable for goldfish no matter what the pet store may tell you!

SIZE OF TANK: Fancy goldfish (round bodies, twin tails) need tanks which allow at least 20 US gallons (16 UK gallons) per fish. Common, comet or shubunkin goldfish however (long bodies, single tails) need at least 40 US gallons (33 UK gallons) per fish as they are much larger and faster fish. This size rule applies regardless of how old or big the fish are, e.g. three 1-inch goldfish need a 60-gallon tank just as much as three 6-inch goldfish. You can keep them in a smaller tank when they are very young but they will quickly outgrow it and water quality will always be a struggle to maintain so you will soon have to upgrade, which is expensive.

The main reason for this large space requirement is that goldfish are particularly messy creatures which produce large amounts of bodily wastes, far more than most tropical fish. These wastes can very quickly poison a small volume of water, whereas a large amount of water dilutes them and make it much easier to keep the tank clean, safe and stable.

The second reason is that goldfish need lots of space to achieve their full growth and lifespan. Goldfish can in fact grow well over a foot long and live for more than 20 years if cared for well. However, if kept in cramped unhealthy conditions their growth is stunted and they become very prone to diseases and weakness. These unfortunate fish die young.

SHAPE OF TANK: Goldfish tanks need a big surface area for good oxygenation, so a basic rectangular shape is best. Avoid tall, narrow, or oddly shaped tanks, such as those like two towers with connecting tunnels. Always fill a new tank and examine it very carefully first for any leaks or cracks before you trust it with your precious fish. (The currently popular globe-shaped tanks called Bi-Orbs are just about big enough to hold ONE fancy goldfish).

POSITIONING THE TANK: Place the tank out of direct sunlight and on a surface definitely strong enough to take its weight; a specially designed stand from the fish store is safest. Don't place it where the fish will be constantly startled by noise and movement or jolted by passing people. Site it close to a power supply (you will need 2 - 4 sockets) and to a water supply, as you don't want to be lugging heavy buckets up three flights of stairs every week!

PREPARING THE TANK: When you first set up your tank, don't put any fish in it for at

least a week. Put in the substrate, plants and ornaments, fill it up, turn on the filter, air supply and light and let it run like that. After a week, when the water is completely clear, the temperature has levelled out and you are satisfied that all the equipment is functioning properly, you can add fish.

ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT: Your tank MUST have the following to keep your goldfish safe and healthy:

1. LID / HOOD. Goldfish have been known to make fatal jumps out of open-topped tanks, plus air-borne pollutants such as cleaning sprays, smoke or cooking fumes can poison them, so keep the tank covered.

2. FILTER. Filters remove wastes and chemicals from the water, keeping it clean. Without one, the water will become foul very quickly so this is a "must-have" piece of equipment. There are several types available:

* Under-gravel filter (or UGF for short)* Sponge filter* Internal power filter* External canister filter* Hang-on-back (HOB) filter.

All of these types work well, but do ensure it is the right size for the tank, i.e. if you have a 40 gallon tank, choose a filter big enough to handle this size or ideally even more; extra filtration is a very good idea where goldfish are concerned.

3. AIR SUPPLY. Yes, goldfish do breathe, but unlike us they breathe oxygen dissolved in water, not atmospheric air. Water is only oxygenated at the surface so plenty of bubbles and splashing here is essential. Many filters have a built-in air supply feature, but if yours does not then you need an airpump, a length of airline tubing and an airstone or bubble wand.

If you ever notice your fish gasping at the surface it is most likely because they are not getting enough oxygen so increase the air supply immediately. The same goes if the tank temperature rises above 75F, as warm water holds much less oxygen than cold.

4. CLEAN DECHLORINATED WATER. The chlorine and other additives in drinking water are highly toxic to fish so NEVER PUT UNTREATED TAP WATER INTO THE TANK! You first need to treat the water using a de-chlorinator (also sometimes called a water conditioner). Make sure the brand you pick removes chlorine AND chloramine, and always use it whenever you add new water to the tank. If using well-water then have it tested first for heavy metals and other dissolved substances; some can be very toxic to fish.

5. SOMEWHERE TO HIDE. Goldfish are generally confident and friendly fish, but they do appreciate having something to hide behind if they get frightened. In a completely bare tank the fish may hover head down in the corners because it feels exposed and vulnerable. A hiding place can be anything: a real or plastic plant, a rock, a piece of driftwood or an ornament.

6. FOOD. Goldfish are omnivores and therefore need both meaty and veggie foods. A varied diet, which ensures they get all the proteins, fats, fibre, vitamins and minerals they need, is essential; a constant diet of generic goldfish flakes just isn't enough. There are a number of excellent foods available: Hikari, Pro-Gold and Tetra are all very good brands. Feeding is explained in more detail later.

7. BUCKETS for water changes (unless you have a sink or toilet handy into which you can directly drain tank water). Water changes are messy affairs; don't imagine you can just scoop a little water out and put some back! You'll be siphoning gallons of it out into a

bucket every week. Because household detergents are lethal to fish, get the fish a new bucket of their own and clearly label it for tank use only. NEVER use soap or detergents to clean the tank or equipment and don't wash your hands with soap before touching / feeding the fish.

8. GRAVEL SIPHON to clean the gunk off the bottom of the tank. This looks like a round clear plastic tube with a length of flexible plastic hose attached. Gravel cleaning is explained later.

9. WATER TESTING KITS. There are four main substances which you absolutely MUST monitor regularly: ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. These substances are always present and are fundamental to the way a fish tank works (this is explained in "Cycling", below). However, they are lethal to your fish if they rise above certain levels so you need to measure them regularly. You will need these kits immediately, i.e. on the very first day the fish go into the tank. There are several different sorts available; the main ones are dip strips, liquid reagents and tablets. The liquid reagent kits are the most accurate and are very easy to use. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals does a good range.

10. DECHLORINATOR (water conditioner) to remove chlorine and chloramine from your tap water as mentioned above.

11. NET for catching the fish or scooping things out of the tank. Make sure the net you buy is at least twice the size of your largest fish, or they can be hurt when you capture them in it. As an alternative to a net, you could use a large clean plastic pot (like a yogurt pot) for catching your fish.

NON-ESSENTIAL THINGS YOU MAY FIND USEFUL:

1. LIGHT. Providing artificial lighting in the tank is not essential but it helps you enjoy your pets in the evening and lets you grow plants. However, if you do have tank lights then you must switch them off at night. Goldfish need a natural day-night rhythm the same as you do. Only ever use lighting designed specifically for aquarium use, NEVER ordinary electric lights because of the risk of electrocution. Many tank hoods now come equipped with built-in lighting.

2. SUBSTRATE. This is whatever you use to cover the bottom of the tank, usually some gravel or pebbles. It isn't necessary to have substrate (and many goldfish keepers prefer not to) but your fish will enjoy rooting through it and it helps if you want to grow plants. The best substrates for goldfish are fine-grade gravel, large pebbles or rounded glass nuggets. DON'T use the following as substrates however: sand, glass grit, medium-grade gravel, crushed coral or seashells, as these can all cause serious problems. You need to clean the substrate weekly because dropped food and fish wastes accumulate in it (the cleaning process is explained below).

3. ORNAMENTS/PLANTS. It doesn't matter how you decorate the tank as a natural piece of wood with real plants or a fluorescent plastic castle sitting atop multicoloured gravel are equally good from a fish's point of view! It's down to your personal taste. However, avoid any hollow ornaments as these cause health problems; if you must have one, clean it out very thoroughly once a week. Move large or heavy ornaments and clean underneath them regularly, as toxic bacteria can build up there. Goldfish do eat plants so if you buy real ones be prepared for them to be nibbled! Java Fern or Java Moss are the only plants they won't eat and these also grow well in most conditions, so are ideal for beginners. Finally, NEVER put untreated wood, leaves or anything else which might decay into the tank as they will cause major problems. Similarly, don't put in stones picked up outdoors as they may affect your water chemistry, or put in any ornaments which are not actually designed for aquariums as they may be toxic.

10. THERMOMETER. A tank thermometer is very useful, especially if you live somewhere that has very hot summers or very cold winters. Goldfish prefer a temperature of between 65F and 75F. Below 50F they will go into a form of hibernation and above

82F they will begin to suffer.

11. MAGNETIC ALGAE-SCRAPER. This is definitely the easiest and quickest way of removing unsightly algae from the tank walls.

12. HEATER. Goldfish are coldwater fish, so average room temperature is fine for them ordinarily and a heater is not needed. But you might consider getting one if your tank gets very cold in winter or the temperature fluctuates greatly between day and night, or to treat some diseases. If you do get one, then also get a heater guard to avoid burns.

SECTION 2: ADDING THE FISH!

Choosing new goldfish is enormously fun, but there are a few golden rules of successful stocking:

1. Only choose fish which are healthy, alert and swimming well. If there is any sign of disease or injury in the tank - even if the fish you choose doesn't seem to be affected - don't buy any. When you are more experienced at fishkeeping then you can take home the 'rescues'.

2. Only get 1 or 2 fish at a time, e.g. if you have a 50 gallon tank don't put in 5 fish at once, just get 1 or 2 to start with and then gradually add the rest over the next few weeks. This prevents the tank becoming overloaded with dangerous wastes all at once (see Cycling).

3. If you have an established tank with fish already in it, put new arrivals in a separate tank for at least 2-4 weeks before adding them to the main tank. They may well be carrying diseases with them and you do not want to infect your whole population.

4. Gradually acclimatise the fish to the new water. The temperature and chemical composition of the water the fish came from will be vastly different to your own water supply, so a sudden introduction to it will stress the fish very badly, (just imagine how comfortable you'd feel if I suddenly transported you from a tropical beach to the top of Mount Everest!). Instead, gently pour the new fish and its travelling water into a separate container which holds at least 1.5 gallons (a bucket or big plastic box is ideal), making sure there is enough water to cover the fish completely. Now add half a cupful of water from your tank to the container every 5 minutes. By the time you have poured in half a gallon of water the fish will be completely acclimatised to the new temperature and chemistry. Net it out of the container and place it gently into the new tank. Throw away the water in the container - DON'T pour it into your tank as pet store water often harbours diseases and parasites.

4. Give your fish time to get used to its new surroundings. Leave the tank lights off for the first day, keep movement and noise round the tank to a minimum and ensure that it has somewhere in the tank to hide. It will come out and begin exploring when it feels more confident. It is also best not to feed it on the first day.

SECTION 3: WHAT COMES NEXT?

1. CYCLING THE TANK

Fish expel solid wastes and liquid ammonia - lots of it! The solid wastes decompose and also release ammonia. Ammonia is highly poisonous and can very quickly accumulate to lethal levels. You can't see it, touch it or smell it however, and for this reason it is sometimes called 'the silent killer'.

However, there are good bacteria living in the filter which convert ammonia into another substance: nitr*I*te. Nitrite is also poisonous to fish, but a different set of bacteria convert it into yet another substance: nitr*A*te. No bacteria will convert nitrate, but this is only harmful in very high concentrations and is easily kept in check by weekly water changes.

Fish = ammonia = nitrite = nitrate = removal: this is the 'cycle' of the tank.

This all sounds great, but when you set up a brand-new tank there are none of these bacteria to covert the ammonia and nitrite, so the levels build up and the water quickly becomes toxic. 'Cycling the tank' is therefore the first job of a new tank owner. It simply means the process of growing a colony of bacteria to convert all the ammonia and nitrite and keep the water safe for your fish. Because of the extreme toxicity of ammonia and nitrite, cycling the tank properly is absolutely vital!

It takes about a month for a new tank to cycle. During the first 2 weeks the levels of ammonia and nitrite will rise and during the second two weeks they will fall. After the fourth week, no ammonia or nitrite will be present, only nitrates, which means the bacteria have grown and the cycle is now working. However, while these bacteria are building up obviously there are not enough of them to convert all the ammonia and nitrite, and therefore you need to physically protect your fish by performing regular water changes to keep the levels low. (Incidentally, you don't need to add any bacteria to the water - they naturally appear on their own. If you do want to help the cycle along however, the only product which does this is called Bio-Spira by Marine Labs).

This is how to cycle a tank:

Day 1: Test the water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate using your test kits, once in the morning and ideally once again in the late afternoon. If you find either ammonia or nitrite present above 1.0 ppm, change enough water to get the levels down to between 0.5 and 1.0 ppm. If they are already at this level however then you don't need to change any water.

Day 2: Repeat.

Continue with this process every single day until absolutely no ammonia or nitrites are present and only nitrates are seen. And that's it - you've cycled the tank. Easy, isn't it?! All the substances and processes sound complicated, but actually dealing with them is very easy as long as you are attentive and vigilant and willing to lug around buckets of water frequently. Once you have successfully cycled the tank then you only need do tests and water changes once a week.

POINTS TO NOTE ABOUT CYCLING:

1. The cycling process may take three weeks or it may take six: each tank varies a little. About a month is usual though. If your tank is still not cycled after 6 weeks then something is wrong: these are common problems to check for:

too many fish in too small a tank overfeeding something rotting in the tank (e.g. a plant or some food buried in the gravel) the filter is inadequate / not working properly inadequate aeration (the bacteria need oxygen too) pH is too high or too low temperature is too high or too low.

2. The amount of water you change during cycling will vary: some days it might be 50% or even 80% of the total volume, other days only 10% or even none at all. NEVER assume the water is safe after a water change however - always test it again to make sure the levels really have gone down far enough. If they haven't then change more water and test again... and again if necessary.

3. Don't be tempted to change enormous quantities of water to try and keep the ammonia and nitrites at zero all the time; you must leave some in the tank otherwise the bacteria will not build up and the tank will never cycle. Remember: between 0.5 and 1.0 is best. Don't clean your substrate too thoroughly either as bacteria grow there as well as in the filter.

4. Feed your fish extremely sparingly during cycling as the more food you put in, the more ammonia builds up. Only feed once a day or even only every other day, and only as much as they will eat within two minutes. Check that no food gets left uneaten as it will rot and cause the ammonia to rise.

5. If you ever add more fish to the tank, change all the water at once, remove or change all the substrate or change the filter media (which you should never need to do if you clean it gently in old tank water once a month or so) then be aware your tank may undergo another cycle - test and check.

2. GENERAL CARE AND MAINTENANCE

TANK CLEANING. As mentioned, goldfish are very messy fish so their tank needs thorough cleaning, ideally once a week (or if you really cannot manage this then once every other week). The fish should stay in the tank while you clean it, but be careful not to trap them with the siphon or pour new water heavily onto them.

This is how to clean a tank:

1. Switch off the filter, light and heater if you have one, and remove the tank hood. Spread out an old towel or some absorbent paper nearby to catch water draining from the plants and ornaments when you lift them out. Remove these from the tank (you don't have to remove live plants however, only plastic ones) and wipe them clean with your sponge. Any hollow ornaments should be scrubbed out very well with hot water. Leave these out to air-dry while you finish cleaning the tank.

2. Wipe the algae off the tank walls and ornaments using an algae scraper or a sponge. You can however leave some on the back and/or side walls to provide food for your goldfish if you wish. Wipe the hood and/or light if these are coated with algae or gunk. If there was a lot of algae the tank water will look quite murky by now but don't worry - this is normal.

3. Next, clean out the poop and old food on the tank bottom with your gravel siphon. You stick the round tube in the tank, suck on the end of the attached hose to start the siphon movement and quickly put that end in a bucket or sink to allow the dirty water to drain out. Move the tube up and down and around in the gravel, making sure you get right down to the tank bottom. Both the gravel and wastes will be sucked up into the tube, but the heavy gravel falls back down and the lighter wastes flow out into your bucket. It's a clever thing! Gradually work from one end of the tank to the other, making sure every area is thoroughly 'vacuumed'. Even if you don't have any gravel you still need to clean the bottom of the tank and the gravel siphon is still the easiest way of doing this. The siphoning process removes water as well as wastes so the gravel clean actually forms part of your water change, which is the next step.

4. Change the water. Goldfish tanks need 30 - 40% of the water changed weekly to keep the nitrate level down. You may find in fact that the gravel clean has removed enough water already, but if more is needed then drain any further water out by just holding the gravel siphon in the tank. Then fill the tank back up with clean fresh water, taking care not to pour it in so fast that you blow the fish or gravel around!

Remember the following key rules when you replace any water:

it must be the same temperature as in the tank. To test, simply put your hands in the new water and tank water at the same time. Does it feel exactly the same? If yes, that's good enough. If you can't do this (e.g. if your water supply is too far away) then use a tank thermometer to check.

it must be dechlorinated

it must be the same pH as in the tank (discussed in more detail later).

4. Re-arrange the tank decor. Smooth the substrate with your hand, re-arrange the ornaments and plants, replace the hood, switch on the light, filter and heater and check they are all working properly. Make sure the fish have settled down.

If you have a sponge filter or an internal power filter, it is a good idea to gently rinse out the sponges in some old tank water (never tap water!) as part of your weekly routine. Don't scrub them or you'll lose the bacteria and affect the cycle. Just very gently squeeze most of the dirt out, and don't allow the sponges to dry out as this will kill the bacteria. Put them back in the tank or filter immediately after cleaning.

WATER QUALITY.

Yes, we've already talked a bit about water quality so you now know that ammonia and nitrite must not be present and nitrates ought to be kept down by weekly changes (it is best if these are always below 20 ppm). However, there are a couple of other crucial water quality factors which you must keep an eye on:

PH (ACIDITY / ALKALINITY). All fish have a preferred pH level: some like acid conditions (below 7 on the pH scale) and others like alkaline conditions (above 7 on the pH scale). Goldfish prefer a pH of between 7.0 and 7.6, which is neutral to slightly alkaline. They will happily adapt to a pH outside this range but NOT lower than 6.5 or higher than 8.5, as these levels are dangerous. More importantly, the pH must be completely steady, i.e. never rise and fall. A pH which rises and drops sharply is far worse than one which is outside the fish's preferred range but holds steady; the fish will become very distressed in changing pH levels. pH steadiness is directly related to water hardness.

HARDNESS: All water contains various dissolved minerals and salts and it is these that regulate the pH. Broadly speaking, hard water has a high level of these minerals and soft water a low level; hard water holds the pH level steady and is more alkaline, while soft water does not hold the pH steady and is more acidic. When you first set up your tank, take a sample of your water to your local fish store and ask them to test the hardness (the GH and KH) for you. If your water is reasonably hard (the KH is over 125) and the pH is neutral or slightly alkaline, then you need do nothing at all - this is ideal water. If the water is soft and the KH is low (below 100) however, then you will need to artificially 'harden' it to hold the pH steady. If the KH is very high (over 350) and the water very alkaline then you will need to artificially soften it to lower the pH.

You can artificially harden water very easily with ordinary baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). This process is called 'buffering' the water. Add the soda to the tank, a teaspoonful at a time and keep measuring with your pH kit until it shows a pH of about 7.2 - 7.4. Use a KH kit to check that the KH is over 80, ideally over 100. The pH will now remain steady until your next weekly water change, at which time you'll need add more soda to compensate for however much is lost in the change. You can also add crushed oyster shells or crushed coral to the filter; this achieves exactly the same effect and is much longer-lasting than baking soda.

Softening very hard or alkaline water is not so easy. Putting peat moss into the will remove some minerals and add acid. You will need to monitor the pH very carefully and replace the moss as it loses its efficiency. Other alternatives are to buy a reverse osmosis kit - ask your pet store for advice on this as they are very expensive - or to collect rainwater and mix this with your tap water.

You should test the pH and KH every week as part of your cleaning and maintenance routine to make sure that all is well. If you notice any change in the pH, then immediately examine the tank to find out why. These are some common causes of pH changes:

Rock ornament. Some rocks, such as chalk, limestone, tufa or marble release chemicals into the water which causes the pH to rise. You should never keep these rocks in the tank.

Driftwood ornament. Driftwood (also sometimes called bog wood or jati wood) can lower pH. It is not recommended for tanks with an already low pH. High nitrates or rotting food, plants or fish: organic decay processes produce acid, which can lower pH. Water change: if the pH from your water supply is different to that in your tank (because it has a low buffering capacity or high carbon dioxide content) the pH can swing drastically. Make sure this doesn't happen by buffering the water before it goes in the tank, as described above. Carbon dioxide in the water. Some water contains a lot of carbon dioxide, which produces carbonic acid and lowers pH. To test if CO2 is the cause of your pH fluctuations, pour a small amount of tap water gently into a bottle and test the pH. Now shake the dickens out of the water in the bottle! Test the pH again: if it has risen, then CO2 is the cause of the pH changes. You will need to thoroughly aerate / agitate any new water in future to dissipate the CO2 and get the pH level up before adding it to the tank.

3. FEEDING

You can really have some fun with your goldfish at feeding time! However, it is very easy to overfeed and this can lead to serious health problems. At most, goldfish should only be fed twice a day and only what they can consume within TWO minutes, or three times a day but only what they can consume within ONE minute. Make sure that no food is left sitting on the bottom or floating after feeding time is up - remove any excess. It doesn't seem like much food, but they only have tiny tummies! Plus, they sift algae and other invisible organisms from the tank water all day, which supplements their diet.

Some breeds of goldfish, such as moors, telescopes, bubble-eyes or celestials, do not have very good eyesight so make sure they get a fair share of the food. If you see that some of your fish are missing out at mealtimes, then you can hand-feed them. To do this, simply hold a little food between your finger and thumb and offer it to them just below the surface. Occasional hand-feeding is in fact good for all your fish because it helps build trust between you and them and is a very enjoyable form of interaction.

Goldfish need a varied diet and happily there are many foods available for them. Here are some suggestions, most of which should be available from your local fish store:

flakes, either complete food or spirulina (algae) flakes pellets (either sinking or floating, although sinking are much better) freeze-dried live foods, such as bloodworms, daphnia or shrimp frozen live foods, such as bloodworms, brine shrimp, mosquito larvae or daphnia gelled live foods

Keep a selection of three or four different types to ensure your goldfish is getting a healthy balanced diet. It also gives them a bit of interest to have a different food each day - they look forward to it. However, most foods have a shelf-life, e.g. dry flakes and pellets should not be kept longer than 3 months, maximum. It is best to buy the smallest sized containers of food and use these up quickly, replacing them regularly with fresh food.

With dry food such as flake and pellets, always soak it first in a little tank water before you feed. These foods swell when they touch water; it is much better for the fish to eat them soft and already swelled than for them to swallow dry, hard food which later swells in their stomachs and causes problems.

In addition to bought foods, you can also feed your goldfish with a variety of vegetables and fruits; most enjoy peas, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, zucchini, eggplant, orange or lime slices, strawberries, raspberries, banana, peaches and even cherries. With the vegetables, blanch them briefly first in boiling water before feeding as otherwise they will be too tough for the fish to chew. It is ideal to feed vegetables at least once a week, but only feed fruit occasionally as a treat as it contains too much sugar. I find it best to feed vegetables mushed into small mouth-sized pieces, and fruit as whole chunks dropped into the tank which the fish can suck at for a couple of hours, but do experiment and find out what your fish prefer.

Never feed your goldfish bread, biscuit or cracker crumbs, rice or potato. Their digestive systems do not deal well with carbohydrates so these foods cause health problems.

4. GENERAL HEALTH

TOUCHING THE FISH: You should avoid touching or stroking your goldfish, even if it enjoys being petted (some fish do). Fish have a protective slime-coat over their bodies which helps keep out diseases and if you touch them it removes this coating and leaves the fish much more vulnerable to problems. If you do ever touch your fish wash your hands thoroughly afterwards as occasionally fish diseases can affect humans.

DISEASE AND INJURIES: As long as the fish are in the right-size tank, the water quality is excellent and they are not overfed or stressed, your fish should remain generally very healthy. However, diseases or injuries occur from time to time in even the best-run tanks, so check your fish every day and make sure all is well. If one of your fish appears ill or injured, it is best to isolate it quickly in a separate tank or other suitable container with its own filter and air supply. This prevents disease spreading to the other fish and also gives the afflicted one peace and quiet in which to recover.

If your fish does become ill, there are numerous medications available in most fish stores and the temptation is to turn to these straightaway. However, there are some golden rules about medicating fish:

Always be absolutely certain what disease the fish has before you attempt to treat it; some fish diseases can be hard to diagnose accurately and treating with the wrong medication can make problems much worse. Get help with a diagnosis first.

Don't medicate unless it is absolutely essential. Several diseases, such as finrot, can be cured in the early stages simply by keeping very clean water, increasing the temperature and adding a small amount of salt to the tank. Fish medications often include very unpleasant chemicals which stress the fish and can crash the cycle, so don't make a problem into a disaster by panicking and pouring things in unnecessarily.

Never mix medications; this can cause bad side effects. If one medication is present in the tank and you want to use another, then put activated carbon in the filter first for at least 24 hours to clean the previous medication out and/or do a series of water changes.

Take out any carbon in the filter before adding medications otherwise it will simply remove them from the water.

If possible, add medications to a separate 'hospital' tank rather than the main tank (except in cases of parasites or very contagious diseases when the main tank should be treated). There is no need to stress all the fish if not all of them are ill.

Test the water quality every day: many medications attack the bacteria in the filter as well as the disease, causing the cycle to crash. If this happens, finish the course of medication but treat the tank as a cycling tank (i.e. daily tests and water changes).

SECTION 4: REGULAR ROUTINES

It is very hard at first to know what to do and when! There seems to be so much to think about: water, food, cleaning, filter, pH etc. Actually, once you get into a set routine it is very easy to care for your goldfish.

Below is a suggested routine (for a cycled tank) which should be more than enough to avoid most problems and enjoy your fish.

DAILY:

Morning: Switch tank lights on. Check all fish to make sure they are healthy, swimming

well, etc. Feed flake or pellet food.

Evening: Check fish all OK. Feed frozen, dried or gelled food, or vegetable food. Switch tank lights off last thing.

WEEKLY:

Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. If the test results are all OK go through your normal cleaning routine (described in 'cleaning' above). Spend some time watching your fish to make sure all are healthy, active and behaving normally.

If the test results are NOT right however, e.g. the ammonia level has risen, then immediately perform a water change large enough to bring ammonia / nitrite down under 0.5, or add baking soda to buffer the pH, or whatever is required. Then search out the actual reason for the poor water quality and put it right.

MONTHLY:

Perform a 50% water change. Remove sponge filter media if using this and wash it out gently in old tank water (never tap water!) and replace. Replace any carbon filter media being used and clean the impeller of the filter if it has one. Check all equipment is functioning properly. If an undergravel filter is being used, clean out the gunk from under the plate by putting the siphon down the uplift tube.

YEARLY:

Replace the lighting (neon tubes lose their effectiveness after a while, even if they still look as bright). Replace the rubber diaphragm in the airpump if you have one.

And that's it! You are now a professional fish-keeper - well done!

SECTION 5: TROUBLE-SHOOTING AND FAQ'S:

WHY?

IS THE WATER CLOUDY? Cloudy water often occurs during cycling while the tank settles down or if you disturb the substrate a great deal during cleaning. It should clear within a few hours or days, but adding carbon to your filter can hasten this process. If the tank is cycled, however, then persistent cloudiness can indicate a bacterial bloom brought on by too many nutrients in the water. Cut down on feeding, clean the gravel and filter sponges, and do more regular water changes. Adding live plants can also help.

IS THE WATER GREEN? Algae (tiny single-celled creatures) will grow anywhere containing water, light and nutrients. All tanks have some algae - it is normal - but green water means there is far too much of it. Move the tank out of sunlight and add some live plants to help remove the nutrients. Perform more water changes and ensure you are not overfeeding and that the filter is working properly.

IS THERE BROWN OR GREEN STUFF IN THE TANK? Algae again, I'm afraid. All tanks have it and in fact some of it will be eaten with relish by your fish, but the only way to get rid of it is to keep wiping it off regularly. Lots of live plants will help keep it down too.

IS MY FISH RACING ROUND THE TANK? Racing round the tank is not normal; goldfish usually swim with a steady grace, except when they are spawning (the fish will be chasing each other, if this is the case). It usually indicates problems with the water quality - did you remember to dechlorinate? Test your water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH and perform a water change immediately or buffer the pH, whichever is appropriate. If the fish still races then it has a health problem - ask on here for advice.

IS MY FISH SITTING ON THE BOTTOM? It may well be asleep or resting. Fish sleep on and off during the day and night, but they cannot close their eyes so you may not be aware at first that a fish is asleep. Try going up to the glass and making some movements - a healthy fish will come up shortly to investigate, an unwell fish will stay on the bottom. Fish that are ill will stay on the bottom for long periods.

DOES MY FISH ALWAYS BEG ME FOR FOOD? In the wild, goldfish are constantly searching for food because they never know where their next meal might be coming from. It is therefore instinctive for them to keep asking for it even when they are not really hungry. They will beg you for food all day if you're near them, but you certainly should not feed them more than 2-3 times a day. If they look particularly pleading you can occasionally give them a small piece of fruit or vegetable as a treat in addition to their regular meals, but no more than that.

IS MY FISH ALWAYS HIDING? It may be feeling nervous. Is there somewhere in the tank for it to hide? Is there a lot of noise or movement going on by the tank? Alternatively it may be feeling unwell - check the water parameters and examine the fish closely for signs of disease.

IS MY FISH RUBBING ITSELF ON THE ORNAMENTS OR SUBSTRATE? A fish rubbing or flicking itself on things in the tank has irritated or painful skin. First test your water - have the ammonia or nitrite risen or the pH changed? If the tests are OK then it may well have a parasite problem.

IS MY FISH CHANGING COLOUR? Many goldfish change colour gradually to some extent as they grow older - this is natural - but sudden or profound changes of colour indicate something is wrong: red or black patches indicate ammonia burns, a white film indicates the pH has gone severely askew, paleness all over (including gills, eyes and inside the mouth) may indicate anaemia, dots or splotches of odd colour can indicate fungus or parasites. Ask for help with a diagnosis.

IS MY FISH CHASING OTHER FISH? You may have a bit of a bully who wants to protect his food or territory, or the fish may be spawning. Sometimes common, comet or shubunkin goldfish (slim shape, single tails) will chase and/or nip at fancy goldfish (rounder, twin-tailed) because the fancies cannot swim as quickly. There is little you can do to stop a bullying fish, except isolate it from the others with a tank divider or separate tank.

DOES MY FISH HIDE WHEN I TURN ON THE LIGHT? Quite simply, it is painfully dazzled. Goldfish cannot close their eyes remember, so it has no alternative but to rush down and try to hide its eyes until they adjust to the light. It helps to turn a nearby room light on a few minutes before turning on the main tank lights so the fish's eyes can adjust more comfortably.

IS MY FISH FLOATING / UPSIDE DOWN / SWIMMING AWKWARDLY? Fish have an air-filled organ in their bodies called the swim bladder. By regulating the pressure within this, the fish is able to remain upright and move up and down in the tank. If this because obstructed or diseased however, the fish loses its equilibrium and either floats at the surface (either upright or upside-down), sinks like a stone and/or struggles to swim. This is often caused by constipation, so fast your goldfish for three days and then feed it a pea, de-skinned and mushed, as this acts as a laxative. If this does not work then there may be an internal infection.

DOES MY FISH HAVE WHITE SPOTS ON ITS SKIN? There is a common parasite called ich, or whitespot, which commonly attacks fish. If your goldfish develops what looks like grains of salt scattered over its skin, then this is the likely cause. If the dots look more like little tufts of cotton wool, however, then the fish may have fungus or a parasitical infection called columnaris. Seek help with a diagnosis.

ARE MY FISH'S FINS RAGGED AND RED-STREAKED? Either the fish has been

attacked by another fish, the nitrites are very high or it has a disease called finrot. Keep the water quality perfect and seek a diagnosis.

IS MY FISH GASPING AT THE SURFACE? There is insufficient oxygen in the water: increase the oxygenation immediately by turning up the filter flow or adding another airstone, and find the root cause of the problem. Sometimes fish do this when you clean the tank; this is due to the gunk released into the water, so a water-change should cure them quickly.

IS MY FISH LYING ON ITS SIDE? A fish that is lying on its side is feeling extremely ill. Check your water parameters first: are they all OK? Any number of diseases can result in this behaviour - seek a diagnosis quickly.

And that's it! You now know the basics of goldfish keeping and can keep your pet alive, happy and growing. As you acquire more experience you will pick up additional information on the way and may end up being an expert yourself.

Please bear in mind though that sometimes, despite the best or most professional care and attention, some goldfish die. We don't always know why they do. If your fish is obviously feeling ill, then seek help immediately of course, but do NOT blame yourself if it dies because it probably isn't anything you've done wrong. If it is because you did something wrong, however - if you forgot to dechlorinate the water or over-fed them or didn't test or change the water frequently enough - then still do not blame yourself, but do learn from the experience. Look at what went wrong and plan how you will do it differently next time. Even the best fish keepers make mistakes occasionally.

Good luck!

Writen by "Emma"

Goldfish - Carassius auratus auratusScientific name: Carassius auratus auratus

Common name: Goldfish

Family: Cyprinidae

Usual size in fish tanks: 16 - 20 cm (6.3 - 7.87 inch)

014

Recommended pH range for the species: 6 - 8

Recommended water hardness (dGH): 4 - 18°N (71.43 - 321.43ppm)

0°C 32°F30°C 86°F

Recommended temperature: 15 - 24 °C (59 - 75.2°F)

The way how these fish reproduce: Spawning

Where the species comes from: South Asia

Temperament to its own species: peaceful

Temperament toward other fish species: peaceful

Usual place in the tank: Bottom levels

Guidelines for caring for Goldfish

Goldfish can grow quite large and are a very active species, each specimen will require at least 10 gallons (45.46 litre, 12.01 US gallon) of water volume in the aquarium so if your are keeping 4 specimens then a 40 gallon (181.84 litre, 48.04 US gallon) tank will be required, 6 specimens a 60 gallon (272.77 litre, 72.06 US gallon) tank and so on.

Never add these fish to an uncycled tank, they are classed as a hardy species but they will suffer from stress with unstable water parameters and this will weaken their immune system leading to infections or disease.

Regular water changes should be performed on a weekly basis, at least 10-15% of the water should be replaced with clean, conditioned water.

Never let the temperature of the water rise above 24°C (75.20°F), they are not suitable for tropical set ups as they are a coldwater species.

It is recommended that fancy goldfish are not kept with the common goldfish, the fancy varieties are not as hardy as the common and bullying can occur leading to the demise of any fancy goldfish that you have in your aquarium.

Food and feeding

The food for Goldfish needs to be low in protein but high in carbo-hydrates, this is why it is often best to use specialist goldfish flakes or pellets to feed this fish. It is a voracious eater so the feeds should be kept down to what the fish can eat in two minutes. This should be done twice daily. Shelled peas, some blanched leaf vegetables and bloodworms should also be included in the diet. Goldfish, like most fish will always give you the impression that they are hungry. Do not be tempted to overfeed, this will lead to digestive problems in the future.

Origin

Originally from Asia, Goldfish is related to the original native brown carps, selective breeding has created the modern gold strains.

Sexing

Goldfish can be difficult fish to sex. In spawning mode the males will often display white spots on their gill plates.

Breeding

It is often easier to breed Goldfish in ponds rather than aquariums but both are possible. The female will lay her sticky eggs on plants and they should hatch in 48-72 hours. The fry are very small when newly hatched but will grow in size rapidly. Their colouration will remain brown like their ancestors, but after 12 months the adult colouration should show through.

Lifespan

Under normal circumstances their lifespan is anywhere between 10-15 years but there are cases reported of Carassius auratus auratus living up to 45 years.

Short description

There are many variations to Goldfish and it has a reputation of being easy to keep. Unfortunately this has often led to its demise as they are sometimes kept in unsuitable tanks. As with any fish, they require optimum water conditions.

They can be kept with other species of fish that require the same water parameters such as some of the Danio species or even some minnow species but make sure that the tank mates are large enough before they are added to the aquarium or the Goldfish may see them as a meal.

The underrated GoldfishBy Tim Gautrey

Profile

Scientific Name Carassius auratus

Common Names Goldfish, various other names

Size 1” to 36” dependant on environment

pH 6 - 8

Temperature 4°C - 28°C, I have known them to be quite happy in much cooler waters.

Water Hardness dGH 4 - 18

Lifespan 5 - 20 years

Origin China

Temperament Peaceful. Will tolerate most fish of similar size.

Breeding Difficult to breed in an aquarium, as they need temperature changes to trigger sporning. They breed in the spring, when the water warms after a long period of cold. This is very difficult to imitate in aquaria.

Tank Anything from 1 gallon upwards

Compatibility Will get on well with almost any fish large enough not to be considered as food!

Diet Almost any foods, flake, frozen, fresh and live.

Other information

Goldfish are some of the most underrated fish on the planet. Originally from China, the Chinese have bred them for centuries. They are the most adaptable and hardy fish to ever come into the aquarium.

They have a unique ability to grow according to their conditions. You will never find a large goldfish in a small tank, unless it was put in there at that size. The fish will only grow as large as its environment will allow.

It can withstand the worst water conditions of any fish and still survive. I have known of goldfish that have lived in a 1 gallon bowl, with no aeration or filtering with infrequent water

changes and still thrived! I would never recommend that anyone lets one live like this, but they are able to withstand horrendous conditions.

The selection of breeds is vast. There are hundreds of different varieties of goldfish, from the basic long bodied fish to the fancy fan-tail, with its dumpy body and beautiful three finned tail, to the bubble-eyes and so on.

I read an article recently that stated that goldfish are not suitable for aquaria! What a strange statement, since nearly every child that has ever had fish started with a goldfish. I do think that they have been exploited and places like fairgrounds should not be allowed to give them out as prizes, but this is down to the government legislators, not me.

I am the proud owner of several goldfish at the moment, and they are the best tank cleaners you could have. Always hungry, always scavenging, always active. They dig among the gravel in the bottom, getting the smallest pieces of waste food, small snails, plant roots, and anything else that could be remotely edible.

Didn’t I mention plants? Oops! NEVER PUT LIVE PLANTS in an aquarium containing goldfish! They love to eat the roots of plants, and then the leaves as a last resort. Only plastic or silk plants have ever survived in any of my aquariums with goldfish!

My fish have been living at 27°C for the last 12 months now, since I wanted to keep tropicals with them. I have been told that they don’t like it at that temperature and that it is too warm for them, but I have not seen any ill effects neither have I lost any. One thing I have noticed is that they are susceptible to fin-rot in cold water, but at this temperature they have no problem at all!

At present, they are swimming with Angels, rainbow sharks, bala Sharks, Mollies, Clown loaches, plecs and Cories. It is fun to watch them all interacting together. The clowns try to school with them, them mollies love to swim around them, the sharks just compete with them for food, and everyone gets on swimmingly!

ypes of Goldfish, Care in aquariums and fish ponds & Forum

Quick links - Answers

Aquarium life Pond life

Dietary needs

The breeding process

Common diseases

Advice by Mick, keeping fish since 1976

Brief Description

This page is devoted to Goldfish in aquariums and ponds, proper care, and also contains forum where you're welcome to share your Goldfish stories with us! You should also visit the following pages, they're dedicated to Goldfish too: Goldfish and water quality, Before buying a Goldfish with FAQ and pictures, Profile of Goldfish with discussion forum, Goldfish diseases, Breeding goldfish and Goldfish care tips!

Introduction

Carassius Auratus, widely known as “Goldfish”, is an ornamental ciprinidae, native from China, where it has been bred for long time. Being one of the first ornamental fish bred, goldfish has a great number of colour and shape mutations. Mutations can be divided in two categories: “long body” looking similar to the wild-type, and “short body” that usually have a egg shaped body much different from the common goldfish.

“Long body” goldfish are the stronger ones and can live also in ponds; They usually reach 6-8 inches or more. Long finned are usually faster than short finned but can still live together without problems.

Common goldfish: it has a stout body and short rounded fins, the most common colour is bright orange, but you can find also brown, silver, yellow and calico.

Comet: it has thinner body and long caudal fin. Colours are the same of the common one.

Shubunkin: its shape is the same of the common goldfish body, but has a heart shaped tail and is only calico coloured.

“Short body” goldfish are delicate and can live only in aquarium, they usually reach 4-6 inches and the most of them have swimming difficulties, so it is better not to mix the mutations and set up the aquarium with only a kind of goldfish. Cohabitation with “long body” goldfish is not possible, because the second are too much faster, stronger and bigger, so think about them as another species, and not as the same fish.

Veiltail: it has rounded body looking like a egg, high dorsal fin and long doubled tail.

Oranda: it looks like Veiltail but has a hood on the head, that grows bigger when the fish reaches the adult size.

Black moor: it has black, and sometimes golden, rounded body with telescopic eyes.

Globe eye: it has the same characteristics of the Black moor but is red, orange, or calico coloured.

Fantail: it has a egg shaped body and short fins.

Lionhead: it has rounded body without dorsal fin, and like oranda it has a hood on the head.

Celestial: it has a light rounded body without dorsal fin and upturned eyes.

Bubble eyes: it is mostly like Celestial, but has a sack under the eye, like a bubble.

Aquarium life

Goldfish kept in aquarium do not need water heater, but the filter must be really powerful; in case of slow swimming fish reduce the pump speed. There is no need of special chemical values, anyway it is better to provide a medium hard water, a PH range between 6 and 7, and a good oxygenation. Goldfish often dig the gravel so choose strong plants, moreover they use to eat plants too and only the anubias seem to be not tasty for them.

As for the decorations choose rounded woods and stones, especially for goldfish with long fins, hoods and delicate eyes (like telescopic or bubble).

It is easy to overpopulate the tank, remember goldfish grow fast and produce a lot of refuses, so plan from 15 to 30 litres of water per fish.

Goldfish in ponds

Pond life

Only wild-type, comet and Shubunkin can live in ponds and there they easily grow really big. They can stand also low temperatures, anyway the pond has not to go under 32°F (0°C), and if the temperature goes under 50°F (10°C) is better to stop feeding the fish, because digestion gets really slow and make them sick.

Avoid the use of fountains with strong jets because goldfish swimming bladder is really delicate and can get damaged easily by fast water current or fountain jets.

Feeding

Goldfish are omnivorous and extremely greedy, they try to eat everything present in the aquarium or in the pond. Choose a good dry food at the base of their diet, avoid flakes and prefer granules because they are richer in nutrients and usually cause less problems. Food is maybe the most common problem with goldfish, they easily eat too much, or have digestion problem that develop momentary or constant swimming troubles. Feed fish daily with few food and do a fasting day once a week; prefer foods easy to digest, you can also provide live fresh foods like meal worms and earth worms, or vegetables and fruits. Remember that fish in ponds, especially during spring and summer eat also a great quantity of insects and larvae. Moreover avoid to give bread, biscuits and other similar products because, even if goldfish eat them, they ferment during digestion and the generated gas develops in swimming problems connected to the swimming bladder right working.

Breeding

Goldfish breed also in aquarium but in pond is more common and easy. They reach the sexual maturity at the age of one year, anyway they start breeding when they are at least two or three years old. Sexual differences between males and females are few and hard to see, adult males have tubercles on the pectoral fins and gill, but sometimes some females have tubercles as well, so the best way to try breeding is to have at least a small group of 5-6 fish at least.

A young and healthy adult female can spawn from 500 to 1000 eggs. In case you are breeding them inside the aquarium it is better to remove the eggs, otherwise adults would eat them; while if you are breeding them in the pond you can also leave there the eggs, the most would be eaten, anyway fry have a lot of hiding places, and small food already present in the pond water.

If you have to feed fry in the aquarium use liquid foods, infusoria and brine shrimps. From the age of three weeks they can eat adult food.

Common illness

Goldfish are strong fish anyway they suffer specially of swimming bladder problems and water pollution.

As mentioned above, the swimming bladder of goldfish is really delicate and can get damaged by fermented food, infections and hits. If the fish swims slower than usual or in a strange position (a bit turned on a side) leave it without food for a day, because overfeeding is the first cause; if things do not go better maybe the problem is permanent, but is not a serious trouble if the fish can still eat and move.

Goldfish suffer water pollution because they need really oxygenated water, when oxygen level is low fish usually breath faster and look stressed; do some water changes, add an oxygenator for some days and solve the cause of water pollution (overfeeding, not working filter, overpopulation, poor oxygenation).

Copyright note: This article is originally written by Michela Ferretti. Aqua-fish.net owns the full copyright of this article. Photos are provided by Luca, who is a registered member at this web site.

Goldfish Aquarium Setup, Requirements and Forum

Quick links - Answers

A vision Size

Location of a tank

Filtration

The purpose of lighting

Choosing substrate

Suitable plants

Decorations

Advice by Susan, keeping fish since 1996

Brief Description

This article explains how to setup a Goldfish tank properly and we'd love to hear how you raise Goldfish too! Once you're done reading, share your experiences at the bottom of this page, please. You should also visit following pages (they will open in new tab/window): Diseases of Goldfish, Goldfish and water quality, Types of Goldfish with forum, Goldfish profile with forum.

Introduction

Establishing a happy, healthy goldfish aquarium can seem like quite a challenge, but if you have the right information and all the proper tools you can be on your way to creating a wonderful underwater scene in which your goldfish will thrive.

Creating a Vision

Deciding to create a goldfish aquarium is the first step. Once you decide to create a goldfish aquarium you will need to envision what you would like this waterscape to look like. Do you want to incorporate a lot of different decorations and water features, or would you rather keep it simple and let the beauty of the fish decorate the aquarium? Would you like a lot of fish to make it a busy fish tank or would you rather create a simple waterscape with just a few carefully selected fish. When you envision your perfect aquatic scene what do you see?

Aquarium Size

It is very important to do your research before you purchase anything at all because there are a number of factors to consider when starting the new aquarium. Think about how big a fish tank you can afford before deciding how many fish you want to keep in it. Goldfish can be very active and they have the potential to grow large fairly quickly, so you should take this into consideration when choosing the size aquarium you want to purchase. It is a great idea to purchase the largest size fish tank you can afford because it is better to have too much room than not enough. Another thing to think about is the number of fish you want your aquarium to support. It is advisable to start with an aquarium no smaller than 29 gallons. Some of the smaller goldfish varieties can thrive in this amount of space as long as you do not overstock the aquarium. Larger varieties such as the common goldfish will require at least a 55 gallon aquarium to thrive once the mature size is reached.

Aquarium Location

It is also very important to plan where you will place this aquarium in your home. It is best to have a well supported area of floor beneath the location of your aquarium because large amounts of water can be extremely heavy. A good place for the aquarium will be free of direct sunlight. Sunlight and nitrates promote algae growth. Goldfish produce a lot of waste, both through their gills and their feces, which result in an abundance of nitrates. You will want to control the aquarium’s exposure to sunlight because you cannot really control the amount of waste produced by your goldfish. By controlling the exposure to sunlight you will reduce the rate of growth for algae in your aquarium. There are also products you can buy that help to control the growth of algae in the aquarium.

Water Filtration

There are many accessories that a successful goldfish aquarium cannot be without. The water filter is the most necessary component for any aquarium, especially one that will contain goldfish. Goldfish do not have stomachs so they lack the ability to digest large amounts of protein. This is the reason that goldfish produce unusually large amounts of waste. Because goldfish produce excessive amounts of waste, they need a higher level of filtration than is normally recommended for the volume of water you are keeping them in. Not only will this filter serve by extracting debris and waste from the water but it will also house the nitrifying bacteria that will be needed in metabolizing the ammonia and nitrites produced by the goldfish waste. Goldfish tend to dig around in the substrate to forage for bits of food they might have left behind. Undergravel filters are not a great idea to use when creating a goldfish aquarium.

Aquarium Lighting

When building a goldfish aquarium lighting is very important for the sake of observing your prized beauties. Goldfish pigment relies on lighting just as humans do for their skin tones, so quality lighting really contributes to a goldfish’s color development. Note that different lighting will produce different colored goldfish; the color potential of a goldfish is predetermined in its DNA. Aquarium lighting only helps to bring out the natural coloration of the goldfish. Foods enriched with color enhancers can also help develop the natural coloring of a goldfish.

Substrate

The type of aquarium substrate is a very important decision to make and it should not be made hastily. Sand should not be used because it has the tendency to clump up and trap harmful chemicals. Use smooth textured gravel at least 2 inches deep in whichever color you choose, preferably one that will compliment the colors of your goldfish. It is very important to use smooth gravel because goldfish like to dig around at the bottom and you would not want them to hurt their mouths or noses.

Plants

Goldfish need little to no vegetation in their surroundings. They are generally clumsy fish that do not feel the need to hide. If you are thinking about keeping plants in your goldfish aquarium think about low growing plants such as Java Moss. Java Moss will creep along the

bottom of the aquarium allowing for plenty of free swimming space. This plant can also help extract some of the nitrate buildup from all the wastes that goldfish produce. If you do not want to deal with the hassle of real plants, you can replace them with artificial plants.

Air Features, Decorations and Backgrounds

Aeration can be a great addition to a goldfish aquarium if you carefully select one that will work well with a goldfish’s demeanor. It is important to remember not to find one that will be too big and bulky or put out too strong a current. Goldfish are very clumsy and require plenty of space. They are not the strongest swimmers so high current aerators are advised against. It is important to not clutter a goldfish’s swimming space so minimal décor is recommended. Choosing the right background can seriously add to the aesthetics of your goldfish aquarium. Solid colored, 2-dimentional backgrounds can be used to contrast with the brilliant colors of your goldfish. Imagine how gorgeous a red cap oranda would look against a black background.

Setting Up Your Goldfish Aquarium

When setting up your goldfish aquarium it is important to first check for flaws or cracks. The worse thing that could happen is 29 gallons of water could burst a hairline fracture in the glass and end up on the ground. To prevent this be thorough in checking for cracks and flaws in the glass and to also check the sealant holding the seams together to make sure water droplets are not forming on the outside as you fill your tank.

To begin, rinse all of your decorations and gravel then fill the aquarium about one half of the way full with water. Slowly and gently drop your gravel to the bottom of the aquarium and smooth it over. Place your decorations where you want them to go and remember to secure them beneath the gravel if they are light enough to float. Fill the Aquarium all the way to the top with water and set up your filtration device. Once you add the lighting to your aquarium it will appear to be ready for your goldfish but it is not.

Nitrogen Cycling

Before you can add goldfish and finish your aquarium you will need to complete one final step. Nitrogen cycling is probably the most important process in setting up a new aquarium. This step allows beneficial bacteria to develop colonies within the aquarium so that the ammonia that is produced by the fishes waste can be converted into nitrites. Additional bacteria colonies need to be developed to convert those nitrites into nitrates. This process can take up to 6 weeks to complete but there are ways to speed up the process by adding ammonia directly to the aquarium. This process is called “fishless cycling”. This should not be done if there are any living organisms such as fish or plants in the aquarium. Use a master test kit to check the chemical levels in the aquarium. If all of the ammonia and nitrite disappear you should have small amounts of nitrate in the water as a result. Also be sure to test the pH of the water to make sure it is entirely safe to add your goldfish.

Goldfish Water Requirements

Since goldfish are coldwater fish no heating is required. Keep a simple adhesive thermometer stuck to the outside of the fish tank so that you can keep track of the water temperature. Goldfish cannot survive in temperatures that drop below 50°F and they do not do well when the temperatures rise above 77°F. Although a goldfish can tolerate a wide range of temperature it will not be able to live in dramatically fluctuating degrees. Goldfish seem to be most active when kept at temperatures between 74°-76°F. Be sure to keep a neutral to slightly acidic pH. Be sure to use master test kit to test your aquarium once every couple of weeks. It should be a part of your routine maintenance as the master test kit will contain all the tools you need to check the levels of pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. This will help you keep safe water levels to raise happy and healthy goldfish.

Different types of Goldfish

Educate yourself on all the different species of goldfish before deciding which types you would like to raise. There are many different varieties to choose from and only so much space in which to house them. Since goldfish are a cold water species and they tend to produce a lot of waste they will require more water volume per fish. Be sure to plan ahead to accommodate mature, adult fish. Aquarium retail stores and websites usually sell young specimens because the joy of the hobby is watching your pets develop and grow. Something like a common goldfish or a comet goldfish would do well as a young fish in a 20 gallon aquarium but it would not take long for these fish to outgrow that fish tank. These quick swimming goldfish varieties are rambunctious and would not do well with a clumsy, slow moving pearl scale goldfish. It would probably be best to raise common and comet goldfish in a pond where they can have enough room to move freely. If you want to find out more information about the different types of goldfish you can go to your local aquarium retail store and talk to a knowledgeable employee or check out this article: /articles/before-buy-goldfish.

These are just a few things to think about when starting a goldfish aquarium.

Aquarium with plenty of free swimming space and a few low plants

This fantail goldfish stands out against the neutral colored gravel

Comet feeders that were never eaten are now pet goldfish

How to successfully breed Goldfish in home fish tanks

Overview:-

Goldfish must be one of the most popular fish ever to be kept in the aquariums, they are quite hardy, easy to get hold off and very attractive when in full health. They originated from Asia, there direct descendants are the Carassius auratus species and were originally kept in terracotta pots in Ancient China. In their natural habitat the Carassius auratus inhabit lakes, streams, ditches or ponds and they can even survive in stagnant water. The goldfish was so popular in China that they appear in thousands of Chinese art pieces including pottery as well as traditional paintings. The fish that we see today has been bred through the generations selecting fish with certain dominant genes, this process allows for diversification and nowadays not only is the common goldfish available but there are fancy goldfish, single tailed and double tailed fish. These are not difficult fish to breed but preparing the fish for spawning needs to be done months in advance if breeding in the aquarium. I have kept lots of goldfish

in my ponds and every year I left them to their own devices and always had lots of young without my help. This proves the point that surroundings can affect how we attempt to breed the fish. These fish are extremely difficult to sex when juveniles or less than one year old but after this when breeding season approaches the males will develop white pimples (tubercles) on their gill plates (operculum) and also on the leading edges of their pectoral fins. The females will deepen in body shape as their belly swells with eggs and their vent just in front of the anal fin will be larger than the males.

Preparing your goldfish for breeding:-

If this is your first attempt at breeding goldfish do not try to breed the fancy goldfish, get some experience with single tailed goldfish as these are less fussy about their water parameters and are hardier than the fancy goldfish. Whether you are breeding these in an aquarium or outside in a pond the general basics are the same but for this article we will concentrate on breeding goldfish in the aquarium.

Start planning your breeding program the year before you actually start the project and purchase quality stock at around August time, at this time of year there will be plenty of stock to choose from as many keepers will have surplus to their requirements and will be looking to sell them on.

Purchase a group of 6 goldfish that are about 6 months of age. This way you can more or less guarantee that you will end up with males and females but at this time you will not be able to sex them. Towards the end of the year the goldfish should be slowing down as external temperatures drop, reproducing this in the aquarium will give the goldfish a more natural lifestyle, at this time reducing their food intake will help to rid their digestive systems of excess food and give it the chance to clean itself out preventing any infections or associated diseases. This is a good time of year to add any precautionary medications as well, also clean and sterilise any breeding tanks that you are going to use. Keep the fish on a low intake of food until the next year and at march time you can start selecting your chosen fish for the breeding project.

Starting up the breeding tank:-

Use a three foot or four foot tank and give this another clean up before adding water, the water level should be set at 6” and it should be well aerated with an air stone. You will need to add a spawning medium for the future eggs, this can be plants, woollen spawning mops or even a plastic pan scourer that has been opened up and spread out slightly. The optimum water temperature for breeding is 20 deg C, if the tank is outside this can be reached with the use of an electric heater or if the tank is situated inside then room temperature should be about at this level anyway. Sex your fish at this stage, the females should now have a fuller body shape so they will stand out against the males. Select the best female and select two males, use the males that are very active and seem to be chasing the other fish, this is a good sign that they are getting ready to spawn. In the early evening add the two males and one female to the breeding tank and leave them undisturbed overnight.

Spawning may take place the next morning or a few days later, there is no fixed ruling on this but whenever it does start it will kick off early in the morning and carry on until halfway

through the same day. The eggs will be scattered over whichever spawning medium that you chose to use and once spawning has finished the parent fish can be removed from the tank.

Hatching and raising the fry:-

After two days of being in the breeding tank the eggs should be clear in appearance but black dots should be visible, these are the eyes of the new fry. Any eggs that are white have not been fertilised or may contain fungus, if possible remove these but leave them if it means disturbing the healthy eggs. If the tank is kept at a constant temperature of 20 deg C the eggs will hatch after 4 days. The fry will be all over the tank and do not require feeding at this stage as they will still have a yolk sac attached which supplies them with all of the nourishment that they require. After another two days the yolk sac will have been consumed and the fry will be free swimming, now is the time to start feeding them. They will do best if supplied with newly hatched brine shrimp and the should accept this readily. It is best to feed them small amounts 3-4 times per day rather than give them one large meal a day as their stomachs are very small and soon fill up.

As always there will be a percentage of fry that do not survive, this is perfectly normal and does not reflect on your fish keeping skills, some may be deformed and will need to be culled but after a few weeks you should end up with a healthy batch of young goldfish.

How to keep Goldfish and keep water at high quality level

Quick links - Answers

Setting up an aquarium for Goldfish Filtration

Different filtration options

Tank and water maintenance

Goldfish digestion

Cooling tanks

The nitrogen cycle

Fishless cycling

Advice by Jan, keeping fish since 1995

Brief Description

This page is devoted to water quality in a Goldfish tank. You're welcome to share your experiences or ask questions in case they haven't been answered on this page! Use a form at the bottom of this page for this purpose, please. You should also visit these pages: Goldfish - Care, Types and Pond Fife with FORUM, Carassius auratus auratus profile with FORUM, Goldfish FAQ, Goldfish diseases.

The quality of the water in a goldfish aquarium determines the health of the goldfish in it. To start with, it is important to set up an aquarium with fresh, clean water, and then the challenge is to maintain the quality of the water.

Setting Up an Aquarium with High Quality Water:

When setting up a new aquarium it is important to first start with a large, clean aquarium. Goldfish have the potential to grow very large for aquarium fish and will thrive in a pond or very large aquarium of no less than 75 gallons of water. Never use detergents or any type of cleanser to get the inside of your fish tank clean. Scrubbing any fish equipment with a rough sponge or brush should work just fine. Chemicals of any kind should never be used in a fish tank unless they are specifically made for aquarium use, in which case they should be used sparingly, only as directed, and only as a last resort.

Filtration:

Mechanical filtration

Is where the debris and wastes of the fish and plants are filtered out of the water. Since goldfish are messy fish that produce excessive amounts of waste this is a very crucial part of filtration process. Remember that fish are trapped in their environment with all of their wastes and no where to hide from their own pollutants. Imagine how bad their water would be without the constant extraction of the waste particles. With mechanical filtration the water is passed through a filter where all the debris is extracted out and the clean water is flows back into the aquarium.

Biological filtration

Is a very crucial element of the aquarium. This filtration system is made up of different types of bacteria with the very specific job of converting harmful chemicals such as ammonia and nitrite into a less harmful chemical known as nitrate. Without the presence of the biological filter your goldfish will suffer from the presence of these toxic and dangerous substances inevitably leading to death.

Chemical filtration

Utilizes activated carbon to extract chemicals from the water. The activated carbon attracts impurities and contaminants in the water and work by absorbing them thus preventing them from circulating back into the water. Carbon works to extract chemicals from the water so it needs to be removed if you plan to medicate the aquarium for any reason. Otherwise the carbon filter will also work by extracting the medication from the aquarium water. Carbon filtration is not effective in removing salt and minerals from the water.

Different Filtration Options:

Canister filters

Provide very strong mechanical filtration for maximum efficiency. The canister sits either behind or beneath the aquarium with tubes for extracting and replacing water. This type of filtration device is very effective in filtering debris and wastes from the water so it is the ideal method of filtration when housing really messy fish such as goldfish.

Under gravel filters

Are slow flowing filters that sit just beneath a thin layer of gravel. They are not very effective in filtering out debris and waste because of where they are located and also they lack the powerful suction of the canister filter. These filters are inexpensive and they work just fine in aquariums with very few and very clean fish but they are not all that effective when it comes to messy goldfish. Under gravel filters would not be able to provide clean, quality goldfish water.

Power filters

Are highly effective and easy to use. They typically hang on the back of the aquarium with a tube siphoning water into the container where the debris and chemicals are filtered out of the water. The water passes through a sponge with nitrifying bacteria before spilling back into the aquarium. Because goldfish are extremely messy, it would be a great idea to use a power filter that is meant to handle a higher volume of water than your aquarium can hold. This will ensure high quality water for your goldfish.

It is very important to have a properly working filtration system running in your aquarium long before you ever add any fish. This allows time for the biological filter to establish itself and control all of the ammonia and nitrite levels.

Aquarium Water Maintenance:

Routine aquarium maintenance is so important to the health and well-being of goldfish or any fish. Testing aquarium water for pH, chemicals and hardness will help to detect problems before they escalate into an out of control incident. A simple, adhesive thermometer attached to the outside of the aquarium will help you keep track of the water temperature to ensure your goldfish are not too hot or too cold. Regular cleaning of the inside of the aquarium can be done to minimize algae growth while performing frequent partial water changes to remove chemicals and wastes. These are all crucial elements for optimal quality goldfish water.

Owning a master test kit is an essential part of maintaining excellent water quality. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals sells a freshwater master test kit that provides all you need to test pH, high-range pH, ammonia, nitrites and nitrate levels. By knowing the chemical and pH levels of your aquarium you can better maintain the quality of the water for your goldfish.

Water Changes should be done frequently, ideally once a week. It is important to do only partial water changes because it does not require the removal of the goldfish from the aquarium which can cause too much stress. Another reason for performing partial water changes is because complete water changes will endanger the colony of beneficial bacteria and that can lead to toxic levels of ammonia in the aquarium.

Water siphons are available to making water changes easier than ever. Some water siphons work better than others but all of them function basically the same way. A siphon is meant to suction the old dirty water up and out of the aquarium. The Gravel Vac is a type of siphon

whose purpose is to suction debris and waste from within the gravel without actually sucking up the gravel. These siphons are conveniently made with a self-starting function which may take a little bit of effort to start, but it sure beats a mouthful of aquarium water when trying to create suction the old fashioned way. An easier to use siphon is the Python No Spill Clean N’ Fill which can be a bit more expensive but well worth it if you have a large aquarium. No more buckets of filthy water splashing around. This siphon hooks onto a water faucet and has the ability to drain and fill the aquarium with virtually no effort. Because goldfish are so messy and therefore require frequent partial water changes, it would be a great idea to invest in a siphon that will make your aquarium cleaning quick and easy.

Water Conditioners are available online and in aquarium retail stores to condition the tap water and make it suitable to add to the fish tank. Goldfish, like most other fish are sensitive to the chlorine that is most likely present in the tap water in your area. Water conditioners contain ingredients that help neutralize the chlorine so it does not harm the fish. They also detoxify heavy metals and contain aloe vera which helps to minimize the effects of injury and stress on your goldfish. Water conditioners will help to replace a goldfish’s slime coat which serves as a protective layer against diseases and parasites in the water. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Tap Water Conditioner and Tetra Aqua Safe Aquarium Water Conditioner are both comparable products both in cost as well as effectiveness. The determining factor might be the sale price of the product or a preference in brand name. Either one will help maintain the quality of water in a goldfish aquarium.

Algae Control can be done in a number of ways. Controlling the amount of sunlight or artificial light hitting the aquarium is the easiest and often very effective way of controlling algae growth. Limiting the presence of nitrates in the aquarium water will also help to keep algae growth to a minimum because algae thrives in high nitrate conditions. Scrapers and scrubbers can be used to clear the algae growing on most aquarium surfaces. There is a magnetic scrubbing device that is used to clean algae without having to stick your entire arm in the aquarium water. The only downfall with this method is that it only works on the glass and not on ornaments or substrate. This is because one side of the magnet has to be placed on the outside of the glass and dragged along to cause the inside magnet to move back and forth in a scrubbing motion. Aquarium wipes are specially designed to be used safely on the inside of the aquarium. Not only are they supposed to remove algae growing on aquarium surfaces, these wipes are also meant to slow down the re-growth of algae. If algae is really a problem there are products like Algone which is not only supposed to inhibit algae growth, it also helps to eliminate harmful chemicals and clear up cloudy water.

Goldfish Digestion:

Goldfish are messy fish due to their lack of a stomach. When a goldfish eats, the food is crushed in their mouth and sent straight to their digestive tract. Since there is no stomach to break down the food their nutrients must be quickly extracted from their food before it exits the goldfish’s intestines. Because food needs a lot of time to be broken down in the body, most of their food ends up as waste, thus giving the goldfish the reputation of being messy. One common mistake with goldfish is overfeeding. It is very important not to feed goldfish more than they can eat within a few minutes. Any leftover food floating in the water will cause cloudiness and chemical buildups. Those are both very bad when trying to achieve high quality goldfish water.

Certain types of goldfish food are considered better than others based on how efficiently the fish can digest it. The quicker a goldfish can digest its food the more vitamins and nutrients the fish will absorb before the rest is expelled as waste. The more completely a goldfish can digest its tasty morsels of food, the less waste you can expect to pollute the water in the fish tank. So if you carefully choose good foods for your goldfish you can expect your aquarium water to remain cleaner for longer. Do not be afraid to compare food labels while you are in your local pet store buying goldfish food. Foods high in carbohydrates are good for goldfish because they are quicker to digest than proteins, although it is a good idea to provide a good amount of veggies in their diet to aid in the digestive process.

https://www.aqua-fish.net/imgs/articles/wardley-goldfish-floating-pellets.jpg

Aquarium Chiller:

Goldfish are coldwater fish which means they thrive in lower water temperatures than most other tropical fish. A goldfish can survive in water temperatures as cold as 50°F and as warm as 77°F. The optimum water temperature to raise goldfish in is somewhere between 68-75°F. In warmer months it might be difficult to control the water temperatures without the use of an aquarium chiller. Such a device can be found online or in aquarium retail stores that specialize in marine aquarium or pond supplies. Chillers can be fairly expensive when compared to the cost of aquarium heaters, but they are definitely worth it if it preserves the health and well being of your goldfish. Aquarium chillers can be set to the specific temperatures needed for your goldfish. They extract heat from the aquarium water releasing it into the atmosphere. It is not uncommon for the area around an aquarium chiller to get pretty warm so it is a good idea to place the chiller in a well aerated space where nothing is touching it.

The Nitrogen Cycle:

It takes as little as 3 weeks to establish the nitrogen cycle but it can take as long as 8 weeks. The water quality and health of your goldfish will depend greatly on your understanding of the nitrogen cycle when starting a new aquarium.

Ammonia is a chemical that is highly toxic to fish even if it present in the smallest amount. Fish excrete ammonia into their surroundings through their gills and feces. It is also a product of decaying plant matter and uneaten fish food. Nitrite is another chemical that is also very toxic for fish if there are detectable amounts present in the water. Nitrite becomes present in the aquarium as the ammonia is metabolized by nitrifying bacteria. In a well established aquarium there is one group of bacteria whose job is to take ammonia and convert it into nitrite. There will then be a second set of bacteria present whose job will be to convert that nitrite into nitrate. It is ok for there to be small amounts of nitrates present in the aquarium water but in order to maintain quality water for your goldfish, partial water changes should be done roughly once a week.

Fishless Cycling:

Fishless cycling is a method of developing nitrifying bacteria without sacrificing the first few fish to initiate the process. In order to start the development of ammonia metabolizing bacteria there must first be ammonia present. With the filtration system in place and running, and the aquarium heater set at 80-85°F, 5 drops of pure ammonia is added to the aquarium water. Using the ammonia test from a master test kit, test the ammonia levels in the aquarium each day. After each test is done add 5 more drops of ammonia to the aquarium. When the ammonia metabolizing bacteria colony is established you will notice a sudden drop of ammonia when conducting the ammonia test. It is important to keep adding ammonia in order to sustain the presence of this bacteria type. Now start testing for nitrites each day all the while adding the same daily dose of ammonia. As you have seen the detectable ammonia levels drop you will suddenly see the detectable nitrite levels drop. This indicates the presence of all the nitrifying bacteria you will need to start a successful goldfish aquarium. At this point you can stop adding ammonia and conduct your first partial water change to remove some of the nitrates produced by the bacterial colony. Test the water once more to verify it is of great quality and then the goldfish can be added to the aquarium to live long and happy lives.

Diseases of GoldfishQuick links - Answers

Medication and Chemicals What not to do

Disease/Conditions and Treatments

Advice by Jan, keeping fish since 1995

Brief Description

Goldfish are known to be highly susceptible to various diseases because of all the selective breeding that takes place. Common and comet goldfish are the hardier variations of all the goldfish varieties available in the aquarium industry. The fancier, more selectively bred varieties of goldfish are more apt to contracting the various diseases that can ail goldfish. Books and internet websites on fish diseases can be your best source of information to finding out all about goldfish diseases thus it is highly recommended to have access to either or both of these sources of information when owning goldfish, especially the fancy varieties of goldfish.

Prevention:

Disease prevention is the best solution to any type of fish disease. Although prevention does not always work 100% of the time it definitely improves the odds of having healthier goldfish.

The first step in disease prevention is choosing only the highest quality fish for purchase. When looking to purchase a new goldfish approach the task with high standards in mind. If the aquarium retail store has dirty fish tanks that contain unhealthy and unhappy looking fish, chances are your fish will not survive for very long. If the stores tanks appear to be in

good, clean, healthy conditions and contain fish that appear robust and hearty, chances are your fish will continue to thrive as long as it is well taken cared of once you have purchased it.

The second step to disease prevention is keeping the aquarium water at optimal quality. Goldfish have the tendency to produce a lot of waste and yet are fairly sensitive to unclean water. When keeping goldfish it is highly advisable to provide good water filtration and to perform plenty of partial water changes. Be careful not to over feed them because goldfish have short digestive tracts and no stomachs which mean they absorb less of the foods they eat and excrete most of it as fecal matter back into the water. The increased levels of waste cause higher levels of ammonia to buildup in the water over shorter periods of time which can lead to many different health problems. By changing the water often and keeping it well filtered most health problems can be prevented.

Adding a little bit of aquarium salt to the fish tank may help to prevent some of the diseases that goldfish are prone to. Ich and fungus are unlikely to develop even if small traces of saline are detectable in the aquarium water. The key is to keep only minimal amounts of aquarium salt in the tank water so that you can add more if it is needed in the event of an outbreak of some sort. Definitely be cautious not to add to much salt to the water because goldfish are not marine animals and can only handle slight amounts of salinity.

Medication and Chemicals:

Medication and chemicals should definitely not be used as a prevention method of dealing with diseases for goldfish or any other fish. It is very important to consider limiting the use of medications in the aquarium. Using medicine only when it is absolutely necessary will increase its chances of working properly when it is actually needed. If medications are constantly present in the aquarium different strains of certain diseases are likely to develop; strains of disease that become resistant to the medications causing medicine to become ineffective. As each goldfish disease is listed below, the proper medications and treatments will be mentioned.

What not to do:

Once you know the common diseases and conditions a goldfish can suffer you should be able to provide better care for your own goldfish. However there are several things that aquarists often forget when dealing with sick fish. So here is a short list of things to remember not to do.

Do not add additional fish to the aquarium until your fish are free and clear of disease and stress. Do not over crowd the aquarium because that will cause a whole mess of problems. Stress levels, waste levels, chemical levels such as ammonia, nitrite and nitrate will rise.

Do not use multiple medications unless it specifically says it is safe to use in conjunction with one another, usually different medications of the same brand will allow to simultaneously use two different medications.

Do not perform too many complete water changes or move your fish around unless it involves moving the sick fish to the hospital tank. Disturbing the tank too much will cause more stress to the fish which will then cause the fish to not be able to heal from their present ailments. As much as possible try to do partial water changes as you would normally do to keep the water conditions up to standard.

Disease/Conditions and Treatments:

Ich

Ich or ick is short for Ichthyophthirius multifilis, which is one of the most common diseases among most fish. This is a disease that appears as white spots that look like grains of salt on the skin and gills. Usually brought on when the fish is experiencing a lot of stress or when new fish are introduced into the aquarium. The first thing to try is raising the temperature and adding saline to the aquarium water. Be aware of the type of fish you have because not all fish can handle salt in the water. Loaches, corys, snails and some aquatic plants are especially sensitive to it and may die if there is too much salt in the water. If that does not work you can try using medications that contain copper.

Fungus

Fungus can often form at the site of wounds or sores like an infection. The fungus will appear like a little ball of cotton at the edge of the open wound and it is caused by bacteria. There is an antibiotic called Maracyn that treats bacterial infections to help get rid of fungus.

Swim bladder disorder

Swim bladder disorder is common among fancy goldfish with shorter, rounder bodies. This is because their swim bladders are developed differently due to their compromised shapes. Goldfish are selectively bred to create the round shaped bodies and high hunched backs so the shape and position of each of their organs are not always as it should be. The swim bladder is an organ that maintains a fish’s equilibrium allowing it to swim normally. If that swim bladder is not functioning properly it can cause high stress to the fish and eventually lead to death. Doing a complete water change could be the best solution because studies show that a nitrate-free environment can cure swim bladder disorder.

Gasping at the surface

Gasping at the surface or laboured breathing, the fish is not getting enough oxygen. High temperatures, saline, and elevated chemical or medicine levels can cause the oxygen levels to go down. This one condition where these treatments are not recommended. Check to see that your filtration system is working properly. Also check to make sure there are not any oils or scum on the surface of the water. Gas exchange at the water’s surface is how the fish get their oxygen so make sure there is a certain amount of agitation at the water’s surface. If there is any amount of oil or scum preventing the water from absorbing the oxygen it should be taken care of it right away. Scoop water from the top of the waters surface until it seems like the gunk is gone. It is very important to have plenty of surface area with sufficient agitation or water movement where oxygen can enter the water.

Constipation

Constipation is common and easy to solve problem for goldfish. Goldfish do not have stomachs to hold onto their meals for the digestion process. All they have are short digestive tracts through which their food quickly passes. It is important for their proper nutrition that their foods are quickly digestible and easy to pass which is why special foods are made for goldfish; to absorb as much nutrients as possible over a short amount of time. When a goldfish becomes constipated it could cause other problems such as swim bladder disorder so it is important to solve the problem right away. You may notice your goldfish looking lethargic and swollen which are clear signs of constipation. Stop feeding your goldfish his normal flake or pellet foods for a few days and start giving him some veggies. Just like humans, fish can benefit from well balanced diets. Spinach, peas or lettuce leaves can be fed to your goldfish if you cook them until they are soft enough for the fish to digest. When you go back to feeding flakes and pellets to your goldfish it would help to first soak the food in water to soften it for ease of digestion.

Fin and tail rot

Fin and tail rot are symptoms of stress due to poor water conditions, over crowded tank, or rough treatment by humans or other fish. It is a very easy to recognize condition where the fins and tail of the goldfish become shredded or they rot away. Fin and tail rot is caused by several types of bacteria in the water. The first course of action to take is to do a partial water change and then add antibiotics such as Maracyn 2. This should get rid of the bacteria that cause the fin and tail rot condition, but to treat the damaged goldfish fins there is a medication called Melafix that aquarists use to treat wounds and repair fin damage.

Pop eye

Pop eye is a condition, not quite a disease that is characterized by the eyeball popping out of the eye socket. It can have several different causes: water of poor quality, infection from bacteria, or inflicted injury from other fish. Pop eye is the result of swelling and retaining fluid behind the eye area causing it to bulge. The first form of treatment for Pop eye is to separate the sick goldfish into a hospital tank with very clean water and well aerated water with no activated carbon filter. Sometimes just that can help to reduce the swelling and infection in the eye, but if it does not then treat with Tetracycline which is a full range of medications that treat bacterial infections.

Dropsy

Dropsy is a disease that presents symptoms such as swelling of the abdomen which then causes the scales of the fish to stick out from the body. These symptoms are caused by the buildup of fluids in the fish’s abdominal area and the goldfish will become lethargic and uninterested in food. Bacteria or contaminated food could very well be the cause of this disease which means that it can be treated through the use of a broad spectrum antibiotic. If the cause of the Dropsy is neither contaminated food nor bacteria it could be due to kidney, liver or heart failure, in which case it cannot be treated with any medications.

Hole in the head disease

Hole in the head disease affects goldfish as well as all other freshwater fish. It is not known for sure what causes this disease but there is speculation that it could be caused by bacteria, parasites, nutrient deficiency, or poor water quality. This is a progressive disease in that it takes some time to develop. First a series of small holes will appear on the head of the goldfish then mucus will seep out through the holes and the fish’s slime coating will start to come off. If this disease is caught early there is a chance that the fish just might survive. The first step to treating hole in the head disease is to isolate the diseased goldfish to a hospital tank with fresh, clean water. There is a water conditioner called Stress Coat that contains Aloe Vera which promotes healing and will replace the slime coat for your goldfish. Be sure that your goldfish is getting a well balanced diet with all the important vitamins and nutrients. Sometimes these treatments along with the addition of salt to the aquarium can be enough treatment to stop the progression of this disease. Otherwise a radical treatment of Metronidazole can be a last resort. This treatment is used to kill the specific bacteria and parasites that are believed to cause Hole in the head disease but are not proven.

Costia

Costia is a disease caused by quick moving parasites. This disease exhibits symptoms that look like slime patches on the skin of the infected goldfish. The skin turns a milky color and the fish might also have difficulty breathing. This condition, if not dealt with swiftly will potentially lead to death. Treatment starts with raising the temperature in the aquarium to 80 - 83°F (~ 27 - 28°C) then treating with medication. There are two medications that are equally effective but each one has a different side effect. Copper Safe works well but can be very toxic to certain fish. Be sure to read the label to see if your fish are able to handle this treatment before using it. Acriflavine is the other medicine that works well but the fact that it can cause sterility in fish might not make this an acceptable treatment for your aquarium.

Trichodina

Trichodina is a parasite that implants itself in the skin and gills of goldfish and other freshwater fish causing the fish’s skin to become itchy and irritated. This disease is very noticeable because you will see the goldfish scratching against surfaces which can cause ulcers and stress. This condition is usually due to poor water quality with high bacteria content. This parasite feeds on bacteria so improvement of water quality is one of the main solutions to this problem. Salt can also be a very effective solution except that there is a strain of this parasite that has developed a resistance to salinity. In this case use Quick Cure as directed and the trichodina should be cured.

Velvet

Velvet is a parasite that infects the skin of both fresh and salt water fish. It is also known as Gold Dust Disease because of the gold, dust-like appearance which also gives the skin of the fish a velvety-looking texture. The infected fish will scratch against surfaces, have difficulty breathing, and even become lethargic. The first course of action to treating this disease is a partial water change. Fresh, clean water with dim aquarium lighting and a little bit of aquarium salt could cure minor cases of velvet if the condition is caught quickly enough. Otherwise, medicines such as Quick Cure or Copper Safe can be added to the aquarium to eradicate the parasite completely.

Body and gill flukes

Body and gill flukes or Shimmies are parasites like small worms that infect either the body or the gills, or both at the same time. The flukes that infect the gills are different from the flukes that infect the body of the goldfish because they each reproduce differently. The gill flukes lay eggs in the substrate while the body flukes give birth to live young. It is more difficult to completely get rid of gill flukes because of their egg-laying reproduction. An infected fish will scratch against surfaces, have an extra thick slime coat, have difficulty breathing, and can sometimes become lethargic. Potassium Permanganate is one treatment that can be used for flukes but it can get fairly expensive. Quick cure is another possible treatment but is not always considered to be as effective. Repeat treatments at least two more times after initial treatment to ensure all gill fluke eggs are killed, otherwise the problem will persist.

Anchor worm

Anchor worm is a highly contagious parasite that infects fish even when they are not weakened due to stress. This parasite will burrow into the skin, gills or even the eyes of a goldfish or other freshwater fish causing skin irritations. They get to be about a quarter of an inch in length so they are very visible to the eye without a microscope. The worms can burrow deep down into the organs of the fish if the problem is not taken care of quickly enough. Treatment for anchor worm can be as simple as pulling out the worm with a pair of tweezers or treating with a medicine called Anchors Away, which is especially effective when it comes to removing anchor worms and other parasites.

Fish lice

Fish lice are parasites that can be seen without a microscope and has the freedom to move around on the goldfish. The fish will scratch against surfaces which can cause skin irritation and sores giving bacteria breeding ground to cause secondary infections to the fish. This very contagious parasite will lay multitudes of eggs each of which will hatch and find hosts of their own. Anchors Away is a very effective treatment for fish lice. Repeat treatments are highly necessary because this medication will not kill lice in their egg form. After the lice seem to be completely gone it has been known to reappear due to un-hatched eggs so be sure to treat, treat and re-treat very diligently.

Columnaris

Columnaris is also known as cotton mouth disease because of the white spots that appear on the mouth of the goldfish and other freshwater fish. Not only do these cotton-like growths infect the mouth area but it can also infect scales and fins. It is easy to mistake this condition for fungal infections but it is in fact bacteria that are named for its column-like shape. Clean and fresh water and aquarium salt is one treatment for columnaris but copper sulfate can be much more effective if needed.

Melanophore Migration

Melanophore Migration is characterized by black spots forming on the otherwise healthy goldfish. The melanophore is a pigment containing cell that can control how dark or light the skin pigment will be. It is because of melanophore cells that an animal can change its skin colour to camouflage itself. This condition can come about when the goldfish is experiencing stress due to poor water quality, or it can be a secondary infection inflicted by parasite infestation. A simple water change can be the solution to curing this ailment. Once the aquarium water is clean you will have to wait awhile for the black spots to disappear.

Diseases of GoldfishQuick links - Answers

Medication and Chemicals What not to do

Disease/Conditions and Treatments

Advice by Jan, keeping fish since 1995

Brief Description

Goldfish are known to be highly susceptible to various diseases because of all the selective breeding that takes place. Common and comet goldfish are the hardier variations of all the goldfish varieties available in the aquarium industry. The fancier, more selectively bred varieties of goldfish are more apt to contracting the various diseases that can ail goldfish. Books and internet websites on fish diseases can be your best source of information to finding out all about goldfish diseases thus it is highly recommended to have access to either or both of these sources of information when owning goldfish, especially the fancy varieties of goldfish.

Prevention:

Disease prevention is the best solution to any type of fish disease. Although prevention does not always work 100% of the time it definitely improves the odds of having healthier goldfish.

The first step in disease prevention is choosing only the highest quality fish for purchase. When looking to purchase a new goldfish approach the task with high standards in mind. If the aquarium retail store has dirty fish tanks that contain unhealthy and unhappy looking fish, chances are your fish will not survive for very long. If the stores tanks appear to be in good, clean, healthy conditions and contain fish that appear robust and hearty, chances are your fish will continue to thrive as long as it is well taken cared of once you have purchased it.

The second step to disease prevention is keeping the aquarium water at optimal quality. Goldfish have the tendency to produce a lot of waste and yet are fairly sensitive to unclean water. When keeping goldfish it is highly advisable to provide good water filtration and to perform plenty of partial water changes. Be careful not to over feed them because goldfish have short digestive tracts and no stomachs which mean they absorb less of the foods they eat and excrete most of it as fecal matter back into the water. The increased levels of waste cause higher levels of ammonia to buildup in the water over shorter periods of time which can lead to many different health problems. By changing the water often and keeping it well filtered most health problems can be prevented.

Adding a little bit of aquarium salt to the fish tank may help to prevent some of the diseases that goldfish are prone to. Ich and fungus are unlikely to develop even if small traces of saline are detectable in the aquarium water. The key is to keep only minimal amounts of aquarium salt in the tank water so that you can add more if it is needed in the event of an outbreak of some sort. Definitely be cautious not to add to much salt to the water because goldfish are not marine animals and can only handle slight amounts of salinity.

Medication and Chemicals:

Medication and chemicals should definitely not be used as a prevention method of dealing with diseases for goldfish or any other fish. It is very important to consider limiting the use of medications in the aquarium. Using medicine only when it is absolutely necessary will increase its chances of working properly when it is actually needed. If medications are constantly present in the aquarium different strains of certain diseases are likely to develop; strains of disease that become resistant to the medications causing medicine to become ineffective. As each goldfish disease is listed below, the proper medications and treatments will be mentioned.

What not to do:

Once you know the common diseases and conditions a goldfish can suffer you should be able to provide better care for your own goldfish. However there are several things that aquarists often forget when dealing with sick fish. So here is a short list of things to remember not to do.

Do not add additional fish to the aquarium until your fish are free and clear of disease and stress. Do not over crowd the aquarium because that will cause a whole mess of problems. Stress levels, waste levels, chemical levels such as ammonia, nitrite and nitrate will rise.

Do not use multiple medications unless it specifically says it is safe to use in conjunction with one another, usually different medications of the same brand will allow to simultaneously use two different medications.

Do not perform too many complete water changes or move your fish around unless it involves moving the sick fish to the hospital tank. Disturbing the tank too much will cause more stress to the fish which will then cause the fish to not be able to heal from their present ailments. As much as possible try to do partial water changes as you would normally do to keep the water conditions up to standard.

Disease/Conditions and Treatments:

Ich

Ich or ick is short for Ichthyophthirius multifilis, which is one of the most common diseases among most fish. This is a disease that appears as white spots that look like grains of salt on the skin and gills. Usually brought on when the fish is experiencing a lot of stress or when new fish are introduced into the aquarium. The first thing to try is raising the temperature and adding saline to the aquarium water. Be aware of the type of fish you have because not all fish can handle salt in the water. Loaches, corys, snails and some aquatic plants are especially sensitive to it and may die if there is too much salt in the water. If that does not work you can try using medications that contain copper.

Fungus

Fungus can often form at the site of wounds or sores like an infection. The fungus will appear like a little ball of cotton at the edge of the open wound and it is caused by bacteria. There is an antibiotic called Maracyn that treats bacterial infections to help get rid of fungus.

Swim bladder disorder

Swim bladder disorder is common among fancy goldfish with shorter, rounder bodies. This is because their swim bladders are developed differently due to their compromised shapes. Goldfish are selectively bred to create the round shaped bodies and high hunched backs so the shape and position of each of their organs are not always as it should be. The swim bladder is an organ that maintains a fish’s equilibrium allowing it to swim normally. If that swim bladder is not functioning properly it can cause high stress to the fish and eventually lead to death. Doing a complete water change could be the best solution because studies show that a nitrate-free environment can cure swim bladder disorder.

Gasping at the surface

Gasping at the surface or laboured breathing, the fish is not getting enough oxygen. High temperatures, saline, and elevated chemical or medicine levels can cause the oxygen levels to go down. This one condition where these treatments are not recommended. Check to see that your filtration system is working properly. Also check to make sure there are not any oils or scum on the surface of the water. Gas exchange at the water’s surface is how the fish get their oxygen so make sure there is a certain amount of agitation at the water’s surface. If there is any amount of oil or scum preventing the water from absorbing the oxygen it should be taken care of it right away. Scoop water from the top of the waters surface until it seems like the gunk is gone. It is very important to have plenty of surface area with sufficient agitation or water movement where oxygen can enter the water.

Constipation

Constipation is common and easy to solve problem for goldfish. Goldfish do not have stomachs to hold onto their meals for the digestion process. All they have are short

digestive tracts through which their food quickly passes. It is important for their proper nutrition that their foods are quickly digestible and easy to pass which is why special foods are made for goldfish; to absorb as much nutrients as possible over a short amount of time. When a goldfish becomes constipated it could cause other problems such as swim bladder disorder so it is important to solve the problem right away. You may notice your goldfish looking lethargic and swollen which are clear signs of constipation. Stop feeding your goldfish his normal flake or pellet foods for a few days and start giving him some veggies. Just like humans, fish can benefit from well balanced diets. Spinach, peas or lettuce leaves can be fed to your goldfish if you cook them until they are soft enough for the fish to digest. When you go back to feeding flakes and pellets to your goldfish it would help to first soak the food in water to soften it for ease of digestion.

Fin and tail rot

Fin and tail rot are symptoms of stress due to poor water conditions, over crowded tank, or rough treatment by humans or other fish. It is a very easy to recognize condition where the fins and tail of the goldfish become shredded or they rot away. Fin and tail rot is caused by several types of bacteria in the water. The first course of action to take is to do a partial water change and then add antibiotics such as Maracyn 2. This should get rid of the bacteria that cause the fin and tail rot condition, but to treat the damaged goldfish fins there is a medication called Melafix that aquarists use to treat wounds and repair fin damage.

Pop eye

Pop eye is a condition, not quite a disease that is characterized by the eyeball popping out of the eye socket. It can have several different causes: water of poor quality, infection from bacteria, or inflicted injury from other fish. Pop eye is the result of swelling and retaining fluid behind the eye area causing it to bulge. The first form of treatment for Pop eye is to separate the sick goldfish into a hospital tank with very clean water and well aerated water with no activated carbon filter. Sometimes just that can help to reduce the swelling and infection in the eye, but if it does not then treat with Tetracycline which is a full range of medications that treat bacterial infections.

Dropsy

Dropsy is a disease that presents symptoms such as swelling of the abdomen which then causes the scales of the fish to stick out from the body. These symptoms are caused by the buildup of fluids in the fish’s abdominal area and the goldfish will become lethargic and uninterested in food. Bacteria or contaminated food could very well be the cause of this disease which means that it can be treated through the use of a broad spectrum antibiotic. If the cause of the Dropsy is neither contaminated food nor bacteria it could be due to kidney, liver or heart failure, in which case it cannot be treated with any medications.

Hole in the head disease

Hole in the head disease affects goldfish as well as all other freshwater fish. It is not known for sure what causes this disease but there is speculation that it could be caused

by bacteria, parasites, nutrient deficiency, or poor water quality. This is a progressive disease in that it takes some time to develop. First a series of small holes will appear on the head of the goldfish then mucus will seep out through the holes and the fish’s slime coating will start to come off. If this disease is caught early there is a chance that the fish just might survive. The first step to treating hole in the head disease is to isolate the diseased goldfish to a hospital tank with fresh, clean water. There is a water conditioner called Stress Coat that contains Aloe Vera which promotes healing and will replace the slime coat for your goldfish. Be sure that your goldfish is getting a well balanced diet with all the important vitamins and nutrients. Sometimes these treatments along with the addition of salt to the aquarium can be enough treatment to stop the progression of this disease. Otherwise a radical treatment of Metronidazole can be a last resort. This treatment is used to kill the specific bacteria and parasites that are believed to cause Hole in the head disease but are not proven.

Costia

Costia is a disease caused by quick moving parasites. This disease exhibits symptoms that look like slime patches on the skin of the infected goldfish. The skin turns a milky color and the fish might also have difficulty breathing. This condition, if not dealt with swiftly will potentially lead to death. Treatment starts with raising the temperature in the aquarium to 80 - 83°F (~ 27 - 28°C) then treating with medication. There are two medications that are equally effective but each one has a different side effect. Copper Safe works well but can be very toxic to certain fish. Be sure to read the label to see if your fish are able to handle this treatment before using it. Acriflavine is the other medicine that works well but the fact that it can cause sterility in fish might not make this an acceptable treatment for your aquarium.

Trichodina

Trichodina is a parasite that implants itself in the skin and gills of goldfish and other freshwater fish causing the fish’s skin to become itchy and irritated. This disease is very noticeable because you will see the goldfish scratching against surfaces which can cause ulcers and stress. This condition is usually due to poor water quality with high bacteria content. This parasite feeds on bacteria so improvement of water quality is one of the main solutions to this problem. Salt can also be a very effective solution except that there is a strain of this parasite that has developed a resistance to salinity. In this case use Quick Cure as directed and the trichodina should be cured.

Velvet

Velvet is a parasite that infects the skin of both fresh and salt water fish. It is also known as Gold Dust Disease because of the gold, dust-like appearance which also gives the skin of the fish a velvety-looking texture. The infected fish will scratch against surfaces, have difficulty breathing, and even become lethargic. The first course of action to treating this disease is a partial water change. Fresh, clean water with dim aquarium lighting and a little bit of aquarium salt could cure minor cases of velvet if the condition is caught quickly enough. Otherwise, medicines such as Quick Cure or Copper Safe can be added to the aquarium to eradicate the parasite completely.

Body and gill flukes

Body and gill flukes or Shimmies are parasites like small worms that infect either the body or the gills, or both at the same time. The flukes that infect the gills are different from the flukes that infect the body of the goldfish because they each reproduce differently. The gill flukes lay eggs in the substrate while the body flukes give birth to live young. It is more difficult to completely get rid of gill flukes because of their egg-laying reproduction. An infected fish will scratch against surfaces, have an extra thick slime coat, have difficulty breathing, and can sometimes become lethargic. Potassium Permanganate is one treatment that can be used for flukes but it can get fairly expensive. Quick cure is another possible treatment but is not always considered to be as effective. Repeat treatments at least two more times after initial treatment to ensure all gill fluke eggs are killed, otherwise the problem will persist.

Anchor worm

Anchor worm is a highly contagious parasite that infects fish even when they are not weakened due to stress. This parasite will burrow into the skin, gills or even the eyes of a goldfish or other freshwater fish causing skin irritations. They get to be about a quarter of an inch in length so they are very visible to the eye without a microscope. The worms can burrow deep down into the organs of the fish if the problem is not taken care of quickly enough. Treatment for anchor worm can be as simple as pulling out the worm with a pair of tweezers or treating with a medicine called Anchors Away, which is especially effective when it comes to removing anchor worms and other parasites.

Fish lice

Fish lice are parasites that can be seen without a microscope and has the freedom to move around on the goldfish. The fish will scratch against surfaces which can cause skin irritation and sores giving bacteria breeding ground to cause secondary infections to the fish. This very contagious parasite will lay multitudes of eggs each of which will hatch and find hosts of their own. Anchors Away is a very effective treatment for fish lice. Repeat treatments are highly necessary because this medication will not kill lice in their egg form. After the lice seem to be completely gone it has been known to reappear due to un-hatched eggs so be sure to treat, treat and re-treat very diligently.

Columnaris

Columnaris is also known as cotton mouth disease because of the white spots that appear on the mouth of the goldfish and other freshwater fish. Not only do these cotton-like growths infect the mouth area but it can also infect scales and fins. It is easy to mistake this condition for fungal infections but it is in fact bacteria that are named for its column-like shape. Clean and fresh water and aquarium salt is one treatment for columnaris but copper sulfate can be much more effective if needed.

Melanophore Migration

Melanophore Migration is characterized by black spots forming on the otherwise healthy goldfish. The melanophore is a pigment containing cell that can control how dark or light the skin pigment will be. It is because of melanophore cells that an animal can change its skin colour to camouflage itself. This condition can come about

when the goldfish is experiencing stress due to poor water quality, or it can be a secondary infection inflicted by parasite infestation. A simple water change can be the solution to curing this ailment. Once the aquarium water is clean you will have to wait awhile for the black spots to disappear.

Before You Buy a Goldfish - Tips, Pictures, Answers and Forum

Quick links - Answers

Varieties Single Tail Varieties

Fancy Tail Varieties

FAQ

Advice by Jan, keeping fish since 1995

Brief Description

This page reveals all facts that one should know before purchasing Goldfish; You'll also find FAQ with answers attached at the end of the article and forum where we'd love to hear about your Goldfish! Share experiences or ask questions - we'll gladly answer!

Goldfish have been bred for over a thousand years for the sake of observation enjoyment. The art of breeding the finest specimens of goldfish first started in Asia and was later picked up in Europe. Breeders aimed to produce the highest quality of colors and shapes ever found on a goldfish. Because this type of fish has been bred so rigorously for all those years, you will never find one for sale that has not been born in captive breeding. An amateur aquarist could decide that he or she would like to raise goldfish in a pond or aquarium but there are a lot of factors to consider before getting started in this hobby. The beginner aquarist should first learn about the different types of goldfish to find out which varieties are hardy and easy to care for. A little bit of research as to what different varieties of goldfish to purchase and their specific needs is necessary for a successful pond or aquarium. Without the proper knowledge of water chemistry and conditions the inexperienced hobbyist might stumble upon some pretty devastating mishaps with their new pets. With a little bit of information you can make a well informed decision on what kind of goldfish you want to buy for your aquarium or pond.

Goldfish Varieties

There are many different varieties of goldfish and each unique trait is as valued as the next in the aquarium industry. Goldfish can possess over exaggerated features such as bubble eyes, hunched backs, double fins, round bodies, outstanding scales, puffy caps or nostrils, and fancy colors. Each and every goldfish variety is admired for its unique traits. Forgive me if there are a few varieties that I neglect to mention but I will try to cover them all in this article. The key to raising goldfish is, knowing the individual varieties, what makes them special and what their specific needs are. Once you have done your research, you can decide what varieties of goldfish are right for you.

Single Tail Varieties:

Common: The common goldfish is the most basic and common of all the goldfish varieties, thus its nickname the “common goldfish”. They are the most resilient of all the different goldfish species and can live up to 30 years and reach a mature size of 24 inches in a pond. This is the original goldfish that has been selectively bred in order to form all the different varieties of “fancy” goldfish. The common and comet goldfish are usually found in aquarium retail stores as feeder goldfish. The lower quality specimens are the ones sold as feeders because breeders will not use them for breeding and hobby aquarists would not want to raise them. When shopping for a common goldfish, be sure to check that the gill covers are completely formed and that they are not hunch backed. Those are signs of defective specimens.

Comet: The comet goldfish is essentially the common goldfish with longer fins. This fish is just as hardy as the common goldfish but their fins are more likely to get nipped at due to their length. The body shape and length as well as all the color combinations are the same as the common goldfish. The comet goldfish can potentially reach a mature size of approximately 22 inches and can live up to 20 years if it is well cared for. This only happens if this type of goldfish is raised in a pond. Be sure that the fins are nicely in tact before purchasing these fish. If the fins are shredded the fish could be stressed out and may not survive a trip to a new aquarium.

Shubunkin: The shubunkin goldfish is very similar to the comet goldfish in terms of their body and fin shape, although sometimes you will be able to find a double tailed shubunkin. Their calico colors of red, white, orange, black and blue set them apart from the common comet goldfish. These shubunkin goldfish reach a mature size of 8 to 12 inches for up to 25 years. This fish can also be found in a short fin variety. This variety is not quite as resilient as the common goldfish but is still quite hardy when compared to other goldfish varieties. Although the colors are not as prominent in the pond as the deep orange coloration of the common and comet goldfish, they still survive well and can thrive in a pond environment.

Fancy Tail Varieties:

Wakins: The wakins goldfish is also known as the double tail goldfish because of their double caudal tail fin which is divided. The wakins goldfish retain the same body shape and color combinations as the common goldfish. Each segment of this goldfish’s double tail is positioned closely together as opposed to wide set, so the tail appears to be thinner than the butterfly tail variety of goldfish.

Jikins: The jikins goldfish, also known as the butterfly goldfish is a double tailed goldfish that retains the body shape and color combinations of the common goldfish. This fish is different from the wakins or double tailed goldfish because each segment of this goldfish’s tail is connected closer to the tip and positioned to spread out into a wider set tail formation. Because the two segments of the tail are connected almost to the tip, the tail on this goldfish

variety appears to be butterfly shaped from up above which explains the name “butterfly tail“. The jikins goldfish is bred from the wakins goldfish and will most times have less dramatic coloration. The ideal jikins goldfish which can be very expensive will have a white body with red lips, fins and tail.

Fantail: The fantail goldfish is named for its double tail configuration in addition to their pointed faces, round bodies. The fan shaped double tails along with their cute body form put them in the category of “fancy” goldfish. These fantail goldfish come in a variety of different color combinations, both iridescent and metallic. Sometimes these fantail goldfish can be found with telescope eyes but most times they have normal eyes. These goldfish are pretty resilient when compared to the other fancy types of goldfish but they still have the tendency to contract swim bladder disorder. To prevent this do not let water temperature drop below 50°F. This type of goldfish does not have very much trouble with their swimming abilities as some of the other fancy varieties do. They have the potential to reach 14 inches long and live up to 12 years.

Nymph: The nymph goldfish shares the same body shape as the fantail goldfish but it lacks the double tail. This goldfish is essentially the same fish as the fantail goldfish so it comes in all the same color combinations. The single anal and caudal fins cause the nymph to appear to be a shorter, rounder common goldfish but it is actually born to the fantail or veil tail goldfish varieties. The nymph goldfish can reach a length of 14 inches and live up to 12 years.

Veil tail: The veil tail goldfish is named for its long flowing fins. This variety of goldfish retains a round, elongated body shape and it comes in all the different goldfish color combinations. The ideal veil tail goldfish will have a dorsal fin that will start at the highest point of the veil tail’s back and be as tall as the height of the goldfish’s body. This makes for a well proportioned veil tail goldfish. Since their fins are so long and so delicate the veil tail goldfish should have plenty of room to swim without obstacles to get caught on. This fish can be relatively hardy if their fins are well cared for and they have the potential to grow up to 10 inches in length and live up to 16 years.

Ryukin: The ryukin goldfish comes in all the usual goldfish color combinations although the red and silver combination is in highest demand and. The calico ryukin is very common and exhibits all the usual colors of red, black, white, blue and orange. These fish have pointed heads, high backs and round bellies. Their double fan tails put them in the fancy goldfish classification even though their eyes are always normal. The ryukin goldfish grow to a maximum of 10 inches which make them a great alternative to raising koi fish without having to have the large space requirements that koi fish demand. They have a life span of up to 25 years and can be fairly robust goldfish.

Oranda: The oranda goldfish is quite a fish to look at because of their extremely round bellies and short bodies. They have fancy flowing tail and dorsal fins as well as their thick hoods that cover their heads and faces almost to the point where you cannot see their eyes. The oranda goldfish come in a variety of colors and color combinations. The hood on an oranda goldfish takes awhile to develop and may start to appear as white spots that look like ick before forming into a full hood. There is a redcap variety of the oranda goldfish which is different from other orandas because unlike the oranda hood that covers the face and head, the cap is confined to growing on the top of a head and not at all on the face of the goldfish. Ideal specimens of the oranda goldfish should have long flowing fins and a nice even leveled hood that does not cover the eyes of the fish. This fish can live up to 25 years and grow up to 10 inches long.

Telescope eye: The telescope eye goldfish, which is also called dragon eye goldfish, is known for their protruding eyes. These fish have high dorsal fins and short, round bodies. This is a resilient goldfish that can live up to 25 years old and reach potentially 8 inches in length. The telescope eye goldfish come in all the different color combinations which make it possible for their eyes to exhibit different color variations as well. It is uncommon for the eyes on this fish to have colors contrasting the colors of the head. The telescoped eyes will come in a variety of sizes but the ideal fish should have symmetrical eyes and long flowing fins.

Moor: The moor goldfish has telescope eyes and comes in a variety of different colors. The body shape of the moor goldfish is the same as the veil tail goldfish. The highest prized of the moors is the black moor which is completely black all over and may sometimes have bronze scales. The black moor goldfish is a great contrast when added to an aquarium with goldfish of other colors. These fish are slow moving, clumsy swimmers so they do not do great in a pond or aquarium with aggressive fish. Moors can live for up to 25 years and reach a length of 10 inches.

Lion head: The lion head goldfish is named for its lion-like appearance when it is fully mature. A hood develops on this fish just like the ranchu and the oranda but it is noticeably more prominent than the other varieties of goldfish. When fully mature, the hood of this fish should fully cover its head with the exception of the eyes. The lion head has a double tail fin and lacks the dorsal fin which gives it a smooth back. Although the lion head has a round belly, it has the longer body than the ranchu goldfish. The ideal lion head goldfish should have an elongated, straight back without a hunch to it. This fish can reach up to 8 inches in length and live up to 15 years old.

Ranchu: The ranchu goldfish looks very similar to the lion head goldfish with two very minor differences. First, the body shape of a ranchu is slightly rounder and not as long. Second, the hood on the ranchu goldfish is not quite as defined as the hood on the lion head goldfish. When searching for a ranchu goldfish be sure to check the curvature of the back; there should be no humps. Sometimes you will see as much as a 90° curvature of its back, otherwise this fish can grow up to 8 inches in length. These fish are not very resilient and cannot withstand colder temperatures so they will need to be kept in a temperature regulated aquarium. The life span of this fish is 15 years but most times they will not even live that long.

Pompon: The pompon goldfish are named for the nasal flaps which appear larger on this variety of goldfish than on any other. The size of pompons varies from fish to fish but on a single fish, both pompons should be symmetrical when looking for a good specimen to purchase. The highest in demand of all the pompon goldfish is the “red magpie” which is characterized by the black coloration of the goldfish’s face contrasting with the bright orange pompons. There are other color combinations available as well. This fish can reach a potential of 8 inches in length and live up to 25 years old.

Pearl scale: The pearl scale goldfish is named for the visual effect of their scales that reflect light to appear pearl-like. Each scale is curved more than normal scales so that the center appears pearly white. The pearl scale goldfish tends to be a little smaller than other varieties of goldfish, with exaggerated round bodies and double caudal fins. This variety of fish does not swim especially well so they are best kept in calm aquariums with non-aggressive fish. These fish are not very hardy so extreme care should be taken when raising these fish. They have the potential to reach 8 inches in length and they can live for about 20 years if they are very well cared for.

Bubble eye: The bubble eye goldfish name is quite self explanatory. It is named for the liquid filled bubbles positioned just below the eyes. The bubble eye goldfish has the same elongated round body as the lion head goldfish. They too lack the dorsal fin and have the double caudal tail fin. A well proportioned bubble eye goldfish will have symmetrical bubbles under each eye and the width of the bubbles on the head should equal the same as the length of the body. Because the bubble sacs are so delicate, this variety of goldfish should be placed in a spacious aquarium with non-aggressive fish. It is possible for the fluid filled sacs to be punctured and deflated so extreme caution should be taken when caring for this fish. If special care is taken with the surroundings of this fish the fluid filled sacs can potentially repair heal. The bubble eye goldfish is available in all the different color combinations. They can reach 6 inches in length and live for up to 10 years long.

Celestial: The celestial goldfish is named for their bubble eyes that point upward as if they are permanently gazing at the stars. These goldfish, like the lion head goldfish, have elongated bodies, round bellies, double tail configuration and they lack a dorsal fin. It is very common to find this type of goldfish with a deep orange coloration even though it is available in other color combinations. A good specimen of the celestial goldfish should have symmetrical eyes both in angle and position. Also available is the celestial pompon goldfish which have the celestial eyes as well as the pompon nasal flaps. This fish has a short life expectancy of 7 years and they can reach up to 10 inches in length.

The fancy goldfish with all the unique traits are much more likely to contract swim bladder disorder which is a condition in which the fish becomes disoriented and loses its ability to swim upright. The more a goldfish is bred to exhibit traits different from the common goldfish the less resistant the fish becomes to all the different diseases that can ail a goldfish. When searching for your new goldfish, be sure to observe their swimming ability for a little bit while still in the store. Although the fancier types of goldfish are not as graceful as other fish, they should still be able to swim around without too much trouble. Check all of the fins to see that they are still in tact and not shredded or rotten. Look at the eyes to be sure that they are clear and undamaged; if they look cloudy or uneven it would be best not to purchase the goldfish. Be sure to check that their gill plates are completely covering their gills; some fish are born defective with incomplete gill covers.

When choosing the right specimens to take home to your pond or aquarium, be sure to first observe the conditions of the tanks in the pet store. By looking closely at the store’s display tanks you will be able to see if the fish are well cared for and free of disease. If most or all of the fish tanks look diseased and unclean it would be best to move on to another aquatic retail store. If you purchase healthy, well cared for goldfish you will have a better chance at goldfish raising success.

Common Goldfish

Silver and Orange Fantails

Undesirable colors on a goldfish

Undeveloped Gill Coverings – The gills are exposed

Sources

firsttankguide.net ponddoc.com

kokosgoldfish.com

goldfishconnection.com

Focus on Freshwater Aquarium Fish by Geoff Rogers and Nick Fletcher

Encyclopedia of Aquarium and Pond Fish by David Alderton

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Types of Goldfish, Care in aquariums and fish ponds & Forum

Quick links - Answers

Aquarium life Pond life

Dietary needs

The breeding process

Common diseases

Advice by Mick, keeping fish since 1976

Brief Description

This page is devoted to Goldfish in aquariums and ponds, proper care, and also contains forum where you're welcome to share your Goldfish stories with us! You should also visit the following pages, they're dedicated to Goldfish too: Goldfish and water quality, Before buying a Goldfish with FAQ and pictures, Profile of Goldfish with discussion forum, Goldfish diseases, Breeding goldfish and Goldfish care tips!

Introduction

Carassius Auratus, widely known as “Goldfish”, is an ornamental ciprinidae, native from China, where it has been bred for long time. Being one of the first ornamental fish bred, goldfish has a great number of colour and shape mutations. Mutations can be divided in two categories: “long body” looking similar to the wild-type, and “short body” that usually have a egg shaped body much different from the common goldfish.

“Long body” goldfish are the stronger ones and can live also in ponds; They usually reach 6-8 inches or more. Long finned are usually faster than short finned but can still live together without problems.

Common goldfish: it has a stout body and short rounded fins, the most common colour is bright orange, but you can find also brown, silver, yellow and calico.

Comet: it has thinner body and long caudal fin. Colours are the same of the common one.

Shubunkin: its shape is the same of the common goldfish body, but has a heart shaped tail and is only calico coloured.

“Short body” goldfish are delicate and can live only in aquarium, they usually reach 4-6 inches and the most of them have swimming difficulties, so it is better not to mix the mutations and set up the aquarium with only a kind of goldfish. Cohabitation with “long body” goldfish is not possible, because the second are too much faster, stronger and bigger, so think about them as another species, and not as the same fish.

Veiltail: it has rounded body looking like a egg, high dorsal fin and long doubled tail.

Oranda: it looks like Veiltail but has a hood on the head, that grows bigger when the fish reaches the adult size.

Black moor: it has black, and sometimes golden, rounded body with telescopic eyes.

Globe eye: it has the same characteristics of the Black moor but is red, orange, or calico coloured.

Fantail: it has a egg shaped body and short fins.

Lionhead: it has rounded body without dorsal fin, and like oranda it has a hood on the head.

Celestial: it has a light rounded body without dorsal fin and upturned eyes.

Bubble eyes: it is mostly like Celestial, but has a sack under the eye, like a bubble.

Aquarium life

Goldfish kept in aquarium do not need water heater, but the filter must be really powerful; in case of slow swimming fish reduce the pump speed. There is no need of special chemical values, anyway it is better to provide a medium hard water, a PH range between 6 and 7, and a good oxygenation. Goldfish often dig the gravel so choose strong plants, moreover they use to eat plants too and only the anubias seem to be not tasty for them.

As for the decorations choose rounded woods and stones, especially for goldfish with long fins, hoods and delicate eyes (like telescopic or bubble).

It is easy to overpopulate the tank, remember goldfish grow fast and produce a lot of refuses, so plan from 15 to 30 litres of water per fish.

Goldfish in ponds

Pond life

Only wild-type, comet and Shubunkin can live in ponds and there they easily grow really big. They can stand also low temperatures, anyway the pond has not to go under 32°F (0°C), and if the temperature goes under 50°F (10°C) is better to stop feeding the fish, because digestion gets really slow and make them sick.

Avoid the use of fountains with strong jets because goldfish swimming bladder is really delicate and can get damaged easily by fast water current or fountain jets.

Feeding

Goldfish are omnivorous and extremely greedy, they try to eat everything present in the aquarium or in the pond. Choose a good dry food at the base of their diet, avoid flakes and prefer granules because they are richer in nutrients and usually cause less problems. Food is maybe the most common problem with goldfish, they easily eat too much, or have digestion problem that develop momentary or constant swimming troubles. Feed fish daily with few food and do a fasting day once a week; prefer foods easy to digest, you can also provide live fresh foods like meal worms and earth worms, or vegetables and fruits. Remember that fish in ponds, especially during spring and summer eat also a great quantity of insects and larvae. Moreover avoid to give bread, biscuits and other similar products because, even if goldfish eat them, they ferment during digestion and the generated gas develops in swimming problems connected to the swimming bladder right working.

Breeding

Goldfish breed also in aquarium but in pond is more common and easy. They reach the sexual maturity at the age of one year, anyway they start breeding when they are at least two or three years old. Sexual differences between males and females are few and hard to see, adult males have tubercles on the pectoral fins and gill, but sometimes some females have tubercles as well, so the best way to try breeding is to have at least a small group of 5-6 fish at least.

A young and healthy adult female can spawn from 500 to 1000 eggs. In case you are breeding them inside the aquarium it is better to remove the eggs, otherwise adults would eat them; while if you are breeding them in the pond you can also leave there the eggs, the most would be eaten, anyway fry have a lot of hiding places, and small food already present in the pond water.

If you have to feed fry in the aquarium use liquid foods, infusoria and brine shrimps. From the age of three weeks they can eat adult food.

Common illness

Goldfish are strong fish anyway they suffer specially of swimming bladder problems and water pollution.

As mentioned above, the swimming bladder of goldfish is really delicate and can get damaged by fermented food, infections and hits. If the fish swims slower than usual or in a strange position (a bit turned on a side) leave it without food for a day, because overfeeding is the first cause; if things do not go better maybe the problem is permanent, but is not a serious trouble if the fish can still eat and move.

Goldfish suffer water pollution because they need really oxygenated water, when oxygen level is low fish usually breath faster and look stressed; do some water changes, add an oxygenator for some days and solve the cause of water pollution (overfeeding, not working filter, overpopulation, poor oxygenation).

Copyright note: This article is originally written by Michela Ferretti. Aqua-fish.net owns the full copyright of this article. Photos are provided by Luca, who is a registered member at this web site.