Goldfish are a popular breed of fish and a great choice for beginners they are a hardy variety of fish making them a perfect choice for new fish-keepers, taking care of goldfish is much easier than other more delicate fish but most importantly they still need to be looked after correctly.
What Size Fish Tank Do Goldfish Need?
Goldfish need a lot of space, so you will want to get the largest fish tank possible. If you are getting multiple goldfish, I recommend buying an extra-large tank with plenty of room for them to swim around and explore. If you only intend to keep a couple of goldfish then a small fish tank of about 50-60 liters will be fine. Goldfish also enjoy having plants and decorations to make their habitat more interesting, so try adding things like sunken treasure chests or fake palm trees as well!
Tetra 54 Ltr Fish Tank plus Accessories
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Tetra 105 Ltr Fish Tank Plus Accessories
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‘Goldfish bowls’ don’t make good homes for goldfish they are usually too small and don’t let enough oxygen into the water, fish need oxygen to survive which they obtain through their Gills, so if you are going to keep more than one or two fish, then a larger fish tank will be needed for taking care of goldfish. The term goldfish bowl derives from fairgrounds when children would hook a duck out of the water to win a goldfish, the goldfish were kept in bowls by the fairground stall owner and the term goldfish bowl stuck.
Goldfish are very social so they prefer other fish around them to keep them company. Be careful not to keep too many fish together in one tank as this can lead to fish bullying and their water can become polluted with too much fish waste.
Goldfish are cold-water fish, so they don’t specifically need any special equipment to heat up a fish tank. It is important not to change the temperature of a fish tank suddenly as this can shock your goldfish, even though it is not required a fish tank heater would be a good idea for maintaining a constant temperature especially if other types of fish are also kept in the fish tank.
Ways To Improve Your Setup So Goldfish Will Love Their Home
- Keep your fish tank somewhere where the temperature will stay reasonably constant.
- The Fish Tank should be kept out of direct sunlight.
- Above all make sure the goldfish tank is out of reach of children and pets such as cats and dogs.
- Place your fish tank on an even surface.
- Use a water-filter because water quality is really important for the health of your goldfish. Without a filter, waste products can build up in the tank and make your fish poorly.
- Adding a water pump will keep the water moving, consequently, more oxygen can get into the water to help your fish maintain good health.
- Cover the bottom of the fish tank with safe gravel, Rinse it well before you add it to the fish tank.
- Adding ornaments and decorations to your tank will help keep your fish active and help them feel safe.
- Caves and tunnels will let your fish get away from other fish when they want to.
- Plants and other objects will add interest and give them something to explore so they have a fun day.
- Don’t add too many things to the fish tank, they still need plenty of space to swim freely.
- When you fill your tank, you need to make the water safe for your fish!
- Tap water has chlorine in which is dangerous for your fish, You can add de-chlorination drops to make their water safe.
Tetra Aquasafe Water Conditioner
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Adding goldfish to a fish tank
Firstly once you have your fish tank set up, and it’s been filled with de-chlorinated water, as a result you are now ready to add fish to their new environment!
Float the bag containing your fish in the tank water for 20 minutes to let your goldfish gradually get used to the new water temperature.
Add some water from the tank to the water in the bag but wait another 10 minutes.
Let your fish swim into their new tank and throw away the water from the bag.
Cleaning a goldfish tank
You will need to clean your goldfish tank regularly to stop waste products from building up in the tank and making your fish ill.
Daily cleaning
Clean away any uneaten food after feeding time, by removing it with a net, if keeping live plants you may get some debris floating on the surface remove this also.
Fish Tank Net
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Weekly Cleaning Taking Care Of Goldfish
Remove around 20% of the water from the tank by using a fish tank siphon and bucket throw it away or use it to water your garden flowers.
Clean away any green algae growing in the tank there are tools such as scrapers for the glass to make this process easy.
Treat the replacement water with de-chlorination drops and leave to sit for 15 minutes so that it reaches the same temperature as the tank.
Carefully add it to the fish tank.
Don’t change all the water in the tank at once, This can put a lot of stress on your fish.
Only do this if there is contamination in the water that you know will harm your fish.
Water Siphon
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Fish Tank Cleaning Kit
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Feeding Goldfish
Goldfish should be fed good quality complete commercial goldfish food complete foods contain all the nutrients your goldfish will need.
They often come in flakes which are easy to measure out to feed your fish.
Always follow the feeding guidelines on the food packet.
Generally, goldfish should be fed twice a day.
However, If there is any uneaten food in the water after a few minutes, you’re feeding them a little too much.
Reduce the amount to find a happy balance, try not to overfeed your fish as this is not good for them.
Keeping Goldfish Book
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Various Types of Goldfish
Mixing Goldfish With Other Fish
Most varieties of goldfish will mix with other fish very well, it is a good idea to try and add similar-sized fish with them to reduce the risk of any bullying within a fish tank.
Try to avoid bully varieties of fish if possible to avoid any issues.
Goldfish are very hardy and will live happily in most fish tanks with or without a heater, but if you mix different varieties of fish together it is always best to prepare the fish tank with all the relevant equipment such as a heater, water filter, bubbler, and lighting.
The larger the fish tank the easier it is to maintain, but also the larger the fish tank the larger the fish can grow so do not overstock a fish tank with small young fish because very quickly it will become too small as the fish grow larger.
There are many different types of goldfish and they can be mixed within a fish tank, be careful with small fancy goldfish varieties because larger goldfish can bully them.
Always ask your fish supplier what recommendations they have when purchasing fish because fish store owners can be very knowledgeable and provide great advice.
I hope you found this “Taking Care Of Goldfish” Article useful, If you keep goldfish and have any tips you would like to share why not leave a comment below.
