Keep a Goldfish Happy and Healthy

Here are some tips to keep your goldfish healthy and active.

Steps

  1. Get an aquarium large enough. The best aquarium is {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} or so for a happy and healthy goldfish, do not put it in a goldfish bowl.
  2. Add driftwood, plants, stones, or ornaments for your goldfish to swim around.
  3. Leave lots of open space for swimming. Your Build a Goldfish Dinner Bell will appreciate it. A good rule is: three fourths open water, one fourth decorated.
  4. Rearrange decorations with your weekly water changes. This is like a whole new playground for your goldfish.
  5. Use variety in your food choices. Shrimp, clam, brine shrimp, Daphnia, night crawlers; boiled lettuce, spinach, and other greens are all great choices.
  6. Interact with your goldfish while feeding it. Goldfish can be trained to ring a bell for food. This provides stimulation to the goldfish and a deeper level to heir keeping than observation.

Tips

  • Don't over feed your goldfish. Once or twice a day, as much as they can suck down in 2-3 minutes. No matter how much they beg, resist the urge. (This is the cause of one of the most inevitable deaths for your fishy friend-overfeeding. If you notice your goldfish has a tendency to float around and open its mouth as if it is gasping for air, it is due to their swim bladder being introduced to an overdose of air. This happens when you use floating food. It especially affects fancy goldfish.)
  • Buy everything you are going to put in the aquarium in the Find a Reliable Fish Store. Otherwise it may contain harmful substances and kill your fish.
  • Never tap on your fish tank. This scares your goldfish and it tries to swim away.
  • Don't feed it strictly these "special" foods. A good prepared dry food is needed as a staple.
  • Use only natural plants like Vallisneria, Hydrilla etc., Plant them on the gravel or tie them to a big gravel piece and place them at the centre of your tank. Usually Goldfish likes natural plants than any other artificial objects. some of the aquarium plants even serve as natural hygienic food.
  • Make sure your aquarium is big enough for your goldfish. All goldfish grow to be large, so although they may look cute in the little desktop aquarium now, in a year it will be vastly undersized. Most fancy goldfish can grow up to six inches and comet (feeder), common, shubunkin, and common goldfish can easily grow to be over twelve inches. The generally accepted rule is two gallons of water to every inch of goldfish. Example: A tank with two four inch goldfish and two two inch goldfish would need to b at least twenty gallons. It seems like a lot of room for four fish, but goldfish produce high levels of toxic ammonia and need the extra water to dilute this chemical. It would be suggested to only keep a maximum of two goldfish in a twenty gallon tank, as they can grow much larger if given the right environment. A more accurate rule is twenty gallons per goldfish, and ten more per every other fish. Example: A {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} fish could home a maximum of three goldfish, and even then they would have to be fancies. A minimum for comet, shubunkin, and common goldfish is about one hundred gallons plus. This is due to them being able to reach lengths of about two feet long! That's almost as long as the average koi you see in a pond! Be sure to use common sense, because would you want to be stuck inside of a closet the rest of your life? I didn't think so.
  • If you have a bowl make sure that you have the right size. Fish can be small when you buy them but grow 3-6 inches in only one year.
  • Try not putting goldfish in bowls. They occupy to much space so their free will of exploration is denied. Also, most filters do not fit in bowls. If your goldfish is small, it is best not to place them in bowls because they grow quickly and they get a big appetite so the bigger and fatter, the less space they have for them to thrive.

Warnings

  • Do not put sharp objects in the tank. This could hurt the goldfish.
  • Remember any fish that can fit into your goldfish's mouth can become a meal.
  • Do not collect the decorations in the wild, as this too could hurt your goldfish. They could contain diseases and too much salts and other minerals.
  • Never stack rocks in a way they could fall on your goldfish if bumped into.
  • Never wash decorations/equipment with cleaner. Residue WILL remain and instantly kill your fish.

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