Goldfish Care: 5 Things You Should Do To Make Them Happy

1. Set up their aquarium before buying any goldfish

Don’t buy a goldfish and its home at the pet store on the same day. Instead, set up the tank with gravel, ornaments, and filter in a good spot (a quiet one, away from a window or radiator, and near a power source) and fill it with water, then run whatever pumps you’re using. It takes time to flush out the chlorine and other chemicals in tap water that can harm your fish.

2. Consider pre-ripping the fuel tank

A new aquarium takes time to “mature”; This weird word basically means that tank and gravel filters are able to break up waste before it contaminates the water. You can purchase products to start this process at a fish store. “Cycling” usually takes about two weeks, and prevents your new fish from getting contaminated.

3. Store the goldfish tank slowly

Get just a couple of fish at first (goldfish are social animals) and give them a week or two in the tank before buying any more. This gives the tank a longer ripening time to deal with the increase in waste products.

The best thing you can do to keep your fish healthy is to change some of the water regularly. Using the siphon tube, remove about a fifth of the water once a week and replace it with fresh water, preferably the water you left standing overnight. Changing the water in this way loosens the contamination and adds new minerals to the tank.

5. Don’t consider buying a filter

Many people keep goldfish in tanks without filters or even air pumps. but adding a filter It will greatly improve the quality and stability of the water conditions in your tank. Even an air pump will help – bubbles improve the oxygen level in the water, which goldfish really appreciate.

5 things you should never do when taking care of a goldfish

1. Don’t keep goldfish in a bowl

Yes, some people keep their pets alive for years in a bowl, but many live short, unhappy lives. Goldfish are curious fish that love to swim and explore. Give them a tank at least two feet long. Also, goldfish bowls are easily contaminated, and the design hinders the transfer of fresh oxygen to the water.

2. Do not overfeed your goldfish

Your fish should eat all of the food you add within five to ten minutes. If there is food lying on the floor of the sink, you are overeating. This excess food will rot and contaminate the tank.

3. Don’t overcrowd your tank

An aquarium can only hold so many fish before it starts to get dirty too quickly, or before the oxygen level in the water drops. A three-foot aquarium will happily hold about four full-grown goldfish—you can add a couple more if needed, especially if you have an air pump, but it’s not recommended.

4. Don’t keep an ordinary goldfish with a fancy goldfish

Fancy goldfish, with their bubbling eyes and double tail, are more sensitive and slower moving than the standard goldfish. You’ll run into fewer problems if you keep one or the other species in the same tank.

5. Do not add a heater

Some people use tropical aquarium heaters in their goldfish tanks. This is not only unnecessary – it can harm the fish. They will be very happy at normal living room temperature, in fact they probably prefer it a little on the cooler side!