Goldfish Care Details

Goldfish originated in China, and they can reach the age of 25 years. Because they are easy to care for and reasonably priced, most aquarium enthusiasts like raising goldfish. They are a perfect aquarium pet for people new to the hobby, because the equipment required to keep them is both basic and cheap.

Around the world, it is common to breed the goldfish in big aquariums, and then transfer them to a fish pond garden. Because of genetics and breeding, goldfish have various forms of tails and fins, which are visually stunning.

Almost every one of us had a goldfish in a round bowl as a child, and usually after a week the fish died. Why does this happen? It’s because goldfish care in a bowl is actually more complex than in an aquarium. Goldfish live in cold water temperatures of around 50­77 degrees F. (10­25 degrees C.), so the oxygen supply is very important to them. As the temperature of water increases, the levels of oxygen in that water decreases. The summer temperature in a fish bowl can reach to 86 degrees F. (30 degrees C.), and the goldfish suffers from lack of oxygen at that temperature. In order to make sure your goldfish have enough oxygen, you need an oxygen pump for a goldfish aquarium.

How to Raise Goldfish

Because goldfish are not tropical fish, you should put them in a cold fish aquarium without any tropical fish. Actually, goldfish aquariums work best when there is nothing but goldfish in them. This prevents other fish causing damage to the goldfish, and vice versa.

Use the largest aquarium tank you can afford, because goldfish grow rapidly, and a small aquarium will become too crowded and packed for the goldfish, causing a reduction in their development. Also, rapid growth is accompanied by increased eating and higher water pollution. Plus, a larger aquarium can handle this situation better.

Other equipment required for your goldfish aquarium include an oxygen pump, an air stone, and an external charcoal filter. You need a very strong filter, because goldfish make the aquarium very dirty. Standard aquarium lighting is also important to the development of the fish, and contributes to a brightening of their color. To ensure a clean water supply, exchange a quarter of the water in the tank weekly.

As far as nutrition goes, goldfish love to eat! In fact, they will eat almost anything. There are even stories about goldfish eating chicken, but don’t try this at home. When you use carbohydrate rich foods, make sure the food is dry and frozen. Often people starting out with goldfish tend to over feed them. Remember that over­feeding causes excessive infection, because of increased ammonia in the water, which can even cause death. Be sure to feed no more than twice a day and make sure the fish eat everything in less than five minutes.

Goldfish can be bred in aquariums. Because of the inability to tell males from females when the goldfish are young, you must purchase at least six goldfish of the same type to make sure you have some of both gender. After a while the goldfish will begin to multiply in the aquarium.

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