Goldfish care can be difficult to get right, especially for a new pet owner. Yet millions of goldfish are bought each year.
It’s easy to see why.
Goldfish are a delight to watch as they bump against one another to chase after the next morsel of food, often nipping at fins and shoving their greedy mouths straight up to the water surface. And there are so many goldfish varieties, in all sorts of colors and shapes, that it’s hard to choose which ones to bring home!
Goldfish are the most popular domesticated aquatic life in the world and there are over 125 varieties – more varieties than any other fish species. – Carlo DeVito and Gregory Skomal, authors of An Owner’s Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet: The Goldfish
Goldfish have their share of benefits. Simply watching their day-to-day activities can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and even improve how well you eat meals at the dinner table. That’s why you’ll usually see an aquarium smack in the middle of waiting rooms.
But sadly, most goldfish don’t live to see their first year. In fact, a majority die young!
Goldfish care requires so much more than simply filling an aquarium with water.
If given quality goldfish care and the proper environment needed to thrive, goldfish can actually live 10 years or more. And there are records where goldfish have grown to be over a foot long!
Our goal is to walk you through the process of raising goldfish that not only last, but flourish in their aquarium environment. If you want your goldfish to give you years of entertainment, you’ll need to get those basic requirements right. Because so many things can go wrong in a small glass bowl.
Complete Goldfish Care focuses on seven key areas.
Goldfish Care Tip #1: Set Up a Healthy Goldfish Tank
Maintaining a healthy aquarium environment where goldfish can thrive is crucial.
You’ll want to…
- Buy the largest aquarium you can afford
- Enhance the beauty of your aquarium with substrate, artificial or live plants, and aquarium ornaments
- Treat fresh water with a tap water conditioner
- Test the water on a weekly basis with a freshwater test kit
- And practice routine water changes
If you don’t look out for the health of your goldfish, your fish will become sick. And if you’re not too careful, stunted growth might be in your goldfish’s future, along with a host of other problems!
Goldfish, especially fancy varieties, are very susceptible to diseases if forced to live in unhealthy conditions. Prevent diseases before they can infect your fish by learning which goldfish tank to buy and how to keep it running.
Goldfish Care Tip #2: Discover Goldfish Types
Selecting the right goldfish types for your aquarium, personality, and lifestyle is the first step to keeping goldfish that thrive. And since all breeds have their own special goldfish care requirements, you should find out what those requirements are before you make the mistake of buying a fish you can’t keep.
Learn more about…
- Unique goldfish types available (and rarities too)
- Special eating patterns and diets
- How to establish a goldfish community
- And why goldfish shouldn’t be kept with tropical fish
Before going to the pet store, learn everything you can about the goldfish you’re interested in.
Goldfish Care Tip #3: Find Goldfish for Sale
Ready to buy your first goldfish? Or looking to compare prices?
If you purchase a goldfish from poor stock, one that’s already stressed out and exposed to disease, things may get ugly – quickly – once you take that fish home. Avoid the risk altogether and be aware of telling signs that something’s amiss.
Find out…
- Where to buy healthy goldfish
- How to buy goldfish online
- What goldfish cost
- All about goldfish breeders
- And signs that your goldfish are healthy before you make the purchase
Goldfish are so popular that it’s hard to find any pet store that won’t have them in stock. But you should know what you’re getting into before you visit the pet store.
Goldfish Care Tip #4: Buy Quality Goldfish Food
To feed your goldfish on a regular basis, you need goldfish food.
Don’t just buy the first brand you see either. To meet all of the nutritional and dietary needs of your goldfish, you’ll need to know what to look for.
Not all commercial brands are created equal. If your goldfish are malnourished, an overwhelming disease outbreak might be around the corner. Goldfish need particular nutrients to thrive. Young goldfish and many fancy varieties especially need protein-rich foods to develop and grow.
Goldfish are also ravenous scavengers. Many times, they’ll swim right up to the aquarium glass and nuzzle their noses, begging for an additional meal. But don’t let their begging antics fool you!
Goldfish have sensitive digestive systems. If fed too much too soon, there might be even bigger problems than a hungry goldfish.
Learn all about…
- Goldfish nutrition
- Recommended brands
- Foods unique for certain goldfish types
- How often to feed your goldfish and when
- And the importance of food variety
There are many different kinds of food available, but the key is finding the right brand for the dietary needs of your goldfish.
Goldfish Care Tip #5: Prevent Goldfish Diseases
Goldfish are hardy creatures. But even under the worst conditions, they can’t withstand disease. Don’t take their hardiness for granted – things will go downhill fast. And when your goldfish do get sick, it’s important to know how to treat goldfish diseases quickly and effectively.
Of course, it’s also useful to learn which diseases will potentially infect your goldfish before they get sick (and take measures to prevent possible outbreaks).
Get the nitty-gritty on…
- Which goldfish diseases to look out for
- Signs your goldfish is sick
- How to treat common goldfish diseases (and even rare infections)
- And how to prevent deadly outbreaks from impacting the aquarium
If your goldfish tank is properly maintained and regularly cleaned, chances are your goldfish won’t get sick at all. But if/when they do, you want to take action immediately.
Goldfish Care Tip #6: Explore Goldfish Breeding
Goldfish breeding is a fun and worthwhile experience if you’ve been raising goldfish for a while. You can even make a side income just breeding and selling goldfish fry (once they’ve matured of course). Goldfish breeding is also an incredible learning experience, and hatching your first batch of fry can be exhilarating.
Learn the fundamentals of…
- Goldfish breeding basics
- How to prepare your goldfish for mating
- How to hatch your first batch of fry
- What to do when those babies hatch
- And how to raise young goldfish
If you want to explore goldfish with different traits or even show off your goldfish at local shows, breeding is an excellent first step.
Goldfish Care Tip #7: Build a Goldfish Pond
Goldfish, like koi, are wonderful pond fish because of their large sizes and hardiness. Some goldfish varieties were even developed to be looked upon from above (celestial eye goldfish, for example).
But while most goldfish with streamlined bodies are fine kept in ponds, other fancy varieties do best indoors because of their sensitive, exaggerated features.
Get detailed advice on…
- Which goldfish types are best kept outdoors
- If a goldfish pond is right for you
- How to develop a pond environment
- How to care for goldfish in a pond
- What to feed your pond inhabitants
- And what to do over the winter before the pond freezes over
Keeping goldfish is a wonderful experience. But it’s up to you to take the actions necessary for long-lasting, healthy fish.
Since goldfish can’t care for themselves, they depend on you for their goldfish care. It’s up to you to maintain a healthy goldfish tank, feed your fish quality goldfish food, prevent (or treat) goldfish diseases, and even take your goldfish hobby to the next level by setting up an outdoor pond or hatching your first batch of fry.
Remember: You control the lives, happiness, and well-being of your goldfish. If you give these amazing creatures the goldfish care they deserve, they will thank you for years and years to come.
5 comments
we ‘inherited’ a fan tail goldfish at a wedding in IL. We brought the fish to NE with the grandkids we’re keeping since the g-son already named it Kevin. we were given some koi food by the motel desk personnel since they have a pond and tank in the lobby.
He survived the cross country trip; we used bottled spring water for the new home.
The articles you led me to were good…but stopped short of answers for ‘how much/how often to feed’, aat what point in time do I need to aerate the water, etc.
thanks.
Steve with ‘Kevin’ on the table watching me type…
Hi Steve,
Glad to hear your goldfish is doing well! It sounds like Kevin is in good hands. 🙂
I published an article a while back that should answer all of your feeding questions. It’s a massive piece (nearly 3,000 words) and goes into detail about what to feed goldfish, how much to feed, and when. It should keep you occupied for a while!
As for aerating the water, you should always have it well oxygenated. I recommend keeping a power filter that has a strong current. You can also use an underground filtration system in addition to the power filter (don’t just have the underground filter alone), which should help with aerating. Then every week (depending on how many gallons of water your tank holds), you can change 25% of the water. I like to make these water changes on Sundays. You should also do weekly water tests to make sure pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels stay under control.
Best of luck with Kevin! 🙂
You’ve pointed out a lot of things with regards to taking care of a gold fish. A lot would think that a gold fish is somewhat a starter fish to take care off for newbies in the hobby. Everyone should know that there are a lot of things that one should also take into consideration when you choose a gold fish for a pet.
I couldn’t have said it better, James! Too many people think goldfish are a great beginner pet, then bring one home with them only to realize that goldfish need a lot of space, care, and attention to thrive.
Glad you enjoyed the article!
Well,besides that Christina, goldfish are very easy to take care of and once you get the right tools and stuff, goldfish can be kept alive for years by just feeding them and doing water changes!