Hi everyone! Today we have an exciting surprise.

We’re now offering limited edition goldfish shirts! And first up is…

The Goldfish Pirate

Fun, humorous, and fin-nipping cute.

Playing on the popular Internet meme, the first tee in our new t-shirt line features a pirate goldfish swimming next to a treasure chest. To kick off the line, we wanted to design something lighthearted and funny – a goldfish shirt that would put a smile on everyone’s face, not just the person wearing them!

Right now, we’re offering three shirt styles, available in many different colors! So you can personalize your shirt exactly how you want it. And if you know someone who likes goldfish, these shirts make wonderful gifts!

And because these t-shirts are still relatively new, the goldfish pirate will only be available for a very short time – 11 days in fact (only until February 13th).

Plus, get 10% off your purchase if you order within the next 5 hours! Cool, right?

So why are we doing this?

Our designs are still experimental. We want to test our ideas and, if enough people like the shirts, we’ll put them back on sale (and possibly add them to our permanent line). That’s why these goldfish pirate t-shirts will only be available until February 13th.

Why Goldfish T-Shirts?

It’s no secret that we love goldfish.

To help build awareness and support the fishkeeping hobby, we wanted to design t-shirts goldfish aquarists everywhere would proudly wear. It’s our hope that, by wearing our t-shirts, more people will come love goldfish too.

How to Pick Up Your Very Own Limited Edition Goldfish Shirt

Interested in buying one of our goldfish pirate t-shirts? Awesome!

You can order yours by visiting our sales page here (and get 10% off your purchase – no coupon code needed).

Simply choose your style (we offer premium tees for both men and women, plus a hoodie for those cold snowy days ahead), pick any color from the ones listed, and click the big green “Buy It Now” button. You’ll then be prompted to pay with either PayPal, Visa, or MasterCard.

Your goldfish shirt will be shipped when the campaign ends February 13th. But to secure your discount, you must buy it within the next 5 hours! Shirts are then shipped, and your package will arrive 9-12 business days after February 13th.

Order Yours Today: 5 Hours Left to Get 10% Off!

Don’t miss out! Your discount can only be applied for a limited time.

But if you missed the deal, don’t worry!

These goldfish pirate t-shirts will still stay in stock until February 13th, at the original price. Afterwards, though, you may not get another chance to buy this tee!

What’s Next?

Goldfish. Pirates. Treasure. What more could you want?

Well, actually, we’re not done yet! In the next week, we plan to launch a Valentine’s Day-themed goldfish shirt specifically for our audience. Yes, that’s you! Look forward to that soon, with many more designs to come!

So what do you think? Are you excited about our new tees? Have suggestions for future goldfish t-shirts?

All feedback, questions, and suggestions are welcome!

The post Just Launched: New Goldfish Shirt Line appeared first on Complete Goldfish Care.

After taking a look at a few common goldfish types, you’ve chosen the perfect goldfish for your aquarium. You also have a tank that can hold at least 20 gallons of water, and you’ve made sure to cycle it beforehand. You’re all ready to start buying goldfish.

If you’re new to fish keeping, you’ll want to buy a hardy goldfish from the start while you build experience and learn everything you can about goldfish care. You’ll also want to buy a goldfish that is already healthy without any signs of disease.

But what should you look for when buying goldfish? Where should you shop?

While you’re likely bubbling with excitement, eager to get that aquarium filled with goldfish, it’s important that you take your time. Don’t take buying goldfish lightly – you shouldn’t just buy the first goldfish you see. Look around for good specimens and consider your options. Visit several different pet stores if you have to. You’ll want your goldfish to arrive home healthy.

Local Pet Store or Chain?

It really depends.

Some hobbyists recommend to stay away from chain stores when purchasing new fish, while others (like myself) have no problems buying goldfish from a chain store. You just have to know what you’re getting into. Because chain stores like Petco or Petsmart often buy pets in bulk, some goldfish can arrive unhealthy or mistreated. Others might be misidentified and sold as the wrong breed (I once purchased a veiltail goldfish from a tank promoting black moors).

The general argument is that small local pet shops treat their fish better than large chain pet stores. But you can still get quality stock from a chain store if you stay vigilant, watch for warning signs, and take your time shopping.

I’ve bought a number of goldfish from both Petco and Petsmart, and many have continued to thrive. Silver Star, my oldest fish to date (lasted about 13 years before he died from old age) was actually purchased from Walmart! Though he was one of the fish misidentified – I bought him from a selection of black moors only to learn later that he was a veiltail! He actually caught my eye because he was different from the other fish in the tank (he was silvery brown while the others were black with protruding eyes).

If you want quality goldfish that will stay healthy for years, do your homework. Stay away from diseased sick fish and if you do happen to buy a goldfish that is sick (maybe your heart warmed to him or you couldn’t stand watching him suffer), be prepared to treat the fish… and also be aware that your goldfish may not survive.

So how do you know that the goldfish you’re buying is from good stock?

Let’s dive into what to look for when buying goldfish.

Buying Goldfish from the Pet Store

When you walk into the pet store for the first time, the first question on your lips should be: “Do staff keep this place clean?”

If you find doggy biscuits scattered all over the floor and items hastily thrown on shelves, chances are the aquariums won’t be any better. However, if you’ve made it a few steps past the door and staff had cared enough to keep everything neat and clean, go ahead and examine things further.

Go straight to the live fish, and ask yourself these questions.

• Are there strange chemical smells around the aquarium? If so, look for cover-less aquariums. Insecticides could have been sprayed, and that could spell danger for any goldfish nearby. It’s best to avoid buying goldfish swimming around in tanks contaminated by chemicals (or the stressed out fish might show goldfish disease symptoms when brought home).
• How many dead goldfish do I see? Since pet stores generally overstock to sell more fish (and staff can’t tend to everything at the same time), there are bound to be some dead goldfish in the store. But if you see more than a few dead fish in the same aquarium, take that as a warning sign that the fish are sick and stay away.
• Is the store trying to sell medicated or unhealthy fish? Look for tints in the water. These are often signs that the goldfish are being treated for some type of disease. Shop owners shouldn’t be trying to sell infected fish. If you’re interested in buying goldfish from a treated tank, ask how long the aquarium has been medicated and come back later when treatment is all done. If goldfish are being sold in poor condition, buy your fish from another store.
• How knowledgeable are the staff? Are they open to questions? Some personnel are completely clueless and that’s okay. The person you speak to may not primarily work in that particular area in the store. But it’s important that whoever is handling your fish at least, to some degree, knows what he/she is doing.
• Is there loud music playing in the background? Goldfish get stressed out if there are loud noises nearby, and stressed fish are more vulnerable to goldfish diseases. Buying goldfish from a calm, peaceful environment would be more ideal, since stress can lower the immune system of fish and make them susceptible to goldfish diseases.
• How do the actual goldfish look? Do they look healthy? Look for red veins on fins (signs of stress) or blemishes on the scales or body. Torn fins can also be signs of stress, a bacterial infection, or quarrels with other fish. If something doesn’t look right, try buying goldfish from another store. The goldfish probably aren’t being cared for properly or were bought from bad stock.

If you’re ever unsure of a certain goldfish, ask questions! Find out what the fish are fed and how often the tank gets cleaned before buying goldfish from a particular store. Take some time to observe the fish and look for erratic behaviors. If everything looks great, be confident that you bought healthy goldfish.

You’re now ready to start quarantining your new pets.

After the Purchase

When you’ve found that lucky goldfish to complement your aquarium, it’s important that you make the ride home as comfortable as possible for the new guy.

Don’t place the bag directly in the sun (if positioned near a window, make sure there’s some shade), avoid putting on loud music, and go home immediately. The bag that your new goldfish is placed in has limited oxygen as it is, so it’s important to take the shortest route home. Your goldfish will feel much better when he’s settled in his new home.

If you already have goldfish in the aquarium, remember to quarantine your new pet for at least two weeks. Some goldfish diseases don’t show right away. Quarantining reduces the risk of potential diseases spreading and your other fish getting infected. You’ll also need to give the goldfish time to adjust to the water temperature in your aquarium, so don’t dump him in the main aquarium right away. Acclimate your new fish to the water by floating the bag first.

Most of all, Enjoy your new goldfish!

Where Do You Buy Your Goldfish?

How do you feel about buying goldfish from chain stores? Any advice for new pet owners? Post your thoughts in the comment section below!

The post Buying Goldfish from the Pet Store: What to Look For appeared first on Complete Goldfish Care.

The Internet is flooded with goldfish myths and misinformation. Just browse the Web, and you’ll see tons of advertisements and catalogs featuring goldfish bowls (you do know pet goldfish shouldn’t be kept in bowls, don’t you?). In fact, most goldfish won from carnivals or bought from pet stores are dropped into small glass bowls without a second thought.

Photo by Erik Charlton (Flickr)

With so much bad information circulating the Net, it’s sometimes hard to separate fact from fiction. I was just talking to someone the other day about why most goldfish and tropical fish shouldn’t be kept together in the same tank.

Of course, going through all of this information and siphoning out the truth from the myths is a whole different story and deserves a new article of its own. The fact of the matter is: You can’t always trust what you hear. And one wrong move can be detrimental to the well-being of your goldfish.

Take it from a fish keeping veteran. I’ve been raising pet goldfish for over 10 years and have seen my share of misinformation. But one thing I’ve learned from all these years of fish keeping is how important it is to do your research beforehand – don’t just depend on what you hear and don’t just raise goldfish blindly. If you want to get it right the first time, you have to know what to expect.

Goldfish care is a complex topic and many people end up buying pet goldfish without really knowing how to care for them. They’ll make mistakes and those mistakes will cost the fish their lives.

5 Reasons Why You shouldn’t Buy Pet Goldfish

I’m going to set it straight, right here and now.

By the end of this article, my hope is that you’ll have a better understanding of what is required at the very minimum to actually care for pet goldfish, the dos and don’ts of goldfish care, and what is expected from you (as the fish owner) before you buy your first goldfish. And if you don’t think pet goldfish are right for you after reading this, that’s fine too. There are plenty of other freshwater fish that have less requirements and aren’t as taxing on your time (bettas are another personal favorite!).

We covered the benefits of goldfish care already, so I won’t talk about those here. But let’s take a look at some goldfish care disadvantages.

• Pet goldfish need a large tank and plenty of space to swim around. It isn’t just about size. While goldfish do get pretty big, they also excrete more waste than other species of fish. In fact, goldfish are known for the mess they make and such mess can quickly pollute a 5-gallon or even 10-gallon tank with dangerous levels of ammonia. Unless you plan to upgrade your tank within the year, a single goldfish should never be in an aquarium with less than 20 gallons. Each additional fancy goldfish should then receive 10 more gallons of water (two goldfish can fit comfortably in 30 gallons, three in 40 gallons, and so on). You can read more about this in my goldfish tank guide. Of course, aquariums can be pretty pricey. It’s okay to start small and upgrade your tank as you move along. But never, ever put pet goldfish in a bowl. There are goldfish specific kits available at pet stores that advertise goldfish bowls, but these are generally very bad for your fish – some folks even go so far as to call them cruel!
• Goldfish need a powerful filtration system (or even multiple filters for large tanks). Because pet goldfish excrete lots of waste, they require a power filter in order to keep oxygen circulating and ammonia levels down. While tropical fish do quite well with those regular filters packaged in aquarium kits, goldfish really need more than those kits will offer you. I recommend a filter with at least 10 times your aquarium volume. For example, a 20-gallon tank would need a flow rate of 200 gph (gallons per hour). I personally use a Marineland Penguin Power Filter and haven’t ever needed to replace it (it has lasted me years). Just rinse the filter out with warm water from time to time and you shouldn’t run into trouble.
• Pet goldfish can quickly destroy a planted aquarium. Goldfish are primarily plant-based and love nibbling on and uprooting aquatic plants. So if you already have an aquarium set up with lots of green scenery or if you plan to add live plants to your tank later on, you should be aware that those plants will likely just become a salad bar feast. Of course, there are other ways around this. You can most certainly keep aquatic plants with your goldfish without worrying that those plants will disappear before the week is out.
• Goldfish have sensitive digestive systems. Goldfish don’t have real stomachs and so can quickly develop problems if they eat too much food at one time or food isn’t prepared in a certain way. In fact, fancy goldfish are especially known for their swim bladder and buoyancy problems. You can help aid digestion by feeding your goldfish lots of greens and quality goldfish food. Not all brands of goldfish food have equal nutritional values, and many commercial brands will include fillers that offer very low nutritional content (Hikari Lionhead pellets, Omega One Sinking Pellets, and New Life Spectrum Pellets are trusted brands that I use and offer only the highest nutritional value). Overfeeding can also cause problems, both with the water quality and your goldfish. Just remember never to feed your goldfish outside of feeding sessions, no matter what begging antics your goldfish will try to soften your resolve.
• Goldfish can’t be kept with tropical fish. Goldfish are actually coldwater fish and require cooler temperatures to thrive (around 65°F or 18°C). Despite what many people think, pet goldfish should never be kept with fish that enjoy warm water temperatures (read my article explaining why). Ideally, you’ll want to keep your goldfish with other goldfish of the same size and body shape. For example, fancy varieties shouldn’t be kept with common or comet goldfish because they have different body types (fancy goldfish are slower swimmers and won’t be able to keep up during feeding time).

If you want your pet goldfish to live long, healthy lives, you need to commit to providing them quality goldfish care. Arrange to feed your goldfish on a daily basis and set time aside during the week for water changes. Organize a tank cleaning schedule and regularly check to make sure aquarium equipment is functioning properly. Your goldfish depend on you for their care. They can’t do it themselves, so you need to be open and committed to getting it right the first time.

What Do You Think?

Do you have pet goldfish? If you do, what tips can you offer new pet owners? Write your responses in the comments below!

The post 5 Pet Goldfish Disadvantages: Are Goldfish Right for You? appeared first on Complete Goldfish Care.