Providing a home for your goldfish

Keeping goldfish is fun and interesting and requires very little work, provided a few simple guidelines are followed. Not only do aquariums provide a fascinating insight into an environment that is rarely seen, but they are also relaxing and really brighten up a bedroom, hall or living room. Tetra produce a range of products that make keeping goldfish fun and trouble-free.

Do I buy a bowl or a tank for my goldfish?

When selecting a home for your goldfish it is important to remember that they require the same care and attention as any other animal.Although they are often kept in bowls, this may not be the most suitable environment for them. Bowls, because of their shape, do not provide goldfish with much room to swim, and their curved tops restrict the amount of oxygen that can enter the water. Goldfish rely on a good supply of oxygen in their water to keep them healthy. So, if you want to keep your fish in a bowl, then make sure that it is as large as possible, and that it is only two thirds full, so as to provide a larger surface area for oxygen to enter the water.

It is always best to go for as large a tank as possible, as it will allow the fish to behave more naturally and it makes it easier to maintain a good quality environment for them.

 

Size of Tank             Length of Fish            
38 x 25 (15" x 10")        12cms (5")
45 x 30 (18" x 12")        17cms (7")
60 x 30 (24" x 12")        25cms (10")
75 x 30 (30" x 12")        30cms (12")    
90 x 30 (36" x 12")        35cms (14")

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Before you go out and buy your goldfish tank, it is important to find a suitable position for it. Once the tank is full of water it will be very heavy, and moving it will be time-consuming and stressful for the fish.You can work out roughly how much your tank will weigh with the following equation:

Length x Width x Depth (in cm), divided by 1000 = weight in kg

For example, using this equation a 60x30x30cm (24 x 12 x 12) tank will weigh around 55kg (excluding rocks and gravel).

The tank should ideally be sited in an area of the house that is quiet, away from areas of high activity, away from any sources of heat or cold, and away from any potentially toxic substances (e.g. paint fumes, aerosols etc). It should also be easily accessible for carrying out any water changes that may need to be done. Keeping the tank out of direct sunlight will help to cut down on green water and the growth of algae around the sides of the glass.

How do I provide my Goldfish with a safe and healthy environment?

Many people wrongly believe that goldfish do not require anything more than a tank and some water to keep them healthy.This is not the case because your goldfish will be Size of Tank 38 x 25 45 x 30 60 x 30 75 x 30 90 x 30 (15" x 10") (18" x 12") (24" x 12") (30" x 12") (36" x 12") Length of Fish 12 cms 17 cms 25 cms 30 cms 35 cms (5") (7") (10") (12") (14") living in a closed environment and, like us, goldfish produce waste. If this waste is allowed to build up in the tank then it becomes dangerous to goldfish and could kill your new pet. So, having the right equipment is an essential part of keeping your goldfish healthy.

The key piece of equipment is the filter. This is a device that sieves out much of the solid waste that the fish produce, as well as removing toxic substances such as ammonia from the water. Filters such as the Tetratec range also aerate the water, providing it with essential oxygen. If you have kept goldfish in the past, only to lose them after a few months, it was most likely due to the lack of adequate filtration.

Goldfish constantly produce ammonia, which is very toxic to them. Without a filter, this will build up in the tank and eventually kill them. Beneficial bacteria, that live inside the filter, break ammonia down into harmless substances, making the water safe for fish to live in.

Failure to install a correctly sized filter will lead to a deterioration in water quality and, ultimately, to your fish becoming unwell or dying. It is unkind to keep goldfish without proper filtration and so a suitable filter should be purchased at the same time as getting the tank. In addition to a filter you may want to install a light in the tank. Lights bring out the colour of your fish and are essential if you want to keep live plants. The most common type of fish tank light is fluorescent tubing, and there are many types available to suit every fish keeper’s needs. If you do have plants then the light will need to be on for 10 – 12 hours a day.

What is the best thing to decorate my tank with?

It is important to provide a home that your goldfish feel happy in, as this will result in them behaving more naturally and giving you more pleasure.There should be plenty of hiding places where they can retreat to if they feel threatened, as well as either plastic or real plants for them to swim amongst.Without a good environment your fish may become permanently stressed and unhappy. Adding features in the form of rocks, ornaments, plants or bog wood will also make the tank look more interesting and natural.Always buy any decorations from an aquatics outlet as certain materials may adversely affect your fish.

The bottom of the tank should be covered in a layer of wellwashed aquarium gravel, approximately 15mm (0.5 inches) thick. If you are intending to have live plants then this may need to be increased to 40mm (1.5 inches) to provide a suitable planting depth.Your goldfish will spend a lot of time digging through the gravel in search of food and so it is not unusual for plants to be uprooted. It is therefore a good idea to plant them in small baskets or, alternatively, use Tetra Plantastic plastic plants. Plastic plants, whilst looking realistic, will not be eaten by the fish and do not require looking after.

How do I set up my aquarium?

Once the tank is in position, equipped and decorated, it is time to fill it with water. For goldfish tanks, tap water is usually suitable because it contains the correct minerals that goldfish need. For this reason you should not use mineral water, rainwater, or water from a household softener. However, although tap water usually contains the correct minerals for your fish, it also contains harmful chlorine and heavy metals. These must be neutralised before the water is safe for your goldfish.This can be done by adding TetraFin WaterSafe or AquaSafe to the tank once it is filled up. Failure to do this will result in severe damage to the fish’s gills. TetraFin WaterSafe or AquaSafe should also be added to the tap water every time you change the water. When you fill the tank you should place a dish in the bottom so that the water does not disturb the tank decorations and gravel. Once it is filled, the filter can be switched on and the water left to warm up to room temperature.

Can I put my Goldfish in straight away?

At this stage you will need to be patient because you should not put your goldfish into the tank straight away.The filter should run for two days first so that it is ready to start to work on the fish’s waste a soon as you put it in, only then can the first fish be added. It is important to stock the tank slowly, adding just one fish at a time.This will allow the filter bacteria to keep up with the amount of ammonia that is being produced.

During the initial stages of stocking the tank, 25% of the water should be changed each week, replacing the old water with tap water conditioned using TetraFin WaterSafe or AquaSafe. Doing this during the initial stages will help the filter to maintain suitable conditions within the tank. Once the tank is fully stocked and the filter is “mature” you will only need to perform water changes once every 3 to 4 weeks.The time between these water changes can be lengthened to up to six months by using Tetra EasyBalance.

How much food should I give my Goldfish?

To start with, the fish should be fed once a day, only feeding the amount that they will consume within a few minutes. Any uneaten food should be removed from the tank to prevent it rotting down. Once the tank has been running for a while you should increase feeding levels to two or three times a day, still only feeding what the fish consume within a few minutes. Make sure that you use one of Tetra’s range of quality goldfish foods, as they are designed to meet your goldfish’s dietary needs whilst only producing a minimum of waste. The TetraFin range of foods is specially formulated to meet the requirements of your goldfish, whilst there are a range of other special feeds to compliment it.

Creating the right environment to start with will help to ensure that your fish remain healthy and happy.