Ask any number of people, and you’ll quickly find that owning a pet goldfish is a right of passage as a child. Colourful, perceived to be easy to care for, readily available, and inexpensive, millions of parents worldwide have bought their kids one or more goldfish as they were growing up.
Often seen as an exercise in responsibility and a cute pet all in one, many goldfish find themselves destined to live out their lives in unsuitable surroundings.
Goldfish can live for 20 years or more if properly cared for. Yet many, confined to unfiltered bowls and tiny aquariums not designed for goldfish, survive for only a fraction of that time.
Unfortunately, for the most part, goldfish are massively misunderstood. Common goldfish, for example, can exceed 12 inches in length. This fact means they’re unsuitable for small bowls and too large for even some of the most sizable readily available home aquariums.
Generally known as single-tailed varieties, common, comet, and calico-patterned shubunkin goldfish are more suited to life in ponds. Whether orange, red, blueish-grey, yellow, brown, white, or black, these common varieties are all fast-growing and, in an aquarium environment, call for heavily filtered, well-oxygenated water.
Messy and with big appetites, all goldfish, truth be told, actually call for higher levels of maintenance than the overwhelming majority of other aquarium fish species. That includes colourful tropical varieties such as neon tetras, tiger barbs, mollies, and guppies.
So, Is Your Goldfish Happy?
Common goldfish require an aquarium of at least 200 litres. A 350-litre aquarium would be more appropriate. To put this into context, many commercially available ‘starter’ aquariums frequently sold as suitable for goldfish have a water volume of just 10-20 litres.
Goldfish Myths
On the subject of small ‘starter’ aquariums, the idea that goldfish only grow according to their bowl or tank size is, of course, a myth. At best, they become grossly stunted, vastly reducing their lifespan. At worst, they die as a direct result of poor conditions and the stress caused.
Furthermore, goldfish aren’t unintelligent and don’t have a three-second memory. This falsehood is another myth perpetuated over the years and an added reason why pet goldfish routinely receive incorrect care.
Many responsible goldfish owners will tell you that their pets recognize them and remember when and where they’ll be fed each day in their tank or pond.
Goldfish Essentials
For any goldfish kept in an aquarium, above and beyond providing a suitably sized home, they also require appropriate filtration of their water, coupled with regular water changes.
Goldfish are greedy and poop more than most fish, so this helps to keep their water clean and healthy. Ideally, owners should replace around 30% of an aquarium’s volume with fresh water every week.
A suitable substrate, hiding places, and plants—either real or silk replicas—will also help make a goldfish feel more at home. Lighting on a timer helps, too, as does some form of temperature control if significant fluctuations are a possibility.
More Suitable Alternatives
So-called fancy or double-tailed goldfish varieties make better aquarium inhabitants than their common cousins. These include fantail, veiltail, oranda, pearlscale, telescope, and lionhead goldfish.
However, they still require the same essentials and, though smaller, are best suited to an aquarium of 120 litres or larger.
In smaller aquariums, other cold water and temperate fish species such as rosy barbs, zebra danios, and rainbow shiners should be explored instead, and, properly looked after, will likely live a long, happy, and healthy life in your care.
Your fish are happy and healthy when they: Swim actively throughout the entire tank, not just hanging out or laying at the bottom, floating near the top or hiding behind plants and ornaments. Eat regularly and swim to the surface quickly at feeding time.
One sign your fish are happy and healthy is if they are active in your tank, swimming around and exploring the habitat. Check if your fish look energetic and confident. Lazy and lethargic fish might be sick.
Goldfish can live alone but are social and benefit from having at least one tank mate. Goldfish like to interact with one another and keeping multiple fish can promote activity and companionship. Some goldfish just do not play well with other fish and rely on their human care takers for interaction and socialization.
If you put your goldfish in an adequately sized tank and take care of it's water parameters, you are already ahead of 90% of goldfish keepers. Feed your goldfish nutritious food, don't overstock the tank, and do regular water changes and your goldfish will thrive for years to come.
Goldfish like decor as they are intelligent fish and benefit from a nicely enriched environment. The tank needs to have enough room for suitable décor, such as bogwood and plants, without compromising swimming room. Goldfish benefit from a good airstone as this improves aeration, helping oxygenate the water.
Even seemingly small departures from your fish's typical behavior could be an indication that they are stressed. Common signs of stress in aquarium fish include: Changes in color: Aquarium fish may change color in response to stress, either darkening in color or going pale.
Goldfish are social creatures who form schools in the wild, which helps them protect themselves against predators. These fish are often most active during dusk and dawn. Since goldfish are social fish, they should be kept in pairs of two or more.
Goldfish need mental stimulation. Decorate the tank with colorful gravel, plants, a sunken ship, anything that will make the goldfish curious or provide an excellent hiding spot. Make sure the decorations don't have sharp edges, though.
Goldfish have a lifespan averaging about 10 to 15 years, with some varieties living up to 30 years when provided with proper care. Unfortunately, many goldfish do not reach their lifespan potential due to inadequate care.
Fish quickly learn to associate you with food. When they see you, they'll come to the front of the tank and watch, anticipating that you're going to feed them.
It is a good idea to cover the bucket with a lid or towel to prevent the fish from jumping out as well as creating a dark environment which will help the fish to relax. After a few minutes, add 1 heaped teaspoon of salt (Sodium Cloride) to the 10 litre bucket.
They are gregarious, meaning they like to hang around together. They are intelligent, have long memories and can become very tame. They can be taught to hand-feed and interact with their owners. They can also distinguish their owners from other humans.
A new study finds that not only do goldfish listen to music, but the famously forgetful fish can also distinguish between Bach and Stravinsky. And they prefer the German maestro.
Usually goldfish swim up to meet you because they think you are going to feed them. They know they depend on you and love you back. It's so simple, even a 6 year old can tell if their goldfish is happy and healthy by using the goldfish behavior like/hate tips. Aggressive goldfish?
If the fish looks skinny, especially around the belly and rear end, it should probably be eating more. Goldfish should be well rounded, chunky monkeys, a skinny goldfish is an underfed goldfish.
Address: Suite 447 3463 Marybelle Circles, New Marlin, AL 20765
Phone: +5816749283868
Job: Sales Executive
Hobby: Air sports, Sand art, Electronics, LARPing, Baseball, Book restoration, Puzzles
Introduction: My name is Jerrold Considine, I am a combative, cheerful, encouraging, happy, enthusiastic, funny, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
