Goldfish Care Tips

"The White Balloon" was a charming Iranian movie about a chubby and stubborn little girl who wanted a perfect goldfish for her new year celebration. The movie although focuses on the little girl's stubbornness and independence, the basis of her strong will is the beautiful 'white balloon'. In other words, 'the white balloon' is the enchanting white redcap goldfish. One cannot blame the little Iranian girls stubbornness to buy the beautiful goldfish. Goldfishes are a delight for every fish owner. Goldfishes have quite a charming way of swimming with their floating angel-like wings (fins). These graceful swimmers are peaceful and gregarious in nature. Know more on goldfish types.

People take it for granted that goldfish care does not require much effort, as these are hardy creatures that can survive in less than optimal conditions. But to have a happy and healthy goldfish that will grace your fish tank for a number of years to come, there are many goldfish care tips to be considered. Pet goldfish care includes proper nutrition, water quality and temperature and tank settings. Let us understand more on how to care for a goldfish.

How to Care for a Goldfish
When bringing home a goldfish as a pet, you will need to set up a fish aquarium to suit the needs of your precious pet. The following goldfish care tips will prove to be very useful.

Goldfish Aquarium Care
You will need to give plenty of space to swim for your goldfish, according to its size. The number of goldfishes that can be accommodated in one fish tank can be calculated with the formula - surface area of the tank (length x depth) divided by 30. The result will give you the size (in inches) of the goldfishes, that can live in the tank.

For example:
16 inches of length x 10 inches depth of the fish tank will be equal to 160 inches. When 160 inches is divided by 30, the resultant answer is about 5 inches. This means that you can keep 5 one inch goldfishes or 2 goldfishes that are over two inches long.

Another aspect of goldfish aquarium care is the aquarium placement. The goldfish aquarium should be kept away from direct sunlight. Keep the tank away from heavy traffic area or noises and make sure there are no extreme fluctuations in the water temperature. These discrepancies may prove to be fatal for your goldfishes.

Cleaning goldfish tank is another facet of goldfish care. Water used for cleaning the tank should be clean. Make sure to remove soap residue left in the tank with plenty of water. Clean the gravel in the tank thoroughly by stirring the gravel in the tub. Repeat the gravel cleaning till the water in the tub remains clean after stirring. Make sure you rinse all the decorative pieces of your aquarium too.

Fill the goldfish aquarium with tap water and you may use a tap water conditioner to minimize the chances of contaminants. Fill the tank with water with about one inch space remaining from the top. The water temperature should never rise above 73º F and should ideally be between 65 to 68º F. Never change all the water at once. Always change 10 to 15 % of the water weekly or 25% weekly for smaller tanks.

Use filters to keep the water clean. Use an air pump for proper aeration. Choose gravel that has coarse or large pieces and not fine gravel as goldfish can swallow them. Opt for a fish tank rather than a fish bowl, as the goldfishes prefer to live stress-free and comfortably in a tank.

Goldfish Food
Goldfishes can eat both plant and animal food particles, that is, they are omnivores. You can feed them processed and live foods to keep them healthy and lively. Live foods contain nutrition and laxatives that are very essential for goldfish health. You have an option of choosing dried or frozen live foods from fish stores in the market. You can even feed tubifex worms, blood worms, earthworms, meal worms, etc. to your goldfish. Use only cultured earthworms as they do not carry diseases. Blood worms are favored more then tubifex worms as they do not carry many diseases like the tubifex. Baby guppies and swordtail are the favorite meal of goldfishes and you can treat them with these fishes once in a while. Goldfishes can survive on a diet of many food items. The flowing is a list of goldfish's favorite foods:

• Small fishes
• Krill
• Organic earthworms
• Meal Worms
• Blood Worms
• White Worms
• Tubifex Worms
• Wax Worms
• Infusoria
• Daphnia
• Brine Shrimp
• Microworms

Owners should take care that they do not overfeed their goldfishes. Goldfish care includes feeding the fishes the right amount of food to keep them active and healthy. Overfeeding is not only unhealthy for the fishes but also for the aquarium. The tank tends to become polluted due to the decomposing food particles. This leads to fungal and algae growth, change in the pH of the water, chemical changes and low dissolved oxygen.

You should decide on a fixed time of feeding for your goldfishes. You should observe the amount of food your goldfishes eat when you feed them. Thus, next time give them similar proportion to eat. Feed your fishes twice a day as recommended by fish experts. Do not overfeed them as they grow fast and big with too much feeding.

Baby Goldfish Care
If you are having baby goldfishes in your tank or are into goldfish breeding, then baby goldfish care requires a little more attention. The female goldfish lays eggs and does not give birth to young ones. Once the eggs hatch, make sure to clean the tank once in 7-10 days. Feed the baby goldfish baby brine shrimp and switch to other foods gradually. Remember, do not over feed the baby goldfishes. If you find any weak or genetically deformed goldfishes, do not hesitate to cull them as they won't survive for long and may pass their disease to the healthier ones. Maintain the optimum water conditions in the tank. Know more on goldfish diseases.

Goldfish Shocker

• Goldfish have been kept as pets since more than 1000 years and can be traced back to ancient China.
• Goldfishes are known to live up to 10 years and have an average life span of about 5 years.
• The world's oldest goldfish was recorded to be 43 years old. He was called Tish and was won by his owner in a town fair! Beloved Tish left for his heavenly abode in 1999 in North Yorkshire, UK.
• It is very interesting to note that goldfishes do not have stomachs.
• Goldfishes cannot close their eyes and go into a deep sleep at the bottom of the tank with their eyes open.
• Goldfishes can survive freezing temperatures maybe because they are cold blooded. If you leave a goldfish in an outdoor pond during winter, their body slows down and are in a state of almost hibernation. As the water warms up, they are back to their normal self.
• Of all the fishes in the world, goldfishes are the only ones able to see infrared and ultraviolet light. Know more on interesting facts about goldfishes.

Goldfishes are interesting fishes and it is always a pleasure to watch them swim. Keep these easy goldfish care tips in mind and watch your goldfishes flourish in your tank. Goldfishes or as a matter of fact, any pet is the owners responsibility. You should always provide a safe and healthy environment to the animal or a fish that is dependent on you. Plenty of swimming and hiding space, clean, cool water, nourishing food is all that is required for goldfish care. Make sure you spend some time hanging out with your "White or Golden Balloon", who is there to stay with you for many years to come.