Origins:
The Goldfish is one of the first fish to be domesticated and has long been a favorite for aquarium keepers. There are currently many varieties of goldfish available in the aquarium trade in various shapes and sizes. Many individuals believe these beautiful metallic fish to bring good fortune and prosperity to those who keep them. Contrary to popular belief, they do not make good pets for the bowl environment, but modern advances in aquarium filtration allow individuals to keep goldfish in a multitude of mid-range tank sizes.
Why they make great pets:
Goldfish make excellent choices for a pet fish and are wildly popular due to their charming looks, friendly personalities, and affordability. Goldfish can be fairly easy to care for as long as you have good filtration and an adequate tank size. Many species can grow quite large so it is a good idea to pick a tank based on the future size of your fish as they can easily outgrow a small tank. Also, fish bowls should be avoided as goldfish typically have best success when kept in well-filtered water. Goldfish are best to keep with other goldfish as these are cold-water fish and most tropical fish prefer warmer tank waters. They do well in small groups and 2-3 goldfish is a good number for beginners who do not wish to set up large tanks.
Water parameters and care:
Ammonia: low to 0 ppm
Nitrite: low to 0 ppm
Nitrate: under 20ppm
pH: 7.2-7.8
Temperature: 18°C - 22°C
- We recommend the use of Gold Buffer™ to set pH in the proper range. In addition, Gold Salt™ can be used to provide mineral salt for goldfish that can help to prevent nitrite poisoning that is common in goldfish. Another great product choice is the Seachem Ammonia Alert® to be able to monitor ammonia levels in the tank.
- Alternate product choices: Prime® or Gold Basics®
Food:
Goldfish species are omnivores and generally need both meaty proteins in addition to vegetable matter in their diet. A lack of nutrients and an over abundance of protein can lead to compaction and digestive issues. To provide a well-rounded diet, we recommend NutriDiet®: Goldfish Flakes to provide proteins such as whole fish meal as well as a nutrient rich chlorella algae baseline.
Maintenance:
Water changes can be done as necessary and we recommend that you change at least 15-25% weekly in goldfish environments to keep the fish healthy and tank environment free of organic build-up. Goldfish tend to have a high bio load and do need stronger filtration as well as adequately sized aquariums. In addition, Stability® and Pristine™ are great choices for adding a boost to bio-filtration after water changes as well as between water changes in a goldfish tank.
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