Goldfish (if you have one)?

Question

Ok well i really want a goldfish cause i've always wanted one. My mom wont let me get one (haha shes weird)
She says i wont take care of it. So i have a question for anyone with a goldfish, do they take alot of care? What do you have to do besides clean them and feed them and not ignore them? thanks

Answer 1

Goldfish are fairly easy to take care of. All you really need is a tank, a filter (they are messy fish), and an aerator. They are cold water fish, so you don't need a heater.

All you need to do is remember to feed it once a day (not too much food, only enough for it to be able to eat in under 5 minutes), and clean the tank out once every 2 weeks.

Answer 2

You don't say how old you are but unless you want to spend about a half hour cleaning every week they may not be good for you..unless your mom wants to help you with it. The other people who are answering this question are making it sound really simple. It's true it is not hard to take care of fish, but it's much simpler if you are a little older or mature enough for the responsibility. Goldfish are very dirty. They pee and poop a lot and they need to have a big enough tank. Some people just use a goldfish bowl and I guess their fish are OK...but I don't see how it works if you don't have a tank with a filter in it. The filter has to be changed once a month and you have to wipe down the inside of the tank every time you clean. You must also remove half the dirty water every week and replace it with clean water. Plus you have to have the right chemicals to put in the water every time you change it. You also do have to be careful how much you feed them. If you are a teen-ager and want this responsibility you should think about it and talk to your mom again. But if you are younger than that I think your mom is right. You should wait until you really want to have a chore like this.

Answer 3

Goldfish require a lot of work.

First, you need at least 10 gallons of water per fish (best if you start out with 20 gallons for the first one and then 10 gallons for each additional goldie). This is because they produce A LOT of ammonia in their waste (very dirty fish).

You should monitor chemical levels. Petco has a nice set that tests everything at once. You should monitor nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, etc.

Water temps best between 65-70ish.

You can't keep a pleco with these guys because plecos will eat off their slimecoat. Therefore, you might get some algea growth.

Need to change about 20% of the water each week with a 50% change once a month. Change filters (you need a bigger one) every two weeks.

Give them a varied diet of brine shrimp and pellets.

For more facts, check out the below links. Good luck.

Answer 4

You need a tank. FANCY goldfish need at least 10, or 15 gallons per fish, and commons need a pond. Also, you need heavy filtration, 10-15 times turnover rate every hour, combined with super efficient bio, preferably a sump. For a smaller tank, an aquaclear power filters for mechanicle filtration (removing visable waste, and eheim classics, or wet-drys, or pros if you like super simple maintance for bio (removing invisable waste) . Also, you need to fishless cycle the tank before the goldfish go in. This builds up beneficial bacteria to deal with fish waste, without severly stressing fish. http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861 Fish excrete ammonia, which kills, and is converted to nitrite, which still kills, then much less toxic nitrAte.

Also, you need to turn lights on and off. The lights should be on for a max of 8 hours a day, though less is better. This is simplified with the addition of a timer.

Finally, water changes, every week, if not more, use a gravel vaccum, available here http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=19123;category_id=2937 The python hooks up directly to the sink so you dont have to lug buckets around. The only catch is that you must add dechlorinator for the entire tank volume. I prefer prime, as it is actually very cheap, it is very concentrated.

Also, weekly algae scraping using a pad, scraper on a stick, or the best magnectic kind, is easy and quick. Finally test water. I reccomend this test as it is easy and accurate http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=19383;category_id=3081

Ammonia and nitrite must always be at 0, and nitrate best under 40ppm, while pH is good stable

Check this forum for general info http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?s=89401f433034d6d2f28745b9ff8509b0&act=idx
And this page if you really want goldfish http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/

Answer 5

Just so you know, goldfish are FILTHY creatures. If you put them in anything without a filter you will have to clean their tank about once every few days. I have tried to raise goldfish before and I couldn't keep them alive for more than a week. That was with special food, a filter, chlorine destroyer, heater, and cleaning every other day. If you want a good fish (as long as it is solitary) I recommend a male Betta. I got one from Wal-Mart (only because I didn't have much money) and it lived for 3 years in a 2.5 gallon tank.

Answer 6

I've had goldfish in the past, starting around age 9.
They don't take a lot of care.
Get two small ones.
Feed them every day, but not too much.
Suction out the gunk at the bottom of the fishtank or fishbowl every day (a cheap turkey baster works).
Pour in new water -- use "aged" or unchlorinated water to replace what you'd suctioned out.
If the water becomes cloudy, you'll have to change it completely.

Not too much trouble. When I was 9, I kept two of them in about a half-gallon of water. These were "comets," not "fancy" goldfish. They lived about two years.

Answer 7

Go to the library and check out a book about goldfish, and how to take care of them. That way, you will learn about them, and show you mom that you are truly interested in them at the same time.

Answer 8

Just feed it as much as it can eat. Don't over feed it. Change the water 30% weekly. That is all you have to do.

Answer 9

Nope, just cleaning the water when it's dirty and feeding them. Just try to keep a clean and happy envirment, that's it. they are really low maintenance. When they are sick, you just feed them a special pellet.

Answer 10

I love my goldfish.

They are super easy to care for. I feed them every morning (just a pinch) and clean their bowl at least every other week.

That's it.

I've had mine for almost 6 years....and they are great, fun, easy pets.