I am going to get fish and i know almost nothing about them can you just tell me the most important things I?

Question

need to know?

they are going to be goldfish

Answer 1

Get a beta (Chinese fighting fish) they're the easiest and cheapest to care for. they're also colorful and full of personality. Don't put more than one in a bowl cuz they'll kill each other. But if you but two bowls side-by-side they'll show off for each other. I have three and each one has its own unique character. They're clean fish so you only need to clean the bowl out once every two to three weeks and they're surface breathers so you don't need filters or pumps. just a small simple glass bowl.

Answer 2

The most important things you need to know are...
The potential size of the fish. How large do they get? Will they outgrow the aquarium you have now? Search the internet for the type of goldfish you are interested in. There are a wide variety of 'kinds', that grow to varying lengths.
How many fish? Some types of fish are very aggressive, and territorial. Be aware of the personality of your fish. The majority of goldfish will be fine as solo specimens, or as a group.
How do I care for the tank? All new tanks must go through the 'cycle'. Fish excrete waste just like we do, only it remains in the tank. The waste becomes Ammonia, which is toxic to fish. Over time, bacteria that feeds off Amm, will grow, and eventually convert it to NitrIte. NitrItes are also toxic to fish, but on a smaller scale. Another type of bacteria will break down the NitrIte into NitrAte. Nitrates are dangerous if given a chance to build up in the aquarium. To eliminate NitrAtes, do a weekly water change. 25% once a week typically will suffice. Filtration is also needed. The filter cartridge or floss is typically where the bacteria that convert the Amm into nitrI, and nitrI into nitrA, lives.

I hope this will help get you started. Enjoy your fish.

Answer 3

Be forewarned. Fancies goldies aren't easy fish to keep. They get big and their selective breeding predisposes them to health problems.

The first thing is to read up on fancy goldfish and understand what they need in terms of tank size and filtration. Fancy goldies are messy fish (and get very large) so they need at least 10 gallons per fancy goldfish and a filter that moves 10 times the gallons in the tank per hour. Here's a good goldfish caresheet.
http://thegab.org/Articles/GoldfishBasics.html

You also need to understand what happens in a new tank and how to keep their water from getting toxic.
http://thegab.org/Articles/WaterQualityCycling.html
http://thegab.org/Articles/WaterQuality.html

Before adding any fish, I'd get the tank set up and do a fishless cycle to get the biofilter bacteria in place that will convert ammonia which is toxic to less toxic nitrAte. Doing it that way is a LOT easier on your and on the fish.
Here's how:
http://thegab.org/Articles/FishlessCycling.html

Answer 4

OOOOHHH, Goldfish! (GF), if you are going to get them, I have a site I would reccommend to you. Become a member at kokosgoldfish.com (it's free). just scroll down the page, and on the left side, you'll see links for the forum. Go in one, and become a member. I have been a member there for two tears or so, under the name maudlinblithe. Those people there are amzing! They have taught me sooo much about GF, that I have been able to go to petshops and rescue dying GF and save their lives.

A few things I would mention to you though:
fancy GD such as orandas, telescopes, ranchus, fantails, etc. need ten gallons of water per fish.

Comets, shubunkins, and commons will need 20 gallons a fish.

This is because they have more body mass to them, unlike the tropical fish who can be housed with the one inch of fish per one gallon rule. Also, GF are extremely messy and need the extra room so the tank stays healthy.

Also, at kokos website, you can learn millions of things, like how much filtration is needed (eventually), how to make your own gold fish gel food, you can show people your fish/tank photos, enter fish of the month contests, if your fish gets sick, people will help you to figure out what is wrong and tell you what kinds of fish meds to use, what other types of fish are safe with gf, there is a tropical fish forum as well, betta fish, and marine fish, the list goes on and on.

Another website I reccomend is goldfishparadise.com, but still, I like kokos the best!

Answer 5

Check out a few fishie forums and get opinios from lots of people, that way you get every possibility and you can make a more educated opinion. My favorite is aquariacentral.com. Check it out!

Some people here are clueless.

Goldfish nede AT LEAST 20 gallons for EACH fancy goldfish. Commons and commets get over 1 foot and need AT LEAST 55 gallons PER FISH!

Answer 6

make sure you let the fish acclimate to the tank in the store bag for a while. don't just dump them in. goldfish are really dirty, so i recommend a filter, not just a bowl

Answer 7

oh god

okay let me give my lecture

Goldfish are EXTREAMLY messy. They need AT LEAST ten gallons each, but preferably 20. I would definetly recomenned a beta which will be GREAT in the ten gallon kit you can get at walmart for pretty cheap. They are tropical fish but will stand cold water

Answer 8

Get siamese fighting fish instead because they are cheaper and easier to maintain.

Answer 9

Try these articles:
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/beginner.htm
http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/
http://www.aquaria.info/