How do you care for goldfish to keep them alive longer?

Question

The goldfish is one of those bigger kind.

Answer 1

Don't put them in a bowl. You'll need at least 10 gallons. They also need light.

Change their water often and use a filter. Vacuum the gravel too with a gravel vacuum.

Don't overfeed. This is how most goldfish die.

Make sure that they don't develop any kind of fungus or anything. Keep a close eye on it. If it does, medicate the water.

Answer 2

Good water, good food and space

The main thing you are looking for from the water is that it be clean. Ammonia free, nitrite free, low nitrates, low protein build up.. on and on but clean is the word. A good filter that provides, mechanical filtration, chemical filtration and biological filtration is a must. The good thing is any power filter or canister filter will do this. Regular water changes are also a big part of having clean water. 25% every week is a good amount for regular maintenance. Cleaning the gravel with a gravel siphon during those water changes is very important too.

To keep a goldfish alive for a long time is going to take a fair sized aquarium. For a fancy gold fish I would recommend a 20 gallon tank, for a common goldfish, far larger. A common goldfish can reach 18" long and a foot long is quite common in aquariums. A common goldfish may need a tank as large as 100 gallons to be comfortable. Not to himself you understand, but that big to swim comfortably.

The backbone to good food is a quality pellet. Add to that a huge variety of foods to flesh it out. Goldfish need vegetables and even some fruit in their diets. Feeding fresh lettuce, squash, spinach, carrots etc regularly is important to good health.

One last note: The fewer tank mates the better and the fewer times you put new fish in the tank the better. Fish can carry diseases so if your goldfish is rarely ever exposed to other fish, it's rarely exposed to the disease fish carry and this helps limit the chances of the fish becoming diseased.

The best thing for you to do is read a lot on as many goldfish sites as possible. There's lots more to know about keeping goldfish than this, this was just a starter.

Hope that helps a little

MM

Answer 3

formula for goldfish longevity:

good food (quality pellets that doesn't pollute the water) + proper feeding (no overfeeding - fish should be able to consume all food given within about 5 minutes, take out uneaten food after 5 minutes has lapsed) + 20% weekly water change + cleaning the gravel (clean the gavel with siphon while taking out some water for the regular water change) = long life for the goldfish

Answer 4

Ä° have a goldfish and she's live for 5 months im giving fishmeal for 2 times a day and change her water for 15 days shes very healty =)

Answer 5

goldfish actually have a lifespan of around 20 years when looked after properly.

if you really want to look after it properly, you need to check the water temp and PH - there are plenty of websites that tell you what these should be.

you should also research goldfish diseases - just have a look at some pics online of what different diseases and symptoms look like, so when your fish gets sick (and it will one day), you can treat it properly.

Also, DONT overfeed him!! this is the main cause of fish death. a tiny pinch of flakes/whatever once a day is enough for one fish.
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Answer 6

All you have to do is feed it and DON'T touch it. When a fish is touch so many times it will die. When you clean out your fish tank remember to make sure there is no chlorine or bleach in the water or else the chemicals will get to the fish and eventually kill it. If you have a water purifier it would be for the best for your fish if you ran the water through that.

Answer 7

if it is a koi or a comet they should be in ponds... they get huge. we have some that are around 7lbs.

if its a fancy listen to magicman. get at least a 20 gallon tank. for the first fish then 10 gallons for each additional fish.

change 20-30% of your water weekly and feed them once daily.

they should live at least 10 years.

Answer 8

I bought a a couple of 39 cent goldfish from Wal-Mart once that lived for probably 3 years or better. When we first got them all we had was a fishbowl to put them in and they lived i it for a few years. We did nothing special to them changed the water (bottled water, not tap) and fed them. As they grew bigger we had to change bowls, again a regular fishbowl, no filters or air bubbles. When they got so big they didn't fit into that bowl I finally bought a real fish tank with the filters and bubbler, guess what ..within a few days they were dead..
Long Live Goldie and Coolio!

Answer 9

Give them a tank which they have lots of space to swim about, and always keep note of their food supply. Also make sure they are not under constant stress.

Answer 10

You are going to want 20 gallons fo rthe first fish, then 10 or each thereafter. Cycle the tank, add fish, monitor water params (ph ammonia nitrite nitrate), 25 percent weekly water changes
And it shold live 20 years