I want all the Goldfish Advice i can Get!?!?

Question

I need help. I just got a goldfish and I want ti to be happy. peeps keep telling dont bother it will only last a week, but stll. so far I have filled a sizely tank/bowl with half tap water half water bottle. it is a small fish. I already have good for it food and a large house looking toy in the tank. I want ot spoil my fish. Any more advice?

Answer 1

You have to let the water sit in the sun for at least 4 hours or use a dechlorinater to remove chemicals, or it will die quickly. Mineral water won't help much. You will need to get an air pump or filter to keep the water clean and oxidized, or you can change the water every day, but when you do this you put the fish under a lot of stress. Also, it is a lot easier to kill a fish by overfeeding it than underfeeding it- a goldfish can go without food and stay healthy for at least 2 weeks. Only give it a pinch of flakes a day because the size of its stomach is about that of its eye.
But seriously, if you're going to go to all that trouble, do yourself a favor and get a real tank and some good fish. Don't get those ten cent, cheap fish, though, because they are usually full of parasites and will die quickly.

Answer 2

We won one of those little goldfish at the school carnival. That was like 9 years ago.... he's about 8 or 9 inches long now and we just moved him up to a 30 gallon tank!
Main things we've done:
Feed a variety of food, not just the flakes. Get some pellets, some crispies and some little shrimp or worm cubes and alternate what you feed him. Only feed as much as he can eat in about 5 minutes and scoop out the rest- helps keep the water clean.
Aerate the water- get a pump & airstone.
Get a filter system, even for a small tank, and change the filter when it gets icky looking.
Do a 25% water change every 2 weeks (more or less depending on how big the fish is) and always add a de-chlorinating water conditioner in the water you add.
Use a water conditioner weekly to help keep the ammonia nitrates down- the water can look clean but be full of ammonia which will actually burn the poor fish. They tend to sit on the bottom with their fins clamped down tight when the water is bad.
Talk to him, our fish will come over and look at us every time we do!
Good luck!

Answer 3

Don't listen to those people. A goldfish can live years, more than 20 with the right conditions! First, did you add dechlorinator to the water? That is vital, you want to add that immediately, and can get that at a 24 hour walmart if necessary. Or, use bottle water only until you get it -- you dont want to always use bottled water. Goldfish need air in the water, so make sure it is a tank -- bowls are a sure killer. And make sure it is at least 20 gallons if this is their lifelong tank (even that may not be big enough for a regular common goldfish, but is good for a fancy). Right now I am in need of an upgrade since I just inhereted some cuties, so I understand. Look for sales or on craigs list if it's tight, you can get good bargains. You also need a good filter that filters the water more than the tank -- say a 50 gallon filter on a 20 gallon. Goldfish have a lot of waste. If you feed pellets of flakes, soak in water first so the goldfish don't get bloat. They also like some zuccini or lemon, lettuce, and you can get frozen krill treats. Get him places to hide, and a long aquarium. Goldfish are also happier when not alone, so if you get anice 30 gallon tank, whcih is very affordable, you can get a second fish. Good luck, goldfish are awesome!

PS< dont listen to that person who says "allow 10 gallon for plenty of room for three fish." That is NOT plenty of room for three fish, they will die in that.

Answer 4

My advice is for you to get a book either at the local library or your nearby pet store. If none of those work, go to the link below. You have lots to learn, and I'm afraid you'll accidentally kill your fish if you don't get informed. Here is some immediate information:

- You need to get get some chlorine treatment drops. Unless your tap water is well water, it probably has chlorine in it. This can kill Goldy.

- It is very important that you get, at a minimum, a small air pump and air stone so that you get oxygen into the water. Goldy will certainly die within your peeps predictions. Better yet, get an under-gravel filter so that you can add oxygen while you are filtering out Goldy's poop.

- Goldy doesn't care about your house-looking toy, although he/she appreciates your effort. Goldfish swim freely and don't hide.

- Keep Goldy out of direct sun. Keep the water no higher than room temp. Goldfish actually enjoy cool water (~65°F) and can survive in water up to the low 80s as long as the temp changes aren't too fast.

- Generally speaking, I'd think Goldy can survive just fine in a 10 gallon tank until he/she is about 4" long. If you've kept it alive that long, then congratulations and reward the two of you with a larger set-up.

- Feed only a little bit at a time, several times a day rather than one heavy feeding. The water will stay cleaner that way. (Goldfish are famously "dirty" fish.)

Good luck to the both of you. Prove your peeps wrong...but you really need to read up! That is the best advice I can give.

Answer 5

Clean out his bowl completely once a week. Put him into an appropriate sized container while you are doing the job, using the water from the bowl.

Rinse out any rocks, the housing and glass. When adding new water, make sure you also use a chlorine/chloramine remover. The instructions will be on the bottle. Get it at a pet store or pet food store. Don't put fishy back until you've done that. Then, add some new water from the newly cleaned bowl into the container fishy is in. Slowly do this over five minutes. Then, put fishy and the water he was swimming in, into the bowl. Voila, healthy fishy. I love goldfish. When he gets bigger you may want to graduate to a bigger bowl, or better yet, aquariam with a filter.

By the way, never overfeed your goldfish. Whatever it doesn't eat will spoil the water and cause bad bacteria to form polluting the water, and cause disease for fishy. This is the number one killer of goldfish. Just a pinch twice a day. Remember, goldfish are always looking hungry - just resist his tempting cute looks to feed him!

Answer 6

Your friends obviously don't know to much about fish. I've got four, two are newer goldfish one we got when my daughter was 7 " she's now 11" and my other you has by past my oldest fish in growth is now 2. I don't know how big your tank is but allow a 10 gallon tank for three fish for plenty of room to grow and they will grow. I have a 15 gallon tank that is beautifully decorated with gravel some marbles and a light house and a shell and a turtle and a frog and a bridge leading to the light house. I love my fish watching them relaxes me and when they see me coming the all come to glass to be feed and talk to me. I use regular tape water when I clean my tank. I add drops to eliminate chlorine and nitrates in the water that I buy at the pet shop. I also have a filter this way I'm not cleaning the tank all the time my fish are well worth it they've been with me a long time.

Answer 7

I'm not sure what you're keeping him in, but if you want to spoil him put him in a 30 gallon tank with excellent filtration. If that's not an option and he's truly in a bowl, do 50% water changes every other day. You can use tap water, just make sure to dechlorinate it before adding it. Only feed him little bits at a time, as much as he can eat in 1 minute...any more will make his water dirty. Get a filter if you can, he will be much better off. Common goldfish should live 10-20 years.

Answer 8

Your goldfish will be happy if you do not overfeed it. Feed twice daily and all food should eaten by the fish in 2 minutes. Change half of the water weekly and remove the waste. If you use tap water let it stand first for 2 days in a separate container.
Your goldfish should last for years. Good luck.

Answer 9

get a nice tank (preferably over 10gal) fill it with spring or conditioned water (if your tap water has clorine you need to get conditioner from a pet store) fill your tank weth plastic junk and if you can, real plants(you need a light for these) (his stuff will keep them interested) get a gravel vac (best way to clean gravel) and cange 50% of his water once a week . get him a nice filter and give him an ocasionaly treat of brine shrimp, blood words, and other freeze-dreid foods. when you go off to get him all this stuff also get him a buddy, goldfish are fine on thier own but a friend is more fun for your fish. get a thermometer, it it gets to hot in the summer or cold in the winter you may need a heater or fan. they like thier temp beetween 58&68
for more information than you will ever need chek this link:
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/4468/index.html
(sometimes this site isn't working if its not try again later, its a rely great site)

Answer 10

goldfish will live for about 9 months in a bowl without a filter if you treat it right, but if you get a filter then you are looking at a 5+ year lifespan. they are some of the dirtiest fish you can get and need their water changed daily if there is no filter. if there is a filter, then a 10% water change every two weeks should do the trick. also find out if your water system uses chlorine or chloramine in your water. if there is only chlorine, let the water set out for about 3 days and it will evaporate out. if there is chloramine though, you must get a water conditioner or it will kill your fish within a week. also, only feed it once a day, it will help your tank to remain cleaner, longer.