We had bad luck with our fishtank when we tried to have one last year. It's a 30 gallon vertical type, and all we wanted were a few nice, pretty goldfish to look at. Nothing fancy. We got a nice filter and water conditioners and stress coat and all the stuff you are supposed to get. But we'd get a fish from Petsmart and pretty soon, usually all the old fish would die and then eventually the new fish would as well. It' was frustrating. The tank has sat empty for several months now and I'd like to try again but I don't want the same thing to occur. So I need GOOD info to give them a nice healthy start. I thought goldfish were supposed to be easy!
2007-10-01 05:25:30 · 6 answers · asked by dizzyg 3 in Pets ➔ Fish
They are easy to keep, you just need the right start
First of all you need to cycle your tank, which the following site explains really good
http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php
Once you have your tank cycled you can buy fish
In your case these will be only 3 goldfish, because each of them needs at least 10 gallons to themselves
No heater required for them, they love temperatures around 68-72 degrees, not like tropicals
only feed them twice a day as much as they will eat in under 2 min to prevent constipation, even if they seem to want more, don't give them more
I also fast all my fish once a week for a whole day, which prevents constipation big time
Leave the light on for 10-12 hours during the day and have it off for 12-14 hours at night
Do weekly partial waterchanges of 25% with a gravelsiphon, and top it off with conditioned water, NEVER take out the fish when doing partical cleanings on your tank and Never clean your tank 100% because you will kill all the good bacteria these fish need to survive and be healthy
The following article explains the right habitat a bit more in detail
http://www.fishlesscycling.com/articles/caring_for_your_goldfish.html
Hope that helps
Good luck
EB
2007-10-01 06:07:15 · answer #1 · answered by Kribensis lover 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You can do this! A 30g is great for a goldfish!
The first thing you need to thoroughly learn about is cycling your tank. It is the natural process of bacteria growth in the tank, the kind of bacteria that maintains the aquarium stability.
Go to www.aquariacentral.com. It's full of articles to get you started, plus it is a forum with over 46,000 members who are on 24/7 to answer any and all questions that you have. You can get really good advice from experienced, knowledgeable people within minutes there.
Good luck!
PS- The site is down for maintenance right now, so if you try it out and it doesn't work, don't be discouraged! Just try again in an hour or two!
2007-10-01 06:20:51 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
While the above-referenced sites are good general fishkeeping sites, Kokos Goldfish World is the premier and foremost site on the internet exclusively devoted to the keeping and care of goldfish. It was established by a veteran goldfish keeper and is monitored and administered by other veteran goldfish keepers. It has numerous articles about types of goldfish, goldfish diseases and treatments, proper maintenance techniques, compatible fish as well as blogs for asking questions and getting highly informed answers. I would suggest going by their suggestions vs. some of the suggestions that you get on here because while they are sometimes based in fact, they are often misleading because the facts get jumbled and misstated.
With regard to your problems, while Petco and Petsmart and we won't even mention the "W" word, are not the best for healthy fish and reliable advice and I would suggest that for all your live fish, live plants and advice needs, you go to a local fish store, the problem also lies with your lack of experience and knowledge. Now, I'm not trying to offend you. We all have to start somewhere and trust me, most of us have had to start at the very beginning and have, sadly, made far too many mistakes that resulted in the deaths of too many poor little fish and I just want to help you to maybe not have to go that route as many of us have done. Goldfish, despite the all too common myth to the contrary, are not an easy fish to take care of and are, instead, one of the most difficult fish there is to care for and should only be attempted by experienced, advanced aquarists. So, you need to do a lot of research and reading and make yourself completely informed with every aspect of goldfish keeping before attempting it again. I promise that if you do, you will have much greater success.
With regard to your tank, a vertical tank is not the best because it lessens the amount of available oxygen and as you also want to take the growth of the goldfish into account, you cannot have more than 2 very small fancy goldfish (No slim bodied goldfish) in this type and size of a tank. And, if you learn to take good enough care of them so that they grow to about 3 inches, you are then going to need to invest in a 50 gallon (horizontal) tank. Good luck!
2007-10-01 08:11:27 · answer #3 · answered by Venice Girl 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
No. Goldfish are freshwater fish. you are able to no longer feed that foodstuff on your Goldfish. in simple terms and FYI, Marine skill Saltwater. in case you have different fish that are seen Tropical then they are Freshwater Fish.
2016-10-20 11:48:08 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A good goldfish website is www.goldfishparadise.com
I've learned quite a lot from that website. They also have a really good forum to ask questions.
2007-10-01 17:55:40 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
www.goldfishconnection.com
2007-10-01 08:47:01 · answer #6 · answered by Sunday P 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋