Your First Goldfish

This month I am setting up a new fish tank. As I started filling the tank with water, it occurred to me that there are many folks out there who do not know the basics to setting up a Goldfish tank. It farther occurred to me, that my being a Squidoo lensemaster meant that I had a way to share with others what I know about raising Goldfish. Thus I created this lens and titled it: Your First Goldfish

As I am setting up my tank and bringing home my fish, I have written this lens detailing what I did and why I choose to do the things I did. Therefor the format of this lens is not so much an instruction book, but rather a dairy of how I do things, so that you too can do it. I hope you find this lens helpful.

You may be surprised by this, but the first thing you should do, is not pick out your tank, but rather, pick out where the tank shall be set up.

The first thing I should point out is that Goldfish live up to 20 years or more, if well cared for and living in good conditions.

The second thing I must point out is that Goldfish get up to 10" or more.

Taking those two things into consideration, I shall now point out that bowls, 2 gal tanks, and 5 gal tanks are inhumane and are the reason that 90% of all pet Goldfish die before they reach 3 years of ages and 5" in size.

Goldfish are a big fish. Remember this. Write is down. Brand it in your brain. Goldfish are a big fish. They require a big tank. NEVER put Goldfish in a tank smaller than 10 gal. If you choose a 10 gal tank, do not keep more than 5 Goldfish in it, and transfer them to a larger tank when they outgrow the 10 gal one.

Okay. that said, let's move on...

For my Goldfish tank, I first had to take into consideration, where was I going to put the tank? My answer was, these fish are going to be my personal pets. They are going to be living in my bedroom. After studying the layout of my room, I determined that the best place to set up my tank would be in the corner, between my compter and my reading chair, just at an angle from my bed. I choose this spot because it is were I spend a great deal of my time and were I well be able to see my fish most often.

There was one slight problem with this spot, well two. One, that spot is were my Siamese cat keeps is food, water, and litter box. Two, there is a large window were the morning sun comes directly in and well shine full light on the tank. These problems were easily corrected.

I moved Topie's water and food dishes over by a few feet, and choose a fish tank stand, that allows for his litter box to be hidden away under the tank stand.

To correct the problem of the sunlight, I put up bamboo shades, that allow filtered sunlight into the room, without my ever having to open them. Since the only view from this window is the street and sidewalk, not-opening this shade ever again is not a problem. Additionally, I plan to put a screen on the back side of the tank. The end result is that my fish well receive nice filtered sunlight without getting hit by direct sunlight. They well enjoy that.

Next thing to decide, once figuring out where to put the tank, is how big a tank can I fit in that space. I would have liked to get a 20 gal tank, unfortunately one would just not fit in the place I choose for it. However a 10 gal one would fit just fine.

The next step is to buy a stand. You must buy the stand before the tank (or at the same time) so that you have a place to put the tank once you brings it home. In my case, I did not need to buy a stand, because I already had a solid hardwood table which is much, much sturdier than a tank stand, and will hold a 10 gal tank.

If you decide to go this way, make sure that you have a table made of solid hardwood, with very strong sturdy legs. A 10 gal tank filled with water, gravel, plants, and fish well weigh 150 to 175 lbs, and once filled, it can't be moved.

If this is your first tank, than a 10 gal tank is best for you. If you are more experienced you can get a larger tank if you have the space for one.

Now it is time for you to head to the store and buy your fish tank. One thing that is important, is that you get a rectangle shaped tank, NEVER a round, square, or octagon one. The rectangle should be a long low "horizontal" one, NEVER a tall "vertical" one. You shouldn't have to worry much. The typical tank is a horizontal rectangle one, and the odd inhumane shapes are not so common anymore.

For the beginner I recommend that you get a pre-packaged kit; one that includes a 10 gal take, a hood with built-in lighten, and a filter unit. In fact, I recommend this even if you aren't a beginner, because by doing this you ensure that you are getting a hood and filter that are made to fit the tank. These kits are generally available in 5 gal, 10 gal, 15 gal, and 20 gal tanks. I'd only recommend the 5 gal tanks for use as hospital/quarantine tanks though, as they can only house one or two Goldfish fish in them. For living quarters the 5 gal tank is only suited to housing smaller fish breeds such as tetras or guppies. The 5 gal tank just isn't big enough to house Goldfish.

I don't see that the brand of tank matters. All tanks are pretty much of the same quality. When buying the tank be sure to check all the seals to make sure that none are visibly broken. Also never buy a tank if there are any cracks or chips in the glass. If the tank is packaged in a box as part of a kit, you can check it when you get home. Should you notice any defects, take it back to the store for an exchange. It is vitally important to the health and safety of your fish, that the seals are tight and the glass undamaged!

For this project, I choose to get: Aquatic Gardens Starter Aquarium Kit; the Goldfish edition size 10; which included the Tetra Whisper Power Filter.

I decided against live plants in favor of fake plants, due to the fact that this tank is for Goldfish, which have a reputation for eating plants. I figure it's easier to put in fake plants and feed the Goldfish some lettuce every now and than instead of replacing the live plants every few weeks, which well get expensive over time, and a hassle to keep replacing. So I ended up going to five different pet shops before I found one with fake plants that didn't look cheap and fake. I had planned on getting several smaller ones, but ended up getting 2 "display" plants.

One is a fern-like plant, surrounded by several smaller grass-like plants, and small fern-like plants. This arrangement is tall and skinny, so I placed it in front of the filter tube, to hide it from view.

The other plant is called a "hedge" arrangement, and includes several plants on one stand. At the back are three tall full and fluffy fern-like plants, while in the front are several small grassy plants. I placed this one near the back and off to one side.

Both plants have heavy weighted bottoms, made from gravel and rosin. I don't know what the plants themselves are made out of, but it is some type of plastic, that is lightweight and very flexible, causing the plants to move and feel like real plants. The plastic is shaded and in natural greens, so the plants look real. They were a bit more expensive that the other fake plants ($8.99 each vs $3.99 each) but the other plants looked so fake and stiff and the colors were so unnatural. Also the cheaper ones were made of a stiff plastic which was very hard and the tips were sharp, which I think would have been bad for the fish, as I am planning to get so fancy Lionhead Fantails or Pearlscale Fantails (which cost $25 - $30 each fish as opposed to plain Goldfish which as 5 for $1 at the same pet shop!) Fantails are very delicate, and the hard plastic plants would damage their fins, and that caused me to choose the soft flexible plastic plants, even though they cost more than twice as much. In the long run the are worth the extra price because they are safer for the fish.

I must have been in the store over an hour, just deciding which plants my fish would enjoy better and which would be safer for them!

Here is the website of the company who made the plants I choose: Penn-Plax

The gravel wasn't quite so hard to decide on. I knew what look I wanted for my tank. I want my fish to be the "centerpiece" of the tank, so I don't want the tank full of stuff and gadgets that aren't needed. Likewise, the gravel should complement my fishes' colors. Since Goldfish are mostly orange, gold, and red shades (at least the ones I plan to get are), I wanted a dark gravel which would allow their bright colors to stand out. Thus I choose black and blue gravel. I bought 2 bags of black, and one bag of blue, than mixed them myself to get the effect I wanted.

If I were getting darker colored or black goldfish, I would have chosen to use natural colored, tan and brown gravel, instead.

Getting the right gravel colors was no problem, all the pets stores around here have bags of black and bags of blue... it was finding good quality gravel that alarmed me. Several of the cheaper brands had gravel that was very tiny fine grained and had sharp rough edges! Not good for Goldfish in general, and esp not for fantails! The tiny gravel would be easily swallowed by the goldfish, and cause digestive problems, as Goldfish scope up gravel in their mouths while searching for food. The tiny gravel could accidentally be swallowed by the fish while they are rooting. Also the rough edges could damage their mouths and their delicate long tail fins. It took me three stores before I found one that had medium sized AND smooth-polished gravel, which would be safe to use in a Goldfish tank.

I spent several days searching different brands of gravel and in the end, I decided upon Estes` as I felt theirs was the best quality.

Q. I want to give my goldfish some kind of yummy treat, what should I feed her?

EelKat: Fish love fresh foods. Buy a bag of frozen peas and diced carrots. Take out 2 peas and 2 carrots, let than thaw. Once thawed, feed them to your fish. Remember NEVER feed her any food while it is still frozen, because ice is bad for goldfish.
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Other things your fish well like, are diced fresh zucchini, fresh spinach greens, fresh or thawed frozen broccoli tops, apple slices, etc. In general goldfish love most any fresh green or orange colored vegetable. And they are actually very good for her and will cause her to become brighter colored.
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A word of warning though: NEVER feed your fish canned vegetables, the salt content could kill your fish. Feed her only fresh vegetables or frozen vegetables that have been thawed.

Q.Will my goldfish die if they are not fed for two days?

EelKat: Gold fish can go up to 3 weeks without food; however, you should turn off any heater, at the same time. Cooling the tank slowly to 50 - 60F will force the fish into a semi-hibernatng mode. They will be "tricked" into thinking it is winter and thus will nestle down at the bottom of the tank and "sleep" for several days with no desire to eat at all.
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This can be done when you go on vacation, but shouldn't be done for more than a week. If you are going to be gone more than 5 or 6 days, than you should get an automatic timer/feeder to feed your fish for you.

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Once you have your tank, there are few things you will need to buy, BEFORE you start looking for goldfish. They are:

an overflow/waterfall filter

a UV sterilizer

an air pump

air line (25' is usually needed)

air stones (I bought three 4" ones for my tank)

bio-media

a thermometer

a heater to maintain a temperature of 68* - 72* F

(listed on this liens is shown the ones I bought for my tank)

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This is the #1 reason for goldfish deaths in new tanks: the owner did not cure the tank before buying the fish.

Goldfish require PH level of 7.2 - 7.6 and they require the tank have a well established colony of beneficial bacteria already living in the water. To get these things, you must use test strips to test the chemical makeup of your water, than purchase the correct type of filter media to put inside your filter in order to change the water to PH 7.4. The tank, once set up and filled with water, should have it equipment turned on (filter, heater, ect) and left on for 2 to 6 months, prior to purchasing your fish, in order to build up a colony of bacteria.

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Katy's Tropical Fish

Q.How much light to goldfish need?

EelKat:You should turn the tank lights on during the day, from just after sunrise, until sunset, so that they can have a natural mode of light and dark, just as they would in the wild. Goldfish need about 8 hours of sleep at night, just like people do, so be sure to turn the lights off at night.

Q. Can goldfish be kept in the same tank with other kinds of fish? Can I put a goldfish in with tropical fish?

EelKat: They CAN be kept together, the question is SHOULD they be kept together? The answer: No. Why? Because they require difference habitats in order to survive happily and to their fullest potential. Consider these factors:
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goldfish require a 64 - 75 F temperature, while tropical fish require a 78 - 92 F temperature (depending on breed), the temp difference alone is enough to cause problems.
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additionally goldfish require a PH level of 7.2 - 7.6 which would kill many tropical fish; while the PH levels tropical fish require, would kill goldfish
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size is another factor; while the goldfish are babies, most tropicals will eat the small goldfish, but once the goldfish is full grown (10 to 18 inches) they will be the ones eating most of the tropicals or at least every tropical small enough to fit into the goldfish's (huge) mouth. And, no, keeping the fish will feed, will not prevent them eating one another, as goldfish are prone to overeating and eating out of boredom.
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also, age differences could become a factor: goldfish live up to 40 years and grow to 20" long in that time; most tropicals do not live half as long or grow half as big.
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It is possible to keep goldfish and tropicals together, provided that you choose tropicals that can stand 72 - 78F temps, will grow at the same size rate as the goldfish, and can safely tolerate the same PH levels as the goldfish. However, this is usually best done by professional level fish keepers who know which breeds are best suited to coexisting, because it requires a highly advanced and delicate control of habitat balance in order to pull it off, successfully.

Q. What temperatures do goldfish like?

EelKat: They can tolerate between 45 - 78F, but 68 - 74F is the ideal temp. Colder than 64 will make them go into a semi-hibernating state, while higher then 78 will cause them great difficulty breathing and over 80 or under 45 will kill them.

Q. Why should I bother putting a lot of time and money into a tank? A bowl is fine. Goldfish only live a few weeks anyways. That's why they are only 25 cents or whatever.

EelKat: You don't know very much about goldfish do you? Did you know that the average price of a goldfish is $40 - $200 per fish, and that rare breeds sell for as much as $7,500 per fish? Please, know what you are talking about before you start talking and making a fool of yourself.
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Goldfish are among the longest lived fish there are, living 20 to 30 years in most cases, provided their owner actually bothered to take care of them, that is.
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Goldfish are also among the most expensive fish you can buy. It is not unheard of for a person to pay more than $20,000 for a single pet goldfish. Those .25c goldfish are "feeder fish" sold to feed other fish, not to be kept as pets. They were hatched deformed in some way, thus the reason they could not be sold as pets.
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Know before you get started, that raising goldfish is not a cheap hobby. Setting up the tank alone, will put you out several hundred dollars before you even bring home your fish. Filter media needs to be changed monthly, an expense that can be a cheap as a few dollars per month or in some cases can cost you several hundred dollars a week, if you are a "hard core" goldfish breeder with a sophisticated custom built filter system.

Q. I have just brought 2 Ranchu but they have no hoods. Is this normal or have I been sold a different type of goldfish?

EelKat: It can take as long as 5 years for a Ranchu to grow it's hood (keeping in mind that they can live for up to 40 years or more).
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If the fish you bought was less than 3 inches long, than most likely it was between 3 months to 2 years old (still a baby) and thus too young to have started growing it's hood yet. It should however have a slight "film" over it's head, this being the hood itself, which simply has not yet begun to grow into the raspberry growth normally thought of as the hood.
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If you wish to purchase a Ranchu with a hood already grown, you will want to look for a fish that it at least 4 years old.
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The fancy Ranchu's you see with the really big bubbly hoods are 10 or 12 years old and the fish itself is 6 to 10 inches long (keeping in mind that the Ranchu is the largest breed of goldfish and can grow to well over 20 inches long! Though 8 to 12 inches is more common.)
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Also, keep in mind that Ranchus require a special diet in order for their hoods to reach their fullest potential, otherwise the hood will not grow all big and bubbly like seen in award winning show-fish.
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One more factor to consider when buying a Ranchu: they are expensive. An adult with a partially grown hood will cost $20 - $80 per fish, while one with a full hood can cost $200 to $500 or more. Prize winning Ranchus with the huge hoods can sell for $3,000 to $7,500 or more per fish.
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The baby $5 to $20 Ranchus seen in pet shops, are cheep and hoodless, because they are so young. The full hooded ones are expensive because so much care has gone into the growing of the fish (special diets, and often surgery to enhance hood growth).
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Ranchus are the "ultimate" in goldfish and you have to be willing to pay the price if you want to buy one that already has grown it's hood.
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hope that helps.

Q. Should goldfish be kept in a bowl or a tank?

EelKat: It is my belief that any fish, goldfish or otherwise, is best kept in a bio-habitat, in other words, kept in as large a tank as possible under conditions that match as near as possible living conditions they would have in the wild. We are responsible for preventing them from living freely as nature intended, so it is our responsibility to recreate as best to our ability an environment to match the one they would have had in nature.
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For goldfish, (or at least for my goldfish, anyways) this means recreating a cool mountain stream, with a slow current, a deep gravel bed for them to root through, a steady supply of live plants for them to uproot nibble on and destroy to their hearts content, and a supply of fresh (live or freeze dried) bugs & worms, and a supply of fresh vegetables and green leaves to eat, water that is clean and contains a supply of healthy/good bacteria, natural-sun lamps timed to mimic day and night, and companions of the same type to keep them company.
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If my fish are happy, I am happy. I can't stand to see an unhappy fish (or cat or dog or anything else for that matter!)

A common question when one starts talking about Goldfish, is: "What about Koi?".

Well, what about them?

First off, Koi are not Goldfish.

Koi and Goldfish are both Carp. Koi and Goldfish are both fancy colored and fancy finned Carps. Both are kept in ponds, pools, and very large tanks. They can even be kept together. Goldfish and Kio are close cousins. Koi however are not Goldfish, and as such, the rules for raiseing Goldfish should not be used for raising Koi.

While there are many differances, the most noticable differance is size. Goldfish usually stop growing to fit the size tank they are in, but left in a pond well still only grew to be about 18" long.

Koi on the other hand well outgrow even the largest fishtank in only 6 months. Why? Because a full-grown Koi reaches 38" long (that's over 3 feet). Prize winning Kois of Japan, have reached over 4 feet. Kois are not only a very large fish, they are a huge fish. Certainly the largest domestic breed of fish. Their shear sze prevents them from being kept in tanks. Kois require a pond at minum of 9 feet in diameter per 5 fish.

An aditional drawback is that in most of the 50 states in the USA, it is illegal to keep Koi as pets. Why? Because they are a very destructive fish. Koi require alot of care. More care than most people are willing to put up with for very long. Most Koi owners grow bored with the excesive amount of effort they must put into raising Koi, as such Koi are the most common fish to be released into wild rivers and lakes. Once released into the wild, these seemily harmless fish, show their true colors, as the begin uprooting plants and destroying the natural balace of life. They cross breed with local Carps creating more and more of themselves to be destructive.

Saddly it is not the fish who are at fault here. They are just doing what they would be doing if they were living back home in Japan. Problem is, when they are released into a habitat not used to them, they cause many problems for the local wildlife.

As I said the problem here, is not the fish, but the recless fools who tried to raise Koi, thinking that they were raising Goldfish. Than when they relized their mistake, they panicked and set the fish lose.

The problem is, that over the years, so many people have recklessly released Koi into the wild, that the government had to step in and now even owning a pet Koi is illegal in most of the USA. In some states (Maine being one of them) owning a Koi is punishable by hefty fines and jail time!

In 2005 a long battle began. between the government and a local man who owned his pet Koi for many, many years before the law even went into effect. Without warning a SWAT team stormed his home, confinscated his Koi and arrested him. This man had had his Koi more than 20 years. Koi whom he loved like they were his children. Koi whom he raised and cared for and would never dream of releaseing into the wild. However, his good care of his fish mattered nothing when wieghed against the sins of countless others. What resulted was a court battle that would reach world headlines. He fought the law, and after 2 long grueling years, he won and his beloved pet Koi were finally returned to him. While the rest of the world watched this from afar, I myself, lived only 15 miles away from this man.

I understand this man and his love for his fish. "But they are only fish!" people cried with outrage. Yes. Fish that were raised from hatchlings and loved and cared for for 20 years by a man who put alot of time and energy and love into careing for his fish.

There is a lesson here:

Before you get a pet fish: any pet fish, any breed, MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GETTING INTO! And if for some reason you discover you can no longer care for your fish: sell them or give them to someone who can. Find a breeder to take them. Another hobbiest maybe. Though not as good, if you can find no one else, ask a local pet store if they will buy them and find new homes for them. NEVER EVER release your fish.

And back to the question: What about Koi?

Answer:

If you are just begining, Koi are not for you. Give is a few years with Goldfish first. Than when you have enough space (and money) in your home to build an indoor pond (remember: Koi in out door ponds is illegal), than you can consider Koi.