Saltwater & Freshwater Fish Tanks - Aquariums

Keeping Goldfish

February 27th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

Keeping Goldfish - Goldfish Care and Aquarium Maintenance

Fish tank maintenance is the first step in keeping goldfish and is an important part of owning a tank of healthy fish. A well-maintained aquarium makes keeping goldfish easy and takes little time.

If you prefer you can hire an aquarium maintenance service to come to your home or office and care for your fish tank and its occupants. On the other hand, taking care of your goldfish yourself can be very satisfying.

The Steps In Keeping Goldfish

The most important piece of equipment in your fish tank is the filtration system. There are several different types of filtration system. A type of filter that you will frequently encounter is a box that fits over the side of the tank. The water circulates through the filtration system, which usually uses charcoal or a similar filter media to filter out the impurities in the water. Another type of filtration system is a biological filter. Biological filtration can be used in conjunction with a charcoal filtration system, and permits good bacteria to grow in the tank which helps to keep the tank clean.

The number of goldfish you have in your aquarium can impact on the water quality, especially if you have too many fish in a tank that is too small. It is important to ensure that you have the correct goldfish population for the size of tank you own. Do not overcrowd your fish. After overcrowding, the next most likely cause of problems with your goldfish is overfeeding. Goldfish should only be fed an amount they can eat within a few minutes. If you feed your goldfish too much, the uneaten food will fall to the bottom of the tank and turn into sludge which will not provide a healthy environment for your fish to live in. Uneaten food can also lead to algal growth.

Partial Water Changes

You will need to perform partial water changes every two weeks or so as a central part of keeping goldfish. This keeps the algae level down and helps to maintain a healthy environment for your goldfish. Typically, siphon off about 20 percent of the water and replace with fresh water. If your tap water contains chlorine it is imperative that you add a chlorine neutralizer when adding fresh water to your fish tank.

Goldfish Observe Your Fish Daily

Observe your goldfish on a daily basis. Ensure that all your equipment is running properly. Always make sure your filter is running as it can sometimes lose its prime if there is a power outage. Make sure your air pump is working properly, too, to ensure your goldfish have plenty of oxygen. Goldfish don’t need a heater but if you have tropical fish they will require a heater to maintain the water temperature.

Just keeping an eye on your fish on a daily basis and observing their behavior can help with your goldfish care and tank maintenance. If you notice any behavioral problems with your fish, take a proactive approach to determine what is wrong with them and treat the symptoms immediately. Sick fish should be put into a quarantine tank if possible while being treated.

Maintaining a clean aquarium and a healthy living environment are not difficult tasks in keeping goldfish, and a little preventative fish tank maintenance on a regular basis will keep your fish healthy and disease free.

Posted in Freshwater fish tank maintenance | Top Of Page | 1 Comment »

Site Search Tags: aquarium maintenance, goldfish care, keeping goldfish
Technorati Tags: aquarium maintenance, goldfish care, keeping goldfish
Related Tags: aquarium maintenance, goldfish diseases, keeping goldfish, treating sick goldfish

Goldfish diseases - symptoms and treatments

December 16th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

The best way to keep your fish healthy is to follow the basic rules of good aquarium or pond management. Feed your fish correctly, keep their environment clean, avoid rapid temperature changes, ensure there is an adequate oxygen supply and make partial water changes as necessary.

Unfortunately, illness sometimes still occurs and it is important that you identify goldfish diseases as soon as possible. The first sign to be aware of is stress. Just as a stressed human is prone to infection by bio-aggressors, so are fish, and stress is the principle cause of disease in fish.

There are three basic types of diseases in fish: parasitic, bacterial and fungal. These organisms are always present in the aquatic environment and a healthy fish can generally ward them off, however, if a fish is weakened by stress or damage the risk of infection is high.

When fish become ill they show behavioral symptoms such as:

clamped fins
bodies shaking
repeated scratching against objects in the tank
hiding in corners
gasping at the surface
swimming abnormally
sitting on the bottom
breathing difficulties

The good news is that most fish diseases can be treated if caught in time.

Our comprehensive guide to goldfish diseases and their treatments is an instantly downloadable e-book that covers all common diseases. There are illustrations to assist you in identifying the disease that your goldfish may be suffering from plus it describes all treatment options available. The guide also covers setting up a hospital tank for sick fish and, if all else fails, there is a section on euthanasing fish because sometimes it can be better to end a fish’s suffering by humane means.

Here is a brief sample of what is covered in the ‘abnormal behavior’ section of the e-book:

Breathing difficulties – flukes, velvet disease
Distressed/off-colored – cloudy eye, chilodonella
Closed fins – ick
Clamped fins – poor water conditions
Scratching/Flashing – flukes, pH
Increased respiration rate – chilodonella
Gasping at the water’s surface – not enough oxygen in the water, increase aeration, check water for ammonia, pH level, and nitrates
Appetite loss – tuberculosis, constipation
Yawning – toxic water, parasites, rock stuck in the mouth
Loss of balance, unable to rise from bottom of tank – swimbladder problems
Sitting on the bottom – swimbladder disease, flukes
Eating bubbles – could be the fish is trying to clear its gills. Could also be caused from air bladder problems. (See swimbladder disease.)
Spitting – flukes
Rapid gill movement – flukes
Restlessness – fish leech (lice)
Jumping – parasites, low pH, poor water conditions
Tired fish – Check the water conditions, do routine water change, smell the fish food and check its freshness, check for any other signs or symptoms.
Swimming awkwardly – costia, swimbladder problems
Swimming with mouth open – could be a foreign object stuck in the fish’s mouth
Swimming upside down –swimbladder disease
Rubbing body along gravel or tank objects – ick, chilodonella, costia, fish leech, skin flukes, velvet disease
Swimming wildly – check ammonia level
Standing on head – intestinal worms, kidney damage, toxic water (do immediate water change) female fish may do this when they become exhausted from the male’s breeding attempts
Standing on tail – exhaustion from spawning, toxic water
Laying or leaning to the side – where is the fish’s light source coming from? Also toxic water, infections, parasites, lack of oxygen. The fish could be blind and cannot see the light to balance itself.

This is just a sample of the topics covered … also covered are worms, spots, parasites and more… Plus the treatments and remedies for all goldfish diseases!

Grab your copy of “Goldfish Diseases - Symptoms and Treatments” here for only $7.97.