Goldfish
 lemonshark  2006/6/7 14:48
 7729  0  7.00 (4 votes) Rate it
Tips
1. Get a quality mechanical filtration system rated for at least twice the volume of your tank. Goldfish produce copious amounts of waste, and this must be dealt with to prevent ammonia spikes.
2. Don't use undergravel filtration. These systems require up to six months to establish, and goldfish produce far too much waste. The filter plate will clog with detrious and become useless. Not only that, but these systems are only really effective in tanks under 40 gallons, while most goldfish pairs or trios will need to be moved to 55+ gallon tanks by the time they are two years old.
3. Floating pellets, and eventually floating pond pellets are one of the best staple foods to feed to your fish. Uneaten food can be removed easily, the fish have no trouble finding the food before it dissolves, and it is much easier to measure out an appropriate amount of food for someone who is tank sitting.
4. Starting with a twenty gallon long tank is fine. While you will eventually have to upgrade to a 55+ gallon tank, it is best for the beginner to have a tank that doesn't create additional problems. Larger tanks require more planning, more initial investment, and more mechanical inclination in setting it against the right walls & floor joists of the home. It is also nice in the long run to have the twenty gallon tank to use in case of emergency (such as a bigger tank breaking) or as a hospital/quarantine tank.
5. Don't skimp when purchasing filtration for your tank. It is nice to plan your filter so that when you move to a larger tank the filter can handle it as well. An excellent idea when moving from a smaller (10-20 gallon) to a medium (37-55 gallon) tank is to use your old filter, and add an additional identical unit on the opposite end of the tank. Two medium size mechanical filters working in conjunction will do wonders for your water quality, as well as ensure that if a filter were to break, there is at least some filtration until a replacement can be obtained.
6. Air pumps are becoming outdated for most standard filtration setups. Air-driven mechanical filters are simply not powerful enough to deal with larger tanks, and should be reserved for fry tanks. The noise of most air pumps is also annoying. Most decorations driven by these air pumps do little to improve the oxygenation of the water. Another simple argument against the air pump is that it does not deal with the problem of tank overcrowding - if fish are gasping for air (lack of dissolved oxygen) is it almost always better to remove fish from the tank rather than resort to gimmicks to try and increase the air. You never want your fishes lives to depend on an electrical device being able to run constantly, as in the event of a failure their lives would be endangered.
7. Lastly, keep the tank cold. Goldfish cannot be mixed with tropical fish, and indeed it is not even a good idea to mix them with other fish. Most catfish (ie plectos) that can be kept in coldwater get too big to keep in the tank, and they are a danger to the goldfish. Numerous accounts can be found of cases where a goldfish was injured, and a catfish will take a liking to sucking on the wounds. There are also a few stories of celestial goldfishes eyeballs being sucked out by a wandering algae eater. The bottom line, don't mix. |
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Goldfish