Gold Fish- The Basics
The Gold Fish is the most commonly kept aquarium pet. Its origins can be traced back to East Asia and is a fresh water fish. Most people when thinking of getting a pet, select a Gold Fish. This is mostly because of its popularity, it’s not expensive and is very easy to acquire and care for.
Feeding
Make sure to select the fish food that is specifically designed for the Gold fish. You cannot just purchase any old fish food. The fish food that the fish from the tropics eat has different nutrients. Fish food that is designed for the Gold Fish is less concentrated on protein and more concentrated on carbohydrates. If you want to treat your fish very special; then you can go ahead and prepare boiled vegetables. For example: Zucchini, peas and carrots. Make sure to chop them first into tiny pieces before feeding them to your fish.
Do not feed your fish too much! Food passes through the body of the fish very quickly as they do not have stomachs. Too much food can cause them to have problems such as swimming properly and even constipation.
The Tank / Aquarium
Inside the tank of a Gold Fish enthusiast should be at a temperature of about 65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. An immersive heater is recommended to gauge and monitor the temperature of the tank, especially at nights. Refrain from putting untreated tap water in your tank. Untreated tank water contains many pollutants that can kill your fish. Also, do not fill your tanks to the top because Gold fishes have been known to jump from the aquarium, most times to their deaths.
The recommended water for your tank, is the tap water that has been treated with some kind of de-chlorinator; or you could just purchase Beta Water from your pet store.
Gold fish produce a lot of ammonia. This ammonia can pollute your aquarium. Therefore, you should also cycle your tank to help keep a balance between good and bad bacteria. Make sure to buy a filter that is large enough for your aquarium. The recommended tank size for a single Gold fish is 40 to 50 gallons of water.
Try not to have too many fishes in your tank. However, if new fishes are added to your population, make sure to quarantine them first. New fishes may be carrying diseases that can infect your healthy population. One other important point to remember is that not many species of fish can co-exist with the Gold fish; so you might not want to mix them with other species. Especially not with discus fish!
