Goldfish

Goldfish like a tank with plenty of swimming room and are not particularly fussed about the presence or absence of decorations. A 30 gallon aquarium with gravel and few river rocks is recommended. You should never keep your goldfish in a bowl or other small container.

Making partial water changes on a weekly basis is the best way to keep your fish healthy, use an aquarium siphon hose to vacuum your gravel, remove leftover food, fish waste, and other organic material.

Goldfish are one of the hardiest of all types of fish, and are able to withstand a wide range of water conditions. However, the ideal pH is neutral to slightly alkaline (around 7.5), moderate hardness, and a temperature of between 60°F (15°C) and 75°F (24°C).

Fancy goldfish, need a tank free of active or aggressive fishes, they require optimum water conditions to prevent fin damage and deterioration. They are best maintained at around 65°F (18°C); they may be susceptible to fungal infections and fin rot if kept at low temperatures for prolonged periods. At higher temperatures the water should be kept well-aerated. Goldfish can tolerate the temperature itself quite well, but may suffer due to lack of oxygen.

Goldfish are diggers and will scatter the fine sand onto leaves, injuring thin and less hardy plants, particularly fine-leaved varieties. They often dig in the gravel and can uproot plants or damage their stems. Plants grafted onto rocks or wood (e.g. anubias, java fern) are good choices.

Goldfish are omnivorous and do not require special diet as tropical fish, however you should buy food made specifically for goldfish, because their nutritional needs are not the same as those of other fishes.

Foods designed for goldfish are usually lower in protein and fat than tropical foods, and made with a fairly high content of vegetable matter. It is generally recommended not to give goldfish too much protein, as this can lead to constipation and intestinal problems. In fancy varieties a higher level of protein is desirable as this encourages the development of the fleshy head growths in Oranda and lionhead/ranchu varieties.

If you wish to grow your goldfish a higher protein diet will also result in a faster growth rate. Where goldfish are kept in small or unfiltered aquariums, it is not recommended to give high protein food.

To avoid dietary problems, it is a good idea to include shrimp-based frozen foods and vegetable-based foods as a supplement. Frozen shrimp is also good for promoting the red-gold coloration of goldfish. Flakes or granules are suitable for small goldfish, for larger fish, pellets are usually more economical.

Never give your goldfish more food than they can eat in a few minutes. Leftover food decomposes and pollutes the tank. If food remains uneaten, remove it. Feeding your goldfish a small amount at several times during the day is preferable to feeding one big meal.

Gold Fish

Tropical Fish Gold Fish
Can you keep goldfish and tropical fish together?I strongly advise against keeping goldfish and tropical fish together — for several reasons.

First, goldfish tend to thrive at sub-tropical temperatures, which means about 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. This is not to say that 75-degree water will kill the goldfish. It’s just that the lower temperatures are healthier for them. Cooler water holds more oxygen, which larger goldfish require for good health.

Second, goldfish tend to be much more massive than tropical fish. As they grow, they can easily eat more than the tropicals. The latter may end up suffering from malnutrition. At the same time, goldfish also produce far more waste products than the typical tropical fish. Some tropical species require very clean water and goldfish will make this rather difficult to maintain.

Third, temperate water fish (such as goldfish) and tropicals tend to carry different diseases and parasites and tend to be resistant to their specific diseases and parasites. Thus, the mixing of the two can expose each to health problems they are not at all capable of coping with.

The fact is that many species of fish often seem to get along well when they are young. As they mature, however, trouble can start. You might not notice problems immediately because aggressive or predatory behavior may occur at night. For example, your Chinese algae eater becomes both large and aggressive as it grows and could eventually spell serious trouble for your goldfish. Your first clue might be a dead fish, or two.

You might consider a 30-gallon tank for the goldfish.
The best tankmates for goldfish are plants and other goldfish.

Raising Goldfish is really not that difficult. However it does take a little understanding to be successful. First lesson is DO NOT keep goldfish in those so-called Goldfish bowls. You can raise Bettas in them but not Goldfish (Carassius auratus). Keep them in large aquariums, the larger the better.
Breeding Goldfish

When selecting your fish for breeding use specimens that are at least two years old, while four to six year olds are better. Always set your standards high when selecting your breeders.

After you have chosen the best you can obtain, now comes the sexing. It is not really that difficult if your fish are in spawning condition. But from time to time even the so-called experts are confused. There are two methods. One is to look for salt type spots on the opercular region and on the first ray of the pectoral fins as an indication of a male. The other method is to determine sex by the shape and appearance of the anal opening. If possible, separate the males from the females to avoid an accident before you set up.

In the fall, feed your breeders live foods, chopped worms, brine shrimp and duckweed. This will help assure healthy breeders and quality eggs when spawning time arrives. The breeders’ water temperature should be kept in the mid thirties to forty degree range for about two months. Feeding them very little or not at all. Then the water temperature can gradually be raised to the fifty to sixty degree range during the pre-spawning period.

Feed them lightly two to three times a week for four to six weeks. Finally, raise the temperature to sixty-five to seventy degrees in preparation for spawning. Breeding can be accomplished by using twenty-gallon long or forty-gallon breeder tanks. The size and type depends on what’s planned and the size and number of breeders being used. You will have a higher percentage of fertile eggs if you use two males to each female being spawned. You can make or purchase spawning mops to use for an egg catching medium.

If everything goes as planned you will notice the breeders rubbing against the mops and each other. At this time the males will begin chasing the females and nudging their heads into the female’s caudal and anal area. The females will begin releasing their eggs and the males will release their milt, fertilizing the eggs. The chase usually begins after a storm or a quick change in barometric pressure. It usually begins in the morning and lasts for four to six hours.

When the spawning ends the breeders will begin eating the eggs. Remove the eggs/spawning mops at this time. Place them in separate tanks with water at the same temperature as the breeding tank.

If using water at sixty-five to seventy degrees it will take around seventy-two hours to hatch. Fertile eggs will be pale amber to pale yellow in color. Infertile eggs will be opaque in color and eventually become fuzzy as fungus develops, remove fungused eggs. To control fungus add methylene blue or malachite green.

When the fry hatch they will be less than one quarter of an inch long. Their bellies will have yolk sacs. This will nourish them for a few days, do not feed them at this time. After that you will need to feed them finely sieved daphnia or newly hatched brine shrimp. Remove uneaten food and use a sponge filter with low turbulence. At two weeks of age you can begin culling unwanted fish by using a magnifying glass.