Setting up and Maintaining the Tank
Choose a 20-30-gallon tank for your fancy goldfish. Every inch of fish needs a gallon of water and for each goldfish you add to the tank you should increase the size of the tank by 10 gallons (37.9 L). Fancy goldfish can grow up to 20 inches (50.8 cm), so by purchasing a 20–30 gallon (75.7–114 L) tank you can avoid having to purchase another larger tank later as your goldfish grows and as you get more fish. Goldfish are not suited to live in bowls because they will outgrow them and they need a good filtration system. It is important to choose the right tank for your goldfish in order to make sure they have the best quality of life and to save you from having to buy more tanks later. If fancy goldfish do not have enough water they can get can diseases, be stunted in growth, and possibly die.
Choose large gravel that the fish can't swallow. Purchase gravel that is large enough that it won't get stuck in the goldfish's throat. Clean the gravel before putting it in the tank by rinsing it and then soaking it in water for a day. Avoid using soap to clean the gravel because it could harm the fish.
Decorate the tank so the fish have places to hide. Decorations also make the tank more visually appealing. When purchasing decorations for the tank, make sure to not get too many and make it too crowded. One large decoration and a few small ones is usually enough for one tank. Only put items in the tank that are meant for fish tanks. Do not put real coral or driftwood in the tank – this can cause parasites. Rearrange the wood and plants on a monthly basis to offer the goldfish new areas to explore.
Put plants in the tank to help with water quality and filtration. Use real plants to improve the water, to create hiding spots for the goldfish, and to provide a food source. Plastic plants are easier to maintain and still offer places for fish to hide; however, they do not offer the same benefits as real plants.
Make sure your aquarium is well-lit for 8-12 hours a day. Fluorescent lights are the best choice for goldfish, but you can also use incandescent and halogen lights. Light helps goldfish keep a regular sleep cycle and makes sure that they maintain their color. Avoid putting the tank in direct sunlight -- this can cause temperature changes and algae growth.
Get a filtration system to remove waste. Having a filtration system keeps the tank and water clean as well as helps improve the health of the goldfish. There are different types of filters to choose from that serve different functions: Mechanical filtration (such as power, bow, sponge, and canister filters) is best for removing debris in water, like waste, food, and particles. The filter catches the debris and then returns clean water to the tank. Chemical filtration, activated carbon or zeolite, should be added to your filter to remove bad chemicals from the water. Biological filtration is a way to make the negative toxins in the water harmless. This can be done using an undergravel filter. The downside to this method is that it can take months to set up and develop into the tank. Plant filtration, putting plants and algae in the tank, is another way to make the harmful chemicals in the tank harmless. In order for this filtration to work you need many plants and fluorescent lighting in the tank.
Fill the tank with distilled or treated water. If you use tap water, you need to make sure to treat it with a water conditioning solution to de-chlorinate the water. Change the water in the fancy goldfish tank at least every other week. Do not change all of the water at once, instead change 25% each time. You may need to change the water more to keep the ammonia levels down. Test the water often to make sure the ammonia and nitrite levels are normal.
Change the water with the seasons. The temperature of the water should not exceed 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius). During the winter, have the tank at 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit (10-13 degrees Celsius). If your home gets cold, especially at night, you can add an aquarium heater to the tank.
Introducing Your Fish to the Tank
Make sure the tank is safe for your goldfish by testing the water. Before adding your fancy goldfish to the tank, you need to test the tank. Get a pH testing kit, such as the API Master Test Kit, to test the nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia levels. The water should have under 20 nitrates, no nitrites, no ammonia, and the pH level of the tank should be around 6.5 to 8.25.
Put the goldfish in the tank in the bag it came in. Place the bag of water your fancy goldfish is in directly into your tank filled with water. Wait around 15-30 minutes for the water temperature of the bag of water and the tank to be equal. Do not leave your fish in the bag for too long otherwise it could suffocate. Carefully open the bag and let the fish swim out and into the tank water. Don't add the bag water to the tank.
Buy dividers to keep small fish away from large fish. Large goldfish may eat smaller fish, which can be dangerous for the larger fish because they will overeat. Get the same type of fancy goldfish to make feeding and care easier. Do not put betta fish and goldfish in the same tank. They have different living requirements and betta fish can be aggressive.
Get a quarantine tank to make sure your new fish is healthy. Your new fish might have diseases that could infect the fish you already have in your tank, so it is important to quarantine new fish before introducing them to your old fish. You can keep your new fish in a separate tank for two to four weeks before adding them to the main tank.
Add other water species that get along with goldfish. If you want to add another species that is not a fish, such as a loach or snail, choose something that gets along well with fancy goldfish. Make sure to choose a species that does well in cooler water and that the goldfish won't eat. Dojo/Weather Loaches get along well with goldfish and also prefer cooler water temperatures. Get loaches that are at least two inches long so goldfish won't eat them. Rosy Red Minnows/Fathead Minnows do well in unheated goldfish tanks, and usually get along with goldfish, but they can get aggressive and attack goldfish who come near their nest. White Cloud Mountain Minnows are very peaceful with goldfish, but their small size means that sometimes goldfish will eat them. Zebra Danios do well with goldfish if there are at least six of them in the tank, but sometimes large goldfish will eat them. Snails can do well in goldfish tanks if the tank is not too cool; however, goldfish tend to eat them.
Feeding the Fancy Goldfish
Choose food that sinks in the water. Goldfish flakes float and lose nutrients when they touch the water -- this can hurt the water quality and cause the fish to have too much air when they are eating. Instead buy food that sinks, like pellets or gel. Make sure to choose food with a lot of protein and only a little bit of fiber. If you do purchase floating food, instead of sinking, make sure to soak it in water before giving it to your fish.
Choose fast growing plants for your goldfish to eat. Goldfish eat a lot so it is important to choose a plant that grows back quickly, such as duckweed, hornwort, and water sprite; otherwise, the plant will be gone before it even has a chance to grow. Attach a weight base to the plant because goldfish sometimes dig and pull plants out of the gravel.
Feed your goldfish live food for extra nutrients. This is especially important for fancy goldfish, like oranda and lionhead goldfish that need protein for head growth. A popular choice for goldfish is brine shrimp. You can also give your goldfish frozen and freeze-dried live food, such as frozen bloodworms, mosquito larvae, and daphnia. Make sure to soak freeze-dried foods in water before feeding them to your goldfish.
Give your fancy goldfish vegetables. Goldfish are omnivores and so they also love vegetables, not just meat. Food such as peas, zucchini, broccoli, carrots, and potatoes are all great treats to feed your fancy goldfish.
Make sure your goldfish has variety in their diet. If you give your goldfish the same food day after day it could hurt their health because they won't get all the minerals and vitamins that they need. Use store bought goldfish food as their regular food supply, but mix in live food and vegetables to add variety.
Feed your goldfish 1-3 times a day. Start by measuring out a small amount of food for your fish and see how fast they eat it. The next time you feed them, feed them slightly less. Each feeding should be the amount of food that they can eat in around 1-2 minutes. At first, it can be hard to tell how much to feed your fish, but with practice it will be clearer how much to feed your fancy goldfish each time.
Weigh your fish to help you determine how much to feed them. Put a container of water on an electric scale and then turn the scale on so it reads zero. Put the goldfish in the container to weigh it. Weigh the goldfish food – store bought, live, and vegetables, before feeding your fish. You should try to feed the fancy goldfish between 0.5% to 2% of its body weight each time.
Treating Illnesses
Quarantine your fish to prevent spreading the disease to other goldfish. It is important to take any sick fish out of your tank and put them in their own quarantine tank to prevent spreading the disease to other fish. You can also remove healthy fish from your main tank and quarantine them instead. Quarantine tanks should be around 10 to 20 gallons (38 to 76 L) of water, and have no gravel or decorations. Keep your goldfish in the tank until they are healthy again (around two to four weeks).
Treat goldfish ich disease. You can identify this disease because of white spots that will appear on the body of the goldfish. In order to get rid of this disease you have to kill the parasite by slowly raising the temperatures of the aquarium 1-2 degrees every hour until you reach above 85 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) and leaving it at that temperature for 10 days. Additionally you can do a salt treatment to treat ich disease: Change 40 percent of the water, vacuum the gravel, remove any plants in the tank. Add salt to the tank (1 tablespoon for every gallon of water). Do not add all of the salt at once – add 20% at a time, every 15 minutes.
Cool the tank's water to cure dropsy. Your goldfish may have dropsy if they look bloated and swollen. To cure dropsy, test the water in your tank and change it until there is no ammonia and nitrites in the water. Lower the temperature to around 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit (13-15 degrees Celsius). Mix ¼ cup warm water, 1 teaspoon of Epson salt and ¼ teaspoon of baking soda for every 10 gallons (37.9 L) of water that is in the tank then pour the mixture into the water.
Cure swim bladder disorder by feeding your goldfish peas or beans. For three days only feed your fish steamed peas or beans that are chopped or mashed with the skins removed. Alternatively, you can choose to not feed your fancy goldfish for three days in a row then gradually start feeding them vegetables again to cure their swim bladder.
Change the water in your goldfish tank to prevent more diseases from occurring. The quality of the water can affect your goldfish and cause diseases. The water may look good and clear, but that does not mean the ammonia levels aren't too high and the water isn't toxic. Regularly change part of the water and make sure the tank is not too crowded to prevent illnesses.
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