Common and fancy goldfish are Asian Carp, Carassius auratus. They Telescope Goldfish have been bred in the Orient for over a thousand years, and in Europe for over a hundred years to provide all of the colors and shapes available to hobbyists today.
Goldfish are a temperate fish found in cool streams, lakes, and ponds throughout Asia and part of eastern Europe, though all the Veil Tail Goldfish specimens found in the hobby today are captive bred. Goldfish can be easy to care for, however, they do require some care. Given proper care and a good, healthy environment, goldfish can sometimes live nearly 50 years!
Goldfish Equipment & Maintenance:
To keep a goldfish healthy, remember to provide them with plenty of clean, cool water.
Your goldfish's temperature should never rise above 74° Fahrenheit (about 23.5° Celsius), and ideally should remain between 65° and 68° F (18° and 20° C) so you will need a thermometer. Keeping a goldfish above 72° F (about 22.5° C) for Bubble Eye Goldfish long periods of time will result in Oxygen deprivation, which can cause nerve damage, heart damage, and can seriously hamper the immune system, making them more susceptible to many diseases, from easily treatable Ick to nearly untreatable swim bladder infections.
Keep your goldfish in a fish tank no smaller than a 10 gallon (about 38 liter), and make sure that a minimum of 6 gallons (23 liters) of the space in that fish tank is dedicated to each goldfish (each goldfish should have 6-8 gallons or more (roughly 23-30 liters or more) space in the goldfish aquarium). A 10 gallon fish tank is really only suitable for one goldfish.
This will provide sufficient space for your goldfish, so he can remain healthy, and this will allow the aquarium to help you keep healthy goldfish.
Goldfish should never be kept in a fish bowl.
Perform your weekly 10-15% water changes, so that your goldfish always has clean water and so that any waste that is not processed by the aquarium filter is removed.
Your goldfish will need a filter to keep the water from becoming toxic, and you will need to keep the filter in Ryukin Goldfish good condition. When selecting a filter, if you have fancy goldfish, make sure that the filter will not produce excessive current in your fish tank, and this will make it difficult for the fancy goldfish to swim.
Goldfish Food & Care:
Remember that your goldfish is an omnivorous (eats anything) scavenger, so provide him with a varied and high carbohydrate diet. Many goldfish foods are available on the market today, and most frozen fish foods are also appropriate, provided you do not feed meaty foods too often.
Goldfish have large appetites, but they also graze for food constantly. Don't let their 'mock hunger' and grousing around for food fool you into over feeding them. Your fish should be able to consume all the food you offer within two minutes of feeding. If there is food in the aquarium after this time has elapsed, this will contribute to poor water quality and make your goldfish more susceptible to disease.
You will only need to feed your goldfish once a day. If you feed more than once a day you will increase the waste your fish is producing and will also increase the risk of over feeding, so it becomes more important that you are performing your weekly 10-15% water changes and all necessary filter maintenance. Providing a proper diet will increase your goldfish's life expectancy and bolster their immune system.
Oranda Goldfish
Goldfish, like almost any fish, are aware that they are prey animals. In order to feel comfortable, they need to have lots of hiding places. Goldfish do not seem to be too particular about their cover, however, you do want to make sure that you do not use any sharp or rough decorations that your goldfish may get hurt on, especially if you are keeping any fancy goldfish that have impaired vision.
Like most other fish, they are more comfortable and will come out more and be more active if you can provide them with 50-75% cover - this means you should make half to three fourths of your tank space hiding places. Providing sufficient cover will reduce stress and therefore improve your goldfish's immune system, reducing chance of disease.
Goldfish Companionship:
Goldfish can, like most fish, be kept with fish with similar care requirements and temperament. However, this very quickly limits you Fantail Goldfish to other goldfish - fortunately, there are many different and interesting fancy goldfish to choose from.
When looking for a companion for your goldfish, remember to select goldfish with similar handicaps. If their disabilities are too different, it is very likely that some will out compete the others for food, and you can have a goldfish starve to death while another gets fat right before your eyes in your fish tank.
Finally:
Remember, goldfish are beautiful living creatures. It is the responsibility of the pet owner to care for their pet and provide a healthy environment. So give your goldfish space, clean, cool water, plenty of hiding places, and high-quality, high-carbohydrate foods and he should be a good companion for a long time.
Goldfish Care Basics
How Do You Know if Your Pet is Sick?
Prevention is the medicine. Have your pet fully vaccinated every year; supervise your pet; and provide your pet with a proper diet and adequate exercise.
Even with all of the above, your pet may still get sick. While it can be difficult to know when to call the vet, here are a few guidelines in recognizing a sick pet:
1. Diarrhea.
2. Unexplained or sudden weight loss.
3. Significant loss of appetite or increased appetite.
4. Vomiting.
5. Pawing at ears or shaking head.
6. Lumps on body.
7. Significant fur loss (not just shedding, which is normal); dull, patchy coat.
8. Persistent sneezing or coughing.
9. Abnormal discharge from the eyes or nose.
10. Stiffness or weakness in any joints; pet moves with difficulty.
11. Straining to urinate or defecate. Inability to urinate is an emergency - get your cat to the vet immediately.
12. Injury.
Note: Keep the name and number of the closest emergency vet clinic (for after-hours pet care), as well as those of your regular vet, close by the telephone.
Useful Pet Care Tips
1. Using metal water dishes outside in winter may be a risk, because your pet's tongue could stick to the frozen metal. In the summer medal bowls can get very hot, and burn your dog.
2. If you have a puppy that pees on your carpet. After soaking up most of the mess with paper towel, sprinkle a generous amount of bicarbontae of soda (baking soda) over the area and leave it to absorb both the traces of urine and the odor.
3. If your dog runs away from you and you finally catch up to it, no matter how angry you are at the dog, do not yell or smack it or your dog will never come to you when called for fear of being punished.
4. Do not leave your dog unattended on a choke chain. The chain could get caught and strangle the dog.
5. Do not leave your dog in the car unattended on hot days. Even with the windows open, temperatures in cars WILL reach deadly levels. It only takes 5 minutes!
6. To keep your dog busy, buy toys with little holes in them (such as a Kong), put both big and small pieces of kibble in the toy and give it to your dog. This will keep him busy for quite awhile presuming he has a few small ones that he gets out quickly. You can also wedge dog biscuits in the holes with a smear of peanut butter.
7. When your dog is teething, instead of have him chewing on couches, walls etc. Buy a few (cheap) wash clothes. Soak the wash cloth and put it ion the freezer. When fully frozen give it to the dog to chew, it will thaw out so have another one ready in the freezer. (be careful when doing this with very small dogs, as they may get a chill. I have heard of small dogs getting too cold too quickly when chewing on ice.)
8. For teething puppies mix chicken or beef broth (look for low fat, low sodium brands) with 1 ½ cup of water. Pour them into ice cube trays to made broth ice cubes. They are tasty treats on hot days. (be careful when doing this with very small dogs, as they may get a chill. I have heard of small dogs getting too cold too quickly when chewing on ice.)
9. Do not leave your pet in an area with dangling phone cords, drape cords or other items that they may strangle on. Be aware of electric cords that may be chewed by the pet.
10. I have a dog who loved to dig. When I'd fill the hole and re-seed, he'd just dig it up again. One day I was watching him wander around the yard, and I noticed he took extra care not to step in his droppings. So, the next time I filled up a hole, I buried a little dung under, and left some dung on top. He avoided the freshly-seeded grass, and his droppings made excellent fertilizer. This won't work for all dogs... I also have another dog who loves to dig. This trick does not work on her, as she does not care where she steps.
Please Note: the feces of dogs or any other meat-eating animal are NOT SAFE to use as fertilizer on plants that will be eaten by people, such as veggies, fruits, or herbs. The feces can spread disease, even if it comes from a healthy dog.
11. Is your dog digging? Try putting cayenne pepper in the holes - they don't like the sensation when they go back to dig again.
12. Dog urination burns your lawn? Try giving them some tomato juice every day (either in a bowl or on their food) and it should solve the problem.
13. After soaking up the majority of urine or picking up the poop baby wipes do a great job and pick up all smells with no stains left behind.