You might have noticed that whenever someone decides to have a fish; the most common choice will be a goldfish. There is an amusing craze about this fish among people. It can be because we see it as a less troubling or silent fish. This fact can be true to some extent but not completely. As you know, looks can be disguising! Never judge a book by its cover. And every pet comes with at least a little responsibility. So one must never take them for granted.
Apart from the so called buzz about having goldfish as a pet, you cannot overlook how beautiful it is. Its name itself describes its beauty. These traits about its appearance can be a reason for its popularity. Goldfish are not just one type. They come in different sizes and shapes. Some of them are the comet goldfish, the tail goldfish, etc.
So if you are planning to have a goldfish as a pet, here are some important things to keep in mind:
ITS TANK REQUIREMENTS: A goldfish requires a large tank. We usually see it in small bowls. But such tanks usually increase the ammonia level in the water and as result in decrease of the fish life. So it’s always better to have a huge tank, as big as 30 gallons. Remember one goldfish can grow up to 10-12 inches and even bigger. Hence always be careful they have enough space to wander around in the tank. And you even need to add 10 gallons for each additional goldfish.
THE GRAVEL SIZE: the gravel size though a minute thing do matter. Its important how big gravel is! Normally go for large gravel. This avoids the fish choking of it. And anyways the goldfish likes going deep in for searching its food. Or you can even opt for very small gravel. Make sure that before putting the gravels in the tank, they are rinsed and soaked properly. This helps providing your fish with a clean, safe and healthy environment.
THE LIGHT AND SCENERY: It’s always advisable to decorate your tank with some scenery or showpieces. Keep it as natural as possible. It helps the fish feel home. You can even put a rock or some artificial pant in the tank. The artificial plant usually stunts the growth of plants in the tank. On the other hand, a real plant can help you absorb the nitrates and ammonia in the water. Well, goldfish do not need light as such. Light only helps us to see the fish properly. The colours on the fish pops out, making it appear beautifully stunning. You can even experiment with the lights. Use halogens or even fluorescent light. It can give you a wonderful effect. See to it that the lights are only on for 12 hrs and not more than that. Because goldfishes like being in dark for at least 12hrs.
A WATER FILTER: you may be amazed by knowing that there are nearly three types of water filter that can be attached to the tank. A goldfish requires a filter. This helps in cleaning up of the waste in the tank and even breaking down of the bacteria, trapping up of fish food, and even removal of the dirty odour from the tank. It reduces your work of tank clean-up. Having a clean and hygienic tank with the help of a filter will help keeping your fish healthy and content. The filters you can experiment are the Hang on back (HOB), Canister filters, and Wet/dry filters. The HOB filters are on the edge of your tank which controls the water flow. They are the most popular and are quite priced. Canister filters are at the bottom of your tank and use several tubes to control the flow of water. They are a bit expensive than the HOBs but comparatively resourceful. The Wet/Dry filters on the other hand the biggest filters of all. They cannot fit in a home tank. They usually are seen in aquariums.
A FISH-LESS CYCLE: In most cases, a fish dies just after a day or two in its new home. This is because the tank is not suitable for it. Thus, it is very important to carry out a fish-less cycle in the tank before introducing your goldfish to it. This includes adding ammonia to the water and even keeping a check of the nitrate level. You need to have pH kit to keep a track of the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. There should be zero ammonia, zero nitrite and less than 20 nitrates as your end result.
AVOID: There are certain pointers you must strictly avoid doing as goldfish owner. Do not add a small and slow fish with a bigger one. It’s a fact that goldfish are seen to eat their peers. And if the other is weak, it stands no freaking chance. So its better that you keep only one fish per tank or at least two same sized fish.
These are some very essential things that one must take care of before getting a goldfish home.
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