So you have decided to setup an aquarium, and keep goldfish as pets, this is going to be fun.
1 Goldfish grow quite big so the more space you can give them the better, nothing less than 3 foot is our recommendation (thats 120ltrs)
2 When we are talking about an aquarium you need a filter, you dont want to be constantly fussing with the tank & stressing the fish, which inevitably leads to disease and death. The size of the tank will be the deciding factor on the size of the filter, when buying consider a flow rate of 4 x the water volume an hour.
3 All types of filters are suitable as long as they are biological, so you can grow beneficial bacteria, your filter would include sponges, filter wool and possibly carbon for water clarity. The aim of the filter is to grow beneficial bacteria which converts the waste products in the tank, such as food & fish waste from deadly ammonia to nitrite, then to nitrate which some plants use as energy to grow. Nitrate at less than 80% is safe.
4. You must test your water, thats very important especially in the first 8 weeks & daily for a new tank till the pH settles. Once the aquarium is established you would then test every month. To understand why you are testing and how important it is, read the blog What to test & understanding Why.
5 Goldfish like alkaline water we run our goldfish pH at 7.8, in the hatchery pH is very important. The pH of your water has an impact on several aspects of water quality & water chemistry. If your pH drops below 6.0, the nitrification bacteria that keep your ammonia and nitrites (toxic to fish) at zero ppm, will begin to die off.
6 Setting up the aquarium is all you, what ever you like, you need some type of substrate, a thermometer, ornaments if you like, rocks, live plant bunches they can eat, a cave for the fish to get out of the overhead light "a pot is big and roomy". I have found goldfish love to play in bubbles, add an air stone for them. We have large air stones in all our goldfish ponds.
7 Heating, goldfish are cold water animals, that is where they thrive if you choose a heater do not go above 18 degrees. A reason for a heater might be you have a very cold house and the tank is on the small side.
8 How many fish to my tank, 4 for 120ltrs is an example this does depend on the level of care and maintenance you are willing to do.
9 Water changes should be done regularly, 10% Out, 10% fresh back in.
10 Lights dont buy a bright light, unless you intend to grow plants in the substrate, you can get lights now where you can change the degree of light and the spectrum. If you choose a bright light make sure you have a least one cave for fish that are sensitive to the light. Lights should not be on for over 7 hrs a day, you can use a timer so the lights are on when you are home.
11 Clean your substrate thoroughly with plenty of water before putting it in the bottom of the tank. A siphon is used to clean the gravel once the tank is running with fish in it. You should use a water ager if your using tap water, as the chlorine will slow down the growth of beneficial bacteria. Add water and any aquarium decor. put in the heater and set to 18 degrees. Turn on the filter, lights.
12 You are not ready yet to add fish, you need to cycle the tank so the waste from food and fish will be rendered non toxic. You can use a additive you get at the aquarium shop or cycle by feeding into the water to produce waste to get the bacteria to grow. You will no when the bacteria is present, normally a week but could take longer in bigger tanks when the reading on your Nitrite test shows and you also have a reading on your nitrate after testing. I
13 In the early stages of an aquarium the pH may vary a lot and can upset the fish so i would check daily till the pH settles down once you have fish in the aquarium. Then check every water change. You could also check the water you are putting in, it will give you a good idea, if adding that water will put your pH down or up.
There is a lot more to read about keeping goldfish in our blogs such as, common mistakes when keeping goldfish, feeding goldfish, disease in goldfish covers a number of blogs on disease, circulation is more than just oxygen all written using the experience windsor fish hatchery has gained breeding and selling goldfish since 1984
At windsor fish hatchery we raise our goldfish year round outside in ponds, so they go through all the seasons, this is important so they become strong healthy fish. Its all about the water when keeping goldfish, if thats right then the fish will be extremely happy.
Windsor fish hatchery is now online only in a rural location where we ship all our fancy goldfish for sale from via couriers to your home or business.
The fish are conditioned to travel, packed in insulted boxes with hospital grade oxygen before they leave the fish farm on Mondays to reach you later in the week. All our goldfish are sold individually so the pictures you see are taken by us of the exact goldfish you will receive when you order, with a live arrival guarantee.
check us out at www.windsorfishhatchery.com.au