Goldfish

Goldfish in the wild (carp) are opportunistic surface, bottom and midwater feeders. They don't find food on a schedule, so don't stress on a schedule. Your key is watching closely how much food remains drifting on the bottom. Amount is far more critical than either timing or frequency. Small feedings twice a day is fine, but larger feedings every other day is fine, too. Don't skip taking a weekend for yourself just because of the fish. There are also solid blocks for long weekends. A week? ask a neighbour to feed them well, once, during the week.

If you're a 'tester' you can monitor nitrite/nitrate ratio. If you're a frequent bottom air-lift siphon cleaner, smell the filtrate from your bottom suction cleaner for unpleasant funk.

Feed by sprinkling slowly, taking about a minute to distribute it all. If all the food disappears and none hits the bottom, you're underfeeding. If more than half of the food hits the bottom, you're going over.

Snails are bottom feeders so they will usually eat debris at the bottom of a tank, as well as some algae if they come upon it. They can usually eat leftover flakes from regular fish feeding, but you may want to drop in a few pellets for them here and there to make sure that they have adequate food. If you have catfish or any other bottom feeders, they will eat these as well.

Yes. It not only provides water circulation and oxygen but houses essential bacteria that keeps your water quality healthy. As soon as it's turned off, that bacteria starts to die. The only time you turn it off is when you're doing you're weekly partial water change.

Many different kinds of fish! I've often had angelfish with my goldfish and they were happy, I also have had Betta fish, neontetra, Mollys, even a pufferfish. Just make sure they are freshwater don't mix with saltwater fish, but I'm pretty sure lots of people know that as it could kill the fish.

It is possible! Sometimes the bigger goldfish of the tank gets kind of bossy and starts to think he is the "boss of the tank" and harrass the poor little ones around. This might result in your otheer goldfish being a bit quiet, or hiding behind ornaments more. It is never good to have a bully goldfish. However, bully goldfish don't always happen.

Most likely not. Fish only have a memory span of about 3 seconds. They also don't have many brain cells, and the only feeling they can probably feel is pain. Plus, fish like to swim :-) ---- goldfish do remember for much more than 3 seconds... some remember for up to a month. they will remember where they get feed and even colours. ive even known some fish that recognise me when i walk past. Its hard to tell if they're bored though... perhaps the best thing to do is just add some ornaments and plant to keep them amused.... and take them out for a walk occassionally :P ----

When goldfish are distressed, they will produce a thick slime around their body. When the slime is coming off, it will turn white. You should see little white dots and possibly a few thin strands. Don't worry too much as it will come off. They can get quite stressed when the water is too warm.

Just as we put out bi products when we breath so do fish. They also poo and wee in their environment. These products of life become deadly poisonous Ammonia as they break down. In order for things like fish and plants to be able to live, Nature developed specific bacteria to change the deadly poisonous Ammonia into relatively harmless Nitrate in water. Then the nitrate can be used up as food for water plants and algae. A "cycled" filter is simply a filter that has been running for long enough to develop the natural bacteria that converts Ammonia into Nitrate. The over abundance of Nitrate can be removed by simply doing a weekly water change.

Your goldfish will eat a lot more.

You would see lots of small white eggs sticking to the aquarium walls and fixtures.

The ones that survive hatch into tiny frys. Eggs should be removed as soon as possible because the parent goldfish usually eat them up.

The aerator in a fish tank pushes air into the water. Some of the oxygen from the air stays in the water so that the fish in the aquarium can breath it.

Even though fish live in the water, they still need oxygen to live. When they pass the water through their gills, the oxygen in the water is taken into the fish's blood stream.

Goldfish cannot live properly in a 5 gallon tank. Goldfish need 20 gallons for the first fish, and 10 gallons per additional fish after.
It's not simply about their size potential, which is big, but the fact that they produce a lot of waste.

Guppies and goldfish are not compatible as they have different water needs.

If polution/rot has set in and the water has become toxic/poisonous, then the tank will need to be stripped down for a complete clean out and scrub. The living occupants will need to be placed in containers with good clean water of the correct parameters. If the overfeeding was recent, then the easiest way I know of is to remove the left overs with a syphon tube (hose) and simply syphon the rubbish out into a bucket or other container for removal. The replacement of at least 10% of the aquarium water should be done weekly anyway if you wish to have a healthy environment for your fish. Fresh water to fish is like fresh air to us. We need it to live.

You can NOT keep female and male bettas together! Male bettas can get very aggressive and will fight to the death. Make sure to separate your bettas.

As much as it will eat in roughly 2-3 minutes. If its finished eating and there is food left, scoop it out right away or else it can pollute your tank and result in a sick fish. Also ALWAYS use high quality food. Basically the more you pay the better and also keep a watch for trusted brand names. And occasionally treat your fish to some live food or frozen food like bloodworms... They love that! NEVER buy the 'saga' brand, it is made of nothing but impurities and can kill ur fish. And keep away from supermarket foods. All the money goes in to packaging. not the food. Its basically McDonald's for your fish. It's no good.

Remember to feed it ONCE a day

Male goldfish have been known to, on occassion ,eat the female goldfish's eggs after she lays them. This is usually pretty rare because, instinctively the male will want to fertilise the eggs instead of eating them. This is most likely to occur in males that are being bred for the first time.

Typically, the price of gold fish depend upon its classified size. Small, medium, and large. Prices can range from $0.10 for small to $100+ for large. The typical price is around $0.50 per fish.

they eat anything that they can find under the water where they live.

The only way to sex all varieties of goldfish is to observe them during breeding season. At that time the males develop white spots on their gill plates and sometimes their pectoral fins too. The females just get chubby tummies.

Thanks for your help!

There is a high possibility that it is on the bottom of your tank because the goldfish is very sick, such as constipation which can lead to swim bladder disease, or a problem with the water quality.

Start by testing your aquarium water for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, they should be 0, 0, and less than 10 respectively; if they are not, then you should do an immediate 50% to 75% water change making sure that you add back clean water that is the same temperature as the old water. Add in the recommended amount of water conditioner according to the instructions on the bottle as well.

Also, check your PH to make sure that it has not crashed - the water change should help this as well.

Check for any sores, fungus, or wounds to research possible diseases and treatment options.

This will depend on the type of fish; many people follow a 1 inch per gallon rule, but this is an old practice. Goldfish for example actually need 15 gallons per fish regardless of how tiny they seem when you first buy them; they grow quite large.

It usually takes goldfish fry about 5-6 days to hatch out of the egg once fertilized. The egg-stage's length can range greatly depending on what temperature the fry are kept in. With fish, usually the higher the temperature the faster the eggs will hatch and vice versa.