Goldfish Caring and Raising

To get started when you go to buy your gold fish, here are some of the items you will need, a water filter to match the size of the tank you have picked out, a Fish net, thermometer, gravel for the bottom of the tank, Be sure that any decorations you choose aren't hollow (harmful bacteria can grow inside) and that there are no sharp edges (your fish might tear its fins). Provide your fish with different areas in the tank, such as an open area ideal for swimming and hiding area and fake plants, freshwater PH level regulator, fish food, filter replacements, gold fish or just a bowl, but if you want your gold fish to grow and live longer, you will have to move the gold fish into a bigger tank eventually. It is a misconseption that a gold fish can live in a little bowl for a long period of time. A good gauge to calculate how many gold fish you want is about 7 gallons of water per gold fish. so if you want 4 gold fish you need atleast a 25 gallon fish tank. Many cities put chloramine in water rather than chlorine. Chloramine does not evaporate and must be removed by adding an additional chemical. Check the label of your dechlorinator to ensure that it also removes chloramine. Fill up your fish tank or bowl with tap water and leave it there for two days (unless you have a water ager and metal netruelizer).
Did you know that your goldfish can live for over 10 years? with the proper conditions, most never make it past the first year! the average is about 5 years, If you want your goldfish to live a long and healthy life, you've got to provide the proper environment.
It's better to keep gold fish in a long tank that has plenty of surface to air space as goldfish like to have a lot of oxygen in their water. A taller shaped tank will ont be the best kind of tank for gold fish.
Goldfish like their water to be a little on the cooler side, (between 65 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit) so you shouldn't need a heater. You should, however have a thermometer in the tank so the water temperature always stays between 65 and 72.
Most tropical fish like the water above 72 degrees, you need to ask your pet store what fish can live with gold fish or do your research to find out if you want to add other fish.
Equip the goldfish tank with a filtration system that is properly sized for the tank. If you are keeping the fancy tailed goldfish, don't use a system that will provide too much current as this can make it difficult for them to swim around. You'll also need to do periodic water changes as you should with any tank, once every two weeks is recommended, including the ones with filters Algae and slime also grows in the tank and if not cleaned, the whole tank will be covered in it. Cleaning your tank: first remove the goldfish in another small tank with some of the water from the tank, so you are only putting the gold fish into new water once, there are also small vacums you can buy and you don't have to change the water for a longer period of time. Clean it with a sponge or a scrub, or anything which has bristles, be sure that its cleaned.
Feeding gold fish: gold fish do not have stomachs, so you need to feed them 4 times a day, but small portions. Sometimes even treating them to Tetra Color Flake food, Tubifex Freeze Dried Worms and any thing else that the pet store tells you is alright to eat.