Tips of keeping goldfish

[SniperY]

This is a favorite fish for many. How many of us didn't have one at one time or another? They are usually very hardy fish and can live in temperatures ranging from 40ºF - 90ºF (4°C - 32°C). It is important to note that Goldfish have an extremely long lifespan if cared for properly, so getting one can become a long term commitment. A lot of varieties are available with many different markings and colors including gold, orange, white and black.

The can sometimes come down with swim bladder disease and occasionally freshwater ich. It's very important to provide your fish with frequent water changes and quality, nutritious food. You can also make life much better for your fish by getting some form of filtration, such as a box or corner filter with a small air pump. These small filters are fairly inexpensive and the filter media can be changed out easily when you do a water change.

Scientific Name Carassius auratus
Size Usually 3 to 5 inches (8 - 13 cm), but can get much bigger
pH 6 - 8
Temperature 40ºF - 90ºF (5ºC - 32ºC)
Water Hardness 5º to 20º dH,
Lifespan 10 - 30 years
Origin Asia
Temperament Very peaceful
Breeding Not very common in home aquariums but you can try. Give them a water temperature between 75ºF and 85ºF. Get them ready by feeding foods high in protein and make sure that they have good water quality. When they are ready, they will lay their eggs on vegatation on the bottom of the tank. You will have to remove the adult fish to prevent them from eating the eggs which usually hatch within 7 days.
Tank Size 2 gallon or larger
Compatible Tank Mates Usually do better when kept with other goldfish. However, they have been known to live well with danios and some of the corydoras catfish.
Diet / Food Will gladly accept most fish foods, including flakes, live and freeze dried varieties. There are foods made specifically for goldfish.
Tank Region All over the tank
Gender Males may have small white spots around their gill areas around spawning time. *

[SniperY]

Goldfish Keeping: The (Very) Basics

The Plan: To get two small goldfish and see them thrive and mature, living a normal life span of 5 to 10 (or more!) years. These instructions will introduce the basics; use it as a starting point, but make sure you also read and learn about the unique goldfish.

Step 1: Buying Stuff

Goldfish need a lot of space for a few reasons. They grow quickly. They are messy. They like steady, high quality water conditions. For two fish a twenty gallon tank will be big enough for several years. You can start with a ten gallon tank, but you may need a bigger tank within a year!

Comments on tank capacity for goldfis

Many people react very skeptically to the large tank volumes recommended for goldfish. The short answer is that goldfish are different from tropical fish. Their keepers also are different. When you obtain a goldfish as a pet, you are obtaining a responsive and intelligent (for a fish, anyway) creature that you can expect will live as long as a dog or cat would. Based on this, the goldfish keeper is a collector of individual fish rather than a collector of indistinguishable schools of interchangeable specimens.

One thing that creates a misconception from the start is that pet shops often have dozens of goldfish in a single tank of perhaps 30 or 40 gallons. Remember that (1) these shops have centralized filter systems -- the fish may be in the equivalent of a 2000 gallon tank -- and (2) pet shops often have high mortality rates, so you shouldn't assume that that's the best way to do things at home.

Never think that you need to buy a dozen fish because half will die in the first week. This is a self-fulfilling prophecy. With this in mind, take the time to select one or two goldfish that hold special attraction for you when you start out. Then give them the care they need to thrive. You will quickly find that a tank with a pair of special fish in it doesn't seem empty at all.

Filter

Get a power filter that hangs on the outside of the tank. Ones with sponge elements that are easy to clean are good. Biowheels seem to work. Flow control is also good; goldfish don't like to swim against a big current all the time.

Other Important Stuff

A syphoning vacuum for cleaning the tank and changing water. Two buckets that you can comfortably lift full of water; one for removing old water and one for aging fresh water. An algae scrubber for the tank glass. An in-tank thermo

Optional Stuff

Gravel: a tank with no gravel is easier to keep clean. If you do put in gravel, make it only a thin layer, say one quarter inch deep. Both you and the goldfish will find this easier to clean. Plants: the fish will eat live plants, but that's only bad for the plants. Light: a tank hood may be needed ... definitely if you have plants.

Heater

You don't need a heater. More likely, you'll need a fan to blow on the water surface in the summer, to keep the tank cool. An exception is if the temperature of your house varies a lot during the day ... then you might want a heater to keep the temperature from falling too far when the house cools down.

Step 2: Setup

Location

The tank must be on a strong level surface that can support the weight (ten gallons of water alone weighs 85 pounds). Do not put the tank where it will receive direct sunlight. Try to put the tank in a spot where the temperature is fairly steady during the day. Remember that you will spill water around the tank inevitably ... never put the tank on an appliance, antique, etc.

Water

Fill the tank with water. If the water has chlorine in it, and you have not dechlorinated it chemically, wait three days before doing anything more..

Step 3: Cycling the Tank

This is really important. Fish produce ammonia as a waste product (goldfish produce a lot of ammonia!). It's very toxic to goldfish. There are two kinds of good bacteria, one that turns ammonia into nitrite (also toxic!) and another that turns nitrite into nitrate (relatively harmless). You need to give the tank time to develop these good bacteria on the surfaces of the tank and filter.

The traditional way is to initially introduce just one fish. For the first two months change fifty percent of the water every other day. And take water samples to the pet shop every two weeks to be tested. When the water tests show zero ammonia and nitrites, you can add the second fish and cut back on the water changes.

If you want to spend money rather than time, investigate using bacterial starter products like "Fritz Zyme #7". Or even better, get an already started biofilter from someone.

Step 4: Selecting Fish

Health

Select healthy, active fish from a tank of healthy fish. If there are any sick fish in the tank, it's a good bet all may become sick. Never buy fish that float at the surface whenever they stop swimming.

Goldfish Varieties

The earliest "goldfish" were color mutations of the Gibel Carp that caught the eye of the Chinese as early as 265 AD. During the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD) Buddhist monks began to keep golden Gibel Carp in ponds. In the Song dynasty (1127-1279 AD) enthusiasm on the part of the royal family led to extensive breeding and ultimately domestication of what is now the goldfish. Goldfish were introduced to Japan and Europe in the 1600's and to the US in the late 1800's.

After all these centuries of selective breeding a truly surprising number of goldfish varieties have arisen. We'll briefly mention some of those commonly found here in the US. Besides the varieties, there are also many colors; based on combinations of 4 basic pigments, "goldfish" may range from white to red to black, passing through yellow, purple, and other variations on the way. There is also a reflective layer in the scales that may be present or absent (or a mix!), yielding fish that are shiny and metallic looking or matte and translucent.

[SniperY]

To organize the discussion of goldfish varieties, we'll use a taxonomy of

4 basic types. This is by

Carp-like goldfish

These are fish with the fleet, tapered form of the wild carp. They also have a single caudal fin. The so called "feeder fish" in pet shops are of this type. Examples of selectively bred varieties are the Shubunkin and American developed Comet. The Comet and some of the Shubunkin varieties, in correct form, have spectacular single caudal fins nearly the length of their bodies. These fish in proper conditions grow rapidly and can exceed 12" inches in body length. All of these varieties are quite hardy and are the most forgiving of imperfect conditions.

Fancy goldfish with dorsal fins

This category includes some of the most popular fancy goldfish. These fish have a paired caudal fin. All the fish in this group have very heavy bodies: even though a fish with an 8" body is unusually long, such a fish appears extremely massive, with the body depth approaching 2/3 of the length.

The Oranda is an example of a variety that displays both flowing finage and a raspberry-like head growth. The Ryukin has a massive curved back and a very heavy body. A US developed variety with particularly lovely finage is the Veiltail, characterized by forkless tails. An unusual fish in this group is the Pearlscale, which has a very round body and scales that protrude in the middle like half pearls. Someone once aptly described the pearscale as looking like a golf ball with the dimples popped outward. The hardiest fish in this group is probably the Fantail. Fantails are typically very active fish that can approach the sizes of the carp-like goldfish at maturity.

Eye-type goldfish

Perhaps the most shocking at first sight, there are several popular varieties of goldfish whose key features are abnormal eye configurations. The most common is the Telescope Eye, with eyes that protrude straight out of the head. The telescope eye has a dorsal fin and double tail, like the fish in the previous category. The Bubble Eye and the Celestial are two dorsal-less varieties with double tails. Both have protruding eyes that are turned upwards. The bubble eye in addition has fluid filled sacks that protrude out from under the eyes. These sacks can become very large, making these fish very awkward swimmers.

To understand the attraction of these varieties, it helps to remember that the aquarium is a relatively new invention. These fish have been bred for centuries to be interesting to look at from above, while swimming in ponds. Some of these fish can be very graceful swimmers, but are not particularly adept at avoiding obstacles; sharp objects or rough surfaces have no place with them.

Egg-shaped goldfish

While many of the above fish are arguably "egg-shaped", the fish in this category lack dorsal fins and have typically egg-like or "boxy" bodies. The two most popular varieties are the Ranchu and the Lionhead. These fish are similar, with headgrowth, short double caudal fins, and smooth back contours without evidence of the missing dorsal fin. The headgrowth in these varieties can become very large, particularly for the lionhead. For a discussion of the difference between lionheads and ranchu, check out this. Some varieties also sport nasal growths, called "pompoms", that look like fleshy balls balanced on the snout.

There are many more varieties, but this is a representative sample. Much like varieties of dogs or cats, different types of goldfish have unique varietal "personalities". Different shapes and fin configurations lead to different swimming styles and behaviors. Some varieties are traditionally more durable and forgiving of less-than-perfect care than others. The on-line goldfish discussion/news groups are a good way to find out what might be best for you!

What is the Difference between Lionheads and Ranchu?

Back in 1995, I started asking people what the differences were between ranchu and lionhead goldfish. I got some concrete stuff and also some pretty nebulous stuff. Things like "ranchu live longer and swim more elegantly". Looking at pictures, I thought I could see some obvious differences. But I also found pictures where I though the caption was wrong.

A conversation with Jackie Chan in August of 1996 cleared some of this up. Jackie is a major goldfish breeder and exporter in Hong Kong. I commented to him that I thought many of the lionheads I had seen in recent books looked a lot like ranchu. He told me that the popularity of the ranchu had created a market interest in lionheads with "improved" tails and backs. That is, more similar to the ranchu. Previously these had been largely ignored features in the lionheads they were breeding.

I also have a suspicion that I haven't confirmed with anyone that some of the more recent colors in ranchu (like black or blue) may have been introduced through crosses with lionheads. The side effect here is that the ranchu have shallower backs than normal, bigger tails, and more headgrowth. The book "Goldfish in Hong Kong" shows examples of both the ranchu-like lionheads and the lionhead-like ranchu. Confronted with one of these fish, I would be unable to say which breed it was.

Traditionally, however, there are distinct differences beween these two breeds:

1. Lionheads have much more headgrowth than ranchu. Some ranchu, like the Edonishiki, have very little headgrowth at all. Lionheads, on the other hand, may have their vision obscured and breathing impaired by the degree of headgrowth.
2. Ranchu have a tremendous emphasis on the smooth but dramatic curvature of the back. Lionhead backs tend to be flat or shallowly curved and may be quite bumpy (though this seems to be being bred away from).
3. The ranchu caudal fin is supposed to form a 45 degree angle with the back. Lionhead caudal fins form nowhere near as dramatic an angle, are usually held lower, and can be quite a bit larger that the ranchu tails.
4. Andy Filu, in an old Goldfish Report article, mentions the difference in body shape. He says that the ranchu was bred to resemble a Japanese coin. I interpret this to mean that the ranchu have a very round side profile, while the lionheads are "boxier".
5. I would also guess that the tremendous emphasis on the length and width of the ranchu peduncles is not shared by the lionhead breeders. Along with the floppier tails, the lionhead peduncles seem to be longer and thinner than those of the ranchu.

Historically, the ranchu has been known in Japan since the 1700's and the first competitive ranchu exhibition was in 1885. The lionhead is about 300 years older and most authors have assumed that the ranchu was derived from the lionhead. Interestingly, in Dr. Smartt's new book on goldfish breeding and genetics, he argues that the ranchu and the lionhead are the same fish. Dr. Smartt backs this up with the observation that you can select fish with either set of varietal characteristics discussed above from any given single spawn of either variety. Not sure if I buy this.

The GFSA has been working on a set of judging guidelines that include ranchu and lionheads. With the kind permission of the GFSA, I reprint two of the illustrations below, to try to reinforce the points made above