(Removing all of it would upset the beneficial bacteria.) Though it's best to use room-temperature, bottled agua (avoid distilled, which lacks essential minerals), you can also use tap water that's been treated with a water conditioner and left out to sit for 24 to 48 hours. Every four to five days, replace about 25 percent of the bowl's water. Goldfish are the Pig Pens of the aquatic community, so you have to be diligent with their upkeep. (Goldfish, notoriously, will eat themselves to death if allowed to do so.) Stick to fakes. Not only that, but your omnivorous goldfish might overeat by munching on the green stuff. While they may be pretty to look at, flora often come with snails, which are loaded with germs that can harm your fish. You'll want to sift through the rocks gently to keep the Don't forget to buy a gravel vacuum (around $3), either: About once a week, So that waste stays settled on top, and that it's Helps create beneficial, ammonia-neutralizingīacteria.
Water, anywhere between 60 and 75 degrees.Īvoid sudden spills or plunges and never put your bowl in direct sunlight: Not only will it overheat the water, it can also encourage the growth of bowl-clogging algae.Īn inch of gravel on the bottom of your bowl Goldfish are pykothermic - they can adjust toĪlmost any temperature - but thrive in chillier When it comes to bowl shape, water surface trumps depth, Burke says: "Goldfish need a lot of surface area to help them breathe and get rid of waste." If you have a traditional fishbowl, try filling it only two-thirds of the way for a better air-to-water ratio. But would you be happy living forever in that "cute" closet that was your first apartment out of college? According to Tracy Blaeuer, an owner of Super Pets in Annandale, "for every inch of goldfish, you should have at least a gallon of water." Others are even more generous: Jo Ann Burke, author of the self-published "Health Care Standards for Goldfish and Koi" (call 25 to order), suggests three gallons per inch of fish. Yes, a goldfish can fit in a small container, and yes, he can look very decorative that way. Don't know which to get? Food giant Tetra (gives advice on its Web site based on the type and size of your bowl - and even lets you sign up for fish-care e-mail. Help 'em out by buying a simple box filter (starting around $3). In an oxygen-poor, filterless bowl, they have to over-rely on mouth breathing, which "puts a huge stress on them and shortens their life span," says Alison Davidson, curator of fishes at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Goldfish get the oxygen they need two ways: by using their gills to process it out of the water or by rising to the surface and gulping air. If you must, though, you can take steps to make him comfier. The receptacle, statute sponsor Giampietro Mosca told Agence France-Presse, "doesn't allow for good oxygenation of the water" and gives fish "a distorted view of reality." The emotional well-being of your finned friend is anyone's guess, but most experts do agree that keeping him in a tiny container isn't ideal. Last month, the town council of Monza, Italy, banned citizens from keeping goldfish in bowls.