MY GOLDFISH CARE

Many small animals and fish are susceptible to diseases and once infected, have greatly shortened life spans.

A goldfish can get sick if his tank is dirty, the water and oxygen levels are too low, the temperatures are too warm or too cool and if he is not being fed properly. Even if you are an excellent and doting parent, sometimes your goldfish might get sick for reasons unknown. Prevention and early detection are the best ways to help Goldie fight the urge to float upside-down.

There are many diseases that goldfish owners should be prepared to treat. They may not be pretty and you might be a little uneasy at first when attempting to identify them, but for the sake of your goldfish take the time to learn about and become familiar with parasite identities.

Skin Flukes are tiny worms that reside in the gill area of fish, consuming the skin cells and causing the fish to itch. Fish have a tendency to rub up against hard objects in attempts to relieve the itching, resulting in red and swollen gill areas. Relief and a cure can be found at pet stores.

Anchor Worm is a contagious parasite that attaches itself to the sides, head or mouth of the fish and is contracted by the ingestion of infection live food. The worm looks like a piece a green, brown or white thread dangling from the goldfish and can cause sore blood spots once it has entered into the flesh. Medicines are available for curing this disease.

Ich is the most common parasite that attacks fish with lowered immune systems. Introduction your fish to a new environment is enough to weaken immune systems and thus is a frequent cause of Ich in fish. Little white bumps will appear all over an infected fish, causing him to itch and gasp for air. Medication is readily available at pet stores and should be administered as soon as possible.

Tail or Fin Rot is a disease that causes damage and fraying to the fish’s tail and fins, and is normally brought on by poor water conditions and high levels of ammonia and nitrites. Medication can be purchased at your local pet store.

There are plenty of different diseases, parasites and fungal infections out there just waiting to attack your poor defenseless goldfish. By monitoring and properly caring for your pet, you will improve your goldfish’s chances of avoiding illness.

Mark Sturge is webmaster of goldfish-answers.com. A site where you can learn all about goldfish care and the nasty goldfish diseases that can be traumatic for you and your fish.

Well you would be pretty lucky to buy the BEST goldfish in the world! I mean how do you even tell what a good looking goldfish looks like? When you’re down at the pet store next time, how do you decide which fish is worth purchasing and which is not?

What Breed Are You After?

The first thing you have to do is work out what type of goldfish would best suit your circumstances! Are you planning to keep your fish indoors or outdoors? This will play a huge role in your overall decision. There are many breeds that are not suited for life outdoors and at the same time, there are breeds that survive and grow larger in an outdoor pond environment as opposed to living in an aquarium or other kind of tank!

So What Fish Are Suited To What Environments?

When we’re trying to think of what fish to place in what environment, the rule to go by is this one – “How big does the breed grow?” Now if you’re planning to keep your fish in a pond, you’re best to go with a particular breed that grows fairly big, especially in an outdoor environment. The best outdoor breed is of course the common Koi, which has the capacity to grow to enormous lengths! The other breed that fits the outdoor environment quite well is the comet. The comet has the ability to adapt extremely well to whatever circumstance it finds itself it. It’s basically the ’survivor’ of the goldfish world!

So What If You Are Planning To Keep Your Fish Indoors?

Well, that’s a whole different story! It really depends on what fish you want to keep and the size of the environment you are planning to keep them in. I mean, are you after something a little bit different, extravagant or do you just want a bit of gold in your aquarium? You have the option of getting a breed of fantail, the more extravagant breed that has long butterfly-wing-like tails. Comets can also be kept in tanks too if you just want to have a bit of gold in the tank. Koi usually grow a lot bigger and prefer the larger environment of the garden pond.

When buying from a pet shop you will need to make sure the fish you are looking at, hasn’t already contracted certain diseases, parasites or fungus for that matter. One of the easiest things to spot is to see if the fish you are looking at has blood spots anywhere on its body? This is a surefire sign that it has contracted anchor worms, a common parasite that leaches its way usually onto the dorsal fin area of the goldfish.

Secondly check to see if there are any white spots hanging off the tail fins. This usually means, the fish has been infected by Ichtyopthirius(Ick), which can been noticed by checking for white patches on the surface area.

If you want to learn more about keeping your goldfish healthy, including tips on goldfish breeding, feeding and much more than www.SecretsofGoldfish.com is the place to go!

The most important thing to remember about feeding is that they cannot digest excess protein. So the food you choose has to be low on proteins and high on carbohydrates. A proper diet for your goldfish will be varied and will follow proper procedures and will be in right quantities.

All species require different diets and it is imperative for you to know the correct diet of the specie you are feeding. Goldfish do not thrive well on carnivorous diet and become dull colored and sluggish if fed a carnivorous diet. You can make the goldfish diet healthier by supplementing it with shelled and deskinned peas and blanched green leafy vegetables. Again, be careful about the quantity.

Feeding the fish only one type of food can cause constipation, diarrhea and even diseases since over time the fish’s resistence is lowered owing to poor nutrition. You should give your goldfish a variety in food. For instance, add lettuce and brine shrimp to the flakes. With variety your goldfish will become more active and colorful.

Did you know that can actually eat till they burst? Yes! The intestines of goldfish may actually burst, killing the fish due to overfeeding. Goldfish do not stop eating on their own, therefore you have to caliberate their diet. As a general rule, feed your fish only twice a day and only as much as they can consume in 3-4 minutes.

Ong Hui Woo Goldfish owner for 30 years www.tothefish.com

Most of the diseases that threaten goldfish can be cured. But better still these diseases can be prevented. While you should be alert to symptoms of a sick goldfish, you should first of all try and prevent them from happening. Some of the common diseases that you must protect your Goldfish include:

Ichtyopthirius

Simply called as Ick, this is the most common disease that strikes down goldfish. Ick is a parasite that attaches to the goldfish body. Causes: This happens when the undue stress is put on the goldfish due to bad water conditions, fluctuations in the temperature and an overall poor quality of maintenance. 49

Symptoms: Look for small white spots that look like salt grain on the goldfish’s skin, fins and gills.

What happens: This parasite attached to the goldfish when it is stressed out due to bad conditions and feed off the body of the fish. The conditions worsen when the Ick begins to lay its eggs and reproduces at a very fast pace.

Treatment: If your goldfish is a victim of Ick, treat him or her with an anti-parasite medication. Also you might have to raise the water temperature to make this medication more effective. Ask an expert and follow instructions.

How can you prevent it: You can prevent Ick from growing by making sure that you maintain the tank well with the weekly changes and keep the water fresh and pollution-free.

Fin Rot

Another common problem that goldfish suffer from is fin rot when it looks as if parts of the fish’s fins and tails are wasting away.

Causes: This is also a bacterial infection arising out of poor water conditions. Fin rot usually happens to a fish that is already suffering from something else like an injury caused by tank bites that bite. They are already weak and fall prey to this infection.

Symptom: Watch out for frayed, rotting, often pale pinky-white edged fins and blood streaks on the fin tissue.

What happens: The already stressed goldfish is infected by this bacterial infection and the fins begin to rot away. Sometimes fungus attacks cause the condition to worsen.

Treatment: You will need to treat your Goldfish with fin rot or anti-bacteria treatment to stop the disease from spreading. Try adding salt to the tank to make up for the salt that the fish has lost. Make sure that the water is pollution-free.

How to prevent it: You can prevent fin rot by making sure that the water quality is of high quality and see that you maintain it. Also it would be wise to isolate the fish that are biting their tank mates.

Fungus

This is yet another bacterial infection that infects the already injured and weak goldfish that are stressed out from poor quality water. However do not confuse it with the cotton-wool disease.

Causes: Fungus is caused by the Saprolegnia and Achlya bacteria that flourish in badly maintained tanks and attack the wounds of the goldfish. Symptoms: If you see fluffy growths on the damaged wounds either on the skin or the fins of your goldfish, it’s fungus.

What happens: Fungus generally manifest in injuries and wounds left by ulcers and parasites and can be very damaging to the fish.

Treatment: You would need to use standard anti-fungal medications like the pretty effective methylene blue, which might however damage the water quality. You can also use aquarium salt at a dose of 1-3g/litre.

How to prevent it: Improve water conditions because fungus never grows in a well-maintained tank with good quality water.

Constipation

This is bound to happen to your glutton goldfish at some point or the other. Their body structure is such that they can’t take in too much food but their nature is such that they can’t stop eating!

Causes: Overeating and foods high in fat can cause a goldfish to get compacted Symptoms: Your goldfish might look a little bloated and isn’t as active.

What happens: Due to their structure and overeating goldfish are compacted and this causes a problem with their ability to eat as well as digest the food they eat.

Treatment: Try giving them boiled and softened peas, which act as a mild laxative.

How to prevent it: Make sure that your goldfish get green foods and do not give them too much protein or too much fat.

Dropsy

Dropsy is another bacterial infection that infects the fish within its body causing the scales to stick out. It is dangerous and often the fish die. Causes: Dropsy is brought on by, again, water quality that has a very high ammonia and nitrite content.

Symptoms: Be alert for signs of body swelling and scales that seem to poke out. Sometimes even the eyes seem to bulge out.

What happens: Dropsy causes the fish to retain fluid and swell up. Swelling of the body cavity due to a build-up of fluid. Scales become raised giving a pinecone-like appearance. One or both of the eyes may be protruded. Treatment: Dropsy is pretty fatal and hard to cure. Your best bet is a broad-spectrum anti- bacteria treatment. You could add salt to prevent salt loss.

How to prevent it: You must make sure that the water in your tank is of good quality. Test the water from time to time.

Pop Eye

As the name suggests, this disease causes the eyes of the fish to pop out. It is often a symptom of impending.

Causes: Once again it is an infection brought on by badly maintained tanks an unhealthy water conditions.

Symptoms: Your goldfish will have eyes that protrude and kind of stick out of the eye sockets.

What happens: This pop eye is a sign of fluid retention that may lead to full fledged dropsy.

Treatment: Start with an antibacterial treatment and add salt to the aquarium.

How to prevent it: Keep the water of high quality. Maintain the tank with regular weekly water changes.

Cloudy eye

This is when the eyes of your goldfish seem as an opaque lining covered them.

Caused: It is caused by poor water quality, lack of vitamins, an unhealthy diet, and eye flukes like Diplostomum, corneal damage, and bacterial infection.

Symptoms: Your goldfish will seem to have an eye that looks cloudy and opaque rather than bright and clear.

What happens: The Goldfish’s eyes might have mucus on the outer surface and the goldfish probably cannot see as well as he or she should, leading to a slowdown in the activities.

Treatment: You must immediately improve water conditions, add salt and take care that you give your goldfish some vitamin supplements.

How to prevent it: Try and ensure high quality water conditions, stick to a healthy, balanced good quality food that contains added vitamins.

Swim Bladder Disorder

More than a disease, Swim bladder disorder is a problem affecting some goldfish varieties genetically. Egg-shaped fancy goldfish seem to have this disorder more than the others. It has to do with floating and the goldfish are either sinkers or floaters.

Causes: Apart from genetic issues like physical deformities, high levels of nitrates in the water as well as not soaking the food before feeds that causes gas bring on swim bladder disorder. Bad water quality adds to the problem.

Symptoms: Your goldfish seems to be unable to either swim to the top or swim down to the bottom of the tank

What happens: Your goldfish have difficulty swimming to the surface, or to the lower levels of the tank. They also do not eat well due to gas and the bad quality water reduces their oxygen supply.

Treatment: Do improve the water conditions and give them Daphnia, which acts as a laxative. Think of an appropriate diet change and treat the fish with an anti-bacteria treatment. Fancy goldfish with physical deformities won’t improve.

How to prevent it: Ensure high quality water conditions and do take care to soak the food, whether pellets or flakes, before you give it to the goldfish. Reduce the dried food that you might give.

Dane Stanton - www.goldfish-secrets.com

Dane Stanton is an expert on goldfish health care. To visit his website visit http://www.goldfish-secrets.com for more information on Goldfish care and other aquarium related topics. *Recommended*

Boy or Girl?

How can you tell whether your Goldfish is male or female? You might want to know because you want to breed them, or give them the right name before Jack turns out to be the mother Goldfish! Here are some clues that might help you sort out the Goldfish boys from the Goldfish girls:

* The female Goldfish are slightly bigger than the males and look even heavier in the abdomen when they are full of eggs.

* Male Goldfish develop white spots on their gills and pectoral called “breeding tubercles” during spawning time.

* Males have midline ridges on their undersides beginning from the back of their pelvic fins and ending at their vent opening. This feature can be absent or smaller in females.

* Males have firm abdomen while in females; the area between the pelvic fins and the anal fins is more pliable.

* Male Goldfish have longer and pointed pectorals as well as stiff fin ray, while females have more rounded pectorals and shorter, finer front fin rays.

* Male goldfish have smaller and more oval anal openings and the anal fins are not as thick as that of the female goldfish who has a larger and rounder anal opening with a slight protrude. The anal fin is also thicker.

* The spawning time is the easiest time to distinguish the boys from the girls. The female opening will look larger and more swollen as the eggs begin to ripen. She would look big and heavier. Since fish reproduce through external fertilization, you can make out when a male is ready by the white breeding tubercles and you can actually push out the milt through his ventral opening by running a gentle finger along his sides.

* There is one more obvious, but kind of time taking way to make out which one of your fish is male and female. Find out who is chasing who – the chaser will be the male and the chased and tired out one will be the female! It’s the natural tendency on part of the male goldfish to chase and nudge at a female’s rear part.

Dane Stanton - www.goldfish-secrets.com

Dane Stanton is an expert on goldfish health care. To visit his website visit http://www.goldfish-secrets.com for more information on Goldfish care and other aquarium related topics. *Recommended*

The fish tank is the most important thing for your fish. Goldfish get their air from the surface, so get a tank that has a lot of surface area. In order to calculate the surface area, multiply the aquarium’s length in inches by its depth in inches. For every inch of your fish’s length, you must have 30 square inches of surface area. So if your fish is three inches long, you need 90 square inches.

Your goldfish needs to have the water at the right quality to be healthy. Tap water is usually okay to use, but try to let the faucet run for a minute or so before taking any water. Before you use the water, you need to let it sit out overnight. This will get rid of any chlorine in the water.

The water in your tank must be kept clean. You can accomplish this by doing water changes. Don’t change all the water at once though. You just do a partial water change. About once a week you should do a 30% water change. If your tank is ten gallons, then change out three gallons of the water. Remember to let the new water sit out overnight before putting it in the tank. Take out the three gallons of old water and slowly add the 3 gallons of fresh water. The best way to remove the water from the aquarium is by using a siphon hose. You can also use this to vacuum the gravel.

Your goldfish will need to be fed every day. There are many commercial goldfish foods that will work fine. Be sure you don’t overfeed your fish though. Don’t feed more food than they can eat in a couple of minutes. If they don’t eat all the food, you should remove it from the tank or it will make the aquarium dirty.

A filter for your tank is highly recommended. This will keep your water clean and remove and impurities in the tank. An external box filter works great because it doesn’t take up space in your tank and adds more oxygen for your fish.

There are also a few other things you will need for your tank. A hood should be added to prevent any fish from jumping out or dust falling in. An airstone should also be put in the tank. It puts bubbles into the water which keeps the water oxygenated. At the bottom of your tank, you should put an eighth of an inch of gravel. Your goldfish will really like this.

If you do these things for your fish, they will be very healthy and happy. Try to watch your fish everyday so you will notice if they are acting strangely. If they are acting funny, something in your tank is probably wrong.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Aquariums

My advice to you is to check the health status of the fish. Goldfishes seldom die of old age, they are often killed by diseases. If detected early, they can be treated and nursed back to perfect health.

Some of the common goldfish diseases are:

Worm parasites: Flatworms or flukes are common in new goldfish. These parasites cause torn fins, colorless and split gill filaments, general malaise and a difficulty in breathing in the fish. Before introducing the fish in your tank, you should run the goldfish through a preventive bath for a few minutes. These baths could be of formalin or formalin and malachite both. There are other options also available and you can check them with your local vet. The bath has to be given every four days for two weeks to eliminate the risk of infection from all stages of the parasite.

Crustacean parasites: Pond raised goldfish will sometimes carry with it crustacean parasites like anchorworm and fish lice. Organo phosphate insecticides have been found to be affective against these parasites. The adult forms can be removed with forceps. The wound sites should then be treated with iodine.

Protozoan parasites: Like most fresh water fishes, goldfish are susceptible to white spot and velvet disease. White spot, also known as Ich, is visible as white spots on the fish. Other symptoms include drooping fins and labored breathing. Treatment is through raising the temperature and adding coarse salt. Consult a vet for medicating the water.

Infectious Disease: A parasitic attack on goldfish will usually lead to a secondary or tertiary bacterial and fungal infection. You can quarantine the new stock and the sick fish and observe for infections. Coarse salt and raising the water temperature helps. A vet may prescribe antibiotics.

Environmental deaths: Most goldfish deaths are due to the challenges posed by their environment. Sudden changes in the water temperature, insufficient oxygen and pollution can easily kill this fish.

Nutritional deaths: Healthy goldfish are known to die for no apparent reason. Most often these deaths can be traced to lack of proper nutrition. Though you must gauge the goldfish food portions, you must also make sure that you are making good food choices for your fish.

You can download more free information at =>http://www.tothefish.com

Ong Hui Woo
Goldfish owner for 30 years
www.tothefish.com