These tips have been written Transcontinental Goldfish (Huddersfield)
1. What are Fancy Goldfish? The term ‘Fancy Goldfish’ covers a wide variety of individual breeds of goldfish. They come in a huge assortment of colours, but all share a rounded body type. Properly cared for, they can live for up to 25 years.
2. Tank size for beginners. Starting with just two small fancy goldfish, the tank size should be a minimum of 60 litres. The growth of this species is not limited by tank size, so you will need to upgrade to a larger tank as they grow, or if you wish to add more fish.
3. Feeding. Feed a small amount of food twice daily. Choose a diet specially formulated for the needs of fancy goldfish; flakes aren’t ideal. Instead, we recommend you feed NT Labs Pro-f Fancy Goldfish. These breeds are susceptible to problems with their swimbladder, which helps maintain the fish’s buoyancy in the water. Due to Pro-f Fancy Goldfish being a slow-sinking pellet, your fish will be less likely to develop swimbladder problems as they will not be swallowing as much air during feeding.
If your fish are suffering from swimbladder issues (swimming like they are off-balance), be sure to use Swimbladder Treatment.
4. Maintenance. Regular maintenance is essential. We would recommend doing a 10-15% water change every week, rather than bigger changes more infrequently. Remember to use a de-chlorinator such as NT Labs Tap Water Safe. Even though these are coldwater fish, we recommend that dechlorinated tap water should be left in a heated room before adding to your aquarium. Using a thermometer, check the temperature doesn’t differ too much from what is in your tank.
A pH of 7-7.5 is ideal for these fish.
5. Filtration. These fish can be messy. When thinking about filtration, provide the best system you can afford to cope with the amount of waste produced. But be mindful: these fish do not like strong water flows. A spray bar can be useful in dispersing water flow.
6. Fancy Goldfish in a pond? It is possible to keep fancy goldfish in a pond, but care must be taken. When introducing fish to a pond, do so in the spring when the weather is warm enough. If you intend to keep to keep them over winter in the pond, it must have a minimum depth of 3 feet (90 cm). Be careful when mixing with other, faster, cold-water species. They can be outcompeted for food, and can be more susceptible to physical damage by larger, faster fish.
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