- Fancy Goldfish Long, flowing fins, amazing color patterns and prominent features differentiate these fancy goldfish from the common 'Comet Goldfish.' They do not grow as large as koi, making them a very popular fish for aquariums, smaller ponds and water gardens.
- Feb 02, 2021 Tank Water Temperature: 65.0 to 72.0° F (18.3 – 22.2° C) You will find a fleshy mass on the head of this fancy Goldfish. However, it is adaptable to other egg-shaped fancy Goldfish. Try to keep fewer fish in the aquarium of an Oranda Goldfish because they don’t like an overcrowded tank.
There are so many off-the-shelf aquarium medications available in the market nowadays, targetting the prevention or/and treatment of various problems that you may encounter in your goldfish keeping. Although these are very useful, they tend to be costly as well but there is a cheaper way: Aquarium Salt.
Goldfish are friendly and social creatures and make great aquarium pets. They are not aggressive but can get nippy with each other if they are underfed, stressed or kept in tight conditions. They are curious about their environment and enjoy exploring the plants, decorations and substrate in their tank. Keeping Groups Of Goldfish. Apr 01, 2021 Ideal Water Temperature for a Goldfish Aquarium Unlike tropical fish, goldfish prefer cooler water with 65-75°F being ideal. Avoid setting up the aquarium where it will be exposed to a close heat source like a fireplace or direct sunlight for more than a few hours per day. A source of electrolytes. Goldfish is a freshwater fish. Its body contains electrolytes which make it.
Aquarium salt for goldfish keeping has been widely practised by hobbyists for generations. Although it is not the miracle cure for all problems, they do serve as a cheaper remedy for the common ones.
Let’s take a look at what aquarium salt is, and what can it do for you besides NOT burning a hole in your pocket.
What is Aquarium Salt?
Aquarium salt is different from the salt that you use in your kitchen for cooking. Although they are all Sodium Chloride (NaCl), aquarium salt does not contain any iodine or additives such as calcium silicate that exist in most table/cooking salt.
Aquarium salt is largely manufactured by evaporating sea water to get just the salt, and they can be found easily from your local or online fish stores.
What are the benefits of Aquarium Salt?
1) a source of electrolytes
Goldfish is a freshwater fish. Its body contains electrolytes which make it denser as compared to water in its surrounding. Due to osmotic pressure, the water from the surrounding gets pushed into the body in the attempt to “dilute” it. A healthy goldfish is able to regulate this by constantly eliminating water from its body through respiration and urine. (Yes! all fishes do urinate).
However… when a goldfish get stressed, this natural mechanism gets interrupted, causing it to lose electrolytes. Electrolytes in the body are very important for its gills uptake of oxygen and the emission of carbon dioxide and ammonia from the body. Losing electrolytes will pose very serious health problems for your goldfish.
By adding aquarium salt to the aquarium, it provides the additional electrolytes that the stressed goldfish needs, thus improving its breathing and elimination of wastes. This certainly helps the natural mechanism of regulating the water with-in and with-out the body to work again.
2) ENCOURAGES Slime Coat Production
If you have ever held a goldfish (or any fish) in your hands before, you will know how slippery it is. It felt as if it has a layer of slime on its body and that ladies and gentlemen, is the slime coat.
Slime coat is a mucoprotein coating on a fish body which acts as its main defense against infections and diseases by external organisms.
When your goldfish gets stressed, its immune system gets impacted and affects the production of slime coat. As you would have guessed, this will not end well as your goldfish is now exposed to external infections and diseases, which causes even more stress.
Aquarium salt in the water encourages the production of slime coat on your goldfish’s body so that the defense against external organisms continues to be up to prevent your goldfish from falling sick. This reduces the level of stress to your goldfish… and well, to yourself.
3) Weaken Pathogens such as Bacteria & Protozoan
Aquarium salt is also found to be effective in treating infections or diseases caused by pathogens such as bacteria and protozoan.
These bacteria and protozoan are simpler life form with no internal organs, unlike your goldfish which has a kidney. Because of this, they do not deal with the changing concentration of salt in the water as well as your goldfish. In such situation, these pathogens get weaken.
Goldfish Aquarium Fish
This is why aquarium salt can be used to treat infections and diseases such as the ick/ich.
How to use Aquarium Salt?
The benefits of using aquarium salt in your goldfish tank as mentioned above can be categorized into 2 types of uses against infections and diseases:
- For Prevention
- For Treatment
However do note that although you can use aquarium salt for goldfish, not all fish species can tolerate it. So please do your due diligence before using aquarium salt for other fish species. Also, most aquatic plants do not work well with salt.
1) For Prevention
There are 2 practices around adding aquarium salt for prevention purpose. The first is by constantly having it in the tank all the time, and the second practice is to use it only when required i.e. when quarantining a new goldfish or when there are early signs that the goldfish is stressed.
Whichever practice you choose to follow, the dosage for prevention is half a teaspoon of aquarium salt for each gallon of water. Dissolve the salt in water before adding it in.
For me, I am more partial towards the second practice as I think goldfish should not be kept constantly with salt as it is not a brackish water type of fish.
Furthermore, I wonder whether having salt in the water all the time will build up the pathogens’ resistance towards it. If so, aquarium salt will no longer be effective in treating those infections or require higher dosage which will cause elevated discomfort to the goldfish.
Important note: If you have any goldfish that is stressed, you need to identify the cause and deal with that. Check out this post on the causes of stress and what you can do about them.
2) For Treatment
In the case of early stage or minor infection, the dosage to use is 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt for every 5 gallons of water.
Do a ~25% water change every 2-3 days and make sure you top up the aquarium salt accordingly based on the amount of water you are adding in.
In the case of major infection, you can put your goldfish through the dip method. This is actually upping the concentration of the salt and dipping your goldfish into it for a short period of time.
You will have to prepare a separate container and fill it up with some of your tank water. Then dissolve 4 teaspoons of aquarium salt for every gallon of water. After this is done, place the affected goldfish in for 30 minutes and then return it back to its tank (or ideally, the quarantine tank).
Summary
Aquarium salt is indeed the more natural remedy for most of the common infections that can happen to your goldfish. Although it can’t solve all of your goldfish keeping problems, it is very useful in preventing and treating them from common parasites.
Besides that, it is very easy to find and in case I did not say it enough, it is also cheap! To me, it is important to have aquarium salt for goldfish keeping.
Let me know your thoughts and your experience with using aquarium salt. Did it work for you?
Often Overlooked
Among the most common fish in the aquarium hobby, goldfish belong to the Family Cyprinidae and are native to Eastern Asia. They are not the same, but related to carp, and were first domesticated from food fish in China over 1,000 years ago. Goldfish can be distinguished from koi and common carp by the absence of barbels or “whiskers” in the corners of their mouth. Through selective breeding, many “fancy” goldfish strains sporting different body shapes, colors and fin types are available today. They include comets, shubunkins, fantails, orandas, ryukins, moors, telescope eyes, celestial eyes, bubble eyes, butterfly tails, pearlscales, wakins, lionheads, ranchus and many more. Orandas, lionheads and ranchus develop a crown of fatty tissue, called hood growth, over their heads that in mature fish may completely cover their eyes! Fancy goldfish can become stunningly beautiful and command high prices. All varieties of goldfish are the same species – Carrassius auratus. When properly cared for, goldfish can live over 20 years in captivity.
Natural Habitat for Goldfish
Goldfish are ubiquitous in nature and can be found in rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, reservoirs and virtually every freshwater habitat on the planet from temperate to tropical environments. They have been introduced to many parts of the world to control mosquito populations.
Goldfish Water Requirements
Considered cold water fish, goldfish can also be kept in heated aquariums. The optimum temperature for fancy goldfish is 68° to 74° F, while comets and shubunkins should be kept between 60° and 70°F. pH is not critical, but ideally should be between 7.0 and 8.4. Rapid changes in temperature or water chemistry can be harmful, if not fatal to goldfish. A tablespoon of aquarium or sea salt per 5 gallons can also be used to help keep goldfish in good health. Maintain good filtration and change 10% of the water weekly or 25% every 2 weeks using an Aqueon Aquarium Water Changer or Siphon Vacuum Gravel Cleaner. Don’t forget to treat tap water with Aqueon Water Conditioner before refilling your aquarium!
Housing Requirements for Goldfish
Goldfish should never be kept in bowls, small aquariums or any unfiltered container! In addition to having relatively high oxygen demands, they grow to be quite large and generate a significant amount of waste, which can be harmful if allowed to accumulate. Common goldfish, comets and shubunkins make excellent outdoor pond fish and are known to survive relatively cold winters. Fancy goldfish, such as orandas, ryukins, moors and others, can also be kept in outdoor ponds, but are more vulnerable to predators and must be brought in during winter in harsh climates. In aquariums, adult common goldfish, comets and shubunkins should have at least 20 gallons of water per fish, while adult fancy goldfish should have at least 10 gallons per adult fish. The filter should be slightly over-sized to accommodate high waste production and additional aeration is recommended when goldfish are kept at warmer temperatures. Larger goldfish will eat many types of live plants, with the possible exception of Cryptocorynes, Java fern and Anubias, although they may uproot these, too. Avoid decorations with sharp edges and abrasive rocks such as lava and tufa, which may tear delicate fins as well as eye sacs on bubble eyes, celestial eyes, moors and telescopes. Goldfish like to forage in the substrate, so avoid jagged or crushed glass gravel. Provide adequate water flow but avoid strong currents.
Goldfish Behavior/Compatibility
Goldfish get along well with most peaceful, similarly sized fish. Fin nippers and boisterous fish should be avoided. If housed without a heater, they should be kept with other fish that are tolerant of cooler water temperatures. They are gregarious, meaning they like to hang around together. They are intelligent, have long memories and can become very tame. They can be taught to hand-feed and interact with their owners. They can also distinguish their owners from other humans. Goldfish of different sizes can be kept together, however, commons, comets and shubunkins may become too boisterous for smaller fancy goldfish as they grow and may need to be separated. Always consult an aquarium expert before adding any new fish to your aquarium.
What Do Goldfish Eat?
Goldfish are omnivores, feeding largely on crustaceans, insects and plant matter in the wild. A combination of Aqueon Goldfish Flakes, Goldfish Granules and Goldfish Color Granules will provide a high-quality diet. Frozen and live foods, including hornwort plant, can also be given as treats. Goldfish are naturally bottom feeders and may gulp air when feeding at the surface, causing them to lose equilibrium and float upside down. To avoid this, soak flake foods briefly before feeding and avoid the use of floating pellets. For best results, rotate your fishes’ food daily and feed only what they can consume in 2 to 3 minutes, once or twice a day.
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Goldfish Breeding - Intermediate
Goldfish are egg scatterers and are known to spawn in home aquariums. They provide no parental care after the eggs are laid. Eggs are adhesive and can be seen clinging to plants and other decorations. To prevent eggs from being eaten by the adults or other fish in the aquarium, plants and other objects they are attached to can be moved to a separate aquarium where they will hatch in 48 to 72 hours.
Goldfish Aquarium Ideas