Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Other animals

How to take care of your goldfish so they have a longer life

By

Goldfish are the first pets for many children. They are also often the pet of choice in households where dogs and cats aren’t an option.  These gorgeous orange fish are popular because they are generally considered to be the hardiest of the freshwater species and the easiest to maintain. However, like all animals, goldfish need to be cared for properly so that they can live the long, healthy lives they deserve.

Is it easy to care for goldfish?

Because goldfish are so common, adaptable, and inexpensive, they are often mistreated, abused, underfed, or forced to live in intolerable conditions, according to the Gold Fish Sanctuary in Rochester, New York. Sometimes this mistreatment happens because people don’t respect the lives of the fish. But in many families, goldfish suffer because of ignorance. Many people see them as low-maintenance starter pets that require little care. The truth is that goldfish deserve the same amount of care and attention as other fish species. That includes regular tank maintenance and being feed an appropriate diet. According to experts at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), when provided with the proper care, goldfish have a lifespan averaging 10 to 15 years, with some varieties living up to 30 years.

Chaikom / Shutterstock

How do you maintain a goldfish?

Choose the right tank size

Recommended Videos

According to an article in Tropical Fish magazine, it’s a myth that goldfish only grow to the size of their enclosure. What really stunts a fish’s growth is poor water quality and improper care. Little or no filtration and infrequent water changes reduce how big a goldfish gets, according to the magazine. Stunted goldfish will often take on a deformed appearance and die at a young age. As goldfish can grow large, it’s important to research the species you plan to purchase. Know how large your fish can be when fully grown and provide a tank to accommodate that size.

For a common goldfish that can grow up to 8 inches long and live for 10 to 20 years, the ASPCA recommends a 20-gallon tank. The tank should be placed on a sturdy, level surface and away from heating and cooling vents. Also, be sure it’s out of direct sunlight, which can make temperature control harder and cause excessive algae growth

Add the right decorations

Related

Here’s what to consider when decorating a goldfish tank:

  • Use driftwood, terracotta pots, and aquarium rocks to provide hiding places for your fish.
  • Advanced aquarist Kenneth Wingerter recommended to PetMD that goldfish owners use pea gravel over the sand as a substrate for the tank. Goldfish will be less likely to ingest pea gravel when picking up bits of food from the floor of the tank.
  • If you want to add live plants in the aquarium, be sure to choose the right varieties, as goldfish will eat all but the toughest of plants.
  • Avoid over-decorating, as that can eliminate precious swimming space for your fish.


Maintain the correct water conditions

Aquatic specialists at Petco recommend a water temperature of between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit for goldfish. In warmer areas, a chiller may be needed to ensure the water stays within this range consistently. Because goldfish create large amounts of waste, their tank needs a powerful filter. According to Wingerter, the goal is to “aggressively filter the water without creating excessively strong, localized water currents.” Goldfish like water with alkalinity higher than acidity, so Wingerter recommends keeping the pH between 7.0 and 7.4. Maintaining a regular cleaning schedule will help keep your fish happy and healthy.

Provide the right diet

While goldfish are omnivores and will eat almost anything you throw at them, it’s important to provide a healthy diet. Here are some rules to follow when feeding your fish.

  • According to the RSPCA, a goldfish diet should contain high levels of carbohydrates. A mixture of specialized goldfish flakes and granules is a good, stable diet.
  • Wingerter says dry flakes should be pre-soaked before feeding. This is because goldfish are natural bottom feeders and can gulp any flakes sitting on top of the water. This can upset their swim bladders and equilibrium, causing them to float upside down.
  • Goldfish should only be fed what they can consume in two to three minutes, once or twice a day. Overfeeding isn’t good for your fish’s health and will foul the water in the tank.

Provide tank mates

According to the RSPCA, goldfish are social animals; when kept in groups, they can be seen regularly interacting with other goldfish. Solitary goldfish can exhibit depression and lethargy, say animal welfare advocates. Keeping at least two goldfish in an aquarium provides companionship and promotes activity. Because goldfish are generally not aggressive, they can be kept with many compatible community fish. Be sure not to overstock the tank. You should add no more than one fish per 20 to 30 gallons of tank volume.

Madhourse / Shutterstock

In conclusion

If you’re the proud parent of a goldfish, you can do more than admire your buddy through the aquarium glass. Goldfish learn to recognize their owners and can be taught to eat from your hands and to do tricks. Goldfish owners have used positive reinforcement to train the fish to swim through mazes and hoops and even to play ball. This training takes time and patience, but if your fish seems to enjoy the interaction, it can be a fun way to bond with your finned compani0n.

Editors’ Recommendations

Vera Lawlor
Vera Lawlor
Contributor
Vera was the pet columnist for 201 Family magazine and has contributed pet and animal welfare articles to Bone-A-Fide Mutts…
How to clear cloudy aquarium water in a few easy steps and make your fish happy
When your aquarium water is cloudy, you'll have to do some sleuthing to find the cause
Hand cleaning tank with sponge

No matter how talented an aquarist or fish parent you are, you'll probably run into cloudy aquarium water at some point. Maybe your filter breaks unexpectedly or one of your fish has tummy problems, and you wind up with a tank so murky you can't see through it.

If you walk in to feed your fish and stumble on cloudy aquarium water, don't panic. While a good tank cleaning will probably be necessary, it's even more important to discover the underlying problem. We're here to show you how to clear cloudy aquarium water and keep your fish safe from filth.

Read more
Add rainbowfish to your tank – these beauties will brighten up any aquarium
There are a few things you need to know before you get a rainbowfish
A colorful rainbowfish swims in front of plants in an aquarium

You might know of rainbowfish from the beloved children's book, but these are real animals that you can keep in your own home. As the name suggests, this group of swimmers is well regarded for being beautiful to behold. Many also get along nicely with other fish and can be handled by beginners. This is what you need to know before bringing home a rainbowfish.
What are rainbow fish?
It's a bit of a catch-all term because there are at least 50 species that all fall under the rainbowfish umbrella. Some work better as pets than others, and you'll probably be looking at boesemani rainbowfish, turquoise rainbowfish, featherfin rainbowfish, or red neon rainbowfish. If you're adding to an existing tank, research carefully to ensure you only get ones that will make friends with your current animals.
What conditions do they need to live in?
These are all freshwater fish, but their exact temperature and pH balance needs vary depending on which species you bring home. You can use your existing tank specs to narrow it down or do the opposite — pick the prettiest fish and then build your ecosystem around it. One thing to note right away is that you shouldn't keep males together and no rainbowfish wants to live on its own because they like to school. Consider keeping a group of six females if you want to prevent expansion.

Why should you add them to your tank?
Here are four excellent reasons to keep rainbowfish as pets.
They look beautiful
You can find just about any gradient you want in a rainbowfish. Some incorporate many colors, more like a traditional rainbow, while others skew toward blue, such as the turquoise rainbowfish, or red, such as the aptly named red rainbowfish.
They get along with other fish
While you want them to have friends of their own species, they'll also do great with others. Female rainbowfish can sometimes live with female bettas if you want to create a color explosion. Otherwise consider catfish, gouramis, and loaches as tank mates.
They're good beginner fish
The care level of most rainbowfish sits at about the same as a neon tetra (in fact, they can live together). Make sure your tank stays clean and that you change and test the water frequently, but they don't have any specialty needs.
They live a long time
Many tank dwellers have short life spans, and rainbowfish won't be any different if not properly cared for. However, boesemani rainbowfish, in the right environment, regularly make it to 5 years and sometimes even t10 years!

Read more
Looking to add corydoras to your aquarium? Here’s what you need to know first
Read this before bringing home a cory catfish to add to your tank
Two cory catfish hang out on the bottom of the tank

One thing you might not know about aquariums until you get one: Every tank needs a janitor, which may wind up just being you. When you first dive into this hobby, it can take a while to realize how much maintenance is really involved — don't think that the filter will do all the work. But if you want a little a help in that department, you can add a catfish to the fray. If you don't have a ton of experience with these bottom feeders, we recommend one of the corydoras since they're generally best for beginners.

What are corydoras?
This is a type of catfish, but there are actually more than 170 species to choose from. These are a well-known group of swimmers who get their name from their barbels, which look a bit like whiskers. While you'll find dozens of options in the pet store, you will likely narrow it down quickly based on the size of your tank, temperature, habitat you've chosen, and the other fish that they'll live with eventually.
Are corydoras friendly?
Yes, corydoras are sweet and gentle fish. They particularly like spending time together, but get along with many others as well. In some cases, you should not buy just one as they'll get lonely. Instead grab a pair of the same type and watch them become best friends. You'll often see them as bottom feeders, well, at the base of the tank, but cory cats also come up to the surface for air or food from time to time.

Read more