FAQs

Keeping your aquarium clean

How should I clean my goldfish's home? Do I need a snail? No, you do not need a snail in your goldfish's aquarium. The best ways to remove algae are: water changes and algae magnets or algae scrubbers. It also helps to have live plants to assimilate the nutrients and to keep the aquarium out of direct sunlight. Live plants will keep your water even cleaner if you supply them with Co2, by using a bubbler or a Co2 injection kit. I do not recommend commercial rid-algae products, as they pollute your aquarium with unnecessary chemicals. Another reason why you don't want to keep a snail with your goldfish is that it may be pestered to death as your goldfish grows bigger.

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Feeding Time

Why is my goldfish not eating? You goldfish might not be eating for a couple different reasons. I would first try fasting your goldfish for 24 hours and then feeding it a chopped-up, blanched, organic pea. Waiting 24 hours can give your goldfish time to attempt to clear out its digestive system. Peas will also help as they are nutritious, tasty and fibrous. If that still doesn't work, try a small pellet food such as Hikari Mirco Pellets for around 1 week.

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Diseases and Injuries

Help, my goldfish has a growing brown/black splotch on it! This is most likely an ammonia burn. Make sure your have some way of testing for ammonia. Immediately perform a water change to remove the ammonia and other harmful toxins from the water. To prevent it, keep up on your water changes and make sure you have an appropriately sized tank.

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Miscellaneous

How can I determine the sex of my goldfish? It is not possible to easily tell the sex of a goldfish until it's a few years old. Read more at Bristol Aquarists