Keep Your Goldfish Happy

Goldfish are common pets to win at a state fair or carnival but you can also buy them for cheap at your local pet store or retail store that sells them. Many people may assume that once you put a goldfish in a bowl of water their job is done; however, this is far from the truth. They may be small and have to be kept in water all the time, but they're still part of the family.

Depending on what type of goldfish and how many you decide to have, a typical fishbowl may not be the best choice. Therefore, before you do anything else, make sure you have the appropriate container to store the goldfish; rather it's a bowl, small aquarium, or a large tank. Most people would just add water to the container and dump the fish in, but there are other steps that should be taken first.

Put yourself in the goldfish position, if you were going to be kept in a container, wouldn't you want something to do other than swim in water? Sure you would, you would want some sort of activity to do. So, while you're at a store consider buying little things to liven up the fish tank. For instance, fake plants are always a big hit as well as gravel. Goldfish are scavenger fish and by nature are used to digging around for food. So, rocks or pebbles at the bottom of the tank are a good way to go. Just make sure the rocks are not super tiny that the fish can accidentally eat.

Next, to keep the water clean and safe for the fish, you should add conditioner to detoxify any chemicals found in tap water such as chlorine that can cause harm to your goldfish. If you decide to keep your goldfish in a regular fishbowl, you can now add your fish to the water. However, if you want your fish to have a bigger place to live and want to add more things like an underwater castle along with the plants and rocks, you want to keep your goldfish in an aquarium. If you buy an aquarium, you'll also need to buy a water filter. Aquariums also come with another important feature, a light. This may seem trivial but a light over the goldfish is like the goldfishes daylight, and when the light is off, it's their night time. Not so different from humans in this aspect.

Of course, every goldfish needs to be fed appropriately. Some goldfish enjoy eating flakes, while others prefer pellets or a variety of different fish foods. How often you feed your goldfish is also an issue. Some people like to feed theirs up to three times a day while others find that too much for a goldfish and just feed it once a day. Also, no matter the container, make sure to keep giving them fresh water. Usually for a small aquarium the instructions will tell you to dump out around 20% of the old water each week and add fresh water to replace that. So, a checklist for a happy goldfish includes fresh water, plants, pebbles, light and food.

If your goldfish still appear to be unhappy and refuses to eat, they may not be sick, you might just be too loud. Like any other pet, goldfish need to get adapted to their new environment and a calm one is always best. If all else fails, your goldfish may just need a buddy, but make sure you buy a breed that will get along with your current goldfish. Some goldfish can live for up to twenty years if taken care of properly. Remember, goldfish can be great pets and should be treated with appropriate care.