Goldfish are a treat to the eye. And to ensure that your goldfish lives a long and healthy life, you need to know everything about goldfish care in a bowl. This article provides information about the same.
Goldfish are freshwater fish which were earlier found in only one color. However, due to selective breeding, they now come in different colors. Goldfish have a life expectancy of about twenty years, but when kept in a bowl, they live up to only eight years. Interesting facts about goldfish are that they do not have stomachs and they cannot close their eyes when they are asleep. There are more than twenty-one types of goldfish, of which the most popular one is the common goldfish. Other goldfish types are comet, black moor, tosakin, veiltail, etc.
For having a healthy goldfish, you need to provide it with a conducive growth environment. This includes everything from the bowl to the food.
Bowl
Goldfish can survive in ponds, fish tanks, aquariums, and bowls. While buying a bowl for a goldfish, remember to buy a big one as the fish needs to have space for swimming. Goldfish also like to play hide and seek, so there should be sufficient place for them to hide. A bowl having a water holding capacity of at least ten gallons is required, because if the goldfish does not get enough space, its growth is stunted. So remember, a ten gallon bowl is sufficient only for one fish. One more reason why you should buy a large bowl is that goldfish produce ammonia very fast. Ammonia is harmful as it causes many fish diseases and can also be fatal. Water helps to dilute ammonia at a very fast rate. You also get ammonia test kits which help to determine its level in the bowl. Taking care of a goldfish bowl is also important, as the bowl is the home of the fish. You simply need to clean it once in a while.
Water
Remember to fill fresh water in the bowl regularly. The temperature of the water should not be too low or too high. 50-68 ºF is ideal. Also check if your water contains chlorine. If it does, it is necessary to de-chlorinate it, as chlorine is harmful for the fish. The most important thing is to change the bowl water regularly, ideally fortnightly. The water gets dirty easily because of fish waste. So, instead of changing the water completely, change it partially. While adding new water, see if its temperature is the same as the old water. A sudden temperature change can shock the goldfish.
Filter
As we all know, fish breathe through gills. They come to the surface only if they require more oxygen. So, adding a filter to the bowl is necessary. The filter will help in cleaning the water, which in turn will provide more oxygen to the fish. There are internal as well as external filters. An internal filter is the best option.
Food
You can feed your goldfish lettuce, chopped earthworms, green veggies, peas, pellets, and flakes. One important thing to remember is to never feed the pellets first, as goldfish love pellets and will eat too much of them without allowing the air to soak in. This causes a disease called air bladder disease, which does not have any cure. If you feed the flakes first, they don’t have much space left for pellets. And remember, they are goldfish, not cats or dogs, so they can digest only about a pinch of each food type. Be careful not to overfeed them. Remove the leftover food after about ten minutes as it can rot and produce ammonia.
You can keep a goldfish in a bowl if you know how to take care of it. So, fulfill the minimum requirements of these dazzling pets and enjoy their company.
