Nitrate can reduce growth and stress the fish.

Although some aquariums may be able to get by with smaller water changes, I would consider 50% weekly water changes to be the standard minimum for fancy goldfish. The minimum water change schedule is determined by the nitrate concentration, which should be maintained at no more than 20ppm, the lower the better. Weekly water changes are the best way to keep water quality up. Water changes are the most important aspect of water quality. There are some breeds and individuals less tolerant of higher flow, so when there is evidence of stress due to too much water flow, the appropriate changes to the aquarium’s setup and filtration should be made. Most goldfish can deal with moderate flow rates, especially when offered lower flow resting areas. Even in heavily filtered aquariums the aquascaping usually reduces flow, creating areas of higher and lower flow. There is no such thing as too much filtration. The more filtration there is on the aquarium, the better. This should be considered the absolute minimum for goldfish. In general, whatever a filter claims it can handle should be cut in half. Many people wait until the flow is reduced, and some filters claim they can go months without cleaning, but the debris in the filter will breakdown into ammonia and eventually nitrate, as it rots. It is important to clean any filter at least monthly. They have great flow, tons of media, you can customize the media, and you can reuse the media over and over.

But there is a lot of weight to them compared to other fish, so lots of filtration is needed for goldfish. They are about equal to any other fish weight for weight. Goldfish are not necessarily dirtier than other fish for their size. Filtration keeps the water clean between water changes and collects the debris for you, the aquarist, to remove. This is determined by filtration and water change schedule.

Water Quality FiltrationĪnother vital aspect of goldfish care is water quality. This puts the minimum tank size for a school of six goldfish in the 55-75 gallon range, and bigger is always better. One of the best guides for determining minimum tank size for goldfish is to start with 20 gallons for one and add an additional 10 gallons for each additional fish. A school is usually a minimum of six fish. They like the company of other goldfish, so a school should be established. That is a large fish compared to what most people bring home. In general, they can reach fist size for their body alone, not including their fins. There is some variation in size based on breed. These fish get much larger than the little one-inch babies swimming around a store’s tanks. One of the most important issues, and most often overlooked, is tank size. This article will focus on fancy goldfish, the round-bodied varieties. Many features make these fish a great choice, but there are certain needs that need to be fulfilled. Unfortunately, most of the time they start with something like a ten-gallon aquarium at best. Most aquarists take their first step into fishkeeping with goldfish. Goldfish, Carassius auratus auratus, are the most popular aquarium fish ever.

Pool filter sand for goldfish aquarium