STARTING A GOLDFISH AQUARIUM HOW TO

STARTING A GOLDFISH AQUARIUM HOW TO

In this tutorial I set up a ten gallon tank and show you how to do it. But the fish food is still the same :) Well, it still smells and looks the same anyway.

And probably don't even sell those old filters any more. Well, they have made big improvements in the filters. It was a hobby that was a lot of fun and not a whole lot of work.Īnd I remember very well a few things about the process including the smells when changing those old fashioned filters. My name is Will and if you have questionsĬontribute projects or ideas you can contact me How to Set up a GoldFish Tank Hope this helps and good luck with your orandas.Hi, Thanks for visiting my website. Some good advice to a beginner is to avoid listening to advice which tells you to rush, fishkeeping requires lots of patience and the slower you take things, the easier it becomes. Over the next few days keep a close eye on your water quality, water change or add prime in small amounts if necessary, this wont harm the cycle process much at all and will get your goldfish through the first month of the cycle process. When you add your goldfish only feed them in small amounts until your nitrate levels stabilize, maybe only feed them 3 times a week to start off. I would recommend doing a 20% water change, and add a little prime, this should get your levels down a bit. What has happened is you have nitrifying bacteria, but not as much de-nitrifying bacteria to complete the cycle, The bottled nitrifying bacteria is a good product and helps to kickstart the cycle. There are also products you can buy to help speed the process along.Īn important thing to remember when you are new is not to overcomplicate things or stress too much, You simply need to add ammonia from a bottle to get the process started and then wait. To avoid harming any fish during the cycling process, you would ideally cycle your tank without fish inside. Now, nitrate still isn’t good for your fish – so you don’t want high nitrate levels – but it’s a lot less harmful than ammonia and nitrite.Ĭycling is therefore the process of building up bacteria that will turn ammonia into nitrite, and nitrite into nitrate. That helpful good bacteria takes the nitrite and turns it into nitrate. Unfortunately, nitrite is still not good for your fish, so there’s one more step in the process. A goldfish in a tank with lots of ammonia will not last long.įortunately, “good bacteria” in your water can turn ammonia into a less harmful chemical, called nitrite. If left unchecked in your tank, ammonia will burn your fish’s gills and fins and cause serious damage. There are three chemicals you need to know about:Īmmonia comes from your fish’s poop and other waste, such as rotting food or plants. The nitrogen cycle is a process that turns chemicals that are harmful to your goldfish into less harmful chemicals. And it’s nothing to do with riding a bike! It’s all about moving through the nitrogen cycle. When setting up your tank, you need to know about something called “cycling”. We’ll keep this simple and you can click through to more detailed articles if you’d like to learn more. Looking after your goldfish water is “the science bit” of goldfish care and it can seem intimidating at first, but it’s really not too complicated.

If you need more help or you’re unsure about anything in this guide, please get in touch or add a comment below. The Goldfish Tank has been offering expert goldfish care advice since 2013 and is written, updated and maintained by a knowledgeable team of aquarists. Of course, there’s much more to learn about goldfish, so throughout this care guide you’ll find links to other articles that explore these topics in more detail. The aim of this introduction to goldfish care is to give beginners the basic knowledge they need to care for goldfish properly.

Health: How to stop your goldfish getting sick.

Water parameters and water changes: When and how to change your goldfish tank water as part of a good goldfish care routine.

Goldfish food:How to feed your goldfish a nutritious and healthy diet.

Goldfish care equipment: What equipment you need to take good care of goldfish and the latest products on offer.

Your goldfish tank: What size tank you need to care for goldfish properly and how many fish you can keep together.

Our guide to goldfish care is constantly kept up-to-date and covers: If you’re new to keeping goldfish or want to refresh your knowledge, you’ve come to the right place! In this introduction to goldfish care, we give you the best and most up-to-date advice on how to care for goldfish and help them live a long time.

Starting a goldfish aquarium