Pet Goldfish Care Guide.

How to Take Care of a Goldfish

This pet goldfish care guide covers the basics on taking care of a goldfish. It’s a pet goldfish guide for anyone who just bought their first goldfish from a pet store, for the lucky winner who won a goldfish at a carnival or for those caught off guard by receiving a goldfish as a gift. For novice goldfish owners seeking more advanced goldfish care tips, please see the articles posted in Goldfish Pond and Goldfish Aquarium.




Ideally, before bringing a goldfish home it’s recommended to first setup a goldfish aquarium and let it run for a few weeks to cycle the tank and avoid what is called new tank syndrome. By running a tank for several weeks prior to introducing goldfish, it allows sufficient time for important beneficial bacteria to become established. This bacteria converts harmful ammonia produced by the goldfish into nitrates which are less harmful. If this bacteria is not present, the goldfish can get ammonia poisoning and die. Those that don’t have this luxury, beneficial bacteria can be purchased at most pet stores.




It’s important to frequently test the tank water to check for elevated ammonia levels and to check the pH levels. On that same note, the tank water should be free of chlorine and chloramine; it’s vital to use a water dechlorinator. A goldfish aquarium with clean water with optimal parameters is the best way to prevent a goldfish from getting sick or dying. There are inexpensive test kits available at most pet stores.




Routine tank maintenance is another great way to prevent a goldfish from getting sick. When a test kit show the water parameters are off, it usually mean an aquarium water change is in order. It could also mean it’s time to clean an aquarium.




Feeding a goldfishthe appropriate amount of goldfish food will cut down on cleaning. By only feeding the goldfish small meals, 3-5 flakes per goldfish it ensure all the food is eaten and it cuts down on the resulting fish waste. Overfeeding can be a cause for concern; it can lead to problems with a goldfish’s digestive tract and worse, it can kill a goldfish. Goldfish constipation often is a direct result of overfeeding and in extreme cases of overfeeding, a goldfish will gorge until it’s insides bursts.




To continue the pet goldfish care guide, see the related post How to Take Care of a Goldfish.

Buy Goldfish Supplies Online

Beneficial Bacteria
Ammonia Test Kit
pH Test Kit for Freshwater
Dechlorinator + Water Conditioner






photo credits: sarae