Round aquarium: pros and cons. Tips for moving in

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A goldfish in a small round aquarium - probably everyone has seen this or a similar photo. This is exactly the kind of aquarium that many people associate when it comes to goldfish. For many years we have been taught this association, and many have believed that the bubble is the standard shape of a goldfish aquarium. However, this is a strong misconception, and there are several reasons for this. Let's look at them.

First of all, most people are misled by the size of the goldfish. As a rule, young fish 2-3 cm in length are available for sale, and it seems that a small round aquarium is a very suitable size home for them. Moreover, such a small aquarium seems to be easy to care for.

The second reason is due to the relatively low cost of goldfish. Many, unfortunately, do not value the life of pets very highly, and if a goldfish dies from improper care by an inexperienced owner, he simply replaces it with a new one. In fact, goldfish are long-lived and can live for decades, with many living into their 20s. Their short lifespan in an aquarium can only be associated with improper care.

The two most common mistakes that inexperienced owners make that lead to the death of goldfish are overfeeding and infrequent water changes.

There is a basic rule for choosing living space for a goldfish. In order for an adult goldfish to be healthy, it requires a volume of 75 liters of water or so. Finding a round bowl of this size is not so easy, is it? While your fish is small, no more than 2.5 cm, the volume of a small round aquarium may be enough for it, but as its home grows, it should increase. If the living space is not increased, this can reduce and even stop the growth of the fish, which will shorten its lifespan. Additionally, a small round aquarium requires much more frequent maintenance to keep it clean and keep its inhabitants healthy.

Oxygen saturation

The larger your goldfish, the more oxygen dissolved in the water it requires. Use a compressor in the aquarium to saturate the water with oxygen. Air bubbles hardly saturate the water with oxygen, but regular mixing of the water on the surface will greatly contribute to this.

In addition, try to increase the surface area of ​​​​the water in the aquarium, this will also help saturate it with oxygen. Therefore, a small round aquarium is not the best choice since it tapers towards the top. So if you do use a bowl for your goldfish, do not fill it to the top with water - this will ensure a larger surface area of ​​the water, better oxygenation of the water, and your pets will be healthier and will not suffocate or die from suffocation.

Plants

Due to the small volumes of the round bowl, you will have to limit yourself to a minimum of plants. Greenery will become an additional source of oxygen, so live rather than artificial plants are placed in the vessel. They will serve as shelter for the fish.

For design, plants can be used to hide aquarium equipment: filter, compressor and heater.

The following types are suitable:

• elodea;
• cryptocoryne;
• hornwort;
• Vallisneria spiralis;
• mosses;
• pistia.

The main criteria for selection are compactness and independence from the root system.

Care and maintenance: cleanliness is the key to health

If you do decide to keep your goldfish in a small bowl instead of a large aquarium or pond, you will need to change the water in the container almost daily. This is necessary because goldfish produce a large amount of toxic waste with a high content of ammonia, which is dangerous to their lives. The only way to reduce the amount of waste is by not overfeeding the fish and removing waste and leftover food after feeding.

Scavenger catfish are often used to remove food debris from aquariums, and you may decide that this is the solution to your problem. However, a new resident also needs an additional volume of water, and in a small ball it is already not enough. In addition, goldfish prefer cool water, no higher than 21-22 degrees Celsius, and most catfish are tropical fish that prefer higher water temperatures.

To clean, drain 50-75% of the water from the bowl and replace it with fresh, clean, chlorine-free water. To remove chlorine, water can be left to stand for 24 hours or dechlorinators can be used for this. If changes are made quickly and carefully, the fish can remain in the aquarium for this time. During cleaning, you should wash the container with a sponge without any chemicals or detergents to clear it of algae and other contaminants. A small amount of algae in the aquarium is not even bad, they release oxygen into the water and will become an additional snack for your fish.

You will find instructions for using the dechlorinator on its packaging.

Advantages of round aquariums

This form of container for keeping fish has few advantages. People are attracted by their unusual shape, the possibility of improving and emphasizing the interior, and creating extraordinary decor inside. In addition, a small aquarium is very easy to clean. However, such a “can” has significantly more disadvantages.

Stern

There are currently dozens of different types of food for goldfish on sale, in different forms and with different compositions. Goldfish are omnivores, which means they eat both plant foods and animal foods, but they are mostly herbivores and cannot be fed only protein foods.

Many hobbyists use the same brand of food all the time, and their pets live a very long time. But it’s still better to use several food options - this will ensure that the fish have a well-balanced diet.

Forms of food for goldfish : flakes, pellets, wafers, sticks.

Preparation method : dry, frozen, lyophilized, live food.

Ingredients included in the feed : artemia, tubifex, bloodworms, krill, plankton, mysids, shrimp, cyclops, daphnia, coretra, seaweed and plants.

Feeding

You need to feed your goldfish a variety of foods. The diet should also include plants: finely chopped lettuce, riccia, wolfia, duckweed. The best food is bloodworms, earthworms (too large specimens are cut into pieces), and daphnia. Live food can be replaced with scraped or minced meat, molded in half with white bread into small balls. It is acceptable to feed the fish with hard-cooked, crumbly porridge washed in fresh water: buckwheat, oatmeal, millet. Pet stores sell imported food for fish, in particular for goldfish. When feeding fish with non-living food, the water quickly deteriorates, so it cannot be kept in the aquarium for a long time. After 10-15 minutes, uneaten leftovers should be removed. It is undesirable for live bloodworms to bury themselves in the ground; For this food, you can place a small bowl on the bottom of the aquarium. At a temperature of 15°C, fish should be fed once a day, at a higher temperature (up to 24°C) - in the morning and evening, at a lower temperature (10-12°C) - every other day.

How often to feed

There is no clear answer to this question. In the wild, these fish eat tiny portions of food over time and remain healthy. The smaller the portion, the better for their gastrointestinal tract. A small portion is a few flakes or granules per fish. Watch your fish while they feed to see how much food they need. If your goldfish are still frantically searching for food after feeding when all of it has been eaten, they may need to increase the portion at their next feeding. It is very important that all fish get their portion during feeding.

Care

Round aquariums require carefully thought out design and constant care. In a small volume, the biological environment is constantly changeable and unstable. You need to change the water by 20% and siphon the soil weekly. There must be settled water in the vessel when starting or replacing.

Standard volumes of spherical containers range from 10–15 liters. Pet stores have 25 and even 30 liter jars.

Equipment

Filters and compressors are not suitable for standard rectangular containers. They are too bulky to secure. If you don’t want to collect all the necessary components, then you can look for a spherical tank with built-in elements necessary to support the life of the fish.

For a round aquarium you will need the following equipment.

Lid

It will prevent the fish from jumping out and protect aquatic pets from external dangers in the form of a curious cat or child. It happens that the lids for a round aquarium, sold separately, do not fit in size. Fully equipped fish tanks are available for sale.

Stand

It is needed for stable fastening of the vessel to the surface, and sometimes for the location of additional equipment (lamp). The stand is made to order or purchased complete with a spherical fish house.

Lighting

Typically the lamp is attached to a cover or stand. The lighting should be bright for plants. The lamp itself can be installed with your own hands.

Filter

For round aquariums, there are flat filters placed on the bottom. In addition to bottom filters, there are submersible and mounted ones. They have miniature sizes and a special structure.

Compressor

The water in which the fish live must be saturated with oxygen. Good aeration is mandatory in a spherical aquarium. It is better to buy a separate compressor. There are miniature aerators on sale.

Heater

It helps to avoid sudden changes in water temperature and reduce stress caused to fish due to frequent water changes and unstable parameters.

Feed volume

Goldfish are cold-blooded, so they do not need as much food as warm-blooded tropical fish. Goldfish can go about a week without eating. They will be hungry, but not hungry. They will not dry out or die, but will stop growing during this time. When they are fed again, they will grow again. Underfeeding goldfish is not a cause for concern; overfeeding causes much more problems - because of it, the fish suffer from constipation and other problems.

As a rule, in one feeding you need so much food that it is eaten within 2-3 minutes. Goldfish are omnivorous scavengers and will continue to eat as long as they find food in the tank. Eventually this can even lead to intestinal rupture and death. Overfeeding will not make them grow faster, but rather will kill them. If you want your goldfish to grow faster and become bigger, provide them with an aquarium with more space.

Breeds and color variations

By selecting among fish individuals with all sorts of deformities in the structure of the body, eyes and fins, Korean, Chinese and Japanese breeders succeeded in turning these deviations into permanent characteristics of the breeds. Breeding each breed of goldfish required many years of patient work of several generations. The result of targeted artificial selection was a change in the color and body shape of fish and the appearance of downright fantastic creatures, looking at which it is difficult to believe that they originated from ordinary crucian carp.

Today there are more than one hundred and twenty color variations and breeds of goldfish. Chinese fish farms have breeds that are still unknown in Europe. The most popular among Russian hobbyists are short-bodied goldfish: veiltail, telescope, oranda, lionhead; less common are the long-bodied comet, shubunkin and common goldfish.

The goldfish is very similar in shape to the crucian carp in the shape of its fins and body, but is colored differently. The most common are golden and reddish-orange variations, often two-tone (gold with black or silver-white spots) and calico (red-white-black). The comet has a more graceful body than that of an ordinary goldfish and an elongated (in the best specimens - in the form of two ribbons) caudal fin. Shubunkin is distinguished by its variegated, very varied colors and transparent scales, which makes it appear scaleless. It is usually calico. Fish with dark red, black, brown and yellow spots scattered across a bluish background are the rarest. The fins of the Shubunkin are longer than those of the goldfish. All these breeds have single caudal and anal fins, while the fantail, which looks like a regular goldfish, has double fins. The fantail is believed to be the ancestor of the short-bodied goldfish breeds.

Veiltail and telescope are fish with a short ovoid body and highly elongated fins. Their tail fin is forked and hangs down like a veil. Its length often exceeds the length of the body. The eyes of telescopes are enlarged and look like balls or cylinders. The shorter the body of the veiltail and telescope and the larger their fins, the more valuable the fish is for the aquarist. Oranda is a type of veiltail, distinguished by skin growths on the head and gill covers. In addition to highly developed growths, the lionhead is also characterized by short fins and a complete absence of a dorsal fin.

A short body with a swollen belly and a gently falling double long tail do not allow veiltails and orandas to swim quickly and control their movements well. The body shape obtained through artificial selection led to constriction and distortion of the internal organs of the fish. Veiltails and similar breeds are more susceptible to various diseases, and their lifespan is much shorter than representatives of long-bodied breeds.

In aquariums, there are crosses and transitional forms between all the described breeds, for example, the veiltail with a single caudal fin or the fantail with the Shubunkin coloring. All of them can serve as decoration for an aquarium, but such fish cannot be used in breeding a particular breed. Incorrect selection of breeders for breeding leads to the fact that the “classic” veiltails, comets and shubunkins become a real rarity.

Diseases

Remember, if you have any problems with your goldfish, do not touch them with your hands - you can wipe off the protective mucus from their bodies that helps them stay healthy.

Constipation. Fish swim on their sides closer to the surface of the water, or have a bloated abdomen. In this case, add more greens to your fish's diet. For example, peas help goldfish as an excellent laxative. Live plants will also help.

Swim bladder. The fish are not able to remain in a level position; they can swim face down, on their side or even upside down. This is a genetic problem and should not be confused with constipation, although the same treatments may help.

Ichthyophthyriosis . White spots on the body and fins, and sometimes rapid movement of the gills are the symptoms of this disease. First, thoroughly clean the aquarium to get rid of any parasites that may be in it by completely changing the water. Then go to a pet store to purchase the medicine. Salt can be used for treatment (1 teaspoon of salt per liter of water), but some types of goldfish do not tolerate such treatment.

Ammonia poisoning. Symptoms of poisoning: black, burnt skin, especially the tips of the fins. First of all, immediately change the water in the aquarium to clean water. Then add a drug to the water that promotes healing of the protective mucous layer. Purchase ammonia water tests so you know when to change your water. In a small round goldfish aquarium, the water needs to be changed several times a week or even more often.

A little history

Residents of medieval Europe knew these fish only from drawings on vases, fans and boxes brought by merchants from the East along the Great Silk Road. It was believed that images of bright, big-eyed and bushy-tailed creatures were the same figment of the artist’s imagination, like images of dragons. The first European to tell his fellow citizens about the bizarre fish at the end of the 13th century was the famous Venetian traveler Marco Polo.

Many centuries passed before ponds with goldfish ceased to be a kind of “state secret”, “secret objects” hidden from the eyes of foreigners behind the high walls of Chinese and Japanese palaces. Alfred Brehm wrote that the first goldfish were brought to Europe in 1611. According to other sources, this happened later. Goldfish came to Russia as a strange gift to the father of Peter I, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, a great lover of animals and plants. Due to improper maintenance, the fish soon died. It was believed, for example, that they feed on water...

In those days, goldfish were surrounded by an aura of legends attributing a heavenly, supernatural origin to these creatures. However, the true story of the origin of the goldfish is no less interesting. Having carefully studied ancient literature, examined the structure of fish and conducted experiments, ichthyologists found that the ancestor of the aquarium beauty is the Chinese subspecies of silver crucian carp, common in small, well-warmed reservoirs of China, Korea and Japan. Amateur fishermen in our country are well aware of another subspecies of silver crucian carp, which lives in the territory from the Amur River basin to the western border of Russia. These fish should not be confused with goldfish (also known as common or broad-bodied carp), which is not related to goldfish by any family ties.

From time to time, yellow and orange-red mutants appear in the offspring of silver-gray Chinese crucian carp. Such an individual is an ordinary goldfish (with an elongated body and normal fin structure). It differs from crucian carp only in the congenital deficiency of dark pigment in the integument of the body. People placed goldfish caught in the rivers of the southern provinces of China in pools and tried in every possible way to reproduce them. Mentions of such amazing pets are found in Chinese manuscripts from 618-960 AD. In the early Middle Ages, people learned to get offspring from unusually colored crucian carp. Apparently, it was Korean fish breeders who first took advantage of the variability of crucian carp in color and body shape and began to make the first attempts to select goldfish. The goldfish reached its true development - in many breeds and varieties - in China, which is considered its homeland.

Recommendations for purchasing

In order to choose a healthy goldfish that can live in a round aquarium for as long as possible, pay attention to the following signs before purchasing:

• healthy fish swim actively and greedily rush to feed;
• do not buy goldfish with damage to the eyes and fins;
• rashes and cloudy plaque on the scales are signs of exhaustion;
• when the fish is healthy, its dorsal fin is raised, in sick individuals it is pressed to the back;
• males and females of this fish can be distinguished from each other only during the mating season;
• short-bodied goldfish, if well cared for, live about 15 years, and those with a long body - 20-35 years.

Popular manufacturers

To choose a good round aquarium, you should pay attention to the products of popular manufacturers:

• The German company Tetra is considered a pioneer in the aquarium hobby. It produces many varieties of round aquariums, which are equipped with all the necessary equipment. Popular models with LED backlights are equipped with all the necessary accessories and are inexpensive.
• The company AA Aquarium produces very beautiful round aquariums with a volume of 10 and 20 liters. The aquarium set includes: an aquarium, lighting, pump, filter, lid and soil.
• Aquael produces elegant round aquariums. Lighting and filter are built into the lid. The fish are fed through a hole with a valve. The cost of products from a Polish manufacturer depends on the displacement and the level of equipment of the aquariums. The quality always matches the price.

By choosing a high-quality aquarium, you can significantly expand the possibilities of its design and create optimal conditions for aquatic inhabitants.

Benefits and Features

To make a glass-shaped aquarium, high-quality acrylic glass or environmental plastic is used.

Such a vessel has many advantages that set it apart from other varieties:

• high strength glass;
• transportability;
• ease of care and cleaning.

When choosing a vessel in the form of a wine glass, you should understand that the amount of substrate in it will be very limited. Therefore, it will be possible to plant only a few types of algae.

There may also be slight distortion when viewing objects and creatures that are in the tank. This is normal since the vessel is spherical in shape.

Don’t forget to choose in advance which type of fish is suitable

The main disadvantage of such vessels is that the space is limited, therefore there is not so much oxygen. Not all types of fish can exist normally in such containers. Other disadvantages include the following nuances :

• Small volume. Due to the small volume, the choice of fish that can be placed in such an aquarium is significantly reduced. Caring for such a vessel has a number of its own characteristics.
• A 10 or 20 liter vessel can contain a maximum of 2-3 small fish.
• Distortion. Due to the curved walls, light is distorted and a shadow is formed.
• Frequent cleaning. A small filter gets clogged much faster, and cleaning it is more troublesome than a large device.

Before purchasing a round aquarium, you should weigh the pros and cons. It is recommended to select in advance the type of fish that will live in the glass.

In this video you will learn more about such an aquarium:

Appearance

The goldfish has a short, high, angular body, which is slightly flattened on the sides and has a covering of dense and rough scales. Length reaches 30 cm, weight no more than 350 g . The fish of the original form are silver in color. As a result of selection, goldfish have acquired a variety of colors, which, depending on the breed, range from metallic yellow and orange to black.

Nowadays, there are dozens of varieties of goldfish breeds, but most often in aquariums you can find ordinary goldfish, veiltail, pearl, lionhead, telescope.

Chinese crucian carp

The predecessors of the goldfish or Chinese crucian carp were domesticated by the inhabitants of China in the 7th century AD. This fish originated from the common silver crucian carp. Since the 13th century, fish have gradually become a decoration not only for the luxurious homes of the rich, but also for the homes of ordinary Chinese.

At the beginning of the 16th century, they came to Japan, and Japanese breeders began to successfully breed them. In the 17th century, goldfish were brought to Europe, and another 100 years later they became popular throughout Europe and reached Russia.

Types of fish that live without oxygen

I would like to note that there is not a single living creature that can continue its life without air. However, among aquarium fish there are representatives that can not breathe oxygen dissolved in aquarium water, but receive it from atmospheric air. Macropods, loaches and labyrinths are able to grab air from the surface of the water and retain it in their body for some time.

Loaches can take air into their intestines. One of the brightest representatives of such fish is the Corydoras catfish. These are small fish, about 3–7 cm in size. They have a shell made of bony plates on their back. The most common color is gray-olive. These are peaceful fish that get along well with other representatives. They love to hide in shelters and often dig up the soil in which they look for food.

There are about 150 species of Corydoras. The most common are golden, speckled, panda, sterba, adolphi, leopard, and Venezuelan.

The average lifespan of this type of catfish is 10–12 years.

Macropod and labyrinthine fish species have a special gill structure, which also allows them to swallow air from the surface. Let's look at the most unpretentious and common representatives.

Gourami

Peaceful fish, about 5–12 cm in size. There are a lot of varieties: pearl, moon, blue, kissing, grumbling, marble, gold, chocolate gourami. The names of the species speak for themselves - these fish are varied in color.

These are very unpretentious fish, peaceful towards other inhabitants of the aquarium, and playful fish. A good option for a beginner aquarist.

Among the general recommendations, I would like to highlight the following. The aquarium must be at least 50 cm long and have a volume of at least 50 liters. Fish need space to hide and play. They are unpretentious in food, they eat different types of food, however, it is important not to overfeed them. They need floating plants to spawn.

Everything you need to know about goldfish

Is it possible to keep goldfish in round aquariums?

Most likely not... Currently, keeping fish in ball aquariums is considered somewhat outdated and in some places even unacceptable; we would highly not recommend such an aquarium for goldfish. A standard rectangular aquarium is a better option if you plan to be successful in keeping fish.

But my friend (relative, neighbor, acquaintance, etc.) kept a goldfish in a round aquarium, and it lived there for about 10 years?!

Your friend is very lucky! The vast majority of goldfish kept in fishbowls do not live long, and while they are in the tank their quality of life suffers enormously.

When you buy a young goldfish in a store, you will see its actual size as only a couple of centimeters, but it is worth considering that goldfish have the potential to grow up to 15 cm, and sometimes twice that if the living conditions are suitable. Keeping them in a small, enclosed space in a ball aquarium can lead to growth restriction, which undoubtedly affects the health of the fish. A good, spacious aquarium will make your fish much happier.

What size aquarium would you recommend for a goldfish?

Considering the size that a goldfish can reach, the minimum size of an aquarium is somewhere around 60 cm in length. Such an aquarium would be an excellent home for even a few young goldfish. But later you may need to increase the volume of the aquarium if the fish grow very large.

Unfortunately, there are many very small aquariums on sale that are positioned for keeping several fish, but in fact are not suitable for this. You can get away with keeping one or two young goldfish in a small aquarium if you are a conscientious aquarist who monitors the quality of the water in the aquarium. But conditions will still be tight for the fish, and you will likely have a hard time keeping the water quality up to par.

I don't need a filter, do I?

A filter is highly recommended, even for goldfish. Any organism produces toxic waste in the course of its life. If they are allowed to accumulate, they can harm your fish and cause them to die. The filter will help remove them from the water and improve your quality of life.

Nowadays, goldfish should not be perceived as stable and extremely tenacious; modern goldfish are extremely sensitive to water quality.

Perhaps a few plants will be enough to saturate the aquarium with oxygen?

Unfortunately no. We highly recommend installing a filter in your aquarium. Living plants oxygenate the water only during daylight hours as part of the process of photosynthesis, but at night they themselves breathe and take oxygen from the water. In addition, goldfish are omnivores, and they really like to feast on aquatic plants, so they may well eat them.

Is it possible to install just an air compressor for a goldfish?

An air compressor installed separately without a filter is better than nothing, but it is still not enough. A goldfish aquarium really needs a good internal or external (for larger volumes) filter. If you absolutely do not want to spend money on an aquarium filter, do not forget that the compressor must run 24 hours a day (and at night too), even if this will be very noisy and loud for you.

Most aquariums I have seen have plastic mesh on the bottom. What is this, a filter?

Yes, most dedicated goldfish aquariums come with a bottom filter. Although they are quite old fashioned, they do the job well, especially if you operate and maintain the filter properly.

A bottom filter is a plate with holes placed above the bottom of the aquarium, with soil placed on top of it. In addition to this plate, the system includes a pump that circulates water. Using a pump, water is pumped out from under the bottom plate, driven through a system of tubes, and then returned to the aquarium. This ensures mechanical and biological filtration using aquarium soil. Colonies of beneficial nitrifying bacteria grow in the soil, which convert organic compounds that are lethal to fish life into harmless forms.

Is the bottom filter very noisy? Can I turn it off at night?

All aquarium equipment makes some noise, and this can be somewhat annoying, especially if the aquarium is in a quiet room, such as a bedroom.

Unfortunately, turning off the filter at night is not a good idea. Beneficial bacteria need a constant flow of oxygen-rich water, and without it they will simply begin to die, which in turn will lead to a sharp deterioration in water quality (can cause ammonia or nitrite poisoning of fish). The aquarium filter must operate 24 hours a day.

Okay, but how to clean the soil in an aquarium, because it still gets dirty despite the bottom filter?

It seems that the answer is logical. If the soil is dirty, then you need to take it out and wash it under the tap, it’s simple. But no!

Aquarium soil is covered in trillions of beneficial bacteria, and if you rinse it under running chlorinated water, you will simply destroy them. Without enough of these bacteria, the filter will not be able to process fish waste, the water will become uninhabitable, and your fish will get sick or even die.

To clean the soil we need a siphon . Spend some money (although they are not very expensive anyway), because an aquarium siphon will really make your life easier. All that needs to be done is to immerse its wide part into the aquarium, and hold the free end over the bucket. When you immerse the siphon flask in the soil, you will see how the pebbles in the flask begin to spin and mix. Dirty water along with polluting organic residues will flow into the bucket, but the soil will remain in the aquarium. Thus, we sort of “vacuum clean” the bottom of the aquarium once a week, and our home pond looks perfect!

This filter is installed inside the aquarium and usually has a water pump at the top of the structure. This pump forces aquarium water through the sponge. The sponge mechanically captures dirt and debris, plus, due to its porous structure, it is an excellent substrate for the propagation of a colony of beneficial bacteria. The sponge from the internal filter should never be washed under the tap, as the chlorine present in tap water will kill all bacteria. It is correct to rinse the sponge in water drained from the aquarium when cleaning the soil with a siphon. This ensures that all beneficial bacteria remain alive.

Sponges need to be replaced periodically, but it is important to know that you should not change it at once. It is advisable to cut the sponge in half, and replace one half in the first month, and the second half in the next month!

Is goldfish one specific species, or are there many different varieties?

There is only one original ancestor of goldfish, Carassius auratus (Chinese goldfish) , but over the centuries many different subspecies have been developed through selective breeding. Many of them look completely different from the stereotypical goldfish.

"Comet" goldfish (this species has a pointed tail) or a "Shubunkin" (a beautiful, spotted, multi-colored species), these two species are the most widely distributed of the "straight-bodied" varieties. They grow quite large ~ 20 cm, they are strong fish, they are easy to keep.

So-called "fancy" goldfish, which have round or teardrop-shaped bodies, long veil-like fins or deformed eyes, tend to reach smaller sizes (~10 – 13 cm), and are a much more sensitive species. Fancy varieties are more prone to disease and are especially susceptible to bacterial infections if their owner does not monitor the quality of the water in the aquarium and maintain it in very good condition.

Can a common goldfish, such as the Comet, be kept with fancy goldfish species?

Yes, of course, different types of goldfish can be kept in the same aquarium. But it is worth considering that “straight-bodied” goldfish are much faster, nimble and can be more cocky than fancy species such as “Telescope” , “Pearl” or “Ranchu” . The movements of the latter during swimming are more like oscillations from side to side. As a result, it is possible to keep different types of goldfish together, but you need to make sure that all the fish are comfortable in such a neighborhood.

Why do they sometimes float on the surface of the water without sinking?

This is caused by a problem with the fish's swim bladder, an internal organ used to control buoyancy.

There are many different reasons that can cause the swim bladder to stop functioning correctly. In most cases, it is almost impossible to accurately determine the cause, so you have to find it through trial and error.

Poor quality dry food can swell the intestines and cause buoyancy problems. Try to temporarily exclude dry food (especially granules) from the diet, switching the fish to natural frozen food, try to offer it daphnia, which supposedly acts as a laxative on fish. Chopped fresh green peas can also sometimes help relieve excess gas problems.

Problems with various parasites living in the gastrointestinal tract of fish may be the cause; in such a situation, increased gas formation may be an indirect symptom. Drug treatment of the underlying cause (bacterial infection or parasites) will eliminate the problem with positive buoyancy disorder (when the fish hangs at the surface with its belly up and cannot go lower).

If none of the above reasons exist, then most likely the problem is genetic and cannot be treated. And most often, problems with the swim bladder of a genetic nature are caused by selection of “fancy” species of goldfish.

What to feed golden ones and how often?

Most aquarists prefer to feed their animals specialized dry food in the form of flakes or granules, designed taking into account the needs of this species. Give your choice to trusted manufacturers such as Tetra , Sera or JBL. High-quality food contains all the necessary nutrients and microelements.

As a treat, you can give your goldfish frozen food such as daphnia , bloodworms or coretra , perhaps a few crushed peas will also appeal to her taste.

Most goldfish will be fine with one or two (but small) feedings per day. Do not feed more than the fish can eat within a few minutes. If there is still food floating in the tank after five to ten minutes, you are giving too much of it. Ultimately, this will lead to deterioration in water quality, excessive pollution and all the ensuing consequences.

What other fish can I keep with the golds?

The choice of fish that can be kept with goldfish in an aquarium is limited.

For aquarium keeping, other cold water species such as Koi, Sterlet, Golden Ode or Tench are not really suitable due to the large size they reach, so the choice is limited to those species that remain relatively small and will not bite fins goldfish.

The Amur loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) is an interesting candidate, but only if your aquarium is 90 cm or more in length. They are peaceful, quirky, and live with goldfish without any problems.

Rainbow notropis (Notropis chrosomus) and blackhead (Pimephales promelas) are also fairly safe choices, growing no more than 10cm in length.

fish (Tanichthys albonubes) will be a good companion for young goldfish, but once mature, adult goldfish will eat small cardinals.

How long can a goldfish live?

The lifespan of a goldfish in an aquarium can be up to 10 years, but some species can easily live for several decades in suitable conditions (for example, in a pond). The record is believed to be somewhere around 40 years. Therefore, when buying a goldfish, you should be aware that you are making a long-term commitment and do not take goldfish lightly.

Does your goldfish aquarium need light?

Light is not a requirement for keeping goldfish, only for purely aesthetic reasons. In a tropical aquarium with live plants, light is strictly necessary, but since goldfish tend to eat most species, they are not planted in the aquarium.

However, any aquarium without light will look dull and boring, so you'll probably want to add some lighting to your aquarium yourself. It is enough to illuminate the aquarium no more than 8 hours a day; with excessive lighting, the walls of the aquarium will become covered with algae much faster.

Is goldfish a good choice for a beginner?

Yes, they are relatively easy to maintain. Is it that modern breeding forms are less hardy compared to ordinary Carassius auratus, especially the fashionable species with short round bodies. Goldfish also grow relatively large, so while many people think of them as fish for a small aquarium, this is a misconception, goldfish need space!

Quite a few aquarists who start with goldfish quickly move on to a mixed tropical aquarium. This aquarium is somewhat easier to maintain and keep the water clean than a cool water goldfish aquarium. You can also choose from a much wider range of small and relatively inexpensive, but colorful tropical fish. Therefore, there is absolutely no reason why a young aquarist cannot start with a tropical aquarium, and should definitely opt for gold ones. The only additional equipment required for a tropical aquarium is a heater, which can now be purchased at a relatively inexpensive price.

Based on materials from the website Practicalfishkeeping.co.uk Translation and adaptation of the text: V. Luft especially for www.akvabluz.ru | © Copying of materials is prohibited