Caring for Your Goldfish – Safety in the Aquarium

Goldfish are among the easiest fish to maintain, but their environment is crucial to their health. Making sure that the water quality in their aquarium is good is of even greater importance than feeding them regularly. (Indeed, overfeeding fish is more likely to be a problem than underfeeding them.) Establishing regular maintenance checks and routines is important if your fish and plants - if you have real ones - are to thrive. Of course, even with such attention, you may still run into problems, so make sure you learn to spot early warning signs, know where to get expert advice and take prompt remedial action.

Establishing a community

Once your initial goldfish have had a few weeks to settle in, you can begin to add more fish.

Goldfish are a shoaling species and so ideally should be kept in groups of at least six. Make sure that your aquarium is large enough to accommodate them, though, and don't forget that if you have bought small fish, they will grow. It is a good idea to buy only a couple of fish at a time, then wait for a fortnight before adding another two. If possible, do a water test for ammonia or nitrite before buying any more fish - this will tell you if your filter is coping with those you already have. If you detect either of these substances, you will need to wait until they have gone before continuing to add fish.

Safety in The Aquarium

Hopefully you have already chosen a site for your aquarium away from draughts, heaters, direct sunlight and cooking fumes. But as you continue to enjoy your goldfish aquarium, you will need to bear in mind some other safety factors too:

• Never use spray cans - furniture polish, hair spray, air fresheners etc - near the aquarium
• Never bang on the side of the tank as doing so will send shock waves through the aquarium.
• If you need to catch a particular fish (for example to isolate it in a quarantine tank), scoop it up carefully in a fishing net.
• Always replace the aquarium hood to prevent anything falling in (or other pets trying to scoop the fish out).
• Wash your hands after touching the tank water and do not immerse open cuts.
• Make sure that the heater is turned off before you reduce water levels in the tank.