Tips to Keep Goldfish Alive and Healthy

Goldfish are by far the most common pet fish. Nearly everyone has had one at one point in their lives. The abundance of goldfish, though, is thier undoing. They are cheap and thus treated as throw-away pets kept in a dirty, half gallon bowl, and dead in 6 months (1 yr if they're lucky). It's like sebastion from the little mermaid sang "fish on de land aint happy. dey sad cus dey in de bowl". Few people realize that goldfish are long-lived fish (over 20 yrs), that need plenty of space to thrive. below are 8 tips for proper goldfish care.

1) Varied diet. Feed them flakes, and pellet food as the base, but supplement with boiled lettuce/spinach, tubifex worms, peas, and blood worms.

2) Space. Do not keep your goldfish in a bowl (no matter how cute it looks!). Use a real aquarium, and the bigger, the better. 10 gallons per fish.

3) Clean water. weekly partial water changes are a must. Goldfish are dirty fish and put out alot of ammonia and other waste. Change 1/4- 1/3 of the water each week.

4) Filtration. Please use a filter. Preferably one that is designed for a tank slightly bigger than the one you have.

5) Minimal handling. Only net your goldfish when you absolutely have to (ie: dismantling the tank). For partial water changes you do not need to remove the fish (just don't suck them up in the siphon). Excess handling stresses the fish sinse it removes some of the fishes slime coating (used for solute balance).

6) No heater. Don't keep your goldfish in a tropical fish tank. They are cool water fish and room temperature will be just fine.

7) Do not overfeed. Everyone likes to watch fish eat, but too much food fouls the water. give just a pinch per fish, twice a day (if you go on a short trip goldfish can go without food for a few days).

8) Use food that sinks or soak it in water before feeding. It is best for goldfish not to feed at the surface so they don't take in too much air. 

Follow these tips and your goldfish will live long healthy lives. You shouldn't need a toilet side funeral any time soon.