Housing for your fish

There are a number of different structures that can be purchased for your fish. These structures will allow your fish to rest and hide when they are scared or tired.

Bubbles and Air Stones

Fish love bubbles and air stones. Some will spend hours sitting in the bubbles above the air stones. If you want to make your fish very happy be sure to include an air stone in your tank.

Is my fish sick?

There are a number of signs that your fish might not being feeling well. A few things to watch out for include:

• Fish floating toward the top of the tank- This is usually a sign that your fish has an equilibrium problem. This can be brought on when your fish eats too many pellets (goldfish are greedy and will often swallow these whole leading to their stomach expanding and thus a need for more oxygen which can be found at the top of the tank), or the PH/temperature is off (this leads the fish to go to the top of the tank where the water is often cooler and more balanced).
• Fish hiding in the corner of the tank and not moving with a slimy coat/white spots- This could be a sign your fish may have a bacteria infection such as Oödinium (Velvet) or Ich. If your fish has velvet he will look as though he has a velvet coat and if he has ich he will have white spots all over his body. These diseases can be treated if caught right away. The treatments must be given immediately or these diseases can be fetal. Some ways to treat these diseases include using a medicine such a Tetracycline (found at your local petstore), adding salt to your tank, and removing the infected fish until he is healthy again.
• Some other signs of a sick fish are outlined the picture below.

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Treat Time!

There are a number of things you can spoil your fish with. Some of these things include:

• Special snacks- Fish love cucumbers and lettuce. This can be attached in the inside of the tank with a fish clip (a small clip that sticks to the inside of the glass). Leave in for about a day then remove being sure to wash the vegetable before putting it in the tank.
• Gems- These are light brightly colored rocks that are smooth and translucent. They are pretty large and the fish love to run their bodies against them. Golden Dojo fish especially love these as they are light so the dojos can push them around the tank.
• Structures- Goldfish love to hide and relax in structures in their tank. These include castles, rock formations, and plants.

Six Essential Tests

There are six major things to test your water for to ensure your fish can live in a safe and healthy environment.

• PH
• Alkalinity
• Hardness
• Nitrate
• Nitrite
• Chlorine

These things can all be tested using a simple testing strip (available at your local pet store).

While these six things are essential there is one more important thing to remember when caring for your goldfish habitat and that is the temperature of the water. The temperature for goldfish should always be between 65 degrees and 75 degrees. The cooler the water the less chance for bad bacteria to grow in your tank.

Fancy Black Moor Goldfish

A Nice Clean Tank