gold fish is the most famous decorative aquarium fish, which is liked by both children and adults. Its ancestors were domesticated in China and Japan back in the 7th century AD. uh, and then they brought it to Europe. The ancestor of all goldfish is the goldfish.
Wild fish usually live in deep freshwater lakes and rivers. The standard color of the scales is reddish-golden. Breeders have developed varieties that differ in body shapes and scale colors. In addition to artificial reservoirs, fish can be found in Central Asia, Japan and European countries.
Care and maintenance of aquarium fish
For a comfortable stay of individuals there are several important rules :
- The presence of a wide and voluminous aquarium. Goldfish are active and need a lot of space.
- Availability of high-quality filter . For large aquariums, purchase a device that pumps up to 200 liters of water per hour.
- The aquarium must have a good nitrogen cycle installed to analyze the nitrate, nitrite and ammonia content in the water.
- The lined gravel should be checked for the content of sharp or metal particles so as not to harm the inhabitants of the aquarium.
- Decorations will decorate the aquarium, but you should also be careful with their choice. We do not recommend decorations with narrow holes in which fish can get stuck.
Basic rules of care:
- The fish is fed 2 times a day with granular or flake food. It is recommended to chop plant foods finely so that the fish can easily swallow them. To improve digestion, experts recommend eating peeled peas.
- Once a week, 20-25% of the water is changed, and the soil is also siphoned with a siphon.
- It is necessary to monitor the condition of the decorations in the aquarium. Decorations or decorations with sharp corners should be removed from the aquarium or the sharp corners should be disposed of.
Caring for your goldfish should include communicating with it. You can make eye contact, and after a while the fish will stop being afraid of the owner and will begin to recognize his hand while feeding.
If a fish falls out of the aquarium, you need to quickly pick it up with your hands soaked in water and return it to the tank. To avoid such cases, it is recommended to cover the aquarium.
Diseases
Unfortunately, goldfish have weak points. They are susceptible to various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, their diet must be carefully monitored. It is important that they do not overeat, and that their menu contains plant foods.
Tumor in Goldfish
There are also other diseases. For example, one of the quite popular ones is semolina (also known as ichthyophthyriasis ). This is a rather dangerous disease, because it spreads very quickly and infects the entire aquarium. It is very easy to define. Many small white dots appear on the body of an infected fish (like chicken pox). Bacteria live in them.
You can fight this disease using different methods:
- Table salt . One tablespoon is added per 10 liters, and the animal stays in this concentrate for 3 to 5 days. In some cases, individuals are placed in a very concentrated container (up to 1 spoon per liter) for a short period of 5-10 minutes, and then released, and this is repeated daily. It is worth noting that the aquarium itself needs to be restarted by disinfecting the decor and soil;
- Bizzilin-5 . This is a common antibiotic used to treat people. It cannot be considered a full-fledged remedy, but it still brings its benefits. It can be poured into a general aquarium at the rate of a third of a bottle per 100 liters. You can also add 1/3 per 10 liters, and sick fish are placed in this container for 30 minutes for a week;
- Special means . The best option is to purchase special products from a veterinary pharmacy or online store. Sera Costapur works great with semolina. The full dose is poured in daily, but with constant water changes. You can also use Anti-steam. It is applied at the rate of 1 ml per 50 liters. Change 30% of the water daily with additional product. That is, you need to maintain concentration. The duration of treatment is about a week, maybe a little less;
- Furazolidone . It can be used together with Sera Costapur. This is a very powerful remedy and it is better to use it if the above treatment methods did not help. One tablet dissolves in 15 liters. The water will acquire a yellowish tint and all that remains is to watch the fish. If their condition improves, then you can rest assured that they are on the mend and you just need to wait until the spots disappear completely.
Well, of course, don’t forget about prevention. First, the aquarium must be clean. Secondly, the fish need to be provided with a good and varied diet. If their body receives the necessary vitamins and microelements, then their immunity itself will cope with the simplest bacteria. Usually semolina appears in weak individuals.
How do goldfish reproduce?
Individuals reach sexual maturity at the age of 1 year , and they can mate as early as 3 years. Spawning most often occurs in the spring season. Characteristic signs: the appearance of a white growth on the body of males (mainly on the gills) and an increase in the size of the female. A sexually mature female produces a special secretion that attracts males. Courtship is manifested in the pursuit of the female throughout the tank. The process itself lasts about 6 hours.
Before breeding, you need to prepare a separate tank for spawning and move a healthy male and two females there.
The volume of the tank should be at least 20-30 liters, the temperature should be from 22 to 24 C° . There is no need to put sand or gravel on the bottom. 24-hour lighting of the tank is important for reproduction. In a spawning aquarium, it is better to maintain the same living conditions as in a regular one.
Emitting lasts gradually: the pursued female lays 10-30 eggs, which the males fertilize, watering them with seed. Up to 3,000 eggs can appear in one spawning.
The eggs attach to plants or the walls of the tank. The fry appear within a week . It is recommended to feed them with special food for fry, which is sold in a pet store.
Feeding goldfish
It is better to feed according to the principle “little and often” . For growth and development, individuals need a balanced diet, so it is recommended to use only natural food. Poor nutrition can shorten the life of a fish. Feeding dry food should be alternated with fresh and frozen. The most convenient option is to eat flake food. There are several types of fish food:
- Fresh vegetables. Fish can sometimes be fed with peas, carrots and spinach, after chopping the vegetables. Vegetables need to be scalded to soften (but not cooked!). You can also give seaweed.
- Frozen food. Can be of animal or plant origin. Purchased at pet stores. Freezing helps rid food of bacteria and preserve beneficial properties for a long period.
- "Live" food. To obtain a sufficient amount of protein, it is recommended that fish be given animal food: earthworms, brine shrimp and daphnia, and sometimes smaller fish.
The fish can be given washed and boiled cereals: buckwheat, wheat or rice. A pinch of food is enough for one individual.
A few important rules for feeding goldfish:
| Moderation | Goldfish tend to be gluttonous, so you need to carefully calculate the amount of food so that the aquarium does not become clogged. |
| Binge eating | Systematic overeating can lead to illness and death of individuals. Veterinarians recommend having a “fasting day” once a month and not feeding the fish. |
| Balanced diet | Some species need carbohydrates rather than proteins; in these cases, special nutrition is required. The food should be rich in vitamins. |
| Aquarium cleaning | Leftover food can rot and poison the water, killing fish, so you must remember to clean the tank on time. |
| Timeliness | Feeding should occur at the same time. This will help avoid overeating, as well as accustom the fish to their owner. |
You can remove leftover food from an aquarium with slow-moving fish species after 10-15 minutes. Individuals need to be fed in a place in the aquarium where there is no vegetation or decorations. Goldfish need to be fed 3 times a day.
Feeding the goldfish
The best
It is preferable to feed frozen food. The possibility of infecting the aquarium is minimized. Freezing is easy to dose, does not spoil, and retains its taste and beneficial properties. Mixtures of several types of worms are available for sale, making the food more nutritious.
Compatibility with other fish and plants
The aggressiveness of a fish directly depends on its size: the larger it is, the more passive it is towards the rest of the inhabitants of its aquarium. Sometimes fish can hunt for small individuals, eating them. It is prohibited to house goldfish with the following inhabitants:
- guppy;
- swordtails;
- iris;
- catfish and bots;
- labeo;
- barbs;
- astronotus;
- lalius.
It is prohibited to keep fish of different species and families in the same tank if you plan to breed them. It is recommended to plant edible plants in the aquarium, because goldfish tend to be gluttonous.
It is better not to place small objects that an individual can swallow at all. Decorations with sharp edges should be avoided to avoid damaging fish scales. Some species can be kept in undecorated aquariums.
How can you tell a male from a female?
The sex of a fish can be determined by its distinctive characteristics:
- Body. In the female it is predominantly round and slightly swollen, while in the male it is thin and elongated.
- The pectoral fins of males have “notches,” while those of females are short and rounded.
- The male has white growths on his gills that appear only during the spawning period.
- Females tend to behave passively. The behavior of males is more active in the spring.
- The body color of females is brighter, but this sign is also not accurate, since the males of some species have bright scales.
- The anus of females protrudes at the tail and resembles a growth. In males it is elongated.
- In most cases, there is a growth on the male’s abdomen that extends to the anus.
Sexual characteristics begin to appear at the beginning of the first spawning.
During vacation
If you leave the aquarium unattended for a couple of weeks, then use special food and automatic feeders with a dispenser. Briquette and capsule feeds dissolve slowly in water, providing nutrition for a long time. If feeding fish during absence is entrusted to friends, tell them about how to care for aquarium inhabitants. You can package the food into equal parts to eliminate the risk of overfeeding and give the necessary advice.
With proper feeding, fish are protected from diseases. Healthy fish live longer, have bright colors and are agile.
Varieties of aquarium goldfish
Individuals are divided into:
- long-bodied;
- short-bodied.
The most popular types of fish:
| View | Description |
| Ordinary | Orange or gold scales; sometimes there is a black-red one with a tint. Small fins on the belly and back, short tail. The length of the fish can reach 30 cm. |
| Comet | The tail is wide and long. Color: red-silver or yellow. The shade “black velvet” is considered the rarest. Length - 20 centimeters. |
| Telescope | Bright or plain scales. The body is short, roundish. The cylindrical eyes are directed to the side or upward. |
| Lionhead | The body is spherical, there are growths on the head. Lumps on the gills can grow and limit vision. There is no fin on the back. White and red scales are the most common color. |
| Tosakin | A wide fan-shaped tail is a distinctive feature of the species. A large body slows down the fish very much. |
| Ranchu | External signs are the same as those of the lion head. A characteristic feature of the species is a crooked spine. Common colors are orange, black and pearlescent. |
| Pearl | Round body, convex plates of scales on the back. The fish reaches 15 cm in length. The most common colors are white and orange. |
| Veiltail | Spherical, sometimes ovoid body. Elongated fins. The tail is long, train-like, forked. |
In total, there are about 300 species of selective goldfish.
Lifespan
The lifespan of goldfish is most dependent on the number of individuals living in one aquarium, as well as on the quality and temperature of the water.
Studies have shown that small fish live up to 5 years, medium ones - from 10 years, and large ones - up to 30. Females die earlier than males.
The record holder for the longest life in an aquarium is a fish that lived for 44 years. The body length of individuals raised in captivity is usually no more than 20 centimeters.
Goldfish are best suited for aquarists and as pets: they are easy to care for, compatible with many other fish species, and easy to breed. An individual may die without regular care, so do not neglect changing water or feeding. Aquarium fish are inexpensive.
Goldfish are sociable: they can take food from hands or swim into an open palm if they trust the owner.
