I want all the Goldfish Advice i can Get!?!?

I need help. I just got a goldfish and I want ti to be happy. peeps keep telling dont bother it will only last a week, but stll. so far I have filled a sizely tank/bowl with half tap water half water bottle. it is a small fish. I already have good for it food and a large house looking toy in the tank. I want ot spoil my fish. Any more advice?I want all the Goldfish Advice i can Get!?!?
You have to let the water sit in the sun for at least 4 hours or use a dechlorinater to remove chemicals, or it will die quickly. Mineral water won't help much. You will need to get an air pump or filter to keep the water clean and oxidized, or you can change the water every day, but when you do this you put the fish under a lot of stress. Also, it is a lot easier to kill a fish by overfeeding it than underfeeding it- a goldfish can go without food and stay healthy for at least 2 weeks. Only give it a pinch of flakes a day because the size of its stomach is about that of its eye.


But seriously, if you're going to go to all that trouble, do yourself a favor and get a real tank and some good fish. Don't get those ten cent, cheap fish, though, because they are usually full of parasites and will die quickly.I want all the Goldfish Advice i can Get!?!?
Your friends obviously don't know to much about fish. I've got four, two are newer goldfish one we got when my daughter was 7 '; she's now 11'; and my other you has by past my oldest fish in growth is now 2. I don't know how big your tank is but allow a 10 gallon tank for three fish for plenty of room to grow and they will grow. I have a 15 gallon tank that is beautifully decorated with gravel some marbles and a light house and a shell and a turtle and a frog and a bridge leading to the light house. I love my fish watching them relaxes me and when they see me coming the all come to glass to be feed and talk to me. I use regular tape water when I clean my tank. I add drops to eliminate chlorine and nitrates in the water that I buy at the pet shop. I also have a filter this way I'm not cleaning the tank all the time my fish are well worth it they've been with me a long time.
Clean out his bowl completely once a week. Put him into an appropriate sized container while you are doing the job, using the water from the bowl.





Rinse out any rocks, the housing and glass. When adding new water, make sure you also use a chlorine/chloramine remover. The instructions will be on the bottle. Get it at a pet store or pet food store. Don't put fishy back until you've done that. Then, add some new water from the newly cleaned bowl into the container fishy is in. Slowly do this over five minutes. Then, put fishy and the water he was swimming in, into the bowl. Voila, healthy fishy. I love goldfish. When he gets bigger you may want to graduate to a bigger bowl, or better yet, aquariam with a filter.





By the way, never overfeed your goldfish. Whatever it doesn't eat will spoil the water and cause bad bacteria to form polluting the water, and cause disease for fishy. This is the number one killer of goldfish. Just a pinch twice a day. Remember, goldfish are always looking hungry - just resist his tempting cute looks to feed him!
goldfish will live for about 9 months in a bowl without a filter if you treat it right, but if you get a filter then you are looking at a 5+ year lifespan. they are some of the dirtiest fish you can get and need their water changed daily if there is no filter. if there is a filter, then a 10% water change every two weeks should do the trick. also find out if your water system uses chlorine or chloramine in your water. if there is only chlorine, let the water set out for about 3 days and it will evaporate out. if there is chloramine though, you must get a water conditioner or it will kill your fish within a week. also, only feed it once a day, it will help your tank to remain cleaner, longer.
Buy a bunch of those 10 cent goldfish from the pet store. Most of them will die within a week the ones that live will live forever.
Your goldfish will be happy if you do not overfeed it. Feed twice daily and all food should eaten by the fish in 2 minutes. Change half of the water weekly and remove the waste. If you use tap water let it stand first for 2 days in a separate container.


Your goldfish should last for years. Good luck.
My advice is for you to get a book either at the local library or your nearby pet store. If none of those work, go to the link below. You have lots to learn, and I'm afraid you'll accidentally kill your fish if you don't get informed. Here is some immediate information:





- You need to get get some chlorine treatment drops. Unless your tap water is well water, it probably has chlorine in it. This can kill Goldy.





- It is very important that you get, at a minimum, a small air pump and air stone so that you get oxygen into the water. Goldy will certainly die within your peeps predictions. Better yet, get an under-gravel filter so that you can add oxygen while you are filtering out Goldy's poop.





- Goldy doesn't care about your house-looking toy, although he/she appreciates your effort. Goldfish swim freely and don't hide.





- Keep Goldy out of direct sun. Keep the water no higher than room temp. Goldfish actually enjoy cool water (~65掳F) and can survive in water up to the low 80s as long as the temp changes aren't too fast.





- Generally speaking, I'd think Goldy can survive just fine in a 10 gallon tank until he/she is about 4'; long. If you've kept it alive that long, then congratulations and reward the two of you with a larger set-up.





- Feed only a little bit at a time, several times a day rather than one heavy feeding. The water will stay cleaner that way. (Goldfish are famously ';dirty'; fish.)





Good luck to the both of you. Prove your peeps wrong...but you really need to read up! That is the best advice I can give.
To tell you everything you probably want to know about goldfish I would still be typing tomorrow and would still leave something important out. lol Instead, I would like to give you a few links to some excellent goldfish information:





http://kokosgoldfish.com/care.html


http://www.firsttankguide.net/goldfish.p鈥?/a>


http://www.goldfishcare.org/


http://www.goldfishconnection.com/





No doubt these will answer all of your questions, even the one's you haven't thought of yet!





MM
Your Tank


The fishtank is, of course, the most important piece of equipment. Tanks are not at all expensive, and buying a nice, big tank is the best thing you can do for your fish. You should never keep your fish in a goldfish bowl or other small container.


Since goldfish get their oxygen from the surface, you want a tank with a big surface area. The number of gallons is not nearly as important as the surface area. You can get this surface area by multiplying the tank's LENGTH by its DEPTH. For every inch of fish length, you must have 30 sq inches of surface area. But remember! Your fish will also grow, and you want to take this into account when choosing your tank.














The Water


Since your fish must live in its tank all the time, it is SO important for the water to be of the right quality.


Usually, it is okay to use water right out of the tap. The first thing you need to do is check with your local petshop. They will know if the local water is suitable for fishes. Still, there are some important things you should know.





Let your faucet run for about a minute before taking any water. This lets some of the chemicals dissipate.





Before adding water to your tank, let it sit out overnight. This allows the chlorine to evaporate. It also lets the water reach room temperature. Since goldfishes live at room temperature, this ensures that the water you are adding to the tank is the same temperature as the water already in the tank.





Finally, the most important thing to know about is the water change. The water in your tank MUST be kept clean, for dirty water can make them sick or even kill them. The advanced fishkeeper knows that chemicals like ammonia can build up unnoticed. All you need to know to start, however, is that a regular water change goes a long way toward preventing these kinds of problems.








Your Goldfish


The goldfish is a hardy animal, and if cared for properly, will live a long, long time (ten years is not uncommon). Goldfish are omnivorous and will eat just about anything, but it is suggested that the beginner stick to prepackaged fishfoods.


You must buy fishfood which is made specifically for goldfish, because their nutritional needs are not the same as those of other fishes. Fish need protein for muscle, vitamins to resist desease, and to strengthen their bones. Goldfish also need carbohydrates even more than other fishes. Be sure to buy something that has complete nutrition. A quality diet has the added benefit of bringing out your fish's color.





Never give your goldfish more food than they can eat in a few minutes. Leftover food decomposes and pollutes the tank. If food remains uneaten, remove it. Feeding your goldfish a small amount at several times during the day is preferable to feeding one big meal.





Goldfish live in many different temperatures. Anywhere from 50 degrees F to 68 degrees F is best, provided that any change in temperature is gradual. A rapid temperature change can make a fish more susceptible to disease, as can stress. Care on the keeper's part can reduce both. Different varieties of Goldfish may also live at different temperatures.





Be sure to watch your goldfish for a few minutes each day. Get to know your fish. This will help you spot odd behavior if the fish contracts a disease. If you even suspect that a fish is sick, call your petstore immediately. Goldfish diseases are rarely contracted by humans, or visa versa.








The Siphon


Making that partial water change on a weekly basis is the key to keeping your fish healthy, and the best way to do it is with an aquarium siphon hose. This hose sucks water out of your tank, and is used to vacuum your gravel, thereby removing leftover food, fish waste, and other organic material. Next to the tank and water, the siphon is the most valuable piece of equipment.


Filters


A water change helps a lot when it comes to keeping your water clean, but a filter will make your job even easier. A filter works 24 hours a day and purifies the water in your tank by removing harmful chemicals and debris. Modern advances have also made filters easier to maintain than ever before. I suggest the external box filter because it takes up no space inside your tank, is simple to maintain, and because the current it causes in the water helps to add more oxygen for the fish.





Hood


The hood of a tank serves a useful purpose. It keeps the fish from jumping out. Some kind of hood or cover should sit atop your tank for this purpose. Also, the hood keeps debris or dust from falling into the tank.


Pumps, Airstones


Also known as a bubbler, the airstone sends tiny bubbles into the water. These bubbles agitate the water's surface which in turn keeps the water oxygenated. Without one, your water may get stale. Also, since harmful gas passes out of the aquarium through the surface, a steady current facilitates this as well. If you have a filter like the one described above, you could get by without one, but they're not expensive, so I suggest adding one to your tank as soon as possible.


Gravel


Gravel helps fish feel more at home, since this gives your tank a 'bottom.' Some fish use gravel for camoflage. It also provides a place for good bacteria to grow. A good size is 1/8 of an inch. Make sure the gravel isn't too sharp: your goldfish will spend hours searching the gravel for food, and you don't want them to hurt themselves.


Although gravel comes in many colors, I suggest buying something without any dye added. Dye can pollute the water. Whatever you buy, make sure it is thoroughly rinsed before use. You want to remove any particles, dust, or dye. When the water runs clean, it is ready for use.








Decorations


I have always felt that less is better. Still, fish love places to hide, and when they feel stressed, they will need a place to retreat to. Use common sense when buying decorations, avoid anything with sharp edges, and make sure that they are especially made for fish tanks. Anything else could release harmful chemicals into the water.








Kimmie
I'm not sure what you're keeping him in, but if you want to spoil him put him in a 30 gallon tank with excellent filtration. If that's not an option and he's truly in a bowl, do 50% water changes every other day. You can use tap water, just make sure to dechlorinate it before adding it. Only feed him little bits at a time, as much as he can eat in 1 minute...any more will make his water dirty. Get a filter if you can, he will be much better off. Common goldfish should live 10-20 years.
We won one of those little goldfish at the school carnival. That was like 9 years ago.... he's about 8 or 9 inches long now and we just moved him up to a 30 gallon tank!


Main things we've done:


Feed a variety of food, not just the flakes. Get some pellets, some crispies and some little shrimp or worm cubes and alternate what you feed him. Only feed as much as he can eat in about 5 minutes and scoop out the rest- helps keep the water clean.


Aerate the water- get a pump %26amp; airstone.


Get a filter system, even for a small tank, and change the filter when it gets icky looking.


Do a 25% water change every 2 weeks (more or less depending on how big the fish is) and always add a de-chlorinating water conditioner in the water you add.


Use a water conditioner weekly to help keep the ammonia nitrates down- the water can look clean but be full of ammonia which will actually burn the poor fish. They tend to sit on the bottom with their fins clamped down tight when the water is bad.


Talk to him, our fish will come over and look at us every time we do!


Good luck!
get a nice tank (preferably over 10gal) fill it with spring or conditioned water (if your tap water has clorine you need to get conditioner from a pet store) fill your tank weth plastic junk and if you can, real plants(you need a light for these) (his stuff will keep them interested) get a gravel vac (best way to clean gravel) and cange 50% of his water once a week . get him a nice filter and give him an ocasionaly treat of brine shrimp, blood words, and other freeze-dreid foods. when you go off to get him all this stuff also get him a buddy, goldfish are fine on thier own but a friend is more fun for your fish. get a thermometer, it it gets to hot in the summer or cold in the winter you may need a heater or fan. they like thier temp beetween 58%26amp;68


for more information than you will ever need chek this link:


http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/4468/inde鈥?/a>


(sometimes this site isn't working if its not try again later, its a rely great site)
u need 2 keep a close eye on it and feed it
Don't listen to those people. A goldfish can live years, more than 20 with the right conditions! First, did you add dechlorinator to the water? That is vital, you want to add that immediately, and can get that at a 24 hour walmart if necessary. Or, use bottle water only until you get it -- you dont want to always use bottled water. Goldfish need air in the water, so make sure it is a tank -- bowls are a sure killer. And make sure it is at least 20 gallons if this is their lifelong tank (even that may not be big enough for a regular common goldfish, but is good for a fancy). Right now I am in need of an upgrade since I just inhereted some cuties, so I understand. Look for sales or on craigs list if it's tight, you can get good bargains. You also need a good filter that filters the water more than the tank -- say a 50 gallon filter on a 20 gallon. Goldfish have a lot of waste. If you feed pellets of flakes, soak in water first so the goldfish don't get bloat. They also like some zuccini or lemon, lettuce, and you can get frozen krill treats. Get him places to hide, and a long aquarium. Goldfish are also happier when not alone, so if you get anice 30 gallon tank, whcih is very affordable, you can get a second fish. Good luck, goldfish are awesome!





PS%26lt; dont listen to that person who says ';allow 10 gallon for plenty of room for three fish.'; That is NOT plenty of room for three fish, they will die in that.