11 Fancy Goldfish Care Sheet

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Never release your aquarium
animals or plants into the wild

Checklist
Before purchase make sure that:

1

You have the appropriate equipment and position for
the aquarium.

2

You have researched all the species you are interested
in and your final choices are all compatible.

3

You are familiar with how to transport and release
your fish.

4

You are aware of the daily, weekly and monthly
maintenance your aquarium will require.

5

You are prepared to look after your fish properly for
the duration of their life.

Equipment
1 Glass or plastic aquarium
2 Gravel cleaner
3 Water testing kit
4 Tap water conditioner
5 Gravel or other suitable substrate
6 Filter
7 Food—ensure variety
Before purchase make sure:

1 The aquarium is of a suitable size

Never release an animal or plant bought for a home
aquarium into the wild. It is illegal and for most fish species
this will lead to an untimely and possibly lingering death
because they are not native to this country. Any animals or
plants that do survive might be harmful to the environment.

Important things to remember
Always buy...
test kits and regularly check the water for ammonia, nitrite,
nitrate and pH. This will allow you to make sure the water in
your aquarium is not causing welfare problems for your fish.
Establish a routine...
for testing the water in your aquarium. Record your results
to enable you to highlight fluctuations quickly. Also check
the temperature of the water.
Maintain...
the water in the aquarium within the accepted parameters
highlighted in this leaflet. You may need to do regular water
changes to achieve this.
Always wash your hands...
making sure to rinse off all soap residues, before putting
them into your aquarium. Wash your hands again afterwards
and certainly before eating, drinking or smoking.
Never siphon by mouth...
A fish tank can harbour bacteria which can be harmful if
swallowed. Buy a specially designed aquarium gravel cleaner
which can be started without the need to place the siphon in
your mouth.

2 Water parameters are as advised in this leaflet.

Photo courtesy of A Valovec

Scan this code to
download an
electronic copy

May 2013

If in doubt contact
your OATA
retail member
for further
information

© Copyright OATA Ltd 2010

How to care for...

Fancy
goldfish
11 Coldwater fish

Introduction

Aquarium requirements

Feeding

Fancy goldfish like Orandas, Black Moors and Ryukins are all
the same species of fish as common goldfish, Carassius auratus.
All of these varieties are the result of centuries of careful
selective breeding to emphasise certain traits.

While fancy goldfish can be kept in a small aquarium when they are
young, be prepared to get a larger aquarium as they grow. A larger
aquarium has the extra benefit of allowing you to keep more fish
and allows for more stable water quality. Whatever the size of
aquarium, a filter must always be used. All the fancy breeds prefer a
gentle current, so make sure that the filter’s output is not too
powerful, or is evenly distributed throughout the aquaria by use of
a spray bar if possible.

Like common goldfish, fancy goldfish are opportunistic feeders
and appear to have insatiable appetites. Over-feeding can be
avoided by feeding once or twice a day with what they can eat
in no more than a minute or so. Excess food should always be
removed immediately to avoid polluting the water.

Fancy goldfish are more delicate than common goldfish and
require greater care to keep them successfully. To achieve this,
they are best kept in indoor aquaria only. As with all fish,
maintaining good water quality is essential for their health, but
also make sure their habitat, diet and companions are
compatible with their needs.

Water requirements
Fancy goldfish are intolerant of poor water conditions. It is
recommended the water parameters stay within the following
guidelines although they can acclimatise to a wider range of
temperature, pH and hardness over a period:
Temperature: between 4-25°C, ideally between 15-23°C (the
aquarium should be kept away from heat and draughts to
reduce fluctuations)
pH: 6.0-8.0
Ammonia: 0mg/l (0.02mg/l may be tolerated for short periods)
Nitrite: 0mg/l (0.2mg/l may be tolerated for short periods)
Hardness: moderately soft - hard (5-19°dH)

Biology
The fundamental characteristics of fancy goldfish and common
goldfish are actually very similar. Many of the fancy goldfish
have a squatter appearance and do not get as large as common
goldfish, usually growing no larger than 20 cms. Their lifespan
is approximately 6 to 8 years, but some have been recorded to
live for 20 years.
The position and shape of their swim bladder is different from
that of a common goldfish. This on its own causes no
problems, but an improper diet can lead to buoyancy problems
by preventing the swim bladder from functioning correctly.
One feature that fancy goldfish retain from their common
goldfish ancestry is tubercles. These are small white pimples
that develop on the gill covers of males as they approach breeding condition, and should not be confused with the white spot
parasite which appears all over the body.

Aquarium gravel or other suitable substrate should be used to cover
the bottom of the aquarium and will help to anchor plants and
ornaments in place. When buying gravel, speak to your retailer to
ensure that you buy the correct size to avoid the goldfish
accidentally ingesting it. If you want to decorate the aquarium with
artificial plants, add some live aquatic plants too. Plants and algae
can play an important part in fancy goldfish nutrition which is a key
to keeping them healthy.
All ornaments, including artificial plants, should be chosen carefully.
Avoid those with sharp or very rough surfaces so as to prevent
injuring breeds that have protruding eyes such as Celestials,
Telescope-eyed breeds.
A heater is not required for fancy goldfish unless they are kept in a
very cold room. Although goldfish are coldwater fish, they do not
tolerate rapid fluctuations in their water temperature as these can
cause stress leading to disease. Keep the aquarium out of draughts
and away from sources of excess heat.

Maintenance
At least once every two weeks, a partial water change of 25-30% is
strongly recommended (a gravel cleaner is useful to remove waste
from the gravel). The water should be tested regularly to ensure
pollutants such as ammonia and nitrites don’t build up. Ensure you
treat all replacement water with tap water conditioner or allow the
replacement water to stand or aerate it to remove any chlorine
present before adding it to the aquarium.
Filters should be checked for clogging and blockages. If the filter
needs cleaning, then do not run it under the tap as any chlorine
present may kill the beneficial bacterial population that has
established in the media. Instead, it can be rinsed in the tank water
which is removed during a partial water change as this reduces the
amount of bacteria which are lost.
Good husbandry is essential as these fish can be stressed by even
the smallest amounts of ammonia and nitrite. Test the water to
monitor the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels every week,
especially during initial set-up and after adding extra fish.

A goldfish flake or pellet food can be used as a staple diet, but
add variety by providing a selection live or frozen foods such as
daphnia, bloodworm or brine shrimp. Vegetable matter can be
provided in the form of aquatic plants, blanched lettuce or
thawed and shelled frozen peas. A good and varied diet can
prevent associated buoyancy problems, and will also promote a
strong and healthy immune system to fight off infectious
diseases.

Common problems
Water quality problems will affect fish behaviour and can be
shown by clamped fins, reduced feeding, erratic swimming and
gasping at the surface. Immediately test the water if any of these
symptoms are shown.
Good water quality and a healthy, varied diet can help prevent
many diseases in goldfish such as fungal or bacterial infections
and swim bladder problems.
In hooded breeds, such as Lionheads, Orandas and Ranchus
small, white, fluffy patches within the creases of the hood are
sometimes seen. Normally, this is just sloughed material and
mucus and should fade with time. However, reddened or
extensive areas of these patches that persist might require
treatment. If in doubt, ask your retailer for further advice.

Compatibility
All varieties of fancy goldfish will normally live together happily.
If you wish to add any other species, ask advice from your
retailer.
It is not advisable to keep fancy varieties with Shubunkins,
comet or common goldfish. More often than not, the breeds
can out-compete the fancy goldfish for food. In some cases
there are reports of boisterous comets fin nipping the slower
swimming fancy varieties.

Breeding
Fancy goldfish can be bred in captivity. They are egg scatterers
and the eggs must be removed from the aquarium to avoid
predation. The eggs normally hatch after about 3 days, but this
is also depends on temperature.



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