11 Fancy Goldfish Care Sheet

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How to care for...

Fancy

goldfish

11 Coldwater fish

If in doubt contact

your OATA

retail member

for further

information

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download an

electronic copy

© Copyright OATA Ltd 2010 May 2013

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.

Never release your aquarium

animals or plants into the wild

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.

Equipment

Glass or plastic aquarium

Gravel cleaner

Water testing kit

Tap water conditioner

Gravel or other suitable substrate

Filter

Food—ensure variety

Before purchase make sure:

The aquarium is of a suitable size

Water parameters are as advised in this leaflet.

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Before purchase make sure that:

You have the appropriate equipment and position for

the aquarium.

You have researched all the species you are interested

in and your final choices are all compatible.

You are familiar with how to transport and release

your fish.

You are aware of the daily, weekly and monthly

maintenance your aquarium will require.

You are prepared to look after your fish properly for

the duration of their life.

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Checklist

Photo courtesy of A Valovec

Introduction

Maintenance

Feeding

Water requirements

Common problems

Aquarium 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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 breed-

ing condition, and should not be confused with the white spot

parasite which appears all over the body.

Biology

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.

Compatibility