How do you take care of a common goldfish? advice and tips please?

im thinking about of purchasing one fish and i wanna know what can i do to ensure the best life for fishy?How do you take care of a common goldfish? advice and tips please?
While a commet gold fish does get large they certainally do not need a 50 gallon tank. You should always get the largest tank you can afford. They do need a tank with good filtration. NO HEATER. Comets (common) are cold water fish and prefer the temps below 75. The water should not drop below 50 or your fish will go into hybernation.





Goldfish need a balanced diet. When choosing a fish food choose one with high protein (48% or better) and low fat (5% or less)





You can supplement their diet with things like Lettuce, mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, spinach, peas, endive, Watersprite, seaweed, cukes, kale, chard, broccoli, lima beans, green beans, etc. and feed aquatic plants (e.g. duckweed, azolla, salvenia, etc) or hair algae daily.





For their Carotenoids which are a family of pigments the fish can't make themselves and are obtained as part of the diet. These pigments result in red, yellow and orange colors. Fish have cells called chromataphores. Those cells convert lutein and carotenes into astaxanthin which is the red pigment.


sources include, brine shrimp, krill, spirulina, marigold flowers, paprika, sweet red peppers, yams, carrots, pumpkin





Watermellons and oranges are also good as well as proteins like chicken (chicken livers) beef (livers and parts) and pork as well as worms and bugs.





Be sure to do your weekly 25% water change.





Also be sure your tank is fully cycled before you get your fish.





Welcome to the wonderful world of fish and good luck!How do you take care of a common goldfish? advice and tips please?
Good for you researching before you but. Common goldfish need a minimum of 180 gal tank as they get over 2 feet in length. Fancy goldfish on the other hand stay around 8'; and a single fish can be kept in a 20 gal tank with 10 gals added for each additional fish. Goldfish are coldwater fish so you will not need a heater. They are also very high waste producers so you will need double filtration for the tank. In other words if you have a 20gal tank you need a filter rated for at least a 40 gal tank. Some varieties are prone to swim bladder problems which can be aggravated by feeding at the waters surface for those species you will need a sinking pellet rather than a flake food. Also be prepared to do biweekly partial water changes at least at first. As the tank matures you may be able to cut back a bit. If you choose to keep live plants stick with the hardy species with the tougher leaves such as java ferns and anubius as goldfish tend to damage more delicate species
BASICS





get a tank not a bowl! set it up, add water and put in some water treatment to remove chlorine, chlorine in tap water will kill fish. leave the tank for 3 weeks before you add any fish, this is because fish need good bacteria to survive as they produce alot of waste which turns into ammonia and this kills the fish. You really do need to let the tank settle for a few weeks before you add fish trust me I know from experiance.





Once you get your fish add 2 max to start with and take out 25% of the water every week for the first 4 weeks and replace it with new clean dechlorinated water.


Feed once or twice a day and change 25% of the water every 2-3 weeks after the initial first 4 weeks.





The basic things you need to know about fish, and I would start with cold water fish not tropical until you get used to looking after them as fish are not as easy to care for as they seem.





The water quality is the most important thing, fish need good water to survive, it needs a balanced PH level and must contain no ammonia or nitrite as long as the water is fine and you must test it before you add any fish and weekly after that fish will live hapily and stress free. Bad water quality and the fish will get sick and die, the main cause of poor water is bad filteration, not enough water changes and too much ammonia.i myself have lived and learned. I always thought you stuck a fish in water and thats it after you feed it. My experiance has taught me otherwise.





So buy a tank set it up, leave it 3 weeks, test water, if all is fine add 2 fish and just change water and test weekly to fortnightly. oh and feed them once or twice a day too lol.
If this is your first fish, I'd suggest going with something like a betta, or even guppies--something that requires less room and less filtration. Other than that, what everyone has said is 100% true.
Get a 50 gallon tank, or install a pond in your yard and get a goldfish!





Actually, people ALWAYS say that keeping goldfish in small tanks is a horrible, terrible thing, BUT,.... it depends on how small the tank is!





I'd say a ten gallon is your absolute MINIMUM for 1 goldfish, and notice I say ONE!





Basically, you should get 1 goldfish for every 10 gallons, but some people don't agree with this.





So just to be on the safe side, I would get a 20 gallon, with a 30 gallon power filter, gravel, a couple plants, and NO heater!





Feed your goldfish about once a day but DO NOT overfeed!





Hope this helps!


Good luck!
Get a Tank:


About 5-7 gallons for a gold fish.


Try a starter kit like this one, so you know what to get your fish:


http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.js鈥?/a>


Clean its cage, feed it.


Pretty much it!!!
Depending on the size of the tank, change no more than 1/3 of the water at a time and do not forget to use chlorine remover or they will not survive.
I have goldfish and they are all well and I haven't lost one in more than 4 years. If you have 1 only I believe it is better to get two so they have company. Get the same kind. If you keep them in a bowl, make sure it is large enough to keep two. Clean the water out weekly and use an oxygen block and a little oxygen weed. Use the correct cemicals to get rid of the chlorine in the H20. Ask where you buy the fish to explain everything to you and buy a book on how to look after goldfish. But two makes the difference than just keeping 1.You will njoy them. Talk to them and pay attn to them everyday. I feed mine just a little bit of food every morning. They get used to routine and do pine if you are away so make sure you able to give them some time and talk to them and put your finger in the bowl so they get used to you. It works
Get it a tank not a bowl, with pebbles, maybe a plant.


get it a light, so it will be warm


and feed it once or twice a day.
All these answers have some validity to them, don't know why so many thumbs down.