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Breeding Goldfish Goldfish Goldfish Care

How Big Do Goldfish Need To Be To Breed?

Many people believe that goldfish need to be a certain size in order to breed but that fact of the matter is they don’t. How big do goldfish need to be to breed does not play a direct role in breeding. In order to breed goldfish they need to be a certain age and sexually mature. The age of goldfish determines if they are ready to breed or spawn. The reason that the size of the goldfish can’t really determine if they are ready to spawn or not is because often times goldfish are kept in small aquariums that are way to small. What happens is that goldfish become stunted in size. You could very well have a goldfish 3-4″ long that’s able to breed. If you see a goldfish that is about 8-10″ long you can pretty much guarantee they are able to breed.

How Big Do Goldfish Need To Be To Breed - Fancy Goldfish BreedingThe size of goldfish is not important when it comes to goldfish breeding it’s the age of the fish that is important.There are certain signs that tell us that goldfish are ready to breed such as breeding tubercles and when you notice goldfish chasing one another. The goldfish chasing the one in front is the male. Goldfish breeding is something all hobbyist look forward to but learn all you can about breeding goldfish in order to have a successful spawning.

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”

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Breeding Goldfish Goldfish Goldfish Care

How Old Does A Goldfish Have To Be To Breed?

Looking to breed goldfish? First you need to know how old a goldfish have to be to breed. You see goldfish need to be a certain age as they will be sexually mature enough and ready to breed. In order for your goldfish to breed they have to be at least 1 year old. Goldfish breed at a very young age compared to other coldwater fish.

How Old Does A Goldfish Have To Be To Breed? 1 Year OldIn order for goldfish to be ready to lay eggs, the eggs have to be mature enough too. The age of the goldfish determines if a goldfish is ready or not. Knowing how old a goldfish have to be to breed is your first step to breeding goldfish.

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”

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Goldfish Goldfish Care

Do Cats Eat Goldfish? How To Stop Cats From Eating Goldfish?

Do cats eat goldfish? Yes! If you ever had a goldfish in a bowl and had a house cat for a pet then you’ve probably lost your dear old goldfish to your little furry friend.

This question was emailed to me yesterday when their goldfish went missing from their fish tank with no signs of the fish. They informed me they had a cat for a pet for years but never had this happen. Cats get curious and if your taking care of a goldfish in a bowl or fish tank and it’s left uncovered then there’s a chance that your little baby goldfish could become lunch for your pet.

Cats Eat Goldfish!Cover Your Goldfish Bowl or Tank

What goldfish owners should do which is very simple on how to stop or prevent cats from eating goldfish is by keeping their tank covered. This is the only way that you will stop your cat from eating your goldfish. Even if your cat doesn’t eat your fish it will most likely injure your goldfish or possibly kill it.

Do Cats Eat Goldfish? How To Protect Goldfish From Cats?At my wife’s parents they have cats and they often catch squirrels, mice and even birds which sometimes they do eat and others times they catch them and play with it. Your goldfish tank should be covered to prevent this from happening.

If you leave your fish tank, bowl or pond uncovered you might soon be without your pet goldfish. Goldfish have many predators and cats are just one other animal that you need to look out for.

For more information on goldfish predators and how to prevent your fish from being eatenvisit this link:

How To Protect Your Goldfish From Pond Predators

How To Protect Goldfish and Pond Fish From Herons

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Garden Ponds Pond Filtration

How To Filter Your Goldfish Pond Naturally With Water Plants?

Did you know that you can filter your goldfish pond naturally with water plants? Many people often wonder how they are going to filter their garden pond, what type of pond filtration system to buy but they forget about how well water plants can actually filter your pond. You don’t need this expensive pond filter in order to keep your water quality perfect. Think of mother nature, rivers, streams, the ocean, you have a perfect ecosystem.Pond filtration can be accomplished by using water plants and I am going to show you how.

When you decide to filter your goldfish pond naturally you will first need some water plants that will feed on the fish waste created by your goldfish. I’m not saying forget about using a pond filter if you have one but when used in combination you will have the best results and perfect water quality that’s healthy and safe for your pond fish. In order to filter your pond naturally you will need to buy some good floating water plants that are ideal for filtering. The best type of floating plant are water hyacinths and water lettuce. These two types of floating plants work amazing for pond filtration.

Water Plants Make An Excellent Pond Filter For Your Goldfish PondThe best thing you can do if you have a waterfall is to pump your water up to the top and this is where you will place the water hyacinths and water lettuce. The water being pumped up with your pond pump will be continually fertilizing these water plants and will keep your water chemistry in check. The long dangling roots created by these water plants will pick up and debris and help keep your water clean. You can see how these water plants will filter your goldfish pond naturally.

Water Plants Are Excellent For Natural Pond Filtration

What I’ve just described above is called a vegetable filter. I highly recommend that you think strongly of adding water plants to your fish pond. The benefits that water plants can bring to your water garden is definitely worth doing. Use pond plants and a good pond filter to have maximum results. Filter your pond naturally next year and you will see how well it works!

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”

Categories
Aquarium Care Garden Ponds Goldfish Goldfish Care

Why Are My Goldfish Gasping or Gulping For Air At Top of Pond or Aquarium?

Are your goldfish gasping or gulping for air at the surface of the water in your pond or aquarium? If so your goldfish could be suffering from lack of oxygen or a variety of different reasons. What you need to do is find out why your goldfish are gasping for air. Ask yourself, do your goldfish look sick, are they scratching themselves, is your pond or aquarium water too warm, have they recently been sick. Your the goldfish doctor and it’s your job to find the answer as to why your goldfish are gasping for air.

Goldfish most commonly are seen gasping for air at the surface of the water when there is a lack of oxygen in your pond, aquarium or goldfish bowl. When the water is to warm there is less oxygen available. What you need to do is perform a 25% water change immediately so that you can increase the oxygen available by aerating your pond or aquarium. For ponds a good technique is to turn your garden hose on spraying water directly in to the pond adding oxygen to the water.

Another reason why goldfish are seen gasping or gulping for air is due to damaged gills caused by either parasites or not using water conditioner when doing water changes. When you don’t use water conditioner the chlorine causes damage to the gills making it harder for goldfish to process oxygen from the water. It is very important to use water conditioner each and every time you do maintenance on your pond or aquarium.

Another good suggestion for you to do is test your water quality right away. Your water chemistry could be off the scale causing your goldfish to start gulping for air. If your ammonia spikes it can burn the gills of the fish much like chlorine will if you don’t use water conditioner. When you see fish gasping for air test your water quality immediately.

To help avoid fish mortalities due to lack of oxygen goldfish owners should add air pump to their aquarium or pond. This will help provide more oxygen for your pond or aquarium fish. To stop goldfish from gasping or gulping for air at the surface of the water it is recommended you follow all the above advice. Lack of oxygen can kill your goldfish or cause them to start gasping or gulping for air.

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”

Categories
Garden Ponds Goldfish Goldfish Care Goldfish Ponds How To

How To Take Care of Goldfish In A Garden Pond?

Many home owners often dream of having a garden pond but are often unsure on how to take care of goldfish. Taking care of goldfish in a garden pond is easy! With a little bit of research, you’ll be a pond expert in no time. A lot of people who have fish ponds in their backyards often have had an aquarium in their life sometime before. The fact is that taking care of goldfish in a pond is so much easier and I’m going to show you how.

Now that your garden pond is in place you will need to add your goldfish to your newly built pond. You can either buy goldfish online or as most of you do is go down to your local pet store to buy your new pet. Taking care of goldfish starts right here at the pet shop. Taking Care of Goldfish In A Garden PondRemember you want to buy healthy goldfish and don’t want to bring home some other guests as well. Never buy goldfish from a tank that has dead fish, cloudy or if you see fish scratching themselves on the aquarium gravel. These are signs that something is wrong. Take your time, look around and ask questions at the pet store if you have any. They should be able to answer all your fish, pond and aquarium questions.

Now that you’ve just bought your new goldfish you will need to introduce them to your pond. What you do now is float the bag in the water for about 10 – 15 minutes so that the water can customize. Once the time is up what you will then do is make sure you add a couple of cups of pond water into the bag so that the water chemistry can mix together. Every little thing you do minimizes the stress on the goldfish. Now that you’ve done that and waited a few minutes now you can release your goldfish into the pond. In order to do this you will need a fish net. Never introduce the water from the pet store into your garden pond as it could contain parasites. Always use a fish net to catch the goldfish and then place them in the fish pond.

Introducing Goldfish To A Garden Pond

Your goldfish should be swimming around in the new pond and looking quite happy. Don’t worry if the goldfish goes right to the bottom of the pond and you don’t see them for a few days as this is common. Remember this pond is new to him and it could take a few days for your goldfish to get use to its new environment. After a day or two you should see your goldfish quite regularly. Sometimes you can even feed your goldfish right after placing them in your new garden pond.

Goldfish Feeding In Garden Pond

What you should feed goldfish all depends on the time of year and the temperature of the water. Remember goldfish hibernate come winter and when this happens their digestive system begins to slow down too. In early spring and fall goldfish should be fed a lighter food such as a wheat germ based fish food. This is light and easy for them to digest. This should be fed to goldfish down to 45 degrees Fahrenheit. It is very important to know what the temperature of your pond is to be able to provide the best possible care for your goldfish. In the summer months you are able to feed goldfish a higher protein diet as they are more active and require better nutrition.

Your probably wondering about now is how much food do I feed goldfish in a pond. The answer is quite simple, only feed your goldfish what they can eat within 2 minutes. When the goldfish are feeding you should start to see them get sluggish or uninterested in the food. Always discard what they cannot consume within 2 minutes or this can foul your water. You can feed your goldfish in the pond once a day in cooler weather and in the summer months you can feed them a couple of times a day. Remember don’t worry if you ever miss feeding your goldfish as there is literally tons of food in the pond for them. They can feed on all the live insects, mosquito larvae and more. Your goldfish will never starve in a pond.

Pond Netting Helps Keep Goldfish Safe From Predators

For maintenance for your garden pond you should clean your pond filter from time to time. Whenever you notice that the water volume from your pond pump has slowed down it’s time to clean your filter. You should also test your water quality once a week to make sure all is well.

Attraction Red Hardy Water Lilies

If you have water lilies in your goldfish pond you will have to discard any decaying lily pads as they appear. What you want to do is try and stop as much leaves and debris from going to the bottom of the pond. If there is to much organic matter such as fish waste, leaves and debris this can cause a perfect breeding ground for parasites and fish diseases to occur. Try and eliminate as much as you can. What many pond owners do come fall is place a pond net over their ponds to stop leaves from going into the water. This pond net also stops pond predators from getting access to your goldfish in your pond. Depending on where you live wildlife is bound to come near your pond sooner or later whether its herons, raccoons, kingfishers or eagles they will come to your pond looking for a snack. Look for other great ways at protecting pond fish from predators.

Garden Pond With Waterfall

You’ve just read about how to take care of goldfish in a garden pond and I’m sure you will have more pond questions as they arise. Throughout the years you will learn more about ponds and have other questions. I urge you all to ask any garden pond questions here so you will be able to take care of your goldfish and know what to do when problems occur. Enjoy your new garden pond and I wish you all best of luck taking care of your new goldfish.

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”

Categories
Garden Ponds Goldfish Goldfish Care Goldfish Diseases Goldfish Parasites

Do Goldfish Float To The Top Of Fish Tank When They Die?

When goldfish die in your aquarium they do indeed float to the top of the water. Do goldfish float to the top right away? No. You’ll usually find a goldfish that has died lying at the bottom of your fish tank. If you leave goldfish that died in your fish tank for a long period of time they will float to the top due to the body decomposing producing gas internally.

Dead Goldfish Float To Top of The Water In AquariumsWhenever you notice a dead goldfish in your aquarium remove them right away. If you don’t this can cause poor water quality and your other goldfish could get sick with fish diseases and parasites. Remove any dead goldfish in your aquarium right away to keep your fish tank healthy and disease free.

Test Your Water Quality In Aquariums Often - Water Test Kits Will Save Your Fish Life

****If you ever find any dead goldfish in your aquarium investigate and find out why they died. These are your warning signs that something is wrong. If you don’t react and have other goldfish in your tank they could be in danger of dying. Test your water quality in your aquarium right away to prevent any other deaths from occurring. One dead goldfish could mean more. ****

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”

Categories
Aquarium Care Goldfish Goldfish Care How To Water Treatments

What Aquarium Products Clear Up Cloudy Water In Fish Tanks?

There are several aquarium products on the market today that will show you how to clear up cloudy water in fish tanks. You are able to buy these at your local pet store or available online like PetSmart, Petco and other great online stores. The product that I like best that clear up cloudy water in aquariums is Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Accu-Clear Water Clarifier. This product is fast acting and clears up your water in your aquarium in no time.

There are so many different products that you can choose and here is a list of several that you are able to buy:

Eco-Bio Blocks Clears Up Cloudy Water and Reduces Water Changes Frequency

1. EcoBio-Block ( New product that I would like to try, great reviews!)

Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Accu-Clear Water Clarifier

2. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Accu-Clear Water Clarifier

Tetra Aqua Water Clarifier

3. Tetra WaterClarifier

Koi's Choice Pond Water Clarifier

4. Koi’s Choice Pond Water Clarifier

Here are 4 great aquarium products for you to choose that will help clear up cloudy water in your aquarium.

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”

Categories
Aquarium Care Goldfish Goldfish Care How To Water Treatments

How To Clear Up Cloudy Water In Aquarium Fish Tank?

Cloudy water in aquariums is quite common and there are several things you can do to clear up your fish tank and help prevent this from occurring. How to clear up cloudy water is quite simple and the answer is proper aquarium maintenance.

What causes cloudy water to occur in fish tanks is the nitrogen cycle not being properly in balance. This means that there is more bad bacteria instead of the good beneficial bacteria that helps break down fish waste and helps keep your water safe and healthy for fish to live. If your nitrogen cycle is out of whack then cloudy water will occur in your fish tank.

Cloudy Water in Aquarium - Get Rid Of Cloudy Water Today!

Frequent Water Changes Helps Reduce Cloudy Water

What can you do to stop cloudy water from happening is easy! Frequent water changes and maintenance will help. You should also never overfeed your fish in your aquarium. Overfeeding goldfish or other types of fish helps contribute to cloudy water in fish tanks. Another thing people should do is reduce the amount of time that your have your aquarium lights on for. Leaving your lights on for extended periods of time causes algae blooms and growth over aquarium glass and contributes to cloudy water as well. People should have timers on their aquariums and never leave it on for more then 6 – 8 hours a day.

Never Overfeed Goldfish

If you want to know how to clear up cloudy water fast in your aquarium then you will need to purchase aquarium products on the market that specialize in this. When buying aquarium products that clears cloudy water in fish tanks just make sure on the label that it does not disturb beneficial bacteria and make sure it’s not harmful to fish and plants. These products will help clear your water usually in a few hours. Remember more is not better, follow proper dosage on the bottle.

Cloudy water in aquariums usually occur in newly set up fish tanks.

Have you ever had cloudy water in your aquarium?

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”

Categories
Aquarium Care Goldfish Goldfish Care How To

How To Keep Goldfish Tank Clean and Water Clear?

Keeping a golfish tank clean and water clear may be a challenge for some unless you know how to properly maintain your aquarium or fish bowl. In order to keep your fish tank clean you will need to follow a maintenance schedule to keep goldfish healthy and disease free.

Here I will show you 8 steps to keeping your fish tank clean and healthy.

Goldfish Tank Clean and Clear

Aquarium bucket for water changes

1. Perform a 25% weekly water change in your fish tank then add fresh water to your aquarium.

Aquarium Gravel Cleaners and Vacuums Makes Cleaning Fish Tanks Easy!

2. When performing your water change use an aquarium gravel cleaner that will clean and remove fish waste built up in the gravel. Discard dirty water.

Algae Cleaning Brush for Aquariums

3. Clean any algae off the sides of the aquarium glass with an algae scraper or an algae cleaning brush.

4. Clean any aquarium ornaments with a brush.

Aquarium Filter

5. Replace filter media such as sponges and carbon once a month. Never replace these at the same time your doing water changes in your aquarium as this will disturb your biological filtration.

Nutrafin Cycle

6. Add cycle to your aquarium each and every time you do a water change.

Aquarium Water Conditioners

7. Add water conditioner to remove any chlorine or harmful metals after every water change. Follow dosage on the bottle.

8. Keep aquarium lighting to a minimum to reduce algae on aquarium glass.

If you follow these simple steps you’ll learn how to keep your goldfish tank clean and water crystal clear.