Taking Care of Goldfish Babies

By Florin Iusan

Goldfish babies or fry are very cute. Keeping fry takes some planning and a little bit more attention from your part. Do not worry, it is not a hard thing to do and if you know everything about your fish everything will become a lot easier.

If you have done everything correctly in the first step, breeding goldfish, you should not have all the eggs spread everywhere in the tank. All your eggs should be in one place, on the “spawning mop”. Creating a “spawning mop” is the easiest way to collect all the eggs laid by the female goldfish and move them into the “Fry Tank”. There you will keep the eggs until they hatch and grow up enough to put them into the main aquarium. This way you make shore that your eggs will not be eaten by your goldfish.

Goldfish Fry

So what you do is to move the “spawning mop” into the Fry Tank. You need 20% of the water from the main tank so that you populate the Fry Tank with healthy bacteria and start the cycling process. It is best for the Fry Tank to be next to the man tank.

To make sure your eggs will hatch in 3-4 days use a heater to keep the temperature stable at 70 degrees F. Out of hundreds of eggs only few will hatch. Once they hatch make sure you remove the egg shells and cloudy eggs from the tank. This way you will easily spot the dead goldfish babies later.

Feeding the goldfish babies

Once the fry hatch, you need to keep in mind to feed them in the first 48 hours only liquid food. This is specially designed for them. Goldfish babies eat more than adult goldfish because they need to grow.

At 2 weeks you can feed them newly-hatched brine shrimps, insuforia and cooked egg yolks. They will love it. You can buy the eggs at shops. In the first 15 weeks you can feed them 3 times a day what they can eat in 2 minutes. After that you can feed them regular healthy food you feed your adult goldfish.

This way your goldfish babies will become happy and healthy adults.

Florin Iusan is a goldfish enthusiast. He has been keeping and caring for goldfish for over 16 years and he loves doing it. If you want to learn more about goldfish breeding and how to care for Goldfish Babies visit Goldfish2Care4.com.

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Did you know you can train your fish? Almost any fish larger than 1″ can be trained to perform tricks! This is done with positive reinforcement. Check out the video below:

Do you train your fish? Did you know you can train your fish? This can open a whole new world to fish care!

One of the key components to having healthy and happy fish is starting right. Proper fish care starts with the purchase of your fish. If you purchase from a store that had untended tanks and staff that don’t understand the fish they are selling, then you are doomed to fail. One of the key methods you can use to make sure you make the right stocking decisions, get the right equipment and the right food is to buy from someone who knows what they are talking about and who cares about the fish they are selling.

Dave’s Rare Aquarium Fish is a specialty fish store located in San Antonio, TX. They specialize in mail order fish! (really, you order them through the mail!). They are a local fish store and locally owned by knowledgeable and reliable staff. While most of their sales are made to people outside of San Antonio and are shipped, they have their location open to the public during the week. I was fortunate enough to visit (on several occasions) and they are fantastic!

The best part about Dave’s Rare Aquarium Fish is that they have fish you can’t find at most LFS and at NONE of the big chain stores. Not only is their selection more expansive and eclectic – but their quality of stock is superb. They breed many of the fish they sell themselves on site!

The staff at Dave’s is really helpful. They have, on many occasions, saved me from making TERRIBLE stocking decisions that would of ended in disaster. If you visit the “my own tank” post, many of the fish discussed in that post were purchased from Dave’s.

Lamprologus Speciosus is a shell dweller cichlid. These guys are incredible to watch. These are closely related to my favorite fish of all time "Occies" also known as Lamprologus Occelatus

An example of a type of fish you won’t find at your typical LFS and never at a big box is “shell dwellers”. Shell dwellers are small African Cichlids that live on sandy substrate and use shells as ‘houses’. These fish are fascinating as they build beds of shells and dig their shells into the substrate. Caring for shell dwellers is my favorite type of fish because of their radical behavior and attitude.

My favorite shell dwellers, “occies” or Lamprologus Occelatus, are tiny and bland (in terms of color). They usually live in small groups, or harems, with one male and two or three females. Often times the male will share a shell with his favorite female and visit the others just to breed. They spend their days chasing each other, digging their shells deeper and deeper into the sand (usually until only the opening is available) and moving their shells to where they please. These fish are notorious for being incredibly feisty. In fact, they would attack my hand at every water change (thankfully, they don’t hurt!) Even more impressive: On a national geographic special on the rift lakes there is video of an occie attacking a giant alligator that wonders too close to its fry!

Sorry, I digressed on a rabbit trail there. I love Dave’s Fish because they have given me the opportunity to enjoy fish and fish keeping more than I would have ever imagined. They opened a whole new world of fish keeping. Even now that I moved 1000 miles away from home – I can still order these little wet pets and enjoy them with my family and friends. If you are just starting the fish hobby and you want to really enjoy the relaxation of setting up your own aquatic biotype and enjoying the great diversity of freshwater fish available, then you need to check out their website. If you have questions, give them a call.

*NOTE: I am not being paid to write this for Dave’s Rare Aquarium Fish. This is a genuine review. They are hands down my favorite African Cichlid Supplier and I will not buy my fish from anyone else. In addition, I should add, Dave has given me permission to use his own photos so that I can build a site that helps beginner fish keepers be successful in the hobby. If you see a fish you like on the site and need to find out more, copy and paste the name on google. Another good resource for finding more about a specific fish species is Cichlid Forum’s Species Profiles or the forum at the same site.

Dave's Rare Aquarium Fish

I am going to keep this post short and sweet – because, honestly it is too important to be muddled up with a bunch of other information: If you are new to Betta keeping, or are planning on keeping a Betta – you need to know one thing:

BETTAS FISH JUMP!

Why is that important? Because, there are a lot of really creative Betta setups available (even

This guy 'betta' get a lid on his tank, or else he will be one dead Betta. (Plus, this glass is obviously TOO SMALL)

some great and inexpensive Betta DIY ideas) but many of them have no lid. The chances of coming home to a crispy, dried (and dead ) Betta are pretty high. These guys and gals love to jump. If you want to care for your Betta, then cover your tank.

NOTE: Even though they are fish, they still breath oxygen. They just get it from the water instead of the air. This means you shouldn’t get an airtight lid or else your Betta might suffocate!

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Picking a filter for your aquarium is a big step in providing the best environment for your fish. There are many different aquarium filters to choose from. This post will give a brief overview of two major types and their pros and cons. Knowing how to take care of your fish requires understanding your fish tank filtration options.

For more guidance, check out the Fish Care Aquarium Filter Reviews page.

Hang on Back Fish Filters

The first type of filter to consider is known as a Hang on Back filter (HOB). HOB filters are

This is an Aqua Clear Hang on Back Filter

inexpensive and very effective. They are simply a water holding chamber that hangs on the back (or side) of your aquarium. These chambers include replaceable filtration media and a second, smaller compartment with the water intake. They are powered by a small impeller that sucks the water up through the filter, into the chamber, through the filtration media and back into the tank. The biggest benefit of this type of filter is COST. They are the most inexpensive filter we will be discussing. They are also the easiest to setup. Generally HOB filters will take less than five minutes to set up and there are very few parts. These filters are generally hardy and a good value. There are two major negatives to HOB filters, however:

1. They are noisy. Because they are operating from the back of the filter and into the water they produce a water running sound. This can be minimized by keeping your tank full filled and topping off the evaporation – but even a days worth of evaporation can lead to an unending waterfall sound. The sound isn’t too loud, but for some it can cause problems if the tank is in the bedroom.

2. They are bulky. They generally take up a pretty big chunk of space on the back of the tank.

Canister Filters

Canister filters are great filters – their primary benefit is that they are totally silent (well, a good one is at least). This is because, unlike a HOB filter, both the intake and the outtake are positioned well underneath the surface of the water. When positioned well this is not only silent, but the water is expelled with enough force to still keep the surface of the water moving and keep the water oxygenated. Canister filters also offer a greater variety of water treatment options. Many have many compartments for different materials : Things such as carbon filtration (often available in HOB filters too), Bio balls (for biological filtration) and room for things such as crushed coral (used to increase water pH) or peat moss (used to lower pH). The largest negatives to canister filters is cost. A filter for the same size tank in Canister form will cost upwards of 3-4x as much as a HOB filter. The second negative is their setup and restart can be a pain. Restarting a HOB involves refilling both chambers with water and plugging it in. Restarting a Canister can often require a few minutes of pumping a lever on the canister. Set up time for a Canister filter can run as long as 30 minutes.

One of the fundamentals of proper fish care is making sure you are feeding the right food. Many fish tank owners think all fish food is the same – how wrong! In nature different fish have very different diets. Think about it – would you feed your dog hay or your horse puppy chow? Of course not! Horses and dogs have very different stomachs and diets and each would be missing out on key nutritional ingredients.

You should first find out what kind of food your fish would eat “in the wild”. Do they eat plants, plankton, microscopic organisms? Do they feed on algae off rocks, or do they swipe smaller fish or fry? Knowing this information is key to picking the right food.

Fish food is particularly important in maximizing your fish’s health and appearance. The right

Choosing the right food for your fish is critical to proper fish care

food will prolong life, encourage maximum growth and, for the colorful varieties (like Cichlids!) it can have a profound impact on the strength of their coloring. One of the best ways to make sure you pick the right fish food is to have a conversation with your Local Fish Store (LFS) owner or employee. A good LFS will have well trained workers who are fish tank enthusiasts themselves!

Don’t just buy the cheapest food, or the easiest to access food – make sure you are getting food

that meets the nutritional requirements of your fish. This doesn’t have to be expensive! In fact, knowing what your fish eat can SAVE  you money on food. For example: Some Mbuna (colorful fish from Lake Malawi in Africa. Find out more by checking out Cichlid Care) are vegetarian. This means you can supplement their regular fish food with frozen peas! This is inexpensive and it can make their colors POP when combined with the proper diet.

I made a website about fish tanks and taking care of fish because I LOVE the hobby. I have had many, many tanks – and at different times in my life the hobby has taken different forms.

Pictures of my 100 Gallon Tank. Mostly African Cichlids.

I was never a Tagashi Amano with tank design – but my primary focus is the fish and their interaction. My favorite fish tanks are small tanks with shell dwellers (They are small cichlids that live in shells), but I love keeping all kinds of fish – especially African Cichlids. When I first started, I was a little intimidated since some on the hobby made proper fish care sound intense. I have since learned that you can have happy, healthy, breeding fish without having to spend too much time or money by just following some basic fish care fundamentals.

This was a 100 gallon tank. It was stocked with the following:

The Marlieri are my favorite fish. They are a rock dwelling Cichlid from Lake Tanganyika in Africa. The have elongated bodies and cool black patterns running from their head to the end of their fins. The interesting thing about these fish is how they swim. They almost always swim parallel to the rock – no matter what the position. They are never out in the open water, but always hovering around the rock. When they have fry they can be very aggressive, and a pair often forms for life. In fact, in this 100 gallon I won’t be able to keep all 5 forever. Once a strong pair form bonds the 0ther three will need to go.

Close up of the Marlieri

The bright yellow fish are “Labidochromis Caeruleus” – commonly known as Yellow Labs. These are GREAT fish for beginners looking who want to have bright colors but don’t want the expense or upkeep of a saltwater tank. These fish work good in small to medium groups – or they can be kept alone. They are aggressive compared to community fish (and shouldn’t be kept with timid tropical fish or fish with long, bite able tails – like Angel Fish. Yellow Labs can be kept with almost any kind of African Cichlid as they are big enough to hold their own – but not too big. They are impossible to tell the difference between a male and a female just by looking (you would have to do a process known as “venting” to check their sex organs), but they tend to be aggressive breeders and you will know who is what soon enough (starting as soon as 2″ or less!).

Another rock dweller from lake Tanganyika in this tank are the calvus. Calvus are not difficult fish to care for, but they are notorious for being extremely slow growers. They are not very aggressive, they are tough as nails (which makes them good tankmates for other aggressive cichlids) and, while they aren’t colorful, they have very interesting shapes and color variations available. Some species of Calvus can shift from bright white to pitch black based on their mood.

Tiger Barbs in the foreground with a "Yellow Lab" looking straight at the camera.

Finally, the tank is filled out with seemingly out of place fish with a small school of Tiger Barbs and a Bristle nose pleco. Tiger Barbs are inexpensive, cool looking, very tough and quick and a great way to add activity to a tank. The Bristlenose pleco is an inexpensive personal fish tank maid. They are fish care tip that works well – they can take care of an algae problem overnight. They eat algae so fast it is unbelievable. I was having an algae problem and I bought one pleco for the whole tank and it was solved in no time. Bristlenoses are also good because they can hold there own – even in a tank with semi-aggressive cichlids! They have, as there name would indicate, bristles on their nose. It doesn’t take long for a fish to learn it isn’t worth messing with.

Anyways, I just wanted you to see that I love this hobby! Hope you enjoyed. If you have never kept Cichlids and want to learn more about Cichlid Care, then check out E Fish Care’s Cichlid Care section.

Budget Aquascaping Tips – Finding Rocks

For many years now I have been in love with the fish keeping hobby. At the height of my addiction I had 7 tanks in a 3 bedroom apartment. It should also be noted that I had 3 other roommates in that apartment! Over the years I have learned a lot of ways to save some money and to make the fish keeping hobby affordable. These tips work best for freshwater tanks, but the ideas are timeless!  Today I want to give some money saving tips for low budget aquascaping!

Use ‘natural’ rocks. Most rocks are just fine for a tank. Limestone is the easiest and can be found in most locations – if not in the ground then at a landscape store. Just make sure you clean the limestone/rocks to prepare them for the tank. Most fish stores sell fish tank rocks. These rocks have often been harvested from ‘local’ areas and cleaned up for sale. Fish stores can sell some of these limestone rocks for many dollars per pound! There are two ways you can save big money and get these decorations yourself. The first is to harvest your own rocks. Go to a private creek bed and collect some good size rocks, or go to a house construction site and see if any unwanted rocks have been dug up. You can use these rocks with just a little preparation. What I do to prepare rocks found in the ‘wild’ is pressure wash them clean and then set them in a tub with water and a little bit of bleach. I let these rock soak for 72 hours and then I take the rocks out and set them outside to dry in the sun. Once the rocks are dry that means all the bleach residue is gone and they are ready to be used in your fish tank. If you don’t have access to a private creek bed or natural rocks nearby, then you can buy your rocks from a landscape store. They often have a wider selection than a fish store and they sell for MUCH less per pound.

The Beautiful Varieties of Goldfish

There are literally dozens of different types of goldfish. They range in size to just a few inches, all the way to up to 18″.

Some goldfish have eyes that are always looking up and some have eyes that stick out to the side. Each different species of goldfish have unique and interesting properties.

Goldfish are domesticated fish that have been bred with selective breeding. They were originally bred to be used as food for other fish – but artistic selective breeding has led to an incredible number of diverse goldfish types. Some of these goldfish are strong and hardy – and some are delicate and need to be treated very gently.

Some of the most popular types of Goldfish are

The Common goldfish

Comet Goldfish

Black Moor

Bubble Eye

Ryukin

Ranchu

Viel Tail

And many many more. If you are interested in having a goldfish in your pond or aquarium, please look into the specific needs of the fish based on the type of goldfish that it is. It is important to know as much as you can about your fish so you can provide the best goldfish care possible.

Homemade Meals for Your Pet Goldfish

Goldfish are omnivores and require a good mix of all kinds of scrumptious food. A good quality goldfish flake or pellet food is an important foundation of your goldfish’s diet – but supplementing the diet with some occasional treats can improve your fish’s color and overall health.

There are many different recipes you can use to make your own goldfish food. Some of these involve adding a lot of ingredients and preparing the meal like you would a human meal. These are great recipes, but they take a lot of time and create a huge mess! If you love to cook you could probably find some pet goldfish recipes. If you are like me and hate to cook, but still want to give your fish a treat, I have listed the easiest diet supplements below:

• Frozen Peas (peeled please. They can’t digest the shells very well)
• Chopped Spinach
• Grapes (peeled like the frozen peas.)
• Carrots (chopped up)
• Apple slices
• SmallOrangeslices
• Brine shrimp (available at most fish stores)

Remember, these should be occasional treats and not their primary diet. Supplementing flake and pellet foods with these treats is key to great goldfish care.

TIP: If you feed a treat, make sure you scoop any uneaten portion out of the tank after 30 minutes. Otherwise it will start to pollute the aquarium.

Caring Properly for Your Goldfish

Do you want a healthy, happy goldfish? Keeping goldfish can be a lot of fun for the entire family. The process of getting a tank, naming a fish and taking care of the fish can go a long way in helping kids learn responsibility. Goldfish tanks can also be very relaxing and enjoyable to watch as the fish swim around throughout the day. If you already have a goldfish you want to provide a good home for – or if you are considering a great ‘first pet’ for your kids, then it is important to understand the three fundamental rules of goldfish care.

1. Proper Tank Size: Anything smaller than 20 gallons is too small for even a single goldfish. Most goldfish species can grow to be 8-12″ or larger. Don’t follow the common mistake of putting a goldfish in a tiny bowl!
2. Proper Tank Maintaince: This involves two parts. First, make sure you change 20-30% of the water every one to two weeks. Second, make sure your tank has adequate filtration. Goldfish are messier than most fish and require a filter 2x the recommended size.
3. Proper feeding. Goldfish are omnivores and love a varied diet. Feeding goldfish a quality goldfish flake food is a great start to proper feeding. Another key to proper feeding is portion size. Best feeding practices include feeding the fish 2x a day – and never more than it can consume in 1-2 minutes at each feeding. Remember, a fish’s stomach isn’t much bigger than one of it’s eyes.

Keeping a goldfish can be a great experience. When kept in a healthy, happy aquarium a goldfish can live for many years.

Whenever a pet is purchased it is important to understand how to properly care for that pet. If you are considering a goldfish, then please take the time to research proper fish care. This will make sure you have a rewarding experience and a wonderful time with your fishkeeping hobby.

Goldfish make great first pets. They can be inexpensive and are very hardy fish. In spite of these facts, there are many people whose beloved goldfish pet meets an untimley end. Most beginner goldfish owners don’t know about goldfish tank requirements. These fish are usually purchased (or won at a fair) while they are still very small.

Did you know that a common goldfish can grow up to 18″ long? Of course, they adapt to their enviornment and can be kept in tanks that would never hold an 18 inch long fish – but keep in mind the natural size of these fish when you choose to keep one. Goldfish can live for many years (over a decade!), but in order for you to have a healthy and happy goldfish you need to understand the following:

• The minimum tank size for a single goldfish is 20 gallons. If you plan on adding more, then add 10 gallons for every additional goldfish.
• Goldfish create a lot of waste. This can make their tank dirty quickly. A high concentrate of waste can be deadly for all fish – so make sure you have a tank filter that is rated for 2x what the suggested tank size is for the filter. (Example: If the filter says it is for “up to 20 gallons” then you would need two filters of that size, or one filter that is up to 40 gallons)
• Not all goldfish types are the same. There are some smaller goldfish varieties – but often these varieties are less beginner friendly and hardy as the common goldfish.