Did you know that with proper care, goldfish can live for 15 or 20 years and that that they can be up to 20 centimeters long? This beautiful, colorful and strong fish is often underestimated, but everything can be different with the right care and living space! Let us tell you more about it!

Goldfish Varieties, Ages, and Sizes

There are many different varieties of goldfish. The most famous and “standard” goldfish is gold or orange in color and is 15-20 cm long. Do you have enough space for this fish? If so, it will be 40 cm in size. In some cases, it can even be longer than that. Unfortunately, it may not do well in an aquarium; otherwise, goldfish can live for 15 to 20 years.

Keeping Goldfish

To put it bluntly, goldfish bowls are not suitable for keeping goldfish. Not only is the surface area of the bowl too small, but the amount of water in contact with the air is too small. This results in less oxygen being exchanged by the goldfish. Besides, it is almost impossible to hang a filter in a small fishbowl. A suitable habitat for a standard goldfish is an aquarium of at least 100 cm. However, the fish will not reach their full size in this tank. The larger the aquarium, the better. Also, this beautiful freshwater fish produces large amounts of excrement, so a large aquarium is necessary to maintain water quality.

Water Quality

Next is water quality. For the standard goldfish, the optimal temperature is between 10 and 21 degrees Celsius. Fish are more active in warm water than in cold water. Is the temperature in the room moderate and stable? If so, you probably don’t need a heating element to add to the tank. In any case, goldfish are sensitive to temperature fluctuations. Find out what the optimal temperature is for each type of goldfish so that you can keep them as comfortable as possible.

What Do Goldfish Eat?

Goldfish are not picky eaters. They are officially omnivores, eating both plants and insects. It’s a good idea to alternate between different types of food. This will increase the liveliness and fertility of your goldfish. The easiest way to do this is to use dry food explicitly made for goldfish as the main food. In addition to water plants, you can also feed your goldfish watercress leaves, lettuce, and spinach that have been boiled in hot water.

People often think that aquarium plants are only helpful for oxygen in the water, but they have a completely different function. Aquarium plants absorb waste products such as nitrates and nitrites. These plants also fit well into the diet of goldfish. However, aquatic plants are not suitable for all water temperatures. Ask your local pet specialist for the right water plants for your tank and fish.

Goldfish Reproduction

It takes a while to differentiate between males and females since this is only more visible when they reach sexual maturity. This usually occurs at about two years of age. Mating may take place in the aquarium during any season. When mating, females will have a swollen abdomen, and males will have a spawning rash, which are white spots on the gill covers and sometimes on the pectoral fins.

For goldfish to reproduce, the water temperature must be above 22 degrees Celsius. The female will then lay her eggs among the water plants. To do this, at least two males help her by pushing her side with their heads. This process takes a full day, with thousands of eggs being deposited. Once the eggs are laid, the male fertilizes them.