In this article, we will discuss the 10 most common mistakes we make when we have a goldfish.

The 10 mistakes not to make when you have a goldfish

The first mistake often made is buying a goldfish bowl. In fact, a goldfish will quickly grow quite large, reaching up to 30 cm as an adult. It is therefore obvious that a bowl is far too small to keep a goldfish. What's more, there is no filtration system and the shape is unsuitable for the fish. Instead, opt for a 60-liter aquarium with filtration.

The second mistake is overfeeding your fish. We are always afraid of not feeding our goldfish enough, and this is a very common mistake. On the contrary, the more you feed it, the worse it will be for its health. First of all, a good portion of the food you give will sink to the bottom of the aquarium and create unnecessary waste that pollutes the water. What's more, they need to be fed several times a day, 2 to 3 times a day, in small quantities because their digestive system is designed for small, frequent amounts rather than large meals.

The third mistake is putting too many fish in a single aquarium. Overcrowding is a common mistake among beginners because we imagine that the fish will get bored. We then tend to get it a companion, two companions, three companions, or even more… and we end up with many fish in a small volume. An overcrowded aquarium is what very often causes the death of goldfish. We wonder why some die, but it is simply because natural selection is taking place.

As the water becomes highly polluted due to the excessive pollution load caused by the fish's waste, the weakest will die off first. Always allow at least 20 liters of water per goldfish. So if you have an aquarium, for example of 60 liters, three goldfish at most will be enough.

The fourth mistake is not having a filter or having a filter that is too small.

Filtration in an aquarium is absolutely essential. You must therefore have a filter of the right size, and prefer external filters which are more powerful and much easier to maintain. This will give you perfectly stable water for your goldfish.

The fifth mistake is not targeting your aquarium cycle and your aquarium, that is, starting the nitrogen cycle of the aquarium. This is the biological cycle of your aquarium: the pathway of waste. This cycle is very important because it prevents the fish from perpetually swimming in their waste.

The sixth mistake is not changing the water regularly or changing it irregularly. You must change a little of the water in your aquarium every week, about a third of the volume of your aquarium. For example, if you have a hundred-liter aquarium, you should change approximately 30 liters every week, without fail. Irregular changes are bad for your aquarium, but especially for your fish. You should therefore change the water little by little every week, a little at a time, and not change, for example, 80% of your water because you think it smells bad. If it smells bad or has an abnormal color every week, it means you have a filter that is too small or you have too many fish.

The eighth mistake is cleaning your filter too much.

An aquarium filter should not shine like a new penny every week. The filter media should simply be rinsed quickly in water taken from the aquarium (never in tap water or hot water) and then put back in the filter. You should therefore never clean your filter from top to bottom. Otherwise, the good bacteria found in your filter, which play the biological role of your aquarium, will be destroyed if you clean your filter too much. So avoid cleaning your filter thoroughly.

The ninth mistake not to make is not to quarantine new fish. It is quite common to see a tragedy occur upon the arrival of a new fish or a week or two later. The reason is that often, no quarantine is done for this new fish, which may be carrying a disease that will manifest a week after its arrival and thus contaminate the other fish. To quarantine, simply place a new fish you have just acquired in a small tank right next to the main aquarium, take some general-purpose disinfectant specifically for fish, put some in the water following the dosage indicated on the label to eliminate any germs that may be present. Then wait a week and, once your fish looks healthy and has not developed a disease, you can add it to the main tank.

Finally, the last mistake is not having real plants. Obviously, using plastic plants has its advantages since there is no maintenance and no fertilizer. You don’t have to take care of them beyond that. You can easily clean them. The only disadvantage will be that these plastic plants serve absolutely no purpose for the biological balance of the aquarium, while real plants will help the water have more oxygen and absorb the CO2 released by your fish, and will also help the filter in its role of cleaning the aquarium.