How to keep goldfish so they don't die easily? Master these breeding methods
Goldfish are ornamental fish evolved from crucian carp, with many varieties and colors including red, orange, purple, blue, black, silver-white, and calico. They are divided into four major strains: wen, grass, dragon, and egg. After long-term breeding, the varieties have been continuously optimized. Today, goldfish in countries around the world are all directly or indirectly introduced from China. Let's take a look below at how to keep goldfish so they don't die easily!
How should goldfish be kept properly?
1. Choosing fish: Good goldfish look plump, with rounded ends on each fin, a body that is symmetrical left and right with complete scales, and rich, vivid colors. The ancients said "body thick and even, tail large and straight, eyes even and matching, body upright and round, mouth closed and broad," and then select according to the characteristics of the variety.
2. Equipment: Keeping goldfish emphasizes shallow basins with wide openings, so if using an aquarium to keep goldfish, generally the aquarium for raising large fish is best with a water depth between 25-30 cm, and for raising fry between 20-25 cm. Other hardware includes a siphon tube, an oxygen pump, and lighting equipment.
3. Conditioning water: Before keeping goldfish, you must first condition the water well. The water for keeping goldfish is crucial. The most suitable temperature for keeping goldfish is 20-28 degrees, and the best pH range is 7.5-8.5. Tap water should be used after about 24 hours of exposure to sunlight or left to sit for 2-3 days.
4. Feeding: Feeding is the key to keeping goldfish well. When feeding, you need to know what goldfish eat and how to feed them. A regular diet is directly related to the healthy growth of goldfish. Although goldfish are omnivorous animals, pay attention to a reasonable nutritional balance and do not feed too monotonously.
5. Water quality: Water quality is the key to keeping goldfish well. Change the water and clean the filter cotton in time. Generally, in summer change once every three or four days, in spring and autumn once a week, and in winter once every half month. Each time, changing 1/3 is enough. Remove excess bait and excrement to reduce water pollution.
What feed do goldfish eat?
1. Animal feed: Animal feed is one of the feeds that goldfish love most and is the most nutritious, with many varieties.
① Water fleas: Water fleas are zooplankton that breed in sewage pits, ponds, and rivers. They are rich in nutrition. Goldfish appropriately fed with live bloodworms (meaning not in excess) develop faster and have brighter colors than goldfish fed other substitute feeds, and the incidence of fish diseases is correspondingly reduced.
② Cyclops: The advantages of Cyclops are strong vitality and fast swimming, and they can be kept alive for a few days. But the disadvantage is their small size, which makes them difficult for goldfish to catch, and Cyclops can also bite and injure small fry, so when feeding Cyclops it is best to scald them with boiling water first.
③ Paramecium: Paramecium is a very small, cylindrical single-celled organism. It is most suitable for feeding newly hatched fry, but it is not easy to find and also difficult to catch. Therefore, to supplement its shortage, it should be artificially cultured.
④ Mosquito larvae: Mosquito larvae are the larvae of mosquitoes, with a blood-red body color and rich nutrition. They are also relatively expensive and not easy to preserve, requiring refrigeration. Generally, hobbyists directly freeze them and then feed them.
⑤ Tubifex: Tubifex is rich in protein, fat, and vitamins, and the individuals are small, soft, and fresh red or dark red, making them easy for goldfish to swallow. However, before feeding they must be rinsed repeatedly. If conditions permit, keep them for a few days until they expel the mud clean, and then feed them.
2. Plant-based feed: Of course, animal feed is the most ideal feed for goldfish, but when animal feed is lacking for various reasons, plant-based feed can serve as an emergency or life-sustaining supplementary feed. Common ones include duckweed, aquatic plants, and so on.
3. Synthetic feed: Synthetic feed is artificially made goldfish feed. It is required to have complete nutritional components and meet the needs of goldfish growth and development. Its main components should include 5 major categories: protein, carbohydrates, fat, inorganic salts, and vitamins.
Disease prevention and treatment for goldfish
1. Fish plague: There is currently no specific drug treatment for fish plague, so only prevention work can be done. Every year in early spring, goldfish should often be exposed to sunlight to strengthen their constitution. If goldfish develop fish plague, they should be isolated or culled as soon as possible.
2. White cloud disease: Soak the diseased fish in a 1:50000 potassium permanganate solution, 10-30 minutes each time. For white cloud disease induced by low temperature, soak the diseased fish in 2-2.5% salt water for 15 minutes, then return them to clean water, repeating this process. In severe cases, soak in 1% salt water for 1 hour.
3. Saprolegniasis-like skin rot: Use a writing brush dipped in disinfectant liquid (such as mercurochrome or a high-concentration potassium permanganate solution) to wipe or apply to the affected area, once every other day, and it can be cured in 3-4 times.
4. Tail rot disease: It can occur in all four seasons. The tail fin of the diseased fish rots in a broom-like shape. Wipe the affected area with 1% malachite green, once every other day, and it can be cured in 3-4 times. When treating fish for food, the use of malachite green is prohibited.
5. White spot disease: Soak in 0.5-1% baking soda water for 10-15 minutes. Because young fish have weaker resistance to the medicinal liquid than adult fish, the soaking time should be appropriately shortened. When the condition is severe, soak 1-2 times per day.
6. Water mold disease: Goldfish should often be exposed to sunlight. When changing water, add an appropriate amount of salt to sterilize and disinfect. When catching fish, avoid scratching the fish body. To treat diseased fish, soak in 1% salt water for 30 minutes each time. Sprinkling 1:10000 salt water into the pond every week can play a preventive role.
7. Dropsy: Put the diseased fish into an equal mixture of 2% salt and 3% sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution and soak for 10 minutes, twice daily for 2-3 consecutive days. Or add 250 grams of mashed garlic to 50 liters of water and soak the diseased fish several times, which can also treat the disease.
8. Gas bubble disease: Gas bubble disease is caused by too much dissolved gas in the water. The diseased fish should immediately be moved into slightly cooler clean water and kept there for a period of time, which can restore them to normal.
9. Fish louse disease: Pond water should be filtered to prevent fish lice and their larvae from flowing with the water into the fish pond or fish-keeping container. After discovering fish lice parasitizing, use 2.5% trichlorfon at 1 gram per cubic meter of water and splash it over the whole pond.