Pet Fish Care

Fish are one of the world’s most popular pets. With a vast range of vibrant colours and shapes, not to mention their easy upkeep, it’s easy to see why.

For children, fish are an ideal first pet – helping them understand their responsibilities in caring for other creatures. But, whatever your age, fish are great!

Caring for Pond Fish

Like us, pond fish need a balanced diet. Feed them 2-3 times a day, offering only as much as the fish can eat in a few minutes. Use good quality fish foods to reduce the amount of waste your fish produce. This helps to keep the pond clean and the water clear.

Good water quality is essential for a healthy pond. Most ponds therefore need a filtration system to remove harmful substances and keep the water clear. Tap water is ideal for filling ponds. However, because it contains disinfectants such as chlorine, a water conditioner must be added at the same time.

If you experience problems with green water, blanketweed or other algae, treat the pond with specialised products to remove them. It’s also good to have a selection of submerged and marginal plants. These help to keep the water clean and prevent algae growth.

In the winter, only feed the fish when they are active. If you’re going on holiday, put longer-lasting food into the pond or ask your friendly neighbour to feed them while you are away.

Caring for Indoor Pet Fish

Caring for indoor pet fish couldn’t be more simple. All you need is a fish tank, a cover, water, some gravel and decorations. These can be found at selected Asda stores, your local aquatic shop and pet shops.

For tropical fish, you’ll need some electrical items such as a heater, air filter and a lighting unit which will need to be on for around 8-10 hours a day. Other useful equipment includes a thermometer, polystyrene and an air pump.

Feeding Your Fish

Pet fish need a balanced diet. Feed 2-3 times a day, only as much as they can eat in a few minutes. Once fed, remove any excess food that is remaining after about 5-10 minutes. Pretty quickly you’ll be able to judge the correct amount to feed.

Use good quality foods to reduce the amount of waste the fish produce. This will help keep the water clear and the aquarium clean.

If you&re going on holiday, feed a long-lasting food to provide up to 2 weeks worth of food to your pet. They are 100% edible and will not pollute your tank.

Cleaning Your Aquarium

To keep your aquarium clean and your fish healthy, change 25% of the water every 2-3 weeks, or simply add a water-balancing product. You can also clean the gravel by vacuuming it with an aquarium gravel cleaner occasionally.

And when you clean the water filter, make sure to use water from the aquarium. This prevents the friendly bacteria getting killed.

Preparing Your Aquarium

Choose your location
Avoid windows or anywhere that receives direct sunlight – this encourages algae. Also avoid radiators or fire as these can overheat the water.
Clean your fish tank
Wipe down the inside glass panels using warm water. Never use detergents or boiling water.
Put your fish tank in position
Bear in mind a tank filled with water is very heavy, so find a strong, level base.
Wash the gravel
Rinse your aquarium gravel in a bucket and rinse under the tap – do this until the water runs clear.
Put the washed gravel in your tank
Roughly 2.5cm high or 5cm if you intend to grow plants.
Add your fish tank accessories
This is where your creative side can be unleashed. Experiment with various positions until you’re happy with the arrangement of fish tank accessories. If you’re adding live plants, make sure you add them after the tank if filled with water
Add the water
Fill the fish tank with water from the cold tap. Because tap water contains chlorine (which fish don’t like) you’ll need to treat the water with an aquarium water conditioner.
If you have a water filter – install it now
Wait at least 24 hours
Before adding fish you’ll need to ensure that all the equipment is working properly.
Choose and buy your fish
There are lots of varieties of fish to choose from. Elegant fantails, black moors and perlscales or globe eyes and lion heads. And best of all, they’ll all get along together fine.
Add your fish
Float your bag of fish in the tank for about 10 minutes to equalise the temperature. Then let them swim out into their new home.
Add some fish food to help your fish settle in
Enjoy your new fish!

Goldfish

Goldfish are one of the world’s most popular pets. And it’s no wonder. They are inexpensive to buy and keep, are fun and educational to watch, and there are many different types of goldfish with a range of beautiful colours and shapes.

All you need to do to look after goldfish is spend a couple of minutes each day for feeding, and ten minutes or so every week for water changes. With the right care, goldfish can easily live for ten or more years.

Caring for Your Goldfish

Every Day

Spend a minute or so checking your goldfish, aquarium and around the fish. Check to see all the equipment is working as it should. If something is wrong, the earlier you know about it the better.

Every Week

Remove about one third of the water from he tank and replace it with cold tap water that has been treated with a water conditioner.

If you have a water filter system, you may only have to change one quarter of the tank every two or three weeks.

Every Month

Complete Water Changes

To clean a fish tank, transfer some of the water into a bucket, net the fish and place them in. Make sure to place a cover over the bucket – fish can jump!

Partly fill a second bucket with tank water and add the gravel to this. Once all the gravel is removed you can empty any remaining water and discard it.

Cleaning the fish gravel

Using a clean stick or your hand, swirl the fish gravel in the bucket of tank water to release the trapped dirt. Decant off the dirty water and return the washed gravel to the tank. Don’t rinse the gravel under the tap, the water will contain chlorine that may destroy the friendly bacteria that are attached to the gravel.

Fill the tank with treated tap water and adjust the temperature if necessary. Return the fish.

Feeding fish while you’re away

If you’re only going away for a weekend break then your goldfish can comfortably go without food for a couple of days. If you’re away for a longer period then it is advisable to ask a friend or neighbour to pop in every few days to check and feed your fish.

Fish Health

You know what they say; prevention is better than the cure. It’s true. So try buying a healthy looking fish to begin with from a reputable pet shop. Goldfish are pretty tough, but like any pet, they sometimes get ill. Many of their problems arise from poor water conditions or poor nutrition, so make sure the aquarium is properly maintained and always feed a quality diet.

What to do if your fish looks sick

At the first sign of any illness, perform a water change, just in case it’s a water problem. To help you identify the problem, refer to the chart below. If you are still not sure, simply visit your aquatic shop or vet for advice.

Symptoms	Likely Causes	What should I do?
Cotton-wool like growths on the skin or fins.	Fish fungus infection. Dirty water may trigger outbreaks.	Treat the aquarium with an anti-fungus remedy.
Small white spots on body or fins.	Whitespot disease.	The disease can be fatal if not treated with a whitespot remedy
Red marks or ulcers on the body.	Bacteria infection. Dirty water can sometimes be a cause.	Treat the aquarium with an anti-bacteria remedy
Torn or ragged fins.	Fin Rot Disease. It’s mostly caused by dirty water.	Treat the aquarium with a fin rot remedy.
Loss of appetite of clamped fins.	Dirty water. Fall in temperature. Early stage of an illness.	A partial water change may perk up your fish. Check the temperature and monitor the fish for further signs of illness.
Gasping for air at the surface.	Lack of oxygen in the water. This happens if the tank is overcrowded or the water is dirty.	a 50% water change. Improve aquarian hygiene. Buy a larger tank if appropriate.
Lying on the bottom of the tank.	May simply be resting. If the fish isn’t eating too, then he may be ill.	A partial water change may perk up your fish. Check the temperature and monitor the fish for further signs of illness.
Floats to surface.	If your fish swims normally for most of the time, then it may be air trapped in the fish’s gut. The fish eating too quickly at the surface and gulping down air causes this. If however, your fish is permanently floating then it could be a swim bladder problem.	Hold the food under the water for a second or two so the fish has to eat in mid-water. If a swim bladder is suspected then get professional advice.

FAQ

How many goldfish can I keep in my tank?
Small tanks (18 litres) will house only one goldfish. A standard tank that holds 45 litres will house 2-3 goldfish.

What is the best type of goldfish tank filter?
There are many to choose from. Internal canister filters are easy to maintain as they have an integral motorised pump.

Should I leave my goldfish tank filter running all of the time?
Yes. Only switch off when you’re cleaning or servicing it.

Should I add snails to my goldfish tank?
Snails are regarded as useful scavengers, in reality though, they can multiply so fast that they end up causing more dirt than they clear up.

Why is my goldfish aquarium water so cloudy?
The water in a newly set up aquarium may be cloudy for the first couple of days but should clear up. If it’s not a newly set up aquarium, it may be time for a clean.

How can I tell if my goldfish is a boy or a girl?
It’s difficult. One of the ways to tell is during breeding time (spring) mature male fish tend to develop white spots on their gill cover and pectoral fins. Don’t mistake these for whitespot disease.

Do goldfish lay eggs?
Yes they do. You’ll normally find then scattered around fine-leafed aquatic plants.

My goldfish is changing colour. Is it sick?
Young goldfish are typically olive-brown and gradually acquire their adult colours as they grow. Old goldfish tend to pale with age and may even turn silvery white.

Can I keep my goldfish in a tropical aquarium?
It is best not to. Goldfish do have a wide temperature tolerance, but they don’t like being kept constantly in tropical conditions.