Goldfish Food

I know that this simple question is very, very important, “What should I feed my Goldfish?” I also know that very few people think about it. Why not just pick the cheapest fish flakes off the shelf in the pet store? The answer is, because fish deserve better – they’re beings too! They need nutrients to live a healthy, active life which I think every pet owner should care about. If you haven’t read any of my previous posts, than you don’t know that my oldest goldfish, Pop, will be 5 years old in October this year, 2015!  The reason that he is still alive is simply because me and my family do the research and take care of our fishy friends properly. I believe that everyone should too.

Now onto the actual food. I don’t spend all my money on gourmet fish foods, but that doesn’t mean I don’t try to find high quality fish food. The two types of regular fish food that I use is first, Wardley Advanced Nutrition  – Perfect Protein Flake Food and Aqueon Goldfish Granules, both of which I would recommend to my readers because they have great nutrients in both.  I feed the food to my fish once everyday. I only feed them a whole pinch or two, but I would also do some other research on the amount as well. Make sure to give your Goldfish variety and try out different foods on them to see what they like as well. I can’t recommend any other brands because all Goldfish are different, and sometimes flakes work better than pellets or pellets work better than flakes. However, other foods such as shrimp, blood-worms and other freeze – dried foods should also be available.

Thanks for reading! Please comment if you have any questions on Goldfish or Hermit Crabs! Also follow my blog for more helpful posts!

What to do with your Goldfish on Vacation or when You’re Traveling

If you are leaving soon for vacation, then it is time to start thinking about what to do with your Goldfish. There are a few options, but it really depends on how long the stay is. Here is a guide about what I do with my fish on vacation and what you should do:

1 – 6 days: Leave your goldfish at home. Make sure to clean their tank right before you leave, and you will also need to get a food dispenser or a food that dissolves – we use Penn Plax Spirulina Shell Shape Vacation Fish Feeder

1 – 2 weeks: You will need someone to take care of your fish. We have other members of our family come over and feed and clean the tank when needed. If you don’t have a family member that can do this, you can ask a friend to do the same.

3 – 4 weeks: You will definitely need to take your fishy friends to one of your friend or family’s house. Everything they will need to take care of the fish, such as food, cleaning supplies, and your contact information will be needed. I would suggest that you write a short care guide for them, so if they ever need help, they can look there before they call you.

A little over a month: You will need a friend or family who will be able to take care of your pets for this longer time period. Though I am not absolutely sure about this, you can try your local veterinarian as last resort if you really need someone to watch your pet, though I definitely would not rely on this.

More than 2 months: You will need to take your fish and all their supplies with you on vacation. Though this may be difficult, there are ways in which you can safely do this. There is a video by Solid Gold that I believe is a great video to watch if you would like to know how to safely travel with your goldfish. She used this method when she was moving, but it works fine if you are simply traveling. Here is the link: Solid Gold’s How to Travel With Your Fish Video

I hope that this helped you! Don’t forget to follow this blog for other helpful posts like these! Leave a comment if you have any questions or concerns about your Goldfish or Hermit Crabs! Thanks again for checking out my blog and feel free to take a look at my other posts!

The Pros and Cons of Getting a Goldfish

There are a lot of people out there who might be on the fence about getting a pet. The cute animals in the pet store look so easy to take care of! And they look very cheap. But as you look into that cute, cheap, perfect pet, it seems there is more than meets the eye! Look at those habitats on the internet for instance… they look so expensive! If you are on the fence about getting a pet, this post might help you decide if a Goldfish is the pet for you!

Pros:

• A basic tank won’t take up much space and a goldfish can live in almost any climate, so what you live in or where you live shouldn’t matter
• Goldfish are relatively cheap – my total cost wasn’t more than $50 (if you want to know what is in my tank and the size you can check out my other post called, “The Actual Tank”)
• They are beautiful animals and any tank you may have will light up a room
• They are very easy to take care of – require no more than feeding, cleaning and a proper tank set – up
• They are fun to watch
• Almost everyone can take care of them! They are definitely a family pet ( I don’t think anyone under 3 years should take care of them and I recommend parent supervision if you or your child is 3 – 7 years old)
• If you are leaving them for vacation,  it is very easy to ask a friend or family member to take care of them if the trip is more than a week – If it is a very short  trip (like a week or less) then a food dispenser or a food that dissolves of some sort is even easier (I would recommend talking to your local pet supplier about this)
• There is a huge variety of fish to choose from – big or small, flashy or muted and some harder or easier to take care of than others
• You can decorate their tank in any way whether it’s big or small – this is a great opportunity to think out of the box and get creative

Cons:

• Some research is required to know how to keep this pet
• The tank does require a little elbow grease – a goldfish is not a disposable pet
• Though it is very little, there is a cost to owning this pet
• When on vacation, there must be someone there to take care of the pet

I hope this post helped you see both sides of owning a goldfish, and I definitely believe that a Goldfish is the perfect starter pet! Thanks for reading this post! Make sure to follow my blog for more posts like these! Also, pictures of my tank, the cleaning process and more will be coming soon! Please comment if  you have any questions or concerns about your fish or hermit crabs and like to help support!

How I Deep Clean my Goldfish Tank

As I mentioned in my previous post, “The Actual Tank,” I don’t own a filter in my Goldfish tank. This is why I hand clean it every week. Every time I clean it, I make sure to do it in a very thorough way. Even if you own a filter, you should always hand clean your tank every so often! Especially if you own living plants! So here is my step – to – step post that you can follow on how I deep clean my Goldfish Tank:

Step 1. Take all the items out of the tank

Step 2. Bring them to the sink to clean

Step 3. Get a Rag, Sponge, or Paper Towel and rinse the items with regular tap water **MAKE SURE NEVER TO USE SOAP AS IT CONTAINS HARMFUL CHEMICALS**

Step 4. Set them out to dry to let the chlorine in the tap water evaporate or get a dry towel and dry them off

Step 5. Catch the fish gently in a large net and put them in another holding tank of some sort

Step 6. Bring the tank to the sink where you can pour the water out

Step 7. Rinse the tank with only tap water

 – if you have gravel in your tank you should put it in now

Step 9. Fill the tank up with Luke – warm/slightly cool (temperature depends on your type of fish) tap water

Step 10. Use the recommended amount of Water Conditioner/Dechlorinator in the tap water to make it safe for your fish – I use Tetra Aqua Safe Plus

Step 11. Bring the tank back to it’s permanent place and put all the decorations back

Step 12. Scoop your fish up gently with the large net and place the net in the tank gently, making sure to let your fish swim out on its own 

Make sure to follow my blog for other helpful posts like these! Also comment if you think I can add something to my cleaning routine or if you have any questions on Goldfish and Hermit Crabs!