Gold Fish Advice

Question
Hello,

I have recently bought two goldfish and I have been cleaning them out regurlarly. However, On some web sites it is suggested not to clean them out completely and on others it says this does not matter. I have one fish that is a comet and is silver. I have noticed faint red lines on the edge of its tail. Could you tell me if this is natural please or is the fish ill?

Thanks,

John  

Answer
Hi John;

It is best not to change all the water in a tank and clean it out. It can shock the fish and it destroys the beneficial bacteria in the tank that consumes fish waste. If you have them in a regular aquarium with at least 10 gallons per goldfish with adequate filtration, vacuum the gravel and change 25% of the water once a week. If you have them in a smaller tank than 10 gallons per fish, change 50% of the water twice a week, or more often depending on ammonia readings and get them a bigger tank soon. A test kit is a very useful tool to keep around when you have goldfish. Goldfish are very messy guys that get very big. They just can't be kept in tanks smaller than ten gallons as commonly believed. Here is a good web page about them and what they need;

http://www.firsttankguide.net/goldfish.php

I hope all goes well...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins