Do goldfish need heat ?

Question
I have a ten gallon tank w/8 fish. I have had it for about a month. Two of the fish died. How do I care for my fish. What kind of fish can I buy that is easy to care for. I love looking at the fish aquarium, but when one dies my son have a fit.  

Answer
Hello,

It is hard to say how to care for your fish as you didn't mention what kinds you had. However, I gather from the subject that you have had/have/will have goldfish so I will start there.

Goldfish do not need heat, but try and keep them in a warmer room without any cold drafts. 8 goldfish might be a bit much for a 10 gallon tank, so it may be best not to replace the two you lost and simply keep the remaining 6.

There are a lot of important factors in maintaining a healthy fish tank. I will list them, so that it will be easier to follow.

1) Cycling your tank. Cycling your tank is the process which all new aquariums must go through to create an established tank with beneficial bacteria and a complete ammonia cycle. When you first have a tank with no fish in it, there is also no ammonia. As soon as you add a fish though, they create waste which breaks down into toxic ammonia. This then needs to be converted naturally by good bacteria in your tank to nitrites, which are also dangerous, and finally the safest form- nitrates. It is very important that you only add 1-3 fish off the start, because this cycling process can take up to 3 weeks. The more fish you have, the more waste there will be and therefore the more harmful substances. When you first get a tank, add a couple fish, add some Cycle (adds beneficial bacteria to your tank) and closely monitor the levels of ammonia and nitrites. Once they are safe, you can proceed to add some more fish.

2) Maintaining good water quality. After your cycling period is over, ammonia and nitrite levels still are at risk of becoming high again. Overfeeding can cause this, as can a lack of cleaning. You should change 10% of your water weekly as well as syphon the gravel to remove built up waste. You should also clean your filter probably once every two weeks. Make sure you clean all the filter media in a bucket of aquarium water (not in the actual tank or in the sink). Cleaning it in aquarium water prevents all your established bacteria colonies from being washed away and killed, which would start your tank at cycling square one.

3) Monitoring temperature. Whether a cold water or tropical tank, the temperature should always be carefully watched to ensure there are no fluctuations. Cold water aquariums should remain at a consistent temperature. Tropical aquarium should be between 75 and 80 F. Fluctuations in temperature can cause an outbreak of disease.

4) Monitor your fish for signs of disease. You should make a point of carefully observing your fish every day. Come to learn what is normal behaviour and appearance for them so you can immediately notice when something is wrong. Watch for symptoms such as white dots, white tufts, loss of fins, loss of color, not eating, bloating, bulging eyes or wounds on the body. There are many other symptoms that can occur as well, but these are some of the main ones.

Some easy to care for fish include:

Coldwater fish- Goldfish. A great starter fish and can be quite pretty. Keep in room temperature water and feed goldfish specific food.  

Tropical fish- tetras, danios and barbs. All are small and relatively easy to care for. They can all be fed basic tropical fish food. They are best in temperatures between 75 and 78 F. Other fun fish to have that are easy to care for are corydora catfish. They can be kept in the same conditions as any of the above fish.

If there is any part of this that you need further information/clarification on or if you have any more questions, feel free to contact me again.

Best of luck,
From Stephanie