Choosing and caringfor goldfish and

other coldwater fish – naturally

The goldfish aquarium

67 guide

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Why choose goldfish and other coldwater fish?.................................. 3

Easy-to-keep coldwater fish ...................... 4

Special fancy goldfish.................................. 6

Aquatic plants ............................................... 8

Basic parameters for a coldwater aquarium........................................................ 9

Five easy steps to a finished aquarium.... 10

Robust health through proper feeding... 12

…and vitamin supplements ....................... 13

Aquarium care............................................... 14

Computer-based aquarium design ........... 15

Contents

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Why choose goldfish and other coldwater fish?If you are planning an aquarium that is funand educational for the whole family, con-sider the coldwater aquarium. Coldwaterfish, such as goldfish, are often easier tokeep, more robust, and less expensive tobuy and care for than tropical fish – yetthey are lively to watch and available in abrilliant array of warm colors. Unlike manytropical ornamental fish species, goldfishare not shoal fish, but they are very socia-ble and should not be kept alone.

Goldfish are the oldest ornamental fishknown to man. Magnificent golden andreddish colored goldfish were bred inChina more than 1000 years ago, and theyare still regarded as one of China’s symbolsof wealth and luck. There are more hybridsof the goldfish than any other fish – al-though, not every breed is suitable for aneasy-to-keep aquarium.

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Easy-to-keep coldwater fish

GoldfishCarassius auratus

“Regular” Goldfish have a slender,elegant shape. Their colors rangefrom golden yellow, orange, andreddish – to red with white mottles.

Paradise fishMacropodus opercularis

These are attractive fish whosemales are often aggressive to-wards each other. Be certain tokeep only one male Paradise fish.

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Comet Tail – Sarasa

This is a longer-finned variant of the red-and-white Sarasa goldfish.

Shubunkin

The body and thin shape of this fish resem-bles that of a normal goldfish. The Shubun-kin, however is a blue and orange piebaldwith black spots distributed all over thebody.

SunfishLepomis gibbosus

Sunfish are peaceful coldwaterfish that add variation in bodysize and color to a coldwateraquarium.

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Special fancy goldfish

You’ll find Veiltail goldfish in a vari-ety of colors and shapes…

Veiltail goldfish have double caudal fins. Their very com-pact body shape and prolonged fins are characteristic.You should not keep them together with very active hybrids as they are slow swimmers. Veiltail goldfish hybrids require warmer water (page 9).

Ryukin Veiltail

This Veiltail variant is particularlypopular in Japan. It has a short,deep body that is often coloredred and white, and a characteristichump between the head and dorsalfin.

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…such as this exotic variation.

Pearlscale

The Pearlscale has a well-roundedbody, and is easily recognized byits distinctive domeshaped scales –resembling pearl beading.

Red-Cap Oranda

The body shape of this fish resem-bles that of a Veiltail. Red-capshave a white body with a red “cap”on top of their head.

Lionhead

The name of this fish refers to thecolorful excrescence that coversthe whole head.

Overbreeding of goldfish has produced hybrids that most likelysuffer due to their shape. We do not recommend them for youraquarium and, consequently, have not shown them in this guide.

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Aquatic plants

An abundance of plants not only creates a welcoming at-mosphere in your aquarium, but plants also play an impor-tant role in the biological pollution breakdown process andproduction of oxygen. You'll find detailed informationabout keeping aquarium plants in our guide “Feedingaquatic plants, according to nature.”

Since goldfish like to nibble ataquatic plants, we suggestbuying plants with leatheryleaves, such as Anubias:

Dwarf Anubias Congensis Giant Anubias(Anubias barteri var. nana) (Anubias congensis) (Anubias barteri)

Java Fern Giant Vallisneria Moneywort(Microsorium pteropus) (Vallisneria americana) (Lysimachia nummularia)

Fast growing plant species such as Hornwort, BrazilianPennywort and Waterweed are recommended, especiallyfor younger goldfish.

Water Hyssop Tropica Swordplant Java Moss(Bacopa monnieri) (Echinodorus bleheri) (Vesicularia dubyana)

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The optimum water temperature dependson the variety of goldfish you will be keep-ing. Simple, robust goldfish, such as Shu-bunkin and Sarasa feel best at room tem-perature (18 – 24°C / 64 – 75°F), or slightlycooler during winter. Delicate hybrids,such as Veiltails, require temperatures upto 27°C / 80°F, making conditions too warmfor other hybrids. We recommend the sera

The best temperatures for keeping goldfishaquarium thermometer to help you recog-nize instantly when the water temperatureis either too high or too low.

Never keep goldfish in round bowls. Fishmovements cause vibrations in the waterthat are reflected onto the fish by the bentglass. Consequently, the fish is continuallyreceiving its own echo through its lateralline organ. This causes permanent stress,and the disease resistance of the goldfishweakens. This is just one of the many rea-sons not to use a round bowl for youraquarium set up.

Large filters for cleanest water conditionsFor large fish, such as the goldfish, we rec-ommend using high performance filters toreduce the maintenance time and effort onyour part. The sera internal biofilters B 200and B 400 clean the aquarium water bothmechanically and biologically. To achievemaximum filtration, equip filters with theappropriate filter media such as sera filterwool and sera biofibres to collect the larg-er dirt particles (e.g., uneaten food or deadalgae parts). sera biopur and sera siporaxprovide the ideal settling conditions foruseful filter bacteria – as is contained insera nitrivec – which biologically removespollutants from the water.

Basic parameters for a coldwater aquarium

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Five easy steps to a finished aquarium

Prepare the ground layer

Technical equipment

Water conditioning

Fill your aquarium with a maximum 2 cm (0.8 inch) layer of sera floredepot plant sub-strate. • Cover this with a 5 cm (2 inch) layerof freshly washed, dark, fine grained aquari-um gravel. During the “start” phase, serafloredepot supplies theplants with the nutri-ents they require forstrong roots and lushgreen foliage. • Build aminiature underwaterlandscape from wellcleaned rocks and rootsthat have been rinsed withhot water.

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Now you can install the serainternal biofilter B 200 or B 400 according to the sizeof the aquarium, or chooseone of the adjustable serainternal filters F. • Add asera aquarium heater. Yourspecialty retailer can ad-vise you on the model.

To prevent the water from gouging a holein the gravel-bed when filling the tank,place a small plate on the gravel to pourthe water onto. • Use water of approxi-mately 18 – 24°C / 64 – 75°F, and fill theaquarium two-thirds full. • Remove the plate. • Next,condition the water withsera aqutan to bind anyheavy metals, neutralizechlorine and soluble salts,and help protect the mu-cous membrane of thefish you will be addinglater. • Add sera mineralsalt to provide anymissing minerals.

Once the plants are in place, finish fillingthe aquarium and add sera nitrivec nitrify-ing filter bacteria to begin the pollu-tant breakdown process. • Take a“creative break” for 24 hours whilesera nitrivec establishes a fish-friendly biological environment.

Fish go through a stressful timewhen being introduced to a newaquarium. To help them adjust,switch off the aquarium lights. •Place the transportation bag onthe water, open it, and turn downthe edges by a few folds until the bagfloats open in the water. • Never pour thecontents of the transportation bag direct-ly into your aquarium! • Over the next half-hour, spoon aquarium water into the baguntil there is 2 to 3 times the originalamount. This helps the fish acclimatize tothe new water. • Then, using a fish net,transfer the fish into the aquarium. • Thecontents of the transportation bag mustbe poured down a drain.

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The sera guide “How to set up an aquari-um” provides detailed setup information,and sera – The CD offers a step-by-step filmon aquarium setups.

Plants4 Shorten the roots of yourplants to about 3 cm (1 inch)in length. • Using your fin-ger, make a hole in thegravel and insert the root.• Back-fill the hole withgravel. • Since goldfishlike to dig in the gravel,plants should be planted ingroups with stones aroundthem protecting the roots. • Fertilize your plants every 2 – 3weeks with sera florena liquid fer-tilizer, as well as sera florenette A,and sera floreplus tablets.

Fish5

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Robust health through proper feeding…

For high-energy and bright colors, yourgoldfish need a varied diet that meets theirnatural requirements. Because their stom-ach is intestine-like, goldfish must eat fre-quently but in small amounts. These highlyenergetic fish require a low protein, highcarbohydrate diet that is easily digested.Unlike tropical fish, goldfish are unable to

metabolize excess protein. If protein levelsare too high, the fish get fat and the pollu-tion level of the water increases dramat-ically. A diet that does not meet their naturalrequirements also leads to fading of theirvibrant colors.

sera goldfish foodssera’s special purpose goldfish foods are individuallyblended from more than 40 ingredients with natural andsupplemented vitamins, minerals, and trace elements; andthey contain less protein than other sera food types foryour goldfish’s low-protein metabolism. Each sera goldfishfood is carefully processed – with goldfish in mind – formaximum nutrient retention, easy digestion, and cleanerwater conditions.

sera goldy is a flake food for the daily feeding of all gold-fish. sera goldy contains Spirulina and wheat germ, and isyour all-season “power food.”

sera goldy Color is a granulated food with a rich supply ofnatural color-enhancing carotene – for promoting thesame vibrant colors in aquarium goldfish that they wouldmanifest naturally in the wild. sera goldy Color contains acareful selection of herbs and vitamins – a bonus for fancygoldfish, who can often be delicate to keep.

sera goldy Royal is our premium quality granulated foodfor goldfish, particularly fancy goldfish, who prefer to eatin the middle or deep water zones. sera goldy Royal sinksslowly, softens quickly, but maintains its consistency so itnever clouds the water.

Vitamins for coldwater fishColdwater fish are very agile and consumelots of energy. To help them maintain theirvitality and to support their natural im-mune defenses, we recommend supple-menting their diet with vitamins, especial-ly under these circumstances:

• Upon introduction to the aquarium• After each partial water change• To support recovery from injury or

disease• During the spawning period

sera fishtamin is a liquid vitamin additive that is drippedonto the food a few minutes before feeding.

sera activant is a blend of vitamins and trace elements in atablet form that supports vitality and enhances colorbrightness. Tablets can be added directly to the water, al-lowing the fish to nibble on them at will.

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Goldfish always appear to be hungry…butdon’t let them fool you! Feed them a max-imum of three times a day, but only asmuch as they can eat within a few minutes.We suggest one fasting day per week aswell.

sera recommends feeding your goldfish 2or 3 different food types to provide a var-ied diet. Feed one type of food per mealonly, and alternate at each meal. Purchasefood in small containers only. Opened foodquickly goes stale, and the valuable ingre-dients lose their efficacy.

…and vitamin supplements

Look for our sera guide “Water monitoringand conditioning, according to nature” fordetailed information on water parametersand how to test water.

For an in-depth look at changing, condition-ing, and biologically filtering your water, askfor our sera guide “Natural aquarium main-tenance and water filtration.”

Even with the best care and feeding, fishcan get sick once in a while. In our seraguide, “How to keep your ornamental fishhealthy,” we help you identify the causesthat lead to disease, recognize several dis-eases, and suggest a proactive approach toprevention.

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sera recommends conducting a partialwater change of 25 – 30% once a week. Thefresh tap water should be poured into acontainer, brought to the same tempera-ture as the aquarium water, and condi-

Aquarium care

tioned with sera aqutan to bindany heavy metals and protect themucous membrane of the gold-fish. Pour the water into theaquarium.

Add sera nitrivec to the aquarium water toensure quick recovery of the biological pu-rification cycle. Enrich the water with min-erals by using sera mineral salt if you live inan area with soft water.

We recommend checking a few of themore important water parameters on aweekly basis – and correcting them if nec-essary. sera test kits work with liquidreagents, are simple to use, and can detecteven small concentrations. We recommendthe following sera test kits initially:

GH Total hardnessKH Carbonate hardnesspH valueNH4/NH3 Ammonium/AmmoniaNO2 NitriteNO3 Nitrate

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Computer-based aquarium design

Whether you are new to aquarium keepingor you enjoy this fascinating aquatic hobbyalready, sera – The CD is the perfect firststep for your next aquarium design.

sera – The CD shows you to how to plan anaquarium based on one of our pre-designed theme aquariums, such as our“Coldwater Aquarium” or how to follow afew simple steps to design one of yourown. Choose and exchange fish, plants,and decorations from a vast selection ofoptions.

In addition to the “Coldwater Aquarium,”sera – The CD includes 8 other themeaquariums from exotic locales – all on film,and all customizable to your designs. Whenyour creation is complete, you can eitherprint a list of the contents to purchase andturn your design into a reality – or save it asa computer screensaver for a virtual “of-fice” aquarium!

sera – The CD is the idealtool for beginners and ex-perts alike – with more than1000 possible combinationsfor you to create your ownbiologically balanced aquar-ium. sera has even includeda “check-system” in its data-base, so you will never makean incorrect choice.

sera – The CD also includes a film and texton the basics of setting-up and keeping anaquarium, and an encyclopedia of fish andaquatic plants!

For detailed in-formation on sera – The CD,ask for ourbooklet “sera– Your DreamAquarium.”