Goldfish Station

You will need plants in the spawning tank, and you will need live plants for spawning. Foxtail and horn-wart are the two best. Some breeders leave these to float in bunch at the top as well as having some that have been anchored.

Some hobbyists prefer breeding sponges, also known as spawning mops. These are floating sponges that are shredded but bunched at the end, and that float on the surface or near the surface of the water. They will never die, as live plants might. And again, some people are extremely afraid to use live plants, especially ones not home-grown, as no one knows what diseases or fungi they might be carrying. Both sponges and plants in spawning tanks are known as spawning media.

Don't place them all over the tank. Floating plants are generally anchored to the top of the aquarium so that they don't float around. The plants on the floor of the aquarium should also be anchored. Place the floating and anchored plants in one corner of the tank so that the eggs will not be all over the place. Generally, place them in the corner opposite the filter.

There are numerous fish that can be put in a pond. Here are some of the hardier of the pond breeds. Any metallic or calico coloration will be fine.

- Common Goldfish

- Comet Goldfish

- Black Moor

- Fantail Goldfish

- Pearl-Scale

- Subunkins

- Wakins

Depending on where you live, the Bubble-eye and the Black Bubble-eye are also considered hardy enough for pond life. Again, the weather must be toward the warmer side and there should be no sharp edges anywhere in the pond.

As with an indoor aquarium, you should make sure that you keep only like fish together. And take size into account as well. Ponds support larger fish. But a twelve-inch goldfish will not tolerate a two-inch inch goldfish for very long.

Especially if it's not fed enough.

Also known as water flea larvae, these are an excellent food for your goldfish. However, goldfish should be fed this type of food in moderation, since too much of this type of food may act as a laxative and cause serious digestive problems in your fish. Moderation is the key to everything. Daphnia are easily gotten from your local pet shop in small quantities, or it is also possible to culture them at home:

1. Fill ajar with an inch of topsoil. Tamp it down, but don't pack it hard. Some experts like to include manure, and some like to include baker's yeast as well.

2. Carefully pour in some water. Fill the jar until it is three quarters full.

3. Place the jar in the sun for a week. Wait for a good growth of algae. If there is not a good amount of algae, wait another week.

4. Add the Daphnia culture and wait ten to fourteen days.

And there you go, Daphnia! Never take more than one fifth of the culture, as this may keep the culture from recovering. You must feed the culture, and remember to continue to add brewer's yeast or manure during that time, several times a week. This culture will only last two to three weeks, but will provide at least two to three feedings a week for your goldfish.

Floating plants are highly recommended for goldfish but, unfortunately, for outdoor ponds only. These plants require great amounts of strong sunlight and generally grow much too large for aquarium use.

While they have been grown and maintained by experts, it is not recommended even for journeymen aquarists. If your heart is set on floating plants, however, the three recommended are water hyacinth, duckweed and Riccia (crystalwort).

Euphoria erassfpes (Water Hyacinth) Also known as the water hyacinth, this lusty plant is found all over the United States. It grows so quickly that it has been known to make waterways impassable. These plants provide great shading for the fish and make the water both oxygen and nutrient rich. This is one of the best plants for goldfish, as the root system is also ideal for egg laying. When the flowers bloom, they may grow as high as twelve inches. The flowers of water hyacinths grown indoors last for less than twenty-four hours.

Lemna minor (Duckweed)

Also known as duckweed, this plant floats on top of the water in no fewer than two egg-shaped leaves at a time. They have a Sigel root. These are much more delicate plants than water hyacinths, but are certainly hardy. They propagate quickly. Like water hyacinths or water lilies, duckweed will quickly cover a small pond. It needs lots of light and will respond in kind.

Riccia Also known as crystal-wart, this is an ideal plant for goldfish. It can be used for egg laying, for nourishment and for shade. Its root system is softer than the hyacinth's, and allows for various uses by adult goldfish as well as their small fry. Riccia needs a minimum of six hours of light a day. Their only danger is that they do tend to have parasites. When you buy them, make sure that you have only the healthiest-looking specimens.

Metallic Varieties At sixty days metallic fry will begin to lose their olive-green color and become a pale orange or yellow. They sometimes get darker just before they change color. To improve color, sunlight is very important to goldfish, as are water temperature and diet. Any fish that does not have a relatively deep color by twelve months of age should be culled.

Nacreous or Calico Varieties These will start to develop colors in their second month. While blues usually show up much later, orange and black are usually the first colors. Some experts recommend that you keep your top calicos at least two years before making the final culling, as their colors change over time. Darker colors in young fish tend to stick, and as stated previously, these are thought to be the most highly prized of these types.

Matt Varieties Matt varieties of any breed are usually wonderfully different. They can easily be picked out by their solid black eyes and flat pink bodies. These can be picked out at quite a young age.

It is important to follow the steps described below. While goldfish are a hardy breed, they are not the best travelers, and tend to go into shock during transportation and introduction into a new tank.

1. When you get home, take the plastic baggies of fish and place them in the tank without opening them. This helps to allow the temperature in the bag to acclimate to the temperature of the tank. Let it sit for ten or fifteen minutes.

2. Open the bag and let air get in it. Take a handful of water from the tank and pour it into the bag. Let this stand for other ten or fifteen minutes.

3. Lift the bag out of the aquarium and discard half to two thirds of the water in the bag (you don't want to dump a lot of water from someone else's aquarium into your own). Place a fishnet in front of the bag just to make sure the fish don't accident swim out. Pour some more water from your aquarium into the bag and let it sit for another five to ten minutes.

4. Dump the remaining contents of the bag into your tank, fish and all.

Note: It is important to know that you really should buy and introduce into the aquarium all your goldfish within three to six weeks of each other. Introducing a new goldfish much later, after the fish have already set up certain patterns, may result in aggressive behavior, disrupting the tank. All the fish should be of approximately the same size and age.

A white cottony growth on the mouth, this fungus sometimes spreads toward the gills. This is caused by a bacterium known as Flexibacter. If left untreated for any amount of time it will destroy the entire mouth region of a goldfish and lead to its eventual death.

Again, commercial cures are available. I strongly suggest that you follow their directions to the letter. If you want to, you can begin a salt-water treatment right away if the stores are closed or if commercial chemicals are unavailable. Some people will start a salt bath and then use a general commercial fungal or bacterial control. Consult your pet store owner once you have made your diagnosis.