Month: March 2011

How To Calculate Water Volume In Goldfish Pond? Pond Volume Calculator

Post author By GoldfishCare
Post date March 13, 2011
1 Comment on How To Calculate Water Volume In Goldfish Pond? Pond Volume Calculator

You should know how to calculate your pond water volume for your water garden. You should know how much water is in your pond not just for the purpose of knowing how big of a pond pump you should buy but you should know in case your goldfish in your pond ever get sick. Sooner or later it’s inevitable that you will come across goldfish diseases and parasites that you will need to treat with fish medication.
Here’s how you figure out your pond volume simply by taking three measurements:

Always Know How To Calculate Pond Water Volume For Water Treatments or For Treating Goldfish Diseases

Length x Width x Average Depth x 7.49 US Gallons

1 foot x 1 foot x 1 foot = 1 cubic foot

1 cubic foot of water is equal to 7.49 US Gallons

To give you an example of calculating the pond water volume of my pond I’ll show you.

65 feet (length) x 22 feet (width) x 4 feet (average depth) = 5720 cubic feet
5720 cubic feet x 7.49 US Gallons = 42,842.8 gallons

The pond in the photo below is one of my parents, I’ll calculate their pond water volume as I forget now how much water their water garden holds.

10 feet (length) x 15 feet (width) x 3 feet (average depth) x 7.49 US Gallons =
3370.5 Gallons

You should always know how to calculate your pond water volume for your goldfish or koi pond. Sometimes you will need to treat your pond for diseases or to do water treatments. I hope that your goldfish stay healthy and live free of fish diseases but in case they get sick now you have your own pond water volume calculator formula here for you.

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”

Tags calculate pond water volume, Fish Pond, Goldfish, goldfish care, Goldfish diseases, goldfish diseases and information, pond volume calculator, Water Gardens and Ponds

Aquarium Care Cycle A New Fish Tank Goldfish Goldfish Care How To

How To Cycle A Goldfish Aquarium and Fish Tank Faster Add Nutrafin Cycle?

Post author By GoldfishCare
Post date March 13, 2011
1 Comment on How To Cycle A Goldfish Aquarium and Fish Tank Faster Add Nutrafin Cycle?

Waiting for a fish tank to cycle will take some time as you anxiously wait to add more goldfish to your aquarium. As I’ve mentioned before it can take anywhere from 4-6 weeks to completely cycle an aquarium. The good news is that you can help speed this process up and cycle a fish tank faster. Want to know how?

In order to cycle a fish tank faster you need beneficial bacteria for your aquarium right. Think, do you have any friends of yours that currently have an aquarium with goldfish. If you do, ask them for a cup or so of aquarium gravel from their fish tank. This will contain an abundance of beneficial bacteria for your tank. This is what will speed up your cycling process.

Another thing you can do is add some beneficial bacteria to your fish tank. You can buy some at most pet stores. This is a liquid that contains bacteria that helps for new fish tank set ups and when you perform water changes. This will keep the levels of beneficial bacteria stable in your aquarium.

This is a method to help you cycle your fish tank faster. Please note however you need to still follow proper maintenance to keep the ecosystem running properly. Proper aquarium care will help your goldfish stay healthy and disease free.

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy

Feeding Goldfish & Koi Trout Feed Pellets Bad For Health Care of Pond Fish

Post author By GoldfishCare
Post date March 12, 2011

Many people have probably fed their goldfish and koi fish trout pellets in their ponds or even aquariums but please don’t. Feeding goldfish and koi trout feed is really bad for the health of your fish. Taking proper care of your pond fish involves feeding them a well balanced diet that is nutrient rich. Your fish also require being fed different fish foods not the same one day after day. Feeding goldfish and koi fish a variety of foods is highly recommended for the overall health of your fish.
Feeding goldfish trout feed pellets is not recommended at all. Trout feed contains high levels of oils, high on fat content and is a poor choice of food for your fish. Yes many of you will say it’s cheaper to feed your goldfish and koi that then other brand name foods. Your right, it is! I myself can buy a 50 lb. bag of trout feed for roughly $20 where I live but is it worth it? I’ll be honest when I first got in the hobby I fed my goldfish and koi fish trout food before but once I started doing research on it I stopped. I noticed that by feeding fish trout food it was leaving an oil film on the water surface and was affecting the water quality and was a health concern for fish. Fish food such as trout pellets that is high in fat and oil can contibute to fatty liver disease in fish.

Lets think about it this way, imagine if we ate at McDonalds everyday. You can get a value meal pretty cheap! Think of the amount of fat that your consuming on a daily basis, would this be good for your health? Feeding trout food to your goldfish and koi is about the same. I’m not going to say that McDonalds food is not great as we all like to have a treat every so often. Who can say no to a BigMac? :)With trout food you may be getting more for your buck in terms of quantity but you are lacking on quality. When feeding your goldfish and koi please think of their overall health as they need a nutrient rich food low in fat, high in protein. Feed your fish the right food and they’ll love you for it and live a longer happier life.

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy

How To Properly Cycle A New Aquarium or Fish Tank For Your Goldfish?

Post author By GoldfishCare
Post date March 10, 2011

In order to cycle your new aquarium or fish tank you should know a little bit about the nitrogen cycle. What you are doing is trying to create a perfect ecosystem capable of holding life. How do you do that you ask, easy! There are several steps that you need to do in order to properly cycle a new aquarium, if not you’ll end up having problems with fish dying or becoming stressed which tend to lead to fish diseases. Through simple steps you can create a perfect ecosystem for your goldfish right in your home.

If your anything like me before getting into any new hobby you’ve probably done your research and browsed thousands of sites, read aquarium books and everything you need to know about goldfish. You’ve probably came across the term “New Tank Syndrome” which is basically where new aquarium hobbyist lose all their fish as a result of high levels of ammonia in their fish tank. This is because the aquarium was not properly cycled and they may have perhaps done some things wrong during the cycling process.

To Start Cycling A New Aquarium Only Add A Few Fish

What people need to understand that this is a new tank set up and their is no beneficial bacteria in the aquarium when you first begin. You need to get the fish tank cycled yourself to be able to sustain life. There need to be that beneficial bacteria in your aquarium in order to break down the fish waste. Goldfish create a lot of waste, which leads to ammonia which is very toxic to fish.

What you need to do to properly cycle your new aquarium or fish tank is add a few goldfish or an other type of fish to get the process going. Remember your fish tank should have at least 2 inches of aquarium gravel at the bottom of the tank. This is another place where the good beneficial bacteria will start to grow. You should also have the aquarium filter and pump running for at least 24 hours before introducing goldfish to your fish tank. What you don’t want to do is add too many goldfish at the start of the cycling process as this will lead to problems. To cycle a new aquarium you need to start off small with a few fish just to get some bacteria in the water and get the process started. Once fish are introduced the cycling process begins.

Now what will happen is your goldfish will begin eating, creating fish waste, which creates ammonia. The beneficial bacteria that is now growing inside the aquarium will break down the ammonia and form nitrite. What aquarium owners need to do is always test your water quality and record the readings during this process. When a new tank is being cycled ammonia levels will spike which can kill your goldfish. If your goldfish are showing signs of stress then you will need to lower your ammonia levels in your aquarium. Once the bacteria has broken down the ammonia into nitrite is yet another level of concern. High nitrite levels can poison and kill your fish and you need to test your water quality often during the cycling process. The nitrite will then be turned into nitrate which is relatively harmless to fish. When you do regular water changes is when you will remove the end product nitrate from your aquarium. This whole process is known as the nitrogen cycle. In order to properly cycle a new fish tank it can take anywhere from 4-6 weeks. Be patient!

When your cycling your fish tank you should do regular small water changes. I would do a 10% water change everyday or two. What a lot of people make mistakes at is doing very large water changes which is defeating the purpose of cycling it. If you do this your fighting a losing battle. I know people get scared that they are going to lose their fish when they see the readings of ammonia or nitrite they tested for, but don’t be. The beneficial bacteria is trying to colonize in the aquarium gravel, the filter media etc.. If you do lets say a 50% water change your basically going back to square one. Give it time! Do small water changes, test regularly, record readings and allow the time for the beneficial bacteria to grow. After your done cycling your new aquarium when you test for ammonia and nitrite you should not detect any, if you do your doing something wrong. Cycling a fish tank is easy as long as you follow the simple steps provided, don’t add to many fish to begin with and allow the time necessary for the beneficial bacteria to grow. Once your aquarium is cycled is when you really get to enjoy your new fish tank as you begin taking care of your goldfish.

***Tip, gradually add more goldfish to your aquarium that your tank is capable of holding to reduce the stress on your filter caused by the increased amount of fish waste being produced. Slow and steady wins the race!***

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”

How Often Should Water Quality Tests Be Done In Aquariums or Fish Ponds?

Post author By GoldfishCare
Post date March 9, 2011

Water quality tests in aquariums or fish ponds should be done as much as necessary. Goldfish and other types of fish require clean water to live a long healthy life and you are the only one that can provide that for your pet fish. There are several factors that will influence how often you should be testing your water quality in fish tanks and garden ponds.

1. Do you have a newly set up aquarium or fish pond?
2. Is this an established fish tank or pond?
3. Is your pond or aquarium overstocked with fish?
4. Has any fish recently died in your fish tank that would cause concern?
5. Do you notice a smell to the water or your aquarium or pond is cloudy?

If your aquarium or garden pond has just been set up it will take some time for it to cycle. Your aquarium or pond needs time for the beneficial bacteria to develop and grow to be able to break down fish waste. This is known as the nitrogen cycle. During the cycling process is when ammonia an nitrite levels will rise that can stress and even kill your fish. It’s very important that you test the water quality daily for fish tanks and ponds that have been newly set up. Do water quality tests for not just ammonia and nitrite but pH and nitrate too.

Remember just because the water quality is clear doesn’t mean it’s safe for your fish. Water quality tests need to be apart of your regular maintenance schedule. If you have an established aquarium, water quality tests should be done at least once a week unless you notice fish showing signs of stress, you’ve recently has some fish die, the water smells or has become cloudy. If you notice any of these above you need to test your water quality immediately. Fish tanks should never be overstocked, if you do you will need to test the water quality more frequently, do more water changes and maintenance.

For fish ponds you should test your water quality every 1-2 weeks. The reason for this is that you have a bigger volume of water, you have more space for your fish to live and grow and you have pond plants such as water lilies and marginals that will help filter your pond. This will help keep your water quality perfect and safe for your fish. If however you overstock your garden pond with fish, you don’t have an adequate filter system and you have no pond plants or water lilies, you will need to test your water quality more frequently. Water plants are excellent for pond filtration and pond owners should aim to have their pond 70% full of pond plants to have crystal clear water and to prevent algae blooms.

When taking care of fish in aquariums or garden ponds water quality tests should be done frequently. Water quality can turn poor quickly if you have an aquarium filter malfunction or if any fish has recently died. Another point to mention is that goldfish are a very dirty fish and create a lot of fish waste. Keep up to date with water changes, water quality checks and maintenance that will help keep your goldfish and other types of fish healthy and disease free.

****Never Overstock Your Aquarium or Garden Pond With Fish****

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”

Tags aquarium tests, Fish Pond, Goldfish, goldfish care, pond water quality tests, testing water, Water Gardens and Ponds, water quality tests

Aquarium Care Goldfish Goldfish Care Goldfish Ponds How To Water Treatments

How To Lower Nitrite Levels In Goldfish Aquariums and Garden Ponds?

Post author By GoldfishCare
Post date March 7, 2011
2 Comments on How To Lower Nitrite Levels In Goldfish Aquariums and Garden Ponds?

You should really only notice nitrite levels being high in new aquariums or small garden ponds that have newly been set up. As I’ve mentioned before in other blog posts is that it takes time for the nitrogen cycle to start working. It can take up to 4 weeks to properly cycle a new fish tank.

If you are experiencing high levels of nitrite in your goldfish aquarium or pond what you will need to do is make sure your goldfish are not showing any signs of stress. You really need to carefully observe your goldfish or any other types of fish you have in your aquarium. High levels of nitrite is extremely deadly! Nitrite can and will poison your fish and kill them quick.

Large Oranda Goldfish in Aquarium

If you do notice your goldfish are showing signs of stress you will need to lower your nitrite levels in your aquarium or garden pond. What you can do is perform a 25 – 30% water change immediately. This will reduce and dilute the presence of nitrite in your fish tank. After you do this I would also add aquarium salt to your aquarium right away. Aquarium salt will neutralize the toxicity of nitrite making it not harmful for your goldfish. Simply add 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per every gallon of water. Lots of aquarium owners fail to realize is that aquarium salt helps fish in many ways and helps heal fish. All aquarium and pond owners should have on hand some aquarium or pond salt as you never know when you might need it.

If however your goldfish are not showing signs of stress and this is a newly set up aquarium or pond, just leave it! It will take some time for it to cycle and develop all the beneficial bacteria. Once the tank is cycled and there is an abundance of beneficial bacteria it will break down the nitrite forming nitrate which is relatively harmless to fish. During this time that your aquarium is being cycled make sure you regularly test your water quality for nitrite and record the readings. Recording the readings will show you if the nitrite is lowering. Always observe your fish and be ready to do an immediate water change if your goldfish are showing any signs of stress. High nitrite levels need to be taken very serious as it can quickly kill all your fish if you fail to act promptly.

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”