No goldfish bowl!
Never put your goldfish in a jar! A jar is not an aquarium, it doesn't have enough capacity to hold a fish, it will be prey to diseases and permanent stress. Too frequent water changes, rapid water pollution, unsuitable temperature, etc... It is not suitable for placing plants and equipment necessary for fish, therefore its use should be banned. Only an aquarium of good size allows a dignified life for common and Asian goldfish.
The right aquarium
There are two ways to choose your aquarium: determine the size of the aquarium according to the number of fish you want, or determine the number of fish according to the size of the aquarium you can install.
Here's a rule of thumb: 50 liters minimum per goldfish.
Having a filter is absolutely mandatory, and just as important as the littering of your aquarium. It is also necessary to adapt the size of the aquarium with the size of your fish, as the fish grow, they will need more space. If possible, choose an aquarium with a slightly larger capacity than your needs. This will allow the fish to grow better and faster.
Once you have decided what size your aquarium should be, you will have several options for purchasing an aquarium: a fully equipped aquarium with a lighting gallery and accessories (filters, heating, etc.), an aquarium with a lighting gallery only, or a bare glass tank.
For the beginner aquarist, I recommend the fully-equipped aquarium to familiarize yourself with the equipment. For the experienced person, an aquarium and lighting gallery will be more suitable, as they will be able to adapt their accessories to their needs. Finally, for the handymen and experts in aquariophily a glass tank may be the best solution.
The goldfish, regardless of its variety, is a large fish that needs a swimming space. Your aquarium should be at least 30 to 40cm high. The longer the better it will be for your fish, the 80cm minimum. This way they can swim more freely, their muscles will work and their health will be better. Glue-glass aquariums are the strongest and most popular.
For a good start, I recommend a 100-liter aquarium with 2 small goldfish (less than 10cm, without the tail). The larger an aquarium is, the easier it is to maintain, and the easier it is to achieve biological balance. You will have more problems with small volumes of water.
So you're going to tell me: "aquariums are expensive and I don't have the room to take a big one". And I would answer you that in this case, you should not start aquarium keeping, because like any passion it has a financial cost, but no more than any other, especially if you start with good bases. When instead, yes, a goldfish aquarium takes up space, so if you can't have an aquarium of at least 100 liters at home, turn to nano-aquariums that can accommodate other species of smaller fish, invertebrates, and plants.
My recommendations
For a good start
Example of a shopping list to start with goldfish. The brands and models listed are to guide you through the multitude of accessories and manufacturers. I recommend them to you for having tested them and to use them daily. Be careful, you don't take the fish at the same time as the equipment, the aquarium needs to be run in for 4 weeks before introducing the fish.
- 2 Goldfish
- 1 Aquarium of 100 minimum, equipped with light and filter
- 1 Strip test package (example: JBL Test 6in1)
- 1 Bacteria dose to start your filter (example: Tetra SafeStart)
- 1 Bag of about 10 liters of gravel (example: JBL Manado)
- 1 Manual siphon
- 1 Magnet for windows
- 1 Net, fine-mesh
- 1 Box of food, in granules (example: Tetra Goldfish Japan)
- 1 Anubia barteri (plant)
- 1 Java fern (plant)
- 2 Cladophora (plant)
- 2 Small mangrove roots
The selected plants do not require additional fertilizer at the bottom of the aquarium, they settle on the roots. For very tight budgets think about second-hand aquariums, you can find 100 liters for not too expensive, and close to home, on free online ads sites.
To replace the jar
Did you get a goldfish as a gift, or did you win one at a party? The first reflex was to take a jar or a pseudo aquarium of about 20 liters? It's a bad start, but fortunately, you can fix it quickly. If you're a minor, you'll have to convince your parents to invest in an aquarium. The best way to inform them is to have them read our articles.
If the purchase of an aquarium is still not possible, then the best thing to do is to separate yourself from your goldfish for his well being. You can leave an ad for free on our forum, and especially on the free online ads sites to reach people in your area more quickly. If they are common goldfish, comets, or Shubunkin the best is to place them in a pond. For Asian varieties look for someone who owns a large aquarium.
If the purchase of an aquarium is possible (available space + budget) it is perfect. For the small budgets think of the second-hand aquariums. Sometimes the decision-makers (parents) only agree for an aquarium of average size 50 to 60 liters, even if it remains little it will always be preferable to the jar. Moreover, an aquarium of this literate allows you to have an effective filtration.