AboutBenty Expertise GOT A QUESTION ABOUT:
Basic needs for specific fish, illnesses, best tankmates, breeding, water chemistry, tricks to safely cut corners, and/or “stupid” questions? Maybe I can help! :)
I like to explain why you do things in aquariums (like why to use spring instead of distilled, or what pH numbers mean, ect.) so you understand why and not just taking someone’s word for it. I also like giving answers where you have two choices so you can choose which is best for the time and money you can commit to your fish. I understand how tight money can be and how expensive fish related things get.
I will NEVER leave you with an “I don’t know.” Ever. I hate that. That would waste your time and that's just mean. :)
Puedo contestar tus preguntas en español también.
Experience I have had tropical fish since 1999. I currently have: a 55gal, ten 10gal, 3 five gallons, three 2gal, and a bunch of jars and bowls. At the time I'm typing this, I have: 14 angels, 13 goldfish, 73 bettas, 12 barbs, 5 catfish, too many guppies, 4 gouramis, 2 plecos, 10 loaches, bunch of swordtails, and probably a few others, lol.
I love to rescue fish. I've had everything from mutant danios, to one eyed goldfish, to my newest adoptee, a 2 year old betta with a MASSIVE tumor problem. He was brought to a pet shop and left there because the lady didn't know what to do with him. He's pretty scary looking. One of the guys at the store there I know let me have him. :D YAY! Elephant Man lives in a gallon bowl with pretty stones in my bathroom.
Plus!!!
I sell: veil, delta, halfmoon, plakat, and crowntail bettas as well as halfblack and blonde tuxedo fancy guppies. Ask me about it sometime.
Expert: Benty Date: 1/21/2008 Subject: I need some tips for the longest lasting fish!
Question Hello. I was wondering if you had any advice for a Goldfish's growth and life. I recently bought them (I have 2) a larger tank, because I hear that they can grow larger in a bigger environment. Is that true? And is there any types of food that will help them to have a longer life span? I know the average life span for a Goldfish is 20 years. I just want the best for my fish, and I picked you to help me out because you didn't seem so boring and professional! lol. Thank you!
I LOVE goldies! I have 13 myself! First off what kind of goldfish are your babies? Feeder (Comet), fantail, shubunkin, moor, ect? Here's a good website for the types and descriptions: http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/ftypes.html
They live 10-30 years. That factors in time from hatching to when you buy them too. Most are about 3 or 4 inches at the smallest. Any smaller and they are either malnourished and/or too young to be shipped due to the stress from it. They live a lot less. :( The oldest living Goldfish to date was a goldfish named Tish owned by Hilda and Gordon Hand of England. Tish lived for 43 years after being won at a fairground in 1956. Pretty crazy! Koi are different though, they live CRAZY LONG. One koi in Japan I know about is over 260 years old. He's outlived 3 of his owners.
Depending on the kind, they grow at the most 3 inches a year. So kinda factor how old they are first off.
And yep, nice big, clean tanks have healthier, larger, happier fish. What size did you get?
Varied diets are super important. Stuff like:
Goldfish flakes high in protein,
a little bit of brine shrimp (too much can cause swim bladder disorders),
cooked and unshelled peas (good to keep from dreaded constipation),
and lettuce or other clean greens.
Flakes or pellets should be the base of their diet. Just add in some other in place every day or so.
Common problems with goldies:
Constipation. Bad thing. Feed with greens kinda regularly, don't over feed, and you may never have this problem.
Ick. Evil dreaded white spots of death. Don't add anything (fish, plants, rocks) from a place that has it. Add salt to your water and you won't have it. Goldies need aquarium salt too.
Have just a box for bacteria infections on hand. They can happen sometimes out of the blue. They are hard to treat if you don't catch them quickly enough and having meds on hand is great. Maracyn 1 and 2 are weaker meds but easy to find (Walmart, general petshops). Tetracycline is great but be warned, all I've seen and have used turn your water into dark brewed looking tea with brown foam ontop. NASTY SIGHT! Good ones for popeye (eye either gets injured and turns white and kinda "pop"s up. also caused sometimes by infection) are kanamycin and ampicillin. Just have a box enough to treat for the recommended time (5 or so days) if something happens. Try not to get food meds because they are hard to use. Sick fish don't care too much about eating just like we don't care too much about chowing down on a burger when we have the flu.
If you want to know more about meds and stuff, I have a sheet of all the meds I have ever found and what they treat. I can email it to you if you want it. It's only like 3 pages.
Well, how big is your new tank? Got a pump?
Hey if you can't reach me on here cuz I'm maxed out, email me. bentyisthecoolest@yahoo.com
Glad to hear you honestly care about your fish. :)
Plus you like me!
... and that means I like you because of your great taste, lol.
