by Jane Grimshaw

Created on: February 10, 2010   Last Updated: February 12, 2010

Goldfish have been kept as pets for many years, and this is mainly because they are very hardy and require considerably less work than most other pets. They do, however, thrive best when kept in clean and healthy water conditions, which is why it is very important to keep the contents of your goldfish bowlin peak condition. Providing you set your goldfish bowl up correctly in the first place, weekly maintenance shouldn’t take you too long at all. You will then only need to carry out a more lengthy clean once a month.

Setting up your goldfish bowl:

The first thing to bear in mind when you decide on a goldfish bowl is that they are only really suitable for one goldfish. Two or three fish may be kept in one as long as they are only small, but remember that they will grow! The golden rule is to have 1 inch of fish to every gallon of water. 

To prepare your bowl:

1. Make sure that the bowl is nice and clean before adding anything to it - even if your bowl is new it may be a good idea to give it a quick rinse out with water to remove any dust particles.

2. Rinse some aquarium gravel to remove any dust and dirt, and then spread it evenly over the bottom of the bowl.

3. Add fake plants and place them between the stones - if you prefer to use live plants, then these will need to be added after the water has been put in.

4. Fill the bowl up with water until it is about 2 inches from the top - you can use tap water with the addition of water conditioning tablets, or bottled drinking water.

5. Attach the water filter to the top of the bowl - filtration is very important in any aquarium as it prevents the build-up of nitrogen based toxins and helps to oxygenate the water.

6.  Finally, leave the bowl to stand for 24 hours before adding any fish, as this will allow any chlorine to evaporate and will bring the water nicely up to room temperature.

Weekly bowl clean

The filter in your bowl should help to prevent the water from becoming cloudy and will make this task relatively quick and easy to perform - and there is no need to remove the fish! Begin by removing half the water from the bowl and then replace it with prepared tap water or bottled drinking water - it is best to prepare tap water the day before by placing the required amount in a clean vessel. This will allow the chlorine to evaporate and the temperature to settle. You can also use a small aquarium vacuum to agitate the gravel a little, as this will help to

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