Toxic waste can quickly build up in an aquarium with potentially dangerous consequences for goldfish. It is important to keep the water clean and healthy with regular weekly water changes.

It is usually only necessary to change between 20 and 30 percent of the water volume, but this depends on how many goldfish are in the tank and how often they are fed. If disturbing the gravel produces a lot of debris, remove more of the water.

Another important point is that over the course of a week water will evaporate from the goldfish tank. It is not enough to simply top up the water. The toxic waste is left behind, and becomes more and more concentrated if the tank is only topped up.

Scrape any alga from the glass with a razor blade or credit card, then siphon off the waste water and debris. Make sure the replacement water has been treated with dechlorinator, or left in a bucket overnight with an air pump in it. Then slowly pour it into the goldfish tank.

If a goldfish is displaying the symptoms of any goldfish illness, start with a water change to see if it helps. Finally, monitor the quality of the water with a nitrate level testing kit.

Another benefit of regular water changes is that the goldfish will get used to the human contact and begin to interact when the aquarium is being cleaned.

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