Gone are the days when a visit to a fair might have resulted in winning a small goldfish, handed over swimming in a tiny plastic bag to be transferred to a small, round goldfish bowl a few hours later. And rightly so. Even goldfish need to be treated correctly to avoid causing suffering and distress.

It is recommended that one goldfish requires about 25 litres of water in which to swim around. So, make sure your fish have an adequate sized tank, fitted with a filter which will help keep the water clean. Tap water in the UK has been treated with chemicals which make it safe for us to drink but these can be harmful to your fish. You can use tap water but make sure you allow the water to stand for several hours first to allow the chemicals to dissipate before introducing your pet to it.

Fish can be shocked by water that is too cold or too warm. You will most likely bring your fish home from the pet shop in a plastic bag full of water. Allow the bag, with the fish still inside it, to float on top for an hour or so until the water in the bag is roughly the same temperature as the tank water. Open the bag, allowing a little tank water in, gradually adding more and more until there is more tank water in the bag. Eventually you can allow your fish to swim freely in the tank.

The bottom of the fish tank should be covered in gravel as fish like to root around the bottom looking for food. Live plants help to oxygenate the water as well as providing a food source. There is plenty of commercially produced dried fish food available. Make sure you don’t overfeed, as this will make the water murky.

Depending on how good your filter is will depend on how often you will need to change the water in the tank. However, it is best to only change about one third of the water at any time, making sure you take the same precautions with temperature and chemicals in tap water, which has already been mentioned above.

With proper care and attention, your goldfish could reach the ripe old age of 20!