07 Buying guides
Equipment, researched
What to buy for a goldfish tank or pond, and why. These are researched recommendations, labelled as such, kept separate from the care and health content, and written to be useful whether or not you buy anything.
Contents
9 guides, each with its reasons.
For the tank 7
- The best tanks for goldfish Goldfish need floor space more than height and volume more than most shops admit. These are the tanks we would choose for one fancy, a group, or a pair of adult single-tails. 5 picks
- The best filters for goldfish Goldfish need more filtration than almost any other aquarium fish their size. These are the filters we would choose, and why, for tanks from 75 litres to indoor ponds. 6 picks
- The best aquarium test kits for goldfish keepers You cannot see ammonia, nitrite or a falling pH. These are the test kits we would use to keep a goldfish tank in check, from cycling through years of routine checks. 5 picks
- The best goldfish food The best goldfish diet is varied and mostly sinking. These are the prepared foods we would build it around, from everyday pellets to gel food, and what each does well. 6 picks
- The best heaters for a goldfish aquarium A goldfish heater is a floor under the temperature, not a source of heat. That makes the lowest setting the number that matters, and it is the one number most heaters get wrong for this fish. 4 picks
- The best air pumps for goldfish aquariums A goldfish tank can run short of oxygen, most of all when it is warm and crowded in summer. These are the air pumps we would pair with a sponge filter or air stone, sized by tank. 5 picks
- The best siphons and gravel vacuums for goldfish A goldfish water change moves a lot of water and a lot of settled waste. The specification that decides how that goes is the bore of the tube, and the thing that decides whether it happens weekly is whether you have to carry it in buckets. 3 picks
For the pond 2
- The best pond pumps for goldfish A goldfish pond fails at the pump before anywhere else, because goldfish waste is solid, heavy and constant. Solids handling is the specification that decides whether the pump is a weekly chore, and the flow figure on the box is measured with no lift at all. 3 picks
- The best UV clarifiers for a goldfish pond UV is a pond tool for green water, not a tank one. Sizing it turns on two figures the box does not always lead with — the dose, which makers size as wattage divided by flow, and the volume rating for a pond that actually has fish in it. 3 picks
How to read these
Three kinds of recommendation
- Researched recommendation
- Summarised from manufacturer specifications and widely reported keeper experience. We have not tested it ourselves and say so.
- Editorial opinion
- Our view on a category or approach, based on how goldfish are best kept, rather than on a specific product.
- Tested by us
- Reserved for products we have used hands-on in our own tanks. Nothing carries this label yet.
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