The Water Keeper
We are keepers of water, not keepers of goldfish
by Stingr69
If you can afford the cost, a water test kit with test tubes would be a very worthy purchase. You will be able to see exactly what the water needs to be good for the fish and you will be able to measure your progress as your tank “cycles”. Once you get a fully cycled tank, the labor and cost to keep these fish will both go way way down. It is a win for you and a win for the fishies too.
Goldfish keepers who have been doing this for a long time will all agree – we are keepers of water, not keepers of goldfish. When the water is right, the fish will be happy. They get sick quickly because of bad water conditions. Water gets bad from multiple sources but the biggest source is the tremendous amount of waste the goldfish produce themselves. Filters do not remove this waste!
Carbon is not good for goldfish. It can put toxins back in the water after it has been in there a week or two.
Carbon is fine for tropical fish but not these guys.