When you think of a typical goldfish as depicted in cartoons and caricatures, it’s likely you’re thinking of either the common goldfish or the humble little comet fish. They look similar, but the comet fish is a little smaller and boasts a signature forked tail fin. While both are popular for their vibrant colours, comet fish tend to have a much wider variety of colours available than the common goldfish.
If you’ve ever raised a common goldfish before, you probably already have a reasonable understanding of how to raise a comet fish: they aren’t exactly the same, but close enough. Now, they do say that “close enough” is only good for playing horseshoes or tossing hand grenades, but there are a few little tips you might want to keep in mind if you’re planning on raising one or more lovely little comet fish in your home:
01. Give Them Enough Space to Thrive
Comet fish start out at around 7-9 cm long, fairly typical for a little goldfish, but they have been known to grow as big as 30 cm as adults. That’s pretty big, and if you want to give yours a great place to survive and thrive, you’ll need a big enough tank or pond. Try to aim for around 150-200L capacity for a single comet fish, and bigger (even double the capacity) for two or more.
Not only are comet fish keen on growing big, but they also love to swim about. Surely it’s one of their many appeals as an owner, but it also means that the tank should be comfortable enough for them to swim a few Olympic laps with ease.
02. Keep the Water at a Good Temperature
The water is extremely important to a comet fish (for obvious reasons), and since fish don’t really know what water is, you’ll have to decipher it for them. They love to live in conditions like their natural habitat, with waters at around 18–21°C and slightly acidic in pH.
The water should be cool (but not cold), well oxygenated, and filtered regularly. Try and remove a quarter of the tank’s water and replace it with clean water once per week. These little fellas like to “make poopies” a fair bit, so get yourself a good filter and clean some of that waste out.
03. Feed Your Comet Fish a Varied Diet
Comet fish do just fine on flakes and pellets, but they certainly won’t mind a tasty little treat once in a while. Give them a bloodworm or two, brined shrimp, or boil some vegetables whole and chop them nice and small as a little reward for looking so fancy in your home.
Try and keep up a consistent feeding schedule twice daily (three times is okay too, if you’re mindful enough), and try to make sure they eat everything in a couple of minutes. Overfeeding isn’t good for goldfish, and comet fish won’t like it either.
04. Make Their Environment Exciting but Also Private
Comet fish should have a pleasant little environment that has fun features for them to swim around in, but also some private spaces where they can chill out alone from time to time. Decorate your tank well, but avoid anything with sharp edges like rock formations, and don’t hesitate to swap around decor to keep things exciting.
05. Keep Your Comet Fish Healthy and Happy
Comet fish are extremely popular, so it makes sense that many Australian households find them to be quite good pets to keep. That being said, some owners have been neglectful, and this shortens their lifespan significantly.
You should try to follow the above tips and give them good care, and you could see a lifespan of around 15 years or perhaps longer from your little comet fish.
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