Aeration and your goldfish tank
Aeration increases the dissolved oxygen content of your tank’s water, which your goldfish need to breathe, and also helps rid your tank of waste gases like nitrate, too much of which can be lethal to your goldfish. Think of a glass of water that you left out on your kitchen counter overnight – it has a flat, stale taste. Your kitchen faucet probably has an aerator to make your tap water taste better. Water needs to be continually agitated – or aerated. For your goldfish, this staleness is potentially harmful. Keeping your tank’s water aerated, and therefore oxygenated, is perhaps the easiest task in goldfish care. All you need is your tank’s regular filter, which circulates the water. If your tank does not have a filter, get an airstone, which will create bubbles of air in your tank, bringing in more oxygen, which your fish will appreciate. If nothing else, take a glass of water out of your tank and slowly, gently dribble the water back into your tank.
