Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!
Earn 2X Pals Rewards points at Petco
when you use Petco Pay!
Get It Today
Learn how to pick the right aquarium plants, substrate, lighting, and fertilizers to ensure that your aquarium plants thrive and stay healthy.
Updated on July 17th, 2026
Learn how to care for freshwater community fish, recommended diet & aquarium setup. Find the right food, supplies & equipment at your neighborhood Petco.
Updated on April 9th, 2026
Learn how to care for semi-aggressive fish, recommended diet & aquarium setup. Find the right food, supplies & equipment at your neighborhood Petco.
Updated on April 9th, 2026
Although you may not realize it, aquaculture is something that touches our lives on a regular basis. Read more about what exactly aquaculture is, why it is important.
Updated on October 23rd, 2025
Habitattitiude™ commits to environmental protection by not releasing unwanted fish into public areas.
Updated on October 23rd, 2025
Check water chemistry first. Use a home test kit or submit a water sample for testing. The local Petco may do this for free or for a small fee. Aim for an absence ( 0 ppm) of ammonia and nitrites with nitrates at 20 ppm or less. Perform partial water changes, no more than 30% at a time, to stabilize chemistry and/or to improve water quality. Use only conditioned water that is temperature matched to prevent stress or shock. Check water temp as well. Any of these can drive a fish to the surface. The "flashing" (darting about) can be due to infection (bacterial, fungal or parasites). Consider a broad spectrum antibiotic or an "all in one" product to treat multiple infections. Look in the Aquarium section of the local Petco for options. Follow label directions carefully and remove the carbon filter insert during treatment if indicated.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Thanks for reaching out about you fish. It is believed to be a Comet goldfish. Water quality and nutrition is the key to success. Testing water parameter for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate will give you guidance for a healthy environment. Purchased food should be rotated out every 3 months as vitamin C and other nutrients degrade over time. Trying to maintain water temperature can be challenging with out a heater, but most fresh water fish tolerate some changes. Good luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Thanks for your question about your fish, and congratulations on your new family members! I didn't see how recently the tank was set up, but there are a couple of things that could be going on. I would start by checking your water quality - any abnormalities in water quality can make fish have abnormal behaviors, and the water looks a bit murky in the photos you provided. There may be parameters that need to be addressed depending on what you find. If you do not have a water quality kit, they can be purchased at the pet store or an aquarium store, or you can take a sample of your water in for evaluation to these places as well. Some will charge a small fee for this service, just so you are prepared. Also, with recent tank set ups, it can be stressful for fish as they are in a new habitat. I would recommend keeping the light on for only a few hours per day to start, as the bright lights can be shocking for them (since fish don't have eyelids). Gradually you can increase the length of time that the lights are on so that you reach a cycle of 10-12 hours of light and 12-14 hours of darkness for them. I hope this gives you a place to start, and I wish you and your mom the best with the new pets!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
There are several causes that can provoke these signs fro water imbalances to specific diseases like swim bladder ones. This problem requires a quite radical but logic approach. Begin by submitting a water sample for quality testing. Most pet stores will do this for free or a nominal fee. High ammonia levels, PH imbalances may be responsible for that. Oxygen concentration and quality of the filters should be determined as well. If water quality is good and there are no major imbalances, your fish should get examined to look for any sign of bacterial/fungal infection and eventually water should be treated. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
The majority of the acclimation guide is intended for introducing animals recently purchased online into a quarantine environment that have been inside a dark box for 24+ hours and the water quality is most likely degraded from waste. Hopefully you followed these steps before introducing your pond animals into their quarantine environment. After the quarantine period the acclimation from this environment should be relatively easy and quick – given the water parameters in the quarantine environment are ideal and similar to your pond. The best way to move the fish would be to put them in a 5 gal. bucket and float the bucket in the pond for at least 30 minutes so the temperature in the bucket can gradually reach the same temperature as the pond. Make sure you do this in a shady spot of the pond or during a time period when the bucket will not be in the sun. In order to keep the bucket from tipping it may take some creativity but it may be as simple as using a wooden pole laid across the pond centered through the bucket handle to achieve this. Make sure to add a small air-stone to the bucket to agitate the surface so the oxygen and pH levels don’t change. From there you can gradually introduce pond water to the bucket and remove the mixed water until you are confident that the majority of the water left in the bucket is water from your pond (should take no more than 20-30 minutes). From there, gently scoop the fish out and place them in the pond and discard the water from the bucket.
Updated on September 24th, 2025