This page will list some of the required equipment for goldfish aquariums and what they're used for, though bear in mind that you'll want to make sure any equipment matches your tank requirements, obviously the larger the tank, the more powerful a filter you'll need.
- The filtration system is arguably the most important piece of equipment for your aquarium. The two most common types are the Sponge filters and the Power filters. Sponge filters use rising air bubbles to draw water slowly through a sponge which acts as both a physical filter, trapping debris physically, and a biological filter, allowing bacteria to grow which converts extremely harmful ammonia from fish waste into only somewhat harmful nitrates. The power filters essentially do the same thing, but they use a motor to draw water through their sponges and not rising air. There are many other filtration systems available but these are the most common.
- Lighting systems can be as simple or complex as you want them to be. There are aquarium lights that use all kinds of different bulbs but the most recommended are flourescent because they don't tend to get as hot as many of the others. LED lighting systems are another good choice but halogen are also popular. I would recommend getting a lighting system that incorporates a timer so that your fish can have a regular light schedule that corresponds with normal daylight. Some lighting systems even allow you to have blue light overnight to simulate the appearance of the moon.
- Siphon pumps are important in that they allow you to quickly change the water in your tank.
- I recommend that you obtain some large pebbles or rocks, anything big enough that your fish won't be able to fit in its mouth and heavy enough that your pump won't draw up to cover the bottom of your tank.
- Two buckets of the same size so changing water is easy.