my goldfish.

Hi, Tammie,

Congrats on getting your new pet and welcome to our forum.

If the belly is fat, that can sometimes mean that it's pregnant, but sometimes it means that it eats too much. In a short time, you'll know, but careful with overfeeding, because goldfish or famous for overeating. Ask your parents to help you with controlling the food, if you have any doubt about how much. I recall a small piunch 2 or 3 times per day is fine.

OK, I'm correcting my last reply as it would result in overfeeding and probably would shorten the life of the fish.

Also, please know that you need to change the water in your small fish bowl regularly so that the fish will live longer, too. As a general rule, change a quarter to half of the water (same temperature) about once per week.

I'm assuming (by your nick ...2002) that you're quite young. If I'm wrong forgive me.

Ask your folks (once you can show you can take care of the goldfish), if you can get another goldfish so that your #1 fish can have a buddy. They live more than twice as long if they have goldfish company.

"You should feed you goldfish only as much as they will eat in one minute or use the size of the eye as a guide as it's about the size of the stomach. It does not hurt for the fish to go a day or two per week without eating. Just remember that no person goes out and feeds the wild fish every day; they sometimes go without eating for weeks or even months at a time. "

If you know how to use links so you can read more info, click here:
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Goldfish-Live-for-Decades

Goldfish are very easy to keep and very sturdy pets. Don't misunderstand what steps I'm advising. These steps will help it live for many years - not just weeks.

Be careful where you place your tank.

Don’t place it near radiator and don’t place it near a window or door. Doing so can cause your tank to change temperatures rapidly .

Don’t place it somewhere where the sun shines on it through all the day. Doing so can cause the tank to overheat and also causes algae (green scum) to grow.

What type of goldfish is it ? Is it a fantail ? Bugeye ? These have naturally large bellies.