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GoldFish
Your child wants a pet? Why not go
in for a goldfish?
Why Goldfish?
No one is disputing the fact that
a dog is man's best friend, but if you just look around you, you'll see
that there are a lot less families with dogs than without. Not because a majority of the population hates pets, but because they know that once you get a dog, it's gonna be all over the place, running into things, barking. Dogs need to be toilet trained, taken for regular walks, bathed, cleaned, they shed hair all over your house, they smell ikky and are a walking tick-shelter!
In spite and despite - dogs top the list of favourite pets - perhaps the
unselfish manner in which they love you makes is all worthwhile. But if
you'd rather take in a pet which is easier to adjust to, how about going
in for a goldfish? True, you can't cuddle up with it while watching television
and you can't expect it to run up aand greet you the minute you walk in
that door, but goldfish sure provide their own brand of fascination. However,
there are a lot of things you need to bear in mind.
Keeping healthy goldfish is not as easy as most people think. If not taken
care of, your goldfish may not even survive a week, but if well catered
to, it can live a long, healthy life.
Your Tank
When buying a tank, go in for a standard
rectangular one which allows the best surface area, not a novelty one.
A goldfish bowl may look attractive but it is definitely not in the best
interest of your fish. You've got to think about what's best for your fish,
and not what looks good with your decoration scheme.
Keep in Mind
-
Choose a large tank. Goldfish grow quickly
when cared for well and they will need as much space as you can provide.
A small tank or fishbowl does not provide as much space and may even stunt
their growth.
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The tank should be able to withstand
the weight of the water inside it. The deciding factor between a high-quality
tank and a low-quality tank is in the thickness of the glass. Your tank
is worth nothing if it should burst.
-
Hoods help keep your tank's temperature
even and prevent your fish from jumping out. Plus, your goldfish have no
eyelids, so the sudden switching on of the lights can shock them, causing
stress. Hoods help them adjust to the light
Decorations
Place a few artificial plants or
other decorations to provide a hiding place for your fish. This goes a
long way in making them less stressed. Gravel at the bottom of the tank
provides a place for plants to take hold. Beneficial bacteria, that counteract
ammonia, also grow within the gravel.
Lights
You can fit incandescent or florescent
lights in your tank, which will help you monitor the progress of your fish
and the cleanliness of your tank etc. Fish sleep every night, so make sure
you turn off their tank lights each night at roughly the same time.
Water Change
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Change your water once a week or once
in ten days.
-
Replace only about 30% of the water
in your tank at a time.
-
Let the tap run for a few minutes before
you fill the mug.
-
Let it sit overnight so the chlorine
dissipates, before adding it to your tank.
-
Clean your tank once a month. Gravel
should be cleaned with a siphon tube.
What you need
to know about Ammonia
Ammonia is very dangerous, and you
should ensure that the ammonia concentration should be as low as possible
in your water tank. It is thus important to know what causes ammonia, so
you can keep in under control.
-
Ammonia is released by your fish and
by the breakdown of fish waste.
-
The more fish you have, the more will
be the ammonia produced - another reason to have a large tank.
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Uneaten food.
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Dead fish. Thus, dead fish should be
removed from the tank at the earliest.
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Decaying plant matter.
Filters
These are optional but help purify
the water in the tank.
Feeding
As we have seen, any uneaten food
causes ammonia so feed your fish just once a day. If any food left uneaten
after five minutes, fish it out of the tank and reduce the quantity of
the next feed. Usually about two balls of fish food are enough per fish.
It is important you clean your tank routinely to make sure no fish food
is lying rotting in the tank. Goldfish can be fed a variety of foods. Cooked
peas, soft romaine lettuce, potatoes, boiled spinach, worms or mosquito
larvae can all be fed, but in moderation, as a supplement to the regular
meal. Don't forget to remove the excess food as soon as possible.
Test Kits
Water test kits can be used to keep
watch over the water's hardness, ammonia and nitrate levels. These kits
allow you to detect problems before you are able to see them.
De-stress
Goldfish are sensitive to bumps and
loud noise so keep the tank away from all sources of such noise. Even tapping
hard on the glass can frighten your goldfish. Go gentle, they're delicate
creatures.
Pumps
The pump takes air out of the room
and puts it into the tank. Since it takes air out of the room, fumes like
cigarette smoke and paint fumes would harm the fish.
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