“I WANT TO BUY A GOLDFISH”
This is probably the most common phrase an aquarium store owner
hears. In fact the goldfish is the most common household pet in the
world. It is a hardy and loveable fish which can live for many years
and provide its caretakers with a lifetime of enjoyment and affection.
Unfortunately, because of its commonality, adaptability, and low price,
the goldfish is often mistreated, abused, underfed, overfed or made to
live in otherwise intolerable conditions. Goldfish can survive in less
then optimum conditions, but they will not be happy. They may be quite
hardy, but can't live happily without room to swim and clean water.
Would you be happy living your entire life in one small room with no
one ever removing any of your garbage or waste products? Remember this
and take it into consideration when you get goldfish.
as 4.5kg.
Life Span: The goldfish is a
hardy animal, and if cared for properly, will live a long, long time,
10-20 years is not uncommon.
Cases of fish living for more than 40 years have been reported (see
report, below, on Tish who lived to 43!)
The Tank: Please do not keep
your goldfish in a bowl. This is unkind. They are generally tiny with
little room for swimming, have a small surface area (important for
gaseous exchange) and are often not filtered. Purchase a reasonable
sized tank with a large surface area, and equip it with suitable
filtration. Set up your tank with fine gravel on the bottom and add
hardy cold-water plants such as valisneria or ludwigia. Fine-leaved
plants are often eaten by the inhabitants and also don't do well as
many goldfish like to dig. Decorate the tank with roots and
well-rounded river rocks.
change in temperature is gradual. A rapid temperature change can make a
fish more susceptible to disease, as can stress. Different varieties of
goldfish may also live at different temperatures. As some varieties of
goldfish can cope with such a wide temperature range they are also
suitable for outside ponds as well as aquariums.
Maintenance: As with any tank,
regular water changes are essential. Weekly water changes of a quarter
of the tank are
recommended. When removing the water clean any detritus from the gravel
by using a gravel cleaner. Ensure that when you add tap water it is
dechlorinated with a suitable water conditioner. Regular checks of pH
should also be made. Goldfish like a pH of around 7.5 (a little higher
than tropicals).
Fantails, Black Moors, Shebunkins, Calico, Lionhead and many others.
Despite the fact that there many varied and diverse goldfish available,
as they all belong to the one species, Carassius auratus all goldfish
are somewhat similar in their habits, behaviour, and required care.
Feeding: Goldfish
are
omnivorous and will eat just about anything, but it is suggested that
the beginner stick to prepackaged fishfoods. You must buy fishfood
which is made specifically for goldfish, because their nutritional
needs are not the same as those of other fishes. Fish need protein for
muscle, vitamins to resist disease, and to strengthen their bones.
Goldfish also need carbohydrates even more than other fishes. Be sure
to buy something that has complete nutrition. A quality diet has the
added benefit of bringing out your fish’s colour. Of the prepared
foods, floating goldfish pellets are perhaps the best. Because they
float, the goldfish will not lose track of them as they sink into the
gravel. Pellets offer more substance than flakes for less effort. A
goldfish will therefore take in less air, and capture more of the food.
Finally, it is very easy to remove the uneaten food. It is also
suggested that food be soaked in water for a few minutes before it is
fed to your goldfish in order to avoid having the food expand later in
the fish’s stomach (which can sometimes cause swimming trouble).
in a goldfish’s diet helps to ensure that she is receiving as many
nutrients as possible from as many different sources as possible.
Cooked peas or corn are very good so long as the shells are removed.
Goldfish will also eat potatoes and boiled spinach. Live foods such as
tubifex worms, brine shrimp, or mosquito larvae can also be fed. These
varied foods should only be fed in moderation.
Never give your goldfish more food than they can eat in a few minutes.
Leftover food decomposes and pollutes the tank. If food remains
uneaten, remove it. Feeding your goldfish a small amount at several
times during the day is preferable to feeding one big meal. You may
also find that your goldfish eat the plants in your tank.
if the fish contracts a disease. If you even suspect that a fish is
sick, call your Profishionals store immediately as many of the diseases
are able to be treated.
In hot summer weather, the fish require more oxygen and produce more
carbon dioxide. Since warm water contains less oxygen than cold water
it is important that the water is well aerated. Watch for fish gasping
at the water surface. This is a sure sign of oxygen shortage and
signals the need for more aeration of the tank. An airstone can add the
necessary oxygen to the water and the turbulence produced at the water
surface helps gaseous exchange across the air/water interface. Remember
gentle aeration is required as many of the fancy goldfish will not cope
with turbulent water conditions.
Goldfish have large eyes and quite good eyesight. Protect your fish’s
eyes and prevent stress by not suddenly turning the tank light on in a
dark room. Goldfish have no eyelids, and so will be shocked and
stressed if lights are abruptly turned on. Just imagine how you would
feel sleeping (with no eyelids) and a bright light unexpectedly
lighting your dark bedroom. Letting the tank light naturally with
sunrise in the morning and the natural lighting of the room may be best
and then turn the light on once their eyes are accustomed to the level
of light. Fish do sleep every night, and will sleep best when their
tank is completely dark, so make sure they receive a good night’s sleep
every night by turning off their tank lights each night at
approximately the same time. Fish who are not allowed to sleep will
find ways to rest during the day, but overall, their health may decline
as a result of stress.
Some species have bizarre bladder-like swelling beneath the
eyes. These
bubbles are very delicate and extra care is required that there are no
sharp edged rocks or tank decorations that could damage the eye
bladders.
Goldfish are also sensitive to bumps and loud noise. You should never
tap on the glass, nor keep the fish where there are loud noises or
thumping. This will stress the fish and should be avoided whenever
possible. Fish can be seen to jump around or swim
with jerky motions when they become frightened.
Your goldfish are also very intelligent and will recognize the person
who feeds them. Goldfish will show this recognition by greeting you
with splashing at the surface of the water. A goldfish will benefit
from exercise and play, and so having two goldfish
is better than one, as this way, both fish will be able to constantly
interact. However, bear in mind the size of your tank. If your tank is
too small to comfortably house two fish, just keep one. It will still
live happily all by itself. It is better to have one healthy fish than
two cramped in a small tank.
Thanx to www.theprofishionals.com.au
Setting up your coldwater tank
When you're setting up your cold water tank, you'll need to think about
choosing the right location, getting the proper equipment, preparing
the water, making the best use of plants and, of course, introducing
the fish to the tank.
Choosing the right location
Choosing the right location for your aquarium is important. First, you
should position your tank near a power outlet so you can plug in the
tank's lamp and air pump easily. It's also good to keep your tank away
from strong sunlight, because it can encourage bacterial growth and
spoil the appearance of your aquarium.
A tank of water is heavy. If you're using a tank without a specially
manufactured stand, make sure the surface you choose is strong and
flat. Also, put a piece of expanded polystyrene (such as ceiling tiles)
beneath the tank to even out any slight irregularities in the surface.
And, as you don't want to hide your creation, look for a spot that
would be enhanced by the aquarium. Choose a place where it will be
seen, even from both sides. For example, you could use your aquarium as
a room divider.
The equipment you'll need
Mypetstop.com recommends you purchase a good quality glass aquarium
that has a hood. The hood should have a "condensation tray" below the
light to stop condensation from reaching the lighting unit.
The other basic equipment you'll need is a filter and air pump.
The filter is needed to clean the water. Waste solids, such as excreta
and uneaten food, must be filtered from the water or they'll pollute
the aquarium.
There are four basic kinds of filtration:
* Internal filtration
These filters fit inside the aquarium. Water is
drawn in through the bottom of the filter and through filter
media--usually made of sponge--by an electric pump. It's then pumped
back into the main water through the outlet or an attached spray bar.
Internal filters are ideal for all sizes of tanks.
* Undergravel filtration
Here the gravel itself is the filter medium. A
special undergravel filtration plate is placed on the bottom of the
tank with an upright pipe fixed to one corner. The filtration plate is
then covered with about 3 inches (8 cm) of gravel. A submersible
electric pump, known as a powerhead, pumps water up the tube, drawing
it through the gravel. The gravel filters the water as it passes
through. This system can also be operated by pumping air from an air
pump into the uplift tube.
* Reverse flow filtration
This system combines the benefits of internal
filtration and undergravel filtration. A separate internal filter is
connected to the uplift tube on an undergravel filtration system. The
water is filtered by the first filter before being pumped down the
uplift tube and filtered again by the gravel.
* External filtration
External filters stand outside the tank. The water
is drawn from the aquarium and filtered through one or more filtration
media before being pumped back into the aquarium.
Fish need to breathe, so the water needs to be oxygen-rich. An air pump
puts that extra oxygen into the water. This process happens naturally
in rivers and lakes; in your aquarium, you can help improve the ongoing
supply of oxygen by installing an air pump. More important, the rising
bubbles create movement, which circulates the oxygen-rich water at the
surface around to the rest of the tank, also increasing the oxygen in
the water. This is much more effective and attractive if an airstone is
used. Your local aquatic retailer will be able to advise you on the
best equipment for your circumstances.
Preparing the water
Put the gravel and rocks into the aquarium before you add the water.
Rinse all the gravel in clean water before you use it. This is very
important, as dirty gravel will result in cloudy water, which is
difficult to clear. Boil any rocks or bog-wood before putting them in
the tank. If the items are too big to boil, then "scald" them by
pouring boiling water over them. Take great care not to splash yourself
or anyone else nearby.
While you can use ordinary tap water, you first need to treat it to
remove chlorine before you can put the fish in it. The first step in
this process is to neutralise the chlorine in the water by adding a
neutraliser called a "dechlorinator."
In order to stay healthy, fish need an environment that contains the
right amounts of certain "healthy" bacteria that help to break down
waste. This increase in useful bacteria is called "maturing." The
process can be speeded up by leaving the air pump running, and adding
two or three crumpled flakes of fish food each day to "feed" the
bacteria. Once you've done this, it should be safe to introduce the
fish after 14 days.
You should partially change the water every 2 to 3 weeks. This means
siphoning 20% to 30% of the water out of the tank (you don't need to
remove the fish) and replacing it with new water. The new water can be
dechlorinated tap water.
Altogether, it takes about 2 weeks from when you first fill the tank
until the water gets into the right condition to be able to put your
fish safely into the aquarium.
Testing the water
There are two main potential problems that can hit your aquarium water:
build-up of nitrite, and imbalance in pH—which results in the water
becoming acidic. If you do nothing about these problems, both can make
the fish stressed and lower their resistance to disease. The good news
is that both conditions are easily monitored and controlled with water
test or treatment kits. Your aquarian retailer will be able to advise
you on these.
Plants for an underwater garden
You can use aquatic plants to create an underwater garden. Common
goldfish have a tendency to eat plants, and you may want to use
artificial plastic plants, which will last longer. Interestingly, fancy
goldfish tend to be much better behaved and less inclined to eat your
real plants.
You can buy tropical aquatic plants that will thrive in room
temperature conditions. But if the room tends to get very cold, it's
best to use cold water plants such as Elodea.
The best base for plants (and the fish) is river sand. You can use the
sand that's sold for children's sand pits. A 10kg bag provides more
than enough for a 90-centimetre aquarium. But don't use sand if you
have under-gravel filters, as these may become blocked.
Introducing fish to your tank
Fish need living space, so be careful not to put too many in your tank.
As a general rule, allow 75 square centimetres of surface water area
for each centimetre of coldwater fish, (head to tail, but not including
the tail fin). Ideally, you should allow 10 litres of water per
goldfish.
Check that your fish have been properly quarantined before you bought
them. Disease often takes a few weeks to show, and a fish not
quarantined can easily introduce diseases that may infect all your
fish. It's also better to add your fish gradually, starting off with
only two or three fish, and building up over the months as your tank
matures.
Buy your fish locally if possible; long journeys can easily stress
them. Before you let the fish out of the plastic bag, float the opened
plastic bag on the surface of the tank for about 20 minutes to equalise
the water temperature and reduce the stress on the fish. Fish that have
just been introduced into a new tank may be nervous and hide. When they
do this, just switch off the tank lights and leave them for a few hours
to get used to their new surroundings. After that, you can give them a
few fish flakes.
Thanx to www.mars.com/au/fish
FISH ANATOMY — EXTERNAL
Body Shape: Generally fish are
“torpedo shaped” with a rounded nose, a thicker middle and a tapered
tail. The shape of the fishes body is very important to how it swims.
Fish with round bodies are good swimmers; fish with shorter bodies can
turn quickly. Selected breeding of fancy goldfish has resulted in
fatter, less streamlined body shapes and these fish are relatively poor
swimmers and are less able to manoeuvre.
Fins: Where would a fish be without fins. The fins help the fish
to swim. The large muscles of the body actually do most of the work,
but fins help with balance and turning. A typical fish has between
seven and ten fins although some, like eels, have only three or four.
The biggest is the caudal fin. The anal and dorsal fins give stability.
The pectoral and pelvic fins on either side are used for steering and
can make quite precise manoeuvres. Each fin is made from a stretchy
substance that is supported by thin rods of cartilage or bone, the fin
rays. Muscles at the base of the fin move and tilt the fin rays to
alter the shape of the fin.
Gills: The gills of a fish do
the same job as the lungs of a land animal, that is, they take in the
oxygen essential for life and absorb it into the bloodstream. The gills
are dark red in colour because they are filled with blood. Externally
the gill cover (operculum) is clearly visible. Beneath the gill cover
on each side of the head are four gill arches. Each gill arch supports
a large number of finger-like gill fi laments. Water is taken in
through the mouth and forced over the gill filaments and out via the
raised gill covers. As the water passes over the gill filaments, the fi
ne blood vessels they contain absorb oxygen and release waste products
such as carbon dioxide and ammonia. Fish are poikilothermic
(cold-blooded) and their body temperature fluctuates with that of the
environment and they are more active — and thus require more oxygen —
at higher temperatures. However, because warmer water frequently
contains less oxygen than cool water, fish will show increased gill
movements in warm, poorly aerated water.
There are nostrils on
each side of the head. These lead into a sensory pit called the
olfactory cavity which is responsible for the fish’s sense of smell.
The sense of smell is heightened in some species of fish which possess
barbels. Mouth: There are many types of different mouths found in fish
and these have adapted to deal with their particular diet. There are
three main mouth positions: pointing upward (eg hatchetfish), pointing
forward (eg tiger barb) and pointing downward (eg catfish). Some
different aquatic animals have more specialised mouths (eg seahorses).
Eyes vary between fish. The
surface waters of sheltered lakes are often bright and clear. Fish
living in these waters will have eyes similar to our own. Some fish
even have four eyes — well two eyes each divided into two parts. The
lower half has the underwater lens, the upper half a lens to see above
the water. Fish living a little deeper will have extremely large eyes
to gather as much of the dim light as possible. Those fish living deep
in the oceans where there is little or no sunlight have very small eyes
or none at all. One fish without any eyes sometimes found in aquariums
is the Blind Cave fish. In the dark caverns of its usual environment it
is endlessly dark and so over millions of years they have lost their
eyes. To compensate they have a well-developed lateral line system for
monitoring water currents.
Scales: Most fish are covered
almost completely with scales (cycloids or ctenoids). Each scale is
similar in shape to a fingernail
and is made of a bony substance. The base of the scale is embedded into
the skin but the rest is not attached. The scales lie against the body
and overlap like tiles on the roof. The are covered in mucous to
protect the fish and allow it to glide through the water. This mucous
layer is also an excellent barrier against infection. When it is
damaged the skin can become infected with a wide range of bacteria,
fungi and parasites. The colour of the fish is not in the scales but is
due to the presence of chromatophores (cell pigmentation) under the
skin.
The Lateral Line is the
principle sensory organ of the fish. It is a canal under the scales
which runs practically the length of both sides of the body. This line
enables the fish to detect ripples and currents in the water. Water
movements give valuable information about possible predators or prey
nearby. It is also important in fish who gather together to form a
shoal, it’s neighbours can sense changes of speed and direction using
their lateral lines, and move in the same way.
Thanx to www.theprofishionals.com.au
WORLD’S OLDEST GOLDFISH
The world’s oldest known captive goldfish, named Tish, has died
peacefully at home in his tank at the age of at least 43 in 1999.
He started out as a roll-a-penny prize won by a seven-year-old boy,
Peter, during a visit to a fairground in 1956. Tish originally
shared his tank with Tosh, who died in 1975. The loss meant a net had
to be fitted over the top of the tank to stop Tish leaping out. He went
on to outlive the family’s other pets including a corgi, guinea-pigs
and hamsters. When Peter left home, his parents, Gordon and Hilda,
assumed responsibility for Tish, who moved with them to their
retirement home.
The Guinness Book of Records learned of his longevity and began
investigating Tish. Because he had been kept indoors, unaffected by
seasonal changes, it was not possible to determine his age by the usual
microscopic examination to count the growth rings on his scales.
Instead the publishers relied on sworn affidavits from friends of the
family. In 1998 Tish was officially recognised as the world’s oldest
captive goldfish, wresting the title from Fred, who died aged 41 in
1980.
Hilda, 72, said: “I can still remember how Tish came into our lives. I
can see my husband now lifting Peter up to roll a penny at the fair. It
took quite a few pennies, but eventually Peter won a fish. He was so
proud carrying him home in a plastic bag on the bus. He might have been
a lot older than 43, but all we can say for certain is that we have had
Tish since July 1956.”
She added: “I’m sure Tish recognised me. He always knew when it was
feeding time and I used to talk to him. Over the years we have become
very close and I could sense if he was happy or not. He used to get
distressed by loud noises. He became something of a celebrity. People
always used to ask how Tish was doing. I don’t think we will be getting
another one. We couldn’t replace Tish. He was part of the family.”
As for the secrets of his long life, Hilda said: “I think the mistake a
lot of children make is to overfeed their fish and put them in the sun.
Tish was fed the fish food everyday. We changed his water regularly and
we always used a net to take him out, not hands.”
Thanx to www.theprofishionals.com.au
