KEEPING GOLDFISH CHEERFUL.

Te Aroha News, Volume XLI, Issue 6598, 12 May 1925, Page 2

KEEPING GOLDFISH CHEERFUL.

HEALTHY HOMES FOR AQUATIC PETS t ‘ The golden tench, familiarly known as the goldfish, is a favourite pet in many households. Hundreds of thousands of the creatures are sold annually, but the greater majority of therii die early. This is not as it should be, for a goldfish will live and charm its owner for a score of years at least, even in the limited space which a drawing—room aquarium affords.

While fish live in water, it is the oxygen in the water which keeps them alive. As soon as all the oxygen in a bowl of water is used up, a fish cannot live in it. Thus, if only a small quantity of water is used for the keeping of goldfish, it must be constantly changed in order to ensure a satisfactory supply of oxygen. But the changes of • temperature caused by many changes of water are also harmful to the health of a fish, so that it is fatal to store goldfish for any length of time in the small globes in which they are bought. Such small vessels are only useful for carrying the fish on a sliort journey. Unfortunately, they are generally retained as permanent quarters, hence the terrible mortality already referred to.

Three small goldfish should not be kept in any vessel which holds less than one gallon. Something which will hold three or four gallons or more is much more satisfactory. In that case the fish may be a little larger.

In such circumstances a gallon or so of water may be removed at a fixed time each day, the quantity* being replaced by fresh water. The temperature is not thereby seriously affected, and the supply of oxygen is kept up. The globe or . aquarium should have a thin layer of clean gravel (poultry grit will do) spread over the bottom. It will not only show up the colours of the inmates, but it will give them material for play. It. is quite interesting to see them pick up small pebble's and shoot them out of the mouth again.

If a few water plants can be planted in the gravel so much the better. The appearance of the aquarium will be more attractive and the water will remain in good condition longer. There is only one plant which is really satisfactoi’y for the purpose. It hails from Italy and is called Vallerisneria spiralis. It looks like long grass. When the plant has ; been growing some time it throws off so much oxygen that an aquarium will' run without change of water for weeks or months, always providing that there are not too many fish for the number of plants. How do we know when a change of water is necessary? It is quite simple. When the supply of oxygen is running short the fish will be seen to swim at the surface with their snouts half out of the water. They are struggling to breathe, and should be attended to at once.

When goldfish are well they swim freely all over their home, and the large fin on the back is spread and upstanding. If they swim with their head higher than the tail, and the back fin droops, they are not well. They should not be overfed or the food will lie on the bottom of the vessel and become putrid, with disastrous results. A tiny piece of bread rolled between the fingeres to about the size of a large pin’s head is a sufficient meal at one time for one fish. Instead of bread a few broken grains of semolina may be droped on the surface of the water. It should not be more than the fish will eat up in a day.