Pets Information |
Aquarium Supplies Part 2 -- My First Experience With Goldfish
If you are seriously considering keeping fish as pets or are just starting out, I would like to stress again the importance of having some basic knowledge about aquariums and fish keeping in order to enjoy the hobby for a significant length of time and to avoid frustrations and disappointments. In the first article I illustrated this by sharing my own childhood experience with bettas, and now I shall share my experience with goldfish. While I still had my bettas I also wanted to keep some goldfish since I also found them attractive and interesting. My mom was reluctant to buy me some since I already had the bettas but she finally gave in and bought me a pair of "telescope" goldfish. At the time I didn't have a real aquarium yet so we put the goldfish in a large jar (about 1 gallon). One of our neighbors told us that goldfish wouldn't tolerate chlorine and therefore, we should not use tap water. They happened to have a well and offered to let us use the water for my goldfish. I soon noticed that the fish were constantly gasping for air at the surface. They also refused to eat. After a couple of days the water started to become cloudy, so I changed it totally. However, the fish still refused to eat and continued to gasp for air. Not long after that they became lethargic and eventually died. My mom said probably "telescope" goldfish just weren't hardy enough and not easy to keep. However, I had not given up on goldfish yet, so I asked if I could try to keep other kinds and hopefully would have better luck. My parents eventually consented but my dad suggested that I get a real aquarium instead of putting the fish in a jar. You can imagine how elated I was that finally I was going to have a real aquarium. So we went out and bought a 10 gallon aquarium and a few goldfish at the same time. I believe we bought 4 fish: a couple of medium sized "comets" and a pair of "pearl scales." We didn't buy them at a store, though. It was more like a wholesale type of place where there were plenty of different sellers selling their aquariums and fish. Again, at the time neither my mom nor I knew much about fish keeping. So we didn't buy any supplies for the aquarium. Just the tank and fish. That was it! When we got home I filled up the aquarium with untreated tap water and immediately put the fish in. I was so excited to see the goldfish swim around in the tank, but that didn't last long. In a few hours the fish were no longer lively. They sort of stayed at the bottom and didn't move very much. When my dad saw them he said they probably lacked oxygen and suggested that we go out and buy an air pump to aerate the tank. I had only seen aerated aquariums in places like public aquariums and fancy restaurants and thought that an air pump had to be very expensive, but my dad said it would be OK. So my mom and I went to a fish store to look for an air pump. Besides the pump we also needed something to hook the plastic tube on to and hold it in place. We chose to get a frog ornament for that purpose (the air would come out of the frog's mouth). All the stuff didn't really cost too much. As soon as we got home we hooked everything up and air started flowing into the aquarium. Like magic, within a couple of minutes the fish started to "wake up" and finally became lively again. My dad said, "I told you so!" The air pump was about the only supply we bought for the aquarium. Having beautiful and lively goldfish in my very own aquarium was good enough for me. I loved them so much that I also fed them too much. I was happy to watch them eat. As you can imagine though, the water got dirty very quickly that I had to change it every day. One day a friend of ours told us that we shouldn't be changing the water daily since it wouldn't be good for the fish. Also, in the mean time I had read somewhere that if you wanted to use tap water you should set it aside for a few days to get rid of the chlorine. Therefore, I set aside a bucket of water and changed 3/4 of the water about every 3 days. I was able to enjoy the goldfish for a few months before one of them got sick and died and the others followed soon after. I was extremely sad and because of that my dad told me I couldn't buy any more fish. So, after all my fish died my hobby came to a sad end. Well, at least for a while. Again, there is a take-home lesson here: if you're serious about having your own aquarium, there's some basic knowledge you need to possess before you even buy the aquarium and fish. You don't have to know everything there is to know about the hobby, but at least for the sake of the fish, you should understand a few things (such as how many fish you can have in a tank, how much to feed them, what kinds of aquarium supplies to have, and what kinds of maintenance you need to perform, just to name a few) that are crucial to their well being. If you're an expert you most likely picked up on the things I did wrong in the story I shared above. If you're a beginner or just thinking about getting started with this hobby, I invite you to visit my web site (see below) to learn more. About the author: Jonathan Wangsa is the webmaster of All About Aquarium Supplies. There you can find resources and information about aquarium supplies and other aquarium related topics. Whether you're an expert or a newbie, you can also share your own experiences. Get a Free Special Report when you sign up for a Free Monthly Newsletter.
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
Three Important Safety Products for Your Dog this Summer Keeping your dog safe is similar to keeping a child safe, you need to constantly be on alert. There are certain dangers a dog faces, especially in urban and suburban settings where the risk of running away and getting hit by a car poses a serious threat. Get Your Dog Safely Through a Storm Thunder storms affected pets differently. Some hardly notice them, others get extremely worked up. Doggy Dental Care: Teeth Cleaning 101 Your dog's dental health is so important for his total well-being.. Tips For Toys Toys are fun both for our dogs and us. Lucky for us there are endless choices. Dogs: Buy or Adopt? Buy or Adopt - That is the question.If you intend to breed or show your dog there is no alternative but to buy your dog from a reputable AKC-REGISTERED breeder. Buying a Custom Bird Cage Many of us dream of having a beautiful, exotic bird perched on our shoulder, accompanying us around town. At the end of the day, though, our feathered friend must return to its cage. Setting Up A New Aquarium Location of your aquariumSo, you bought your very first fish tank. And you probably already decided where to place it. Cats and Their Allure: What, When, Where and Why Domesticated cats have been gaining in popularity in the United States. It is projected that by the year 2010 there will be far more cats than dogs. How To Keep Your Cat Healthy - Your Guide to Cat Diseases and Conditions, and How to Cure Them Even with the best care, cats can become ill. Sometimes this means a simple "kitty cold," at other times the disease might have a more lasting or even fatal result. The Beauty of Boxer Dogs Boxer dogs are an all around great breed, especially skilled in hunting and police work, and are always alert and vigilant, making for a very instinctive guard dog. Boxer dogs can bring you years of joyful companionship with a life expectantcy of about 9 to 11 years, but they could possibly live as long as 15 years!The Boxer dogs most developed sense is his sense of hearing. Biting & Nipping Behavior Can Kill Your Dog! Dog bite injuries are alarmingly the most common condition that we human suffer from as a result of contact with dogs. In the United States alone, there are between 1-2 million people bitten by dogs each year. Puppy Love - Wonderful Companions Everybody loves puppies. Who can resist those cute little faces and wet noses? Puppies can be a lot of fun, but they also come with a lot of added responsibility. Dog Boutiques - Perfect Pampering for Your Pooch! Believe it or not boutiques for dogs are everywhere. Nowadays, pampering your dog is just as important as pampering yourself. Hypoallergenic Dogs When we talk about hypoallergenic dogs, we mean that they have a less or reduced tendency to cause allergies or allergic reaction among allergy sufferers.It has been estimated that about 10% of the US population is allergic to animals (American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology). Reuniting Lost Pets With Their Owners Losing a family pet can be a traumatic experience, especially on children who are close to the lost pet. But, one in three pet owners fail to take the steps needed to ensure that this tragedy does not occur in their home. Introduction To House Training The information in this article is based on the successful crate training method. Crate training is not cruel. Ten Most Popular Goldfish You can't imagine the kind of varieties of Goldfish there are! People have been breeding Goldfish for over 2000 years now. China is believed to have over 100 varieties and to think that it all began with the Carassius auratus - the gibel carp! Not all goldfish have been bred in China though. Saving Ginger From Being Put To Sleep - Part 1 A family, including three dogs and a cat live happily in a good house with extensive gardens; a great area for the animals to roam and play. By this stage, the kids have grown up, moved away and started their own lives. A Short Introduction To Flowerhorn Cichlids Flowerhorn CichlidsFlowerhorn cichlids is a hybrid cichlid that was developed in Malaysia during the second half of the 1990: s. It was created by crossbreeding different South American cichlids. How To Setup A Freshwater Tropical Fish Tank This is an 11 step guide to setting up a freshwater aquarium in your home.Equipment you will need: Aquarium Aquarium gravel Aquarium filter Replacement filter media Heater Other decorations (such as plants) Chemical test kits Fish food Aquarium vacuum Fish net Glass Scrubber 5-gallon bucket Pasta strainer STEP 1: Realize the responsibility involved. |
home | site map | contact us |