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More On Keeping Fish
by Jennifer MacDonald
In my first article,
Keeping Goldfish, I discussed the care of Goldfish.
In this article, I want to tell you about fish that are better suited
to the beginner.
Goldfish are not good
fish for beginners. They have greater demands than many other types of
fish and must be monitored carefully. Water quality is an important issue
with goldfish so the person in charge of their care must have knowledge
of nitrites, nitrates, ammonia, pH levels and salinity. They need to know
what must be done in the presence of common diseases such as ick, dropsy,
fin rot, velvet, fungus, worms, closed fins and sluggishness.
Some petstores have
led the common consumer to believe goldfish are hardy fish that can survive
adverse conditions but they are not and will succumb to illness and die
quickly if the caregiver isn't very knowledgeable about their needs. All
breeds of goldfish need very specific requirements to be healthy and happy.
If you are a beginner,
avoid goldfish and go for the truly hardy types of fish.
The first recommendation
is the danio. These little fish are amazingly tough and can usually withstand
some of the common mistakes of the beginner(although outright neglect
will lead to certain failure). Water quality is not a big issue with them
and they aren't susceptible to as many diseases as the goldfish.
Danios come in a variety
of breeds; zebra, leopard, gold, pearl, giant and blue. They must be kept
together in groups of three, five or seven(the more the merrier but they
must be kept in odd numbers). Different types of danios can be mixed together
but don't leave one singled out i.e.two leopards and a zebra.
Danios are fast moving
fish and they love chasing each other around so give them lots of room
to play. A ten gallon tank for up to seven fish is sufficient but overcrowding
a small tank leads to really bad quality water and lots of cleaning so
keep the numbers fairly low. Five danios and a small clown pleco is a
good tank setup.
Another Great Fish >>> page two
Page 1, 2
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