Fish Care
Keep your fish healthy and happy
Advice on using the right accessories
for your fish
Tanks
Many different
types of fish tanks are available from good pet
shops. The all glass rectangular shaped tanks
are most suitable. Be sure to purchase the biggest
tank you can afford for your available space.
You may decorate the tank with ornaments and perhaps
a backing picture available from pet shops. Use
gravel on the bottom, under-gravel filters work
well & will help oxygenate the water. Situate
the tank away from heat such as radiators and
out of direct sunlight. When you purchase your
tank it is very worthwhile buying an algae magnet
for cleaning the inside of the tank.
Number of Fish
As a general
rule allow 1cm of body length of fish for each
60cm of surface area. So a 60cm x 30cm tank will
have a surface area of 1800 sq cm and so support
fish with a total body length of 30cm. Dont forget
to allow extra room for your fish to grow into.
Water
Tap water
should be treated with a dechlorinating water
treatment. Standing the water for a day or two
will also help reduce the chlorine content. Regular
water changes are very important and should be
caried out every two weeks. It is not necessary
to change all of the water in your tank just change
about 10-20 per cent of it at a time. The use
of a siphon will allow you to suck out some of
the waste matter from the bottom of the tank at
the same time.
Feeding
A large
range of manufactured foods are available for
feeding fish, the flaked varieties are probably
most suitable and contain all the nutrients needed
to provide your fish with a balanced diet. DO
NOT overfeed your fish as uneaten food will contaminate
the water and could kill the fish. Only feed as
much food as the goldfish will consume in five
to ten minutes twice a day. If you have to leave
your fish for a few days this is not a problem
a mature tank will contain an amount of natural
organic material to help feed the fish, weekend
food blocks are also available along with automatic
feeders if you are going to be away for longer
periods.
Health
Overheating,
if the water becomes too warm the oxygen content
will lower and fish may be seen gasping at the
surface, you will need to lower the water temperature
by changing some of the water or floating ice
in a bag on the surface.
Fungus,
is a common cause of death in goldfish the fungus
that causes the problem is usually present in
the water, but will only affect the fish when
they are injured or stressed. If only one fish
is affected remove it from the tank and treat
with a anti-fungal product available from most
pet shops.
White
spot, is caused by a parasite in the water and
results in tiny white spots all over the skin,
fins and gills treatment should be along the lines
of the treatment for fungus but using a suitable
white spot cure.
Fin
rot, is a bacterial infection that eats away the
fins, treat again with a suitable proprietary
remedy.
Dropsy
is a bloating of the body caused by serious conditions
such as heart disease or abdominal tumours. Affected
fish are best destroyed as soon as they show signs
of distress
Swim bladder
disease, the swim bladder controls buoyancy and
infected fish loose balance and may swim upside
down. More common among fancy breeds it will sometimes
right itself within a few days, although you may
treat with a salt bath and keep the fish in shallow
water.
Salt Baths
A salt
bath may be used to treat most health problems.
This should comprise of a tank of water containing
1 per cent salt. To prepare this weigh out 20g
(0.7oz) of salt and add to one litre of water.
DO NOT use table salt that has iodine added as
it may be harmful to the fish, safe aquarium salt
is available from good pet shops and aquarists.
Place the affected fish in the tank for approximately
15 minutes.
We also
have pet
care and advice sheets for other pets:
Dog
Care Advice Sheet
Cat Care
Advice Sheet
Reptile
Care Advice Sheet
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