Fish Make The Greatest Pets

Aren’t the children always begging for a pet or another pet?

You don’t want a cat – there’s that whole litter box thing. You don’t want to train a puppy, plus what about when you want to go away for the night? Birds make such a mess and can be quite noisy. And then there’s those “rodent” things.

When we found out we were expecting our first child we decided to decorate the nursery in tropical fish decor. Then we thought a fish tank in the room would be perfect for the “white noise” and for a nice little night light. So we bought a 10 gallon tank set that cost about $40 for everything but the fish. We had no clue about caring for fish, so we only got a few fancy guppies that were about $3 each. How cheap!!

Who knew we’d become addicted? Well, me anyways. We learned that guppies are live bearers, meaning that they have “live” babies instead of laying eggs and they can be all sorts of pretty colors. Needless to say, we learned a few things about raising guppies and haven’t spent any more money buying fish (well, except for a few more different colored guppies and a bigger tank to start breeding our own)!

Fish are so easy to take care of and are rather inexpensive to keep. We clean out their tank a little bit each month and spend about $2 on food for them that lasts about 3 months. The kids all love the guppies – their pretty colors and especially watching the babies grow. I love the guppies because they’re cheap, relaxing, neat, quiet and they teach the children about responsibility with having a pet.

So before you jump down their throats about not having a pet, tell the kids to consider some guppies. If you’re looking to do some more research on them, check out www.guppies.com . There are plenty of tips and people there that are willing to answer all of your questions.
Jennifer is the owner of http://www.MomOnABudget.com, a resource for money saving tips and ideas, quick and easy recipes, how to decorate on a budget, work at home ideas and so much more.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Shircel

Goldfish Feeding

The main issue with feeding goldfish is how much. Goldfish will typically eat just about everything that is given to them. Apparently in the wild this is no problem, but in captivity domestic goldfish basically will not survive if fed to anywhere near their capacity to eat. There are exceptions; very young fish need to be fed a considerable amount to get reasonable growth rates and some foods that are essentially only roughage can be fed quite freely. But in general it is necessary to limit the amount of food provided to your goldfish. 

What happens if you overfeed your goldfish? Many people have described the digestive track of the goldfish as basically a straight tube. In the simplest scenario, if you feed too much, food being pushed in the front end of the "tube" pushes food out the back end ... before it is fully digested. If your goldfish's poops look just like his food, this could be an indication of overfeeding. 

For robust, wild-type goldfish overfeeding's main problem is water quality; the semi-digested food makes it harder to keep the water of sufficient cleanliness without frequent massive water changes. This may explain why overfeeding is not a problem in the wild. However, for fat-bodied fancy goldfish, that straight tube tends to have a few kinks in it; just like with people, lack of roughage and too rich a diet can cause significant problems. For more information, see the discussion on swimbladder problems. 

All right, now that you're convinced that whatever amount you are feeding is probably the wrong amount, what is the right amount? The quick answer is that if you don't have water quality problems, don't have problems with your fish floating, and the fish seem active and healthy, you are probably doing just fine. And, uh, scatologically, if the poops are in quarter to half inch sinking chunks, this is good too. Otherwise you probably are overfeeding or not feeding quite the right diet. 

A common recommendation is to feed goldfish two mouthfuls twice a day. I was troubled for a long time about what is, exactly, a goldfish mouthful. I believe it is as much as a goldfish will take in its mouth before it stops "gobbling" and starts chewing. Determining the correct amount of food for your fish is then relatively easy; toss in units of food until everybody stops chasing and then figure about double that for a feeding. This actually ends up being quite a bit of food. 

It has been suggested that goldfish are naturally grazers, eating small amounts continuously. It does seem that goldfish have fewer problems with many small meals than they do with one large one per day. So, if you can conveniently do it, a regime of one mouthful four times a day will be better that two mouthfuls twice daily. And, conversely, feeding four mouthfuls in one feeding will probably give you problems. 

Unfortunately, it is pretty clear that the most entertaining thing in a goldfish's life is eating. Most owners would like their fish to be as intellectually stimulated as is, uh, possible. This can lead to overfeeding. I won't go overboard on the anthropomorphization here, but, like people, low calorie high-roughage foods can be fairly freely fed without digestive problems. Romaine lettuce is a good example: it is reasonably nutritive (much better than iceberg lettuce), but is also mostly water and fiber. A leaf clipped inside the tank will last days if submerged and the fish will nibble away on it. The only downside is that the resulting lettuce puree in the tank can plug filters pretty quickly. But otherwise this is an excellent option, I think.

Article Source: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/4468/feeding.html

Ten Steps To a Healthy Goldfish

Tank
1. A 10-20gal tank for one goldfish. Goldfish grow to be 6 to 8 inches in length and therefore they need a big tank for just one fish. 

A filter

2.Reason: Goldfish are very dirty fish when they process thier food it goes through thier system fast since thier organs are squished into a tight space. 

Setting up the new tank
3. Goldfish love to pick up rocks so in my opinion you should use river rocks (you can find them at a Home Improvement store)that way the rocks are to big for the goldfish to get in there mouths and get one stuck in there. Make sure when you get your rocks that you rinse them well with water to get rid of any debris. Then add your rocks carefully in to the tank. Next use water that you have let sit out in a jugs or buckets for 24 hours so that the toxins have had a chance to evaporate from the water (chorine, bleach, ect....) to fill up the tank with. When you add the water to your tank place a flat dish in the bottom of the tank on top of your rocks so it doesnt splash the water so much. When done remove the dish. 

Lights and Heaters
4. Goldfish need light just like you and I. Also you will need light if you get live plants in the tank. Heaters are not necessary in a goldfish tank goldfish can live in temps from 78 to just below freezing. So unless you want your tank at a constant temp goldfish don't need a heater. 

Additives in the water
5. When setting up a tank or doing water changes you need to add some type of water clarifier (like Amquel) to help get rid of more toxins in the water, since goldfish have to breath the water any type of chorine or bleaches can kill your goldfish. 

Test Kits
6. This is a tip for all that are starting a goldfish tank. It is very important to have test kits like the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. You need to check the water before every water change. This is expecially true when a tank is first cycling, the ammonia levels and the nitrites are the first killers of most tanks that are just starting out.. Also if you are going to use Amquel for a water conditioner you will need a test kit that is "salicylate" based, because the "Nessler" based kit will give false readings when using Amquel..... 

Plants
7. You can use real plants if you like but goldfish are nibblers so you plants wont live very long. There are some plants that goldfish don't really like to nibble on like Java ferns and the grass like plants (the wider the leafs the better). If you don't want to spend a a lot of money to maintain the looks of the tank I would go with the fake plants. 

Selecting Your Fish
8. Now that you have had the tank up and running now for a week or two you can start looking for a good and healthy goldfish. 
What to look for: 
a. Look at the tank the goldfish are in. Are there any dead ones in the tank? If there are that normally means there is something wrong with the fish or tank and in any way the goldfish is most likely to be sick. 
b. Look at the fish you want. Is the fish you want aware of his/her surroundings? Is the fish moving around looking and nibbling at things or just staying in one spot. Goldfish that look more aware of what's going on are the better ones. 
c. Look at the fish's eyes. Are the eyes clear not foggy. If foggy the goldfish could have a disease or just blind. 
d. Look at the fins. The fins should be erect. If the fins are always in the down positions the fish could be stressed out. 
e. Look at the fish over all. Make sure the fish doesn't have any times of parasites (ick, anchor worm, ect......) on them or any type of disease (fungus, fin rot, ect......) on the fish. 
f. Now you have chosen your fish When you get you fish make sure the pet store places the goldfish in a plastic bag , then in a brown paper bag, so the fish will not get stressed out by seeing what is going on around him. When you get the fish to his tank make sure you float the bag in the tank for 5 mins so that the fish will get used to the temperature in your tank with out stressing out if you just put him in there. After floating in the tank open the bag and slowly let the water from your tank enter the bag and let the bag again float for about a min. Then let the goldfish out and keep a close eye on the goldfish for a couple of days to see if there are any problems with the goldfish. 

Feeding Your Goldfish
9. Now there are many foods out there for your goldfish and many people think this one is better than that one. If your going to feed you goldfish any pellets or flake food, please soak them in water from the tank for at least a min. Un-soaked food will expand in the stomach (just like if you ate rice or bread) and the goldfish will eventually get swim bladder disease (some times irreversably) and the goldfish will not be able to eat and swim correctly. Feed your fish once every day, what they can eat in 5 mins or the food will spoil the tank. 

Water Changes
10. Now you've had your goldfish in your tank for a week you need to do a water change. Once a week you need to change at least 10% to 20% of your water. When you change the water make sure you are replacing the water with water that has been sitting in a jug for at least 24 hours. When you're starting to change the water, use a gravel siphon to get a lot of the waste the filer hasn't picked up from the bottom. Now add the water that you had sitting out for 24 hours to the tank, also add your water conditioner (Amquel) if needed. At this time its a good idea to check your filter to see if its dirty and them clean it out. 

Cycling
When you have your tank up and running you will need to understand the general rule of cycling the tank. This is very important to have a tank that is cycled or the fish can get sick or die. Very important to read.
Article Source: http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/tensteps.html

Goldfish Food

There are many different kinds of fish foods out there and many kinds of home foods that you can give to your fish. Some fish foods help with wen growth, while others help in the general growth of the fish. On this page I will try to explain the different foods and what they help with. Also I will show you the different home foods you can give your fish as treats.

1.Flake Fish Food

Flake fish foods come in many different types example for the growth of wens, color enhancer and other things. Flake fish foods can be a problem for some fish. When most people feed the flake fish food they will just place it in the tank, this will make the fish go to the top and when trying to get the fish food they gulp in air at the same time. For some fish this can cause swim bladder disorder. So if this food is good for you then a good tip is due, soak the fish food for at least 1 min then give it to the fish. This will cause the fish food to sink to the bottom and no air in the fish's stomach.

2. Pellet fish Food

Pellet fish foods come in many different types example for the growth of wens, color enhancer and other things.They also come in sinking (my favorite) and they floating kind. Pellet fish food should be soaked before giving them to the fish. When they are made they are compressed but there is air still in the food, just watch them when you place them in some water, you will see air bubbles coming out of the fish food. This is what is going into your fish and some fish cant handle this. I strongly suggest soaking any floating or sinking pellet fish foods for atleast 2 mins.

3. Frozen fish Food

Frozen fish foods come in all sorts of flavors and are a great treat for the fish. You should be careful when feeding them frozen fish foods, look for the ones that say bacterial free because they could cause problems if they hadn't been handled correctly. Most of them need to be soaked first for easy eating but some of them you can just drop in and let them nibble on the fish food as they thaw in the tank.

4. Gelatin fish Food

Gelatin fish foods are harder to find in most pet stores. Formula one and two foods made by Ocean Nutrition is a good one if you can find it. You can make it your self too if you have the time. Gelatin fish Food Make sure that when you are feeding it to your fish that you thaw it out in bowl of tank water and then crush in your hand as you drop it in your tank this makes it easier for the fish to eat it.

5. Home fish Foods

Some fish foods that you and I eat the fish can eat to for example: Romaine lettuce, Peas cooked, earthworms, eggs, cucumber, insect larvae, grapes,oranges, and spinach. This is just a short list of some of the foods. For more foods check out This list

6. Medicated fish Food

There are several medicated fish foods out there but I have found that two of them are the best for goldfish, these are only found on Goldfishconnection. They should only be used when a fish is very sick over using them can cause the parasite or bacteria to be resistant to the medication and your fish to remain sick.

Article Source: http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/food.html