GOLDFISH VARIETIES AND 



AQUARIUM MANAGEMENT 



The principles involved in successful aquarium management are 

 really simple, and if applied success is bound to follow. The common 

 goldfish is a very hardy pet, and with proper handling should live from 

 ten to twenty years. Yet we hear of numerous failures, and there are 

 many who would like to keep an aquarium but refrain from doing so 

 because of two erroneous ideas: first, that goldfish are delicate; second, 

 that an aquarium requires frequent cleaning. The main causes for 

 failure, in the order of their importance, are : 



Overcrowding 



Overfeeding 



Sudden temperature changes 



Lack of proper plant life 



Insufficient lighting. 



Overcrowding. A great many unscrupulous and short-sighted 

 dealers, in order to increase sales, recommend the use of more fish than 

 should properly be put into an aquarium of given size. The beginner 

 also wishes to have as many fishes as possible, so that this is one of the 

 greatest difficulties to overcome. The proper rule is this : One inch 

 OF FISH TO ONE GALLON OF WATER. That is, in a tcn-gallon aquarium 

 of the usual oblong shape, well planted and in a good light, one could 

 successfully keep ten one-inch fish, or five two-inch or two five-inch fish. 

 Successful aquarists adhere to this rule, and for some of the fancy and 

 more delicate varieties, even more water per fish is allowed. The beginner 

 will do well to do likewise and disregard all advice to the contrary. If 

 already stocked with too many fish, some of them should be disposed of 

 or a larger aquarium secured. Should the fish get into poor condition 

 from overcrowding it will be difficult to save any of them. 



Gasping. When the fishes persist in coming to the top and gasping 

 air, it is usually a sign that they are overcrowded or that the water has 

 become bad from some kind of decomposition. The trouble should be 

 quickly found and remedied before the fish become seriously affected or 

 perhaps suffocate. A partial change of water or the removal of some of 

 the fish will usually improve matters. Sometimes the condition is pro- 

 duced by a dead snail or mussel, or again from the decomposition of 

 uneaten food. 



Overfeeding. Many people kill their fish by kindness. Whenever 

 the fish seem hungry they are fed. This is a very great mistake. In 



