6 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 ten-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 
