If you're thinking of starting a fish tank hobby, either in your office or in your living room, then you may want to consider Why Goldfish Make The Most Interesting Pet Fish.
Why Goldfish Make The Most Interesting Pet Fish
Did you know that there have been numerous studies on the benefits of starting a fish aquarium tank? While you may be quite enamored by your clever cat and adorable dog, you may also want to consider fish as pets, too.
Apparently, watching fish swim aimlessly swim around in a tank soothes the human nervous system. It reduces stress, lowers heart rate and blood pressure, and provides therapeutic benefits. Those into Feng Shui are particularly fond of the idea of having a fish tank.
How to Set Up Your Fish Tank for Goldfish
First, select the right size of fish tank for the room. Get a big tank for your goldfish, not a tiny one, as they can become quite large.
After you’ve selected your tank install a filtration system and decide on a heating system. Next, put in gravel and any whimsical decorations like arched bridges and sunken pirate ships.
Now that you've got your tank all set up, fill it with water, but only use water that has been treated with a water conditioner. Finally, cycle the tank and test the water before you slowly add one fish at a time.
Besides providing right kind of food and figuring out a feeding schedule, be sure to keep some fish antibiotics nearby to help fight any bacterial infections in a timely way.
Why Goldfish Over More Exotic Varieties?
Since goldfish have often been selected for fish tanks and ponds, many hobbyists tend to prefer more exotic fish. However, the humble goldfish has not only been underestimated but also much-maligned.
What do you call a number of lions? A pride of lions. What do you call a number of goldfish? A troubling of goldfish.
Still, this disrespect is due to familiarity rather than to anything goldfish have done to deserve a tarnished reputation. Human beings have kept goldfish for the past 2,000 years, starting as far back as ancient China!
The #1 Myth about Goldfish
One common way to insult someone’s intelligence is to compare them to goldfish. Irritated parents, teachers, or bosses have often compared young people obsessed with surfing the net on their digital devices to have the attention spans of goldfish. This form of slander is considered a stinging rebuke because it is based on the common misconception that goldfish only have a memory span of 3 seconds.
However, in truth, comparing someone’s mind to that of a goldfish is actually a compliment because goldfish can actually remember information for as long as five months.
The Goldfish Tank, a website on all things Goldfish, discuss two studies that suggest goldfish have excellent memories.
In the first study, goldfish were trained to press a lever that dispensed food. “Once goldfish learned to press the lever, they would regularly return to it to get more food. Even more amazingly, the goldfish actually learned to press the lever at the right time of day!”
In the second study, scientists played a sound when goldfish were fed. “The fish were then released into the wild for around five months. After the five months had passed, the sound was played again and the fish returned to their original feeding place!”
3 Fascinating Facts about Goldfish:
1. Goldfish can live longer than cats or dogs!
If you take good care of your goldfish, it can live for as long as 40 years.
2. Goldfish can recognize you!
Yes, that right! Goldfish can recognize faces and tell one person from another. They can also differentiate between sounds, colors, and shapes. What’s more, they can see more colors than you, as they can see both ultraviolet and infrared light. So, they appreciate it when you keep the lights on—because they just don’t like being kept in the dark.
3. Goldfish prefer small snacks over big meals.
Since goldfish don’t have stomachs, you should feed them many small meals of easily digestible foods. Don’t feed them a lot of food at once.
5 Common Mistakes to Avoid
If you’re catching on to the idea that goldfish make excellent pets, here are some common mistakes made by new goldfish owners to avoid:
1. Buying a small tank. Goldfish can grow up to a foot long. They appreciate having plenty of space to swim.
2. Not using a good filter. Since goldfish produce a lot of waste, be sure to have an efficient filter to keep the water clean.
3. Putting too many goldfish in a tank. Since goldfish can grow large and produce a lot of waste, don’t have too many in a tank. Don’t add more goldfish because you think one or two may get lonely. There has been no scientifically observed behavior to suggest that goldfish feel better with plenty of other goldfish around.
4. Improper water management. Three mistakes with water management are not making enough water changes, changing too much water at the same time, and not treating tap water with a conditioner. Change the water at least once a week, only change a third of the tank’s water, and condition tap water to remove harmful chemicals.
5. Adding other types of fish. Goldfish are not compatible with most other types of fish, so it’s best to just keep goldfish in the tank.
Leave a Reply