Tuesday, September 14, 2010

How To Keep The Goldfish|Fish Only Have a 3 Second Memory

How To Keep The Goldfish

Sometimes, this myth is in the form Goldfish only have a three second memory, and sometimes it is applied to all fish.

Fact

This Myth is nonsense. I suspect it was originated to justify keeping Goldfish in small bowls. The story was that by the time the Goldfish had finished swimming round the bare bowl, it had forgotten what it had seen and each short swim round was a journey of discovery.

Goldfish have a good memory for things that matter to them. Many people have done experiments about this. Over sixteen years ago, I did the following simple experiment. There was a pond in the front of our shop that has now been replaced by aquariums. I had one batch of goldfish that were staying near the bottom of the pond and were not easily visible. This is not good for selling the fish.

I decided to see how long it would take to train the Goldfish to come near the top when people came near. Each time I went close, I put a tiny amount of fish food on the water surface. The fish had learned before the end of the day and came up whenever anyone came near. They still remembered the next day.

My own experiment is also borne out by people's observations of the behaviour of fish in ponds. If you feed them occasionally, they come to the top. On the other hand, if a predator tries to catch the Goldfish, they hide near the bottom of the pond.

Recently, I saw on the television program Myth Busters a more complicated experiment that confirmed that Goldfish have good memories.

How To Keep The Goldfish|Is This Goldfish Sick Or Healthy

How to Keep The Goldfish

If your goldfish is swimming very slowly and turning belly up frequently while swimming know that there is something wrong. Goldfish sick with disease are easy to detect. They will have symptoms that are different from normal goldfish behavior. Goldfish are fast swimmers.

There may be different colored marks all over the body. The stomach may become hard and fat. Goldfish sick with bacteria or fungal infection will have changed body color (usually pale color in comparison to their original color).

Variation in the water temperature that's not suitable for the goldfish may make them sick. There are some basic steps to prevent getting goldfish sick with disease. The water of the aquarium should be frequently changed and treated to keep it clean. There should be enough natural plants in the aquarium. Certain goldfish diseases can be treated by adding aquarium salt to the water.

The bottom of the aquarium should be also clean at all times. So sometimes the cause of goldfish sickness could be as simple as unclean or unsuitable water. Aquarium or pond water should not be polluted with food stuff and goldfish poop.

Goldfish sick with disease should be separated from other goldfish in the aquarium. They should be treated for the disease and taken back only when they are completely free from the disease and any form of bacterial or fungal infection.

Even hardy goldfish such as the comet goldfish will die if neglected. The solution lies in equipping yourself with proper knowledge of goldfish care, networking with goldfish enthusiasts, and taking immediate action when you suspect sickness.

Healthy goldfish in your aquarium will become sick if you neglect them. You should know about all symptoms and causes of goldfish disease. If you are ignorant, you may end up buying goldfish sick with disease.