Let us talk about pets

Something fishy...

Ruwini Jayawardana

Keeping pet fish is a bit demanding and time consuming at the beginning but once you get use to the routine and manner of treating your fish, it can suit a person with a demanding lifestyle. Here are some important facts that you may find useful if you are thinking of rearing pet fish.

* What type of fish should you get

The type of fish you keep will depend on the amount of space you have and the amount of money you wish to spend. There are two broad categories of aquarium fish - freshwater and saltwater (marine) - and within each of these categories are coldwater and tropical varieties.

Coldwater fish are suitable for coldwater aquariums but tropical fish need heated water; outdoor pond fish are normally of the freshwater-coldwater type.

Try choosing cheap fish to begin with because these are generally the easiest to keep and buy only healthy specimens. Be sure to purchase your fish from a reputable dealer. Dead fish in the sale tanks indicated poor health.

Beginners should start with a small freshwater aquarium and a few coldwater fish. Saltwater tanks are more difficult to manage than freshwater. Choose hardy specimens such as goldfish. Coldwater marine fish such as leather jackets, breams and small flounder are also cheap and easy to keep.

Tropical freshwater fish suitable for beginners include platties, swordtails, guppies and mollies. Be sure that you know how to keep fish properly before buying tropical fish because they are very sensitive to poor water quality and temperature fluctuations.

Never keep incompatible fish together as some may eat others. For advice talk to the petshop sales person.

* What size fish tank should you get

A fish tank should be an appropriate size for the number of fish held. If a non-aerated aquarium or outdoor pond is used, allow three centimetres of water surface area for every three square centimetres of fish.

A tank should be rectangular; fish bowls have a small water surface area and therefore limit the amount of oxygen entering the water. In addition, for each centimetre of fish you will need about five litres of water regardless of whether the tank is aerated or not. Freshwater should be allowed to stand in a stainless steel or plastic container for 24 hours before use, to allow dissipation of chlorine (common in tap water).

Seawater is best made up from bottled water or tap water with the addition of special seawater mix available from aquarium shops.

* How to keep the fish tank clean

Add Goldfish Rocks to the fish bowl or tank to remove ammonia and other toxins that can build up in the tank. Replace the rocks every time you clean the water.

Tanks should be cleaned every week.

* How much should you feed fish

Never overfeed the fish. Add just enough food for the fish to eat over a five-minute period. Carefully siphon off any uneaten food from the tank floor. If your fish are kept at a constant temperature in the aquarium you should feed them every day.

Supply a variety of dried food (flakes), frozen food (brine, shrimp, daphnia) fresh food (earthworms, tubiflex) and green food (algae and water moss) all of which is available from aquarium shops.

Pond fish require feeding every two days in summer and once weekly in winter. Buy suitable pellets from a pet supplier.