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The Fantasy And Reality Of Goldfish Ponds
One day, when Ive made more money from my writing than Stephen King, I will get a small farm which will be a very small animal refuge for unwanted pets. On it, I will have The Goldfish Pond of goldfish ponds. All the goldfish in this most special of goldfish ponds will be homeless, orphaned goldfish, once destined to see Ralph the Great Porcelain Bowl God but now saved by Me.
Life In The Real World
Actually, in the real world, you dont have to make Stephen Kings agent jealous in order to have goldfish ponds. You do need a bit of space, though, for goldfish need between one and two gallons of water per fish in order to be healthy and happy. If youve ever kept goldfish successfully in aquariums (not bowls), then you already have the elementary education for keeping goldfish in goldfish ponds happy and healthy.
And, just like keeping fish in a tank, you dont need a tank and water. You also need a pump and a filter system of some kind, or the water gets really rancid really fast. You might consider getting snails or adopting a Plecostomus that has outgrown his tank to help filter out the dead organic material.
Your goal is to keep your fish in goldfish ponds relaxed. Stressed fish mean dead fish. Fish can become stressed in goldfish ponds for the same reasons they get stressed out in tanks:
Overcrowding
Poor water conditions
Addition of new fish
Disease
Not enough oxygen in the water
Being transported
You Are Not Alone
You are not alone in going through the misadventures of keeping up your goldfish ponds. There are literally hundreds of clubs, magazines and individual hobbyists on the World Wide Web and in the real world. You could try attending a fish show in order to find information. You can also ask pet shop employees you buy products from. There is usually someone who specializes in keeping the fish healthy so they will be bought. Sick fish mean major losses for the shop in money and reputation. If you look for it, you will find it.
Finding information on the maintenance of goldfish ponds sometimes feels as if you need to be a psychic. Actually, there is a form of divination used from ancient times and rarely now called ichthyomancy, where the movements of the fish when you asked them questions would determine your prophecy. |