Main > Household > Pets > Fish
When starting an aquarium, be patient! It takes time for nitrifying bacteria to multiply. If you introduce fish early, the environment will be poisonous to them, and they will probably die. That would be cruel.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
Fish don't adapt to new environments easily; they're like all animals which lack the ability to reason: they panic.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
The main key to keeping fish in an aquarium, is: their home's condition must be correct and stable. They cannot run away when it's a mess.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
Water: replace about 1/5 of the aquarium water every fortnight, with prepared water.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish > Adding fish
Let them settle overnight in the dark, as they'll be rather upset about the new environment. Wait to feed them the next day.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish > Adding fish
Number of fish: Cold freshwater aquaria can support far less fish than tropical. Generally, 1 inch of fish per 1 gallon tank size (1 cm per 3 litres) is a good rule. But this should be adjusted to suit the fish's metabolism and general behaviour.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish > Adding fish
Quarantine: If adding new fish to an established colony of fish, quarantine the new ones in a small, clean, spare tank to watch for disease.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish > Adding fish
Let fish acclimatise slowly by putting it, still inside the plastic bag and water from the shop, in the tank. Add some aquarium water every quarter-hour. Throw out the bag water.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
Changing tank water: This is very important indeed. If you tend to forget, then do a smaller water change weekly, e.g. with a favourite weekly tv show.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
Use a pH kit and a kit to test the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels in the aquarium before adding fish. Different fish species have different needs.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
A panicked fish moves a lot, and its gills work faster. Abrupt change upsets fish. Be patient!
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
Filtration: remove nitrates from water, by sucking water through a filtering unit. Don't forget to clean the filtration medium (e.g. sponge).
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
It's better not to release ornamental fish into native fishes' habitats, or keep wild fish in aquariums.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
Water: freshwater fish won't cope with the chlorine in treated town-water.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish > Feeding
Feed the fish what they can eat in a few minutes, no more. Do this no more than twice a day. They are healthier thinner than fat.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish > Adding fish
Snails eat organic matter including dead fish, fish excrement, and algae. Also, they breed quickly, have all kinds of interesting shapes and colours, and can be very tiny.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish > Plants
Anchor rooted plants to a stone, and cover roots with fine clean gravel.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
Gravel: lay a few centimetres of gravel on the aquarium floor, to provide more surface and grip for algae to grow on, which fish can graze on.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
Vacations: better to feed fish a little regularly than a big amount rarely. So on vacations of up to a week, use a 'holiday' food-block that breaks down slowly. For longer holidays, use a mechanical feeder (including a patient, informed friend).
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish > Adding fish
Ground-feeders: You needn't feed daily the ground-feeders, like Corydoras (catfish). A stable aquarium environment with 'biological filters' (bacteria), plants, algae, and driftwood, will have sufficient food to keep them busy.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
Use a microscope to examine the rinsed sediment of your aquarium. Compare it to a sample of rinsed mud from a healthy river. You may be surprised.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish > Feeding
Save money by getting one type of food for both ground-feeding and top-feeding fish. The former will happily eat fallen flakes from the surface, but top-feeding fish are less ready to forage into crevices for pellets
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
Quarantine: If adding new fish to an established colony of fish, quarantine the new ones in a small, clean, spare tank to watch for disease.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
Breeding: Some fish eat their eggs. Use a breeding tank, then remove the adults.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish > Plants
Choose living plants to provide food and oxygen for the fish.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish > Feeding
Feeding: have a regular daily time to feed the fish.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Cats
Rubbish: If the smells and tidbits in the garbage can continually peak your cat's interest, get one with a lid, or keep it in a cupboard under the sink.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Pets > Cats
Moving with Your Cat: Your cat should be the last thing you "pack up," and if you're moving only across town, you should have the furniture in place at the new house before he arrives, to help you cat adjust quickly. You should keep your cat indoors for at least a week to get it used to the new surroundings. Then when you do let it out make sure it's hungry - it will always come back for it's food.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Pets > Cats
Bathing a cat: If you have trouble, find an old window screen and place it in the tub or sink. The cat will dig its claws into the screen and stay there the entire time of bathing.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Pets > Cats
Travelling: To make it less stressful for a cat to use a travelling basket get them to associate it with a pleasant experience by occasionally placing a dish of food inside. This way it should not be so traumatic for the cat when it needs to be used.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Pets > Cats
Lemon scented polish keeps cats off furniture as they don't like the smell. Rub a bar of lemon scented soap on upholstery to keep cats off.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Pets > Cats
Hairs: A scouring pad (the green fibrous sort) can be used to remove cat (or dog) hairs from upholstery.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Pets
Renting and pets don't go well together. Rental premises are often smaller, with closer neighbours; even if the humans are friendly, their pets might not be. Also, added to the cost of carpet-cleaning will be fumigation, when you move out.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets
Pets in rented premises: small and inconspicuous. E.g. an aquarium for small fish, lizards, or turtles; or a small worm-farm; or a small gastropodium.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Worm-farm
Worm-keeping: It is very easy and also transforms most kitchen scraps into excellent potting mix.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Worm-farm
Easy indoors worm-farm:
- Place a 4-5 gallon fishtank in a cool spot, out of direct sun. Fill with cheap potting mix (not clay).
- Put feeder-box on the top of soil. This is a lidded, bottomless box for finely-chopped household scraps.
- Plant indoor plants around feeder-box. Water to keep soil moist but keep in mind that worms can drown.
- Add worms, e.g. tiger worms from pet store.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Worm-farm
Feeding: Worms eat very fine, decomposing food. Finely chop household scraps before putting them in a lidded scraps container. Feed to worms once a week or so.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Worm-farm
Feeding: Egg-shells, citrus rinds, onion skin etc. aren't favourite foods for worms.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Worm-farm
Fruit flies, maggots, and more: Lots of insects will multiply naturally inside the feeder-box. It will be very smelly and moist. Hence the close-fitting lid.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Worm-farm
After six months of worm-keeping, use half the worms and soil in the garden. Replace with new cheap potting mix.
kellyjones00 (593)
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