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Goldfish scooping and fish care guide

Participants today had a fun opportunity for goldfish scooping at our first session -- a game commonly played in China, Taiwan, and Japan that involves catching a goldfish with a tissue paper net (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldfish_scooping). You can make the fish scooping nets with this website (http://web.mit.edu/cat/www/goldfish-scooping/).

There are a few basics for a goldfish care:

1. Water conditioner: Tap water can be used for goldfish but the water needs to be treated first to remove the chemicals that could kill the fish, such as chlorine. Water conditioner can be purchased from Petsmart (click link here). This condition instantly conditions the water. 7 drops should be put into 0.5 gallons of water or 14 drops into 1 gallon water. Each participant was given a plastic bag with 28 or 42 drops of condition (depending on if they had 2 or 3 fish, respectively). This is sufficient to treat 2-3 gallons of water.

2. Water temperature: Fish prefer cooler temperatures (68-72 F), so if the fish can be placed in a cooler area, that would be preferrable.

3. Water filter: if you get a water filter, this can help keep the water clean. The filter only needs to be changed every 2 weeks (click link here). The filters can be found here (click link here). This will keep the tank clean, but the water should still be changed once a week. A water change means that 20-33% of the water should be removed and new (treated) water should be added in.

Participants were given a plastic bag with 28 or 42 drops of conditioner (depending on if they had 2 or 3 fish, respectively). This is sufficient to treat 2-3 gallons of water.

4. Water to fish ratio: one fish should ideally be in about one gallon of water.

If the appropriate sized container cannot be found, please try to find the next largest volume you can use and the fish can survive at smaller volumes. However, the water needs to be changed every two days. A water change means that 20-33% of the water should be removed and new (treated) water should be added in. This prevents the ammonia and nitrates from their urine and waste from building up in the water.

Participants were given a plastic bag with 28 or 42 drops of conditioner (depending on if they had 2 or 3 fish, respectively). This is sufficient to treat 2 to 3 gallons of water.

5. Feeding: Feed the fish twice a day. Add just a few pellets, enough for them to eat within 2-3 minutes. Extra food should be netted out with a fish net (click link here). This prevents the fish from overeating.

Pellets should be purchased here (click link here). Fish pellets/granules are often cleaner and neater to clean than fish flakes, which can messier.

6. Fish personalities: at first, the fish will be shy and may need two days or so to be come used to their new environment. But once they get accustomed to their new environment, they will also eat more and will not shy away when you stand over the tank. Fish respond to routine, so if you feed them at a regular time, they will become accustomed and responsive to it.

For further information, here's a link below or feel free to consultant the staff at the local pet store. The post is titled, "I'm thinking about getting an aquarium. What equipment should I consider getting?"

Link: https://www.cs.duke.edu/~narten/faq/hardware.html

Link: https://www.cs.duke.edu/~narten/faq/intro.html

Activity 2_edited.jpg


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