HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1988-04-06, Page 43Times -Advocate, April 6, 1988 Page 15B
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Optimist Home & Garden Show this weekend
Decorating your goldfish aquarium can be fun
The arrival of. spring signals
that we will soon be enjoying
the beauties of nature - blooming
.flowers and greening shrubs and
trees.
Another natural beauty that can
be ,enjoyed within the home is
ornamental fish. The fascinating
movements, bright and distinc-
tive colours and various shapes
of ornamental 'fish are a delight
for the whole family. ,
.Enclosed porches (or California
or Florida rooms) arc ideal loca-
tions for goldfish aquariums.
Goldfish, unlike tropical fish, do
not need a heated aquarium and
are a great addition to spring and
summer living. •
Benefits.' of goldfish
Goldfish are fun, goldfish arc
beautiful and, in fact, a study
conducted by researchers at the
University of Pennsylvania in
1980 cone luded "that watching or-
namental fish in homie aquariums
was a definite benefit in relieving
stress.
So, if you have some extra
-span:-and would likc_somcthing
your whole fancily could enjoy,
consider an aquarmin with orna-
niental goldfish.
To go about starting a goldfish
aquarium, you will first -want to
locate a food dealer. If you have
a friend who has an aquariurn,
ask for a reference; otherwise the
phone book lists most tropical
fish retailers.
Tropical fish are warm-blooded
and require a heated aquarium.
Goldfi'.li do fine in an aquarium
with a ‘.',rtcr temperature of
around 65.1'.
Investigate equipment
When visiting a tropical fish
store, get an idea of different siz-
es of aquariums and type of
equipment you will need. A gold-
fish aquarium. should he covered
with a reticctor using fluorescent
lights which do not throw off a
significant amount Of heat.
In terms of a stand for your
.aquarium, your dealer will hart a
selection, but you• cot:ld also
consider building one to match
the decor of your room. This is
relatively simple but be sure it's
very sturdy since the weight of
the aquarium and water is quite
heavy.
A good idea is to build an open
stand out of 2 x 4s and then cov-
er the front with decorative panel-
ing to match your room decor
and leave the back open so that
the wiring and tubing from your
aquarium's pump and filter can
be stored out of sight.
Good filter important
In addition to the reflector you
will also need a good filter since
goldfish arc rather messy. Your
dealer can help with a selection.
Even though you don't need a
heater, it's a good idea to use a
thermometer to make sure the
water temperature docs not rise
beyond 80 degrees F. .
A recent development in ther-
mometer technology is the 1.q-
- uid crystal digital thcrmometcr
which affixes to the outside of
the aquarium„. yet measures most
acciu,uely the water temperature.
It you. arc going to keep a lot
of fish, you will also want a
separate air pump in addition to
the filter to add more oxygen to
t;i.. water.
Attractive ornaments
Decorating your goldfish
aquarium can be great fun. There
are multi -coloured gravels, high-
ly decorative backgrounds, hun-
dreds of ornaments as well as
plastic plants so real in repro-
duction it's almost impossible
to distinguish them from live
plants.
Most good retailers will have
a complete assortment, and your
selection should be based on the
size of your aquarium and the
amount of money you decide to
spend..
Once you have set up your
aquarium, you sl:ould add a chlo-
rine neutralizer :o the water and
initially add only a few fish.
1 :icse few fish will help develop
the proper biological conditions
necessary to maintain a fully
stocked aquarium. After three or
four weeks, assuming every-
thing is functioning properly,
you can then go ahead and add
the rest of the fish.
Aquarium maintenance is
much simpler than people think.
Every two weeks a partial water
change (not greater than 20 per-
cent, by siphoning the water
from the bottom of the aquari-
um, is all thats required.
•
"HOW ABOUT YOUR OTHER SHORT CUT OVER JOHNSON'S
FARM?.THEY'VE GOT A FLOCK OF 5T1JPiD TURKEYS!"
A device cal,' the Hydic-Clean
allows efficient siphoning by
separating the debris from the
gravel and removirig'it with the
water from the aquarium. On a
monthly basis, your filter will
require minimal maintenance.
That's all there is. .
Following this simple rou-
tine, your goldfish will live a
long anu prosperous tile. In tact,
one of the biggest problems peo-
ple- have is spending too much
time maintaining their aquarium.
On a daily basis, goldfish should
be fed a small quantity of a qual-
ity flake food or pellet.
Goldfish are truly beautiful and
have been increasing dramatical-
ly in popularity. Thcrc arc many
different body shapes and colours
to choose from in a variety of
price ranges. They will survive
at much lower temperatures and
could be left in an unheated arca
for most of the year.
Goldfish and tropical fish form
the basis for a truly rewarding
lift -time hobby - and one the
whole family can enjoy.
Anyone can spackle cracks in
walls
Why wait for a professional to
fix that crack in your wall? You
can do it in two simple steps at a
very low cost. Just fill the crack
with an acrylic latex spackling
compound.
When the spackle is dry, sand
until the,surface is even with the
rest of the wall. Clean up any
extra spackle with water.
Choose a caulk that sands easi-
ly and won't break down under
latex or solvent -based paints,
such as Elmer's Redi-Spack
Spackling Compound which is
also non-toxicand non-
flammable, and has no harmful
fumes. When the paint dries,
your wall will look like new.
Come and talk with us about
Designing
Your Home
on the
Computer
MICHAEL VAN RAAY
•
R.R. 3 Dashwood NOM iNO 237-3231
1 1 ITT
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