Times-Advocate, 1985-03-20, Page 44Home aquarium adds unique touch
The arrival of spring signals that we
w ill soon be enjoying the beauties of nat-
ure - blooming flowers and greening
shrubs and trees.
Another natural beauty that can be en-
joyed within the home is ornamental fish.
The fascinating movements. bright and
distinctive color and various shapes of or-
namental fish are a delight for the whole
family.
Enclosed porches (or California or
Florida rooms) arc ideal locations for
goldfish aquariums. Goldfish. unlike trop-
ical fish. do not need a heated aquarium
and are a great addition to spring and sum-
mer living.
Benefits of goldfish
Goldfish are fun. goldfish are beautiful
and. in •fact; a study conducted by re-
searchers at the University of Pennsylva-
nia in 1980 concluded that watching
ornamental fish in home aquariums was a
definite benefit in relieving stress.
So. if you have some extra space and
would like something your whole family
could enjoy, consider an aquarium with
ornamental goldfish.
To go about starting a goldfish aquar-
ium, you will first want to locate a good
dealer. If you have a friend who has an
aquarium. ask for a reference; otherwise
the phone book lists most tropical fish re-
tailers.
Tropical fish are warm-blooded and re-
quire a heated aquarium. Goldfish do fine
in an aquarium with a wafer temperature
of around 65°.
Investigate equipment
When visiting a tropical fish store, get
an idea of different sizes of aquariums and
type of equipment you will need. A gold-
fish aquariunf should be covered with a re-
flector using fluorescent lights which do
not throw off a significant amount of heat.
In terms of a stand for your aquarium.
_'our dealer will have a selection. but you
colrld also consider budding 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 4's and then cover the front with
decorative paneling 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 are rather
messy. Your dealer can help with a selec-
• tion.
Even though you don't need a heater.
it's a good idea to use a thermometer to
make sure the water temperature does not
rise beyond 8t)°F.
GOLDFISH AQUARIUMS arr easy to get up, require minimal maintenance and pro-
vide a rewarding hobby for the retire family.
A recent development in thermometer
technology is the liquid crystal digital
thermometer which affixes to the outside
of the aquarium, yet measures most accu-
rately the water temperature.
If you are going to keep a lot of fish you
will also want a separate air pump in addi-
tion to the filter to add more oxygen to the
water.
Attractive ornaments
Decorating your goldfish aquarium can
be great fun. There are multi -colored
gravels. highly decorative backgrounds,
hundreds of ornaments as well as plastic
plants.so real in reproduction it's almost
impossible to distinguish them from live
plants.
Most good retailers will have a com-
plete assortment. and your selection
should be based on the size of your aquar-
ium and the amount of money you decide
to !spend.
Once you have set up your aquarium,
you should add a chlorine neutralizer to
the water and initially add only a few fish.
These fish will help develop the proper bi-
ological condition necessary to maintain a
fully stocked aquarium. After three or
four weeks. assuming everything is func-
tioning 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 par-
tial water change (not greater thar620 per-
cent). by siphoning the water from the
bottom of the aquarium. is all that's re-
quired.
A device called the Hydro -Clean allows
efficient siphoning by separating the de -
HOUSEHOLD HINTS
1 DAMP CLOSETS—Store your charcoal briquets in the closet in coffee
cans with holes punched in the lids. They will absorb dampness, -as will a
dozen pieces of chalk wrapped, tied and hung on the closet rod.
2 MUSTY CLOSETS ANI) TRUNKS—An old nylon filled with cedar chips
hanging in your closet smells sweet and repels months. Kitty litter
deodorizer in a can will do the same for an old trunk. Leave it open
overnight.
r —To add a pleasant spicy odor to closets already out-
fitted with mothballs, put whole cloves in clothes pockets and bags among
the sweaters. They help prevent moth damage too. Two cups of mothballs
in the rinse water used in blanket washing helps prevent moths from in-
vading their summer storage place.
1:
ROYAL LEPAGE
Royal LePage Real Fstate Services Ltd. Realtor
445 Main St., 235-1222
Ron Cottrell
Residence 233.2473
EXETER
bis from the gravel and removing it with
the water from the aquarium. On a
monthly basis. your filter will require min-
imal maintenance. That's all there is.
Following this simple routine, your
goldfish will live a long and prosperous
life. In fact. one of the biggest problems
people have is spending too much time
maintaining their aquarium. On a daily ba-
sis, goldfish should be fed a small quantity
of a quality flake food or pellet.
Goldfish are truly beautiful and have
been increasing dramatically in popularity.
There are many different body shapes and
colors to choose from in a variety of price
ranges. They will survive at much lower
temperatures and could be left in an un-
heated area for most of the year.
Goldfish and tropical fish form the basis
for a truly rewarding life -time hobby
and one the whole family can enjoy.
NEW
AND
EXCITING
RESISTS
SCUFFING
TEARING
PEELING
& CRUMBLING
T -A Home Improvement, March 20, 1985 Page 9
Log homes aren't what they used to be
— they're better! Today's versions, says
the Log Homes Council, range from tradi-
tional to contemporary and from rustic
cabins to complete year-round homes for
large families. _
Just as there is a wide range of styles in
log homes, the logs themselves vary in
specie, size. profile and in how they go to-
gr -
Whatever the phobia is for fear of in-
adequate coverage, insurer.have come up
with a treatment. Now. homeowners can
get protection against plufltrtteting satel-
lites or space labs.
Anyone who's covered can collect up to
SI million for bodily injury if hit by a
piece of space debris Premiums don't
cost much. because your chance of collect-
ing are about one in a billion.
BRAD MOUSSEAU
CONSTRUCTION
• General Carpentry
• Agricultural Buildings
• Renovations
• Residential
• FREE ESTIMATES
R.R. 2 Hensel) 236-4558
CaII after 5:30
i
!IHAHAC
CARPET
• Dynamic carpets are tough.and
durable.
• Luxury underfoot
DYNABAC provides plus
comfort underfoot.
Guaranteed for 5 years to
retain resiliency.
TEXTURED
LOOP100°'o
100°r nylon, Scotchgard treated
several earth tone shades. New
Dvnabac back" 2' vtiide, -. -..
LEVEL LOOP
nylon, Scotchgard treated,
several colours. New Dvnabac
backing. 12' wide.
$699
sq. yd.
899
sq. yd.
SAXONY
1000i nylon, Scotchgard treated,
several colours, new Dvnabac
plus backing. 12' wide.
$1 299sq. yd.
SCULPTURED
SAXONY
100°% nylon, Scotchgard treated,
several colours. New Dvnabac
backing. 12' wide.
$1 299
sq. yd.
• Resistance to high
compression
F to -nen,' e ,naentat,Ons ere
Weetlr m,Mm,rea.
• Easily
1 , installed
• Easily
removable
• Virtually waterproof
• DYNABAC is
perfect for
installation in
tress
prone areas
• Helps prevent pilling
and fuFing
DYNABAC penetrates
the carpet fibres
creating a permanent
bond between the
backing and the carpet.
TERMS - Cash, Mastercard
Grand Bend Decorating and Flooring Centre
Hwy. No. 21
238.8603
Grand Bend