Keep fish (alive)for good health! Some advice from Canuck
I just finshed a task that I enjoy doing and decided to write to all of you about it.
I have a large glass fish bowl. In it are a dozen or so small fish which are my
friends.
I used to keep fish in an aquarium when I was much younger. I did this for my children when they were young . I wanted them to be able to see another life form. We have all ascended from the sea in the distant past. The salty nature of
our blood is a reminder of our history.
It is said that one's blood pressure will reduce by several points if one relaxes and watches the movement of fish.
In the past my aquarium was much bigger than the fish bowl I now have and it had
an airpump to supply an air bubbler so the water was airated. There was also a
filter to removed contaminants; uneaten food, fish waste, plant debris. When I
first purchased this large fish bowl, I also bought the air pump and filter. But they are no longer in use and I am glad for it. Gazing into a crystal-clear
pool of water with the only movement being my graceful fish is a delight and seeing bubblers and hearing the hum of a pump is distracting for me.
I believe that fish should have an environment similar to where they would normally live when in their natural environment, along the sea or lake shores. I have placed several large stones picked up as I hike across the desert as well as smaller stones and plants in an attractive manner in the bowl. The plants are cuttings from house plants in our apartment...another of my pleasant sidelines.
About every two weeks or when I feel the water should be clearer, I enjoy crystal-clear water, I will remove the plants and stones carefully and the fish are transferred into another temporary small bowl kept just for this purpose. I wash
the bowl, rinsing it well; then each stone is washed separately as well as each
leaf of the plants. Then water that I have stored for a few days in bottles, is
poured back into the bowl, the stones are arranged again in an attrctive manner
along with the plants, held down by some smaller stones. Finally the fish are
returned to the bowl and the water level topped up.
I am content to see my happy fish exploring their "new" environment.
An extra note for those who may be interested in following my example and keeping a lovely fish bowl. Do not feed your fish too much food! They will always eat what you give them but they do not need it. Too much food just increases the
amount of waste in the bowl and makes cleaning their environment more often. I
feed once a day an amount of dry food no larger than perhaps a small to medium-sized vitamin pill. I expect that will surprise most of you.
My fishy friends are always active, the water is clear and I am a more relaxed person than I might normally be because we keep fish. The bowl sits on top of our
TV set, a place of honour in our home.
I do hope this article will convince some of you to try keeping fish in your home ... it is simple and can bring pleasure.
David
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