Why

KeepGoldfish

Humans have kept goldfish for a long time over a thou-sand years We keep them in

ponds aquariums and various other containers inside and outside our homes Goldfish are the best known aquatic pet in the world and their popularity is still growing5 Why There are many reasons but I think the most important can be narrowed to three First goldfish are undemand-ing second they are beautiful and third they bring joy to their keepers

Have you ever walked into a pet store and wondered at the tanks that appear to contain a goldfish per square inch There are casualties sure but most are swimming around producing waste in a tank far too small for one adult of their kind Goldfish are extraordinary fish that do not need the specialized equipment or impeccable water qual-ity that many fishes demand to survive which makes them accessible to people of a wide range of experience and financial means In short they are very undemanding pets Goldfish basically require three things a non toxic container with good surface area fil-tration and light4 Another convenience of keeping goldfish is unlike most fish they can survive in a variety of temperatures Although most thrive in the seventy to seventy five degrees Fahrenheit range they have been known to tolerate temperatures as low as thirty three degrees and up to the low hundreds degrees Fahrenheit5 Feeding goldfish is in a word cheap and they are not finicky about the contents of their diet3 They do require some variation but in general do very well on a basic pellet or flake diet supplemented with fruits and vegetables like lettuce oranges and zucchini found in your own refrig-erator2

By Tiffany Brazell

From the very beginning people have husbanded goldfish for their ethereal beauty es-pecially the Chinese and Japanese who are responsible for breeding most of the gold-fish varieties we are familiar with today 3 People of the Jin Dynasty first noticed the

beautiful orange and red mutations of the goldfishrsquos ancestor the prussian carp which led to keeping the fish in homes and gardens Appreciation of the aesthetic qualities of goldfish is still considered part of refined society in asian cultures today Goldfish appear abundantly in the arts and literature of China and Japan You can find them on textiles paintings ce-ramics toys and housewares9 They are also included in mythology and literature as figures of beauty and good fortune A contemporary example is the japanese tale ldquoA Riot of Gold-fishrdquo by Kanoko Okamoto where a young man tries to overcome a lost love by breeding a goldfish that will capture and be worthy of her beauty 9

Itrsquos hard to find an unsightly goldfish that is in good health There is real allure in the variety of bright colors and different forms goldfish exhibit Some are orange red and yellow blue and even brown Some come with no dorsal fin while others sprout long

fins like flower petals7 Many hobbyists and breeders take special pride in being able to pro-duce exceptional specimens suited for shows and collectors To do so requires an immacu-late attention to detail patience and commitment to water quality and space26

2

Goldfish are not only undemanding and beautiful but also a joy to keep It doesnrsquot mat-ter if yoursquore a beginning hobbyist or a seasoned aquarist competing in shows thanks to their diversity there is a goldfish for everyone65 They have endearing personalities

are very intelligent and if properly cared for are impressively long lived which makes the initial investment more than worthwhile Ten to twenty years in considered a normal lifespan and we have records of goldfish living for forty years18 In our hectic world caring for goldfish is a source of much-needed relaxation for many people Coming home and reclining on your sofa to peer into another world a world of swirling fins and gently flowing water is very ef-fective Some studies in psychology of watching fish suggested that watching fish has the same effect on the human mind as deep meditation

So why do people keep goldfish There are many reasons that they are the most popular wet-pet They are undemanding pets who require little in the way of food environment and attention Goldfish are beautiful to behold Their aesthetic qualities have always been impor-tant especially in asian cultures Lovely goldies are a joy to keep They are intelligent animals that live for a long time and promote relaxation for their owners Goldfish popularity is still growing after a thousand years of husbandry Itrsquos easy to see why

1

1 Boruchowitz David E Aquarium Care of Goldfish Animal Planet Pet Care Library Tfh Pubns Inc (September 2008)2 Brewster Bernice and Nick Fletcher Todayrsquos Essential Guide to Keeping Goldfish Aqua-master Interpret Publishing (1994) 3 DeVito Carlo and Gregory Skomal The Goldfish An Ownerrsquos Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet 1st ed Happy Healthy Pet Howell Book House 19964 Goldfish Society of Anmerica The Official Guide to Goldfish Tfh Pubns Inc (May 1992) nd5 Hargrove Maddy The Essential Goldfish 1st ed Horwell Book House (july 271999) 6 Johnson Erik L and Richard E Hess Fancy Goldfish Complete Guide To Care And Col-lecting Weatherhill (May 12001) 7 Ostrow Marshall E Goldfish Everything About Aquariums Varieties Care Nutrition Diseases and More Complete Pet Ownerrsquos Manual Illustrated Barronrsquos Educational Series 2003 8 Smartt Joseph and James H Bundell Goldfish Breeding and Genetics Tfh Pubns Inc (April 1996)9 Takaoka Kazuya Sachiko Kuru and Kanoko Okamoto Kingyo The Artistry of Japanese Goldfish Kodansha USA (September 17 2004)

Sources

Images

1 ldquoCouchjpg (JPEG Image 1100 times 1100 Pixels)rdquo Acessed April 112012 httpbasicsunderneathcommediacatalogproductcache1image5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972dcocouchjpg2 ldquoIl_fullxfull308563420jpg (JPEG Image 640 times 506 Pixels)rdquo Accessed April 9 2012 httpimg0etsystaticcomil_fullxfull308563420jpg3 ldquoParchmentjpg (JPEG Image 1534 times 1125 Pixels)rdquo Accessed April 3 2012 httpndedu~klichtenimagesparchmentjpg