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Published : March 16, 2009 |
Author : momofsix
Category : F. Baby And Child Care | Total Views
: 197 | Rating :  
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 momofsix
I am a homeschool mom with six children.
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My five year old boy had been asking for a pet fish for his birthday. I had
thought, "oh, no, not again". You see we have had three fish die. Finally, the
Pet Smart store pointed out that it was our water softening system that was
making the water unsuitable for the fish, killing them. However, I just have
never been able to keep fish alive. Well, this time we went to Pet Smart instead
of Walmart (we got smarter-he,he). Petsmart asked to test the ph of the water
in the new and clean aquarium before we put any fish in it. They then helped us
find a certain type of fish. You can choose from "community fish",
"semiaggressive fish", or "aggressive fish". They also pointed out that gold
fish should never be mixed with other fish because they put out too much
ammonia; they are a very dirty fish. Goldfish are easy to care for, they said,
but they must all be by themselves so that the other fish won't die from the
toxicity of the goldfish. The young girl from Petsmart showed us that Goldfish
must have their own filters and aquarium in the store because their output of
ammonia kills off the other fish (did you know that?). So, the young girl
pointed out that we need to also not put a Tiger fish that is semiaggressive
with another fish like a Molly which is a community fish. The tiger
(semiaggressive) fish will bully and hurt the other (community) fish. She said
that the Tiger fish goes fine with the Silver Dollar fish or another
semiaggressive fish, but not with a community fish. She said to watch the other
fish. Some just have personalities of their own and don't do well (watch for
bullying or such). She also advised us that some fish are more territorial than
other fish (even within community fish) so we need to watch for how many fish we
put together. It is the rule to add one inch to the adult growth of a fish plus
and inch to the tank in estimating how many fish you should have in your tank.
This young girl gave me enough information that I really feel more confident
that this will be a positive experience for my Joshua, newly turned six year
old.
Now something new was discovered after putting the tank and fish on his
dresser two days ago (besides the fact that we need to secure the dresser
to the wall more so no accidents will happen). The boys in that room slept with no
one getting out of bed. I was told that watching fish
actually lowers one's blood pressure, which is why they put them in doctor
offices. I guess with children, it helps them to relax to go to sleep. The boys
seem more relaxed and quiet at night. No one complains that they
can't fall asleep any more. They watch the fish while they fall asleep. If I had
known this I would have had a fish tank in there years ago (he,he). Has anyone
else discovered this?
So, my recommendation is easy to care for community fish in an
aquarium with a filter, a sucker fish, and an aquarium frog, for young children,
in which there is a happy environment for the fish, and almost no cleaning for
mom.
P.S. Some other bedtime tips that can sometimes
help:
*calcium powder in Applesauce before bedtime (my favorite is by
Nutriplex-super absorbable)
*quiet time reading (especially Bible
stories)
*routine such as: bath time, wind down activity (coloring), Bible
story, calcium w/ apple sauce (keep it
predictable)
P.S.S. Additional notes on
aquariums:
1. New aquariums need to be filled with water and a special drops
to protect fish for one week before putting fish in tank. This is so that the
healthy bacteria grows, which feeds on the fish waste.
2. Putting a
temperature gauge on tank is important to monitor temperature. New heaters need
to be submerged in tank for one week before being turned on; water filter,
aerator needs be in water to give enough oxygen ( add live plants from fish
store to help keep fish calm).
3. Fish die when they are too stressed from
too many fish in a tank, wrong temperature, ph balance or nitrates off (get ph
and ammonia chemical strips to test water), add salt to keep fish from getting
too stressed (especially for salt water fish).
4. After a couple of weeks or
a month get an algae eater.
5. Stress enzyme is great for a new tank to help
it get balanced water. Ammonia crystals help to get ammonia out of water (put it
next to the filter as directions say).
Bad water in an aquarium is like
bad soil for growing plants. There is a lot of science in this for a
homeschooler-explain that too much acid in soil makes for sick plants, too much
acid in people makes for sick people (stretch unit study and go into what food cause
our bodies to become acidic or alkaline), too much acid in the tank causes sick
fish..... By the way, it still keeps the boys happier when they go to bed. Many
weeks later, and they still don't have a problem falling asleep because they
watch the fish from their beds. It has been worth the work. |
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 Comments and Discussion Wall |
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 Posted by MamaMahnken on March 17, 2009 |
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Ooo, I have wanted a tank for quite some time, but now I am gettting newly motivated! Thanks for sharing all this great info!
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| Posted by Fulltime Mama on March 17, 2009 |
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interesting! makes me want to consider getting a tank again - for their room this time.... :)
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