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Carolyn Tucker, age 9, Wichita, Kansas

How do you take, good care of a goldfish? .

The round goldfish bowl is going out of fashion. That's good, because it was never the most suitable home for a pretty goldfish,. What’s morel the round glass sides distort our view of him. Such a handsome creature deserves not only comfort, but a home in which he can be properly admired.

The best home for a goldfish is an oblong glass tank, This gives plenty of surface where the water can come in contact with the air. Keep the aquarium in a bright, but not too sunny, spot, estimate Goldie's length minus his tail; Allow one gallon of water for every inch of fish. Of course like you or I, Goldie would rather share his home with a companion than live alone,

The home can be just plain water, but a balanced aquarium is better more beautiful and more fun for you and the fish. A tank of plain water . must be changed every day or so, For the water becomes stale as the fish breathes up the oxygen, Lift him out gently in a net and put him in a bowl of clean water while you change the water in his tank, Never touch him with your fingers. You may bruise him and skuff the filmy coating over his scale, Some people use a pump to bubble fresh air into the aquarium. In this case, the water is only changed to clean the tank.

A balanced aquarium need not be changed at all. This is the ideal home for Goldie and also a beautiful decoration for your home, For a few pennies and a little trouble you can fix up a fascinating balanced aquarium yourself, Cover the floor of the empty tank with an inch of good soil, Surface the soil with sand or gravel and maybe a few colored pebbles, Use your pennies to buy several varieties of waterweeds at the pet shop, Pant them in the soil and arrange them gracefully as you gently fill the tank with water. Add a few water snails and lot the new aquarium settle for a few days. Goldie will love it • so will every one else.

The waterweeds breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. The fish breathes in the oxygen and breathes out carbon dioxide,, That provided a balanced diet of air in the water for both plants and fish. The snails are the garbage men. They eat up the waste material and the green algae plants that fog the water and cloud the glass walls. If your fish cones to the surface: he may be gasping for more air. Change the water and put in more waterweeds.

Feed Goldie only once a day and always a the same time. He needs a varied diet so keep different packages of fish food on hand. Also, from time to times give him a little chopped egg, give her a fly or a bit of worm. Never let him eat longer than five minutes at a time. Then remove the crumbs from his water. Most goldfish perish from overfeeding or under housing

Every goldfish is beautiful whether he is the plain or fancy variety. He is sure to be fascinating to watch, especially in a fancy, balanced aquarium. In time, he gets to know you, Never startle him with a flashing light or loud bangs on his glass walls. Just tap the glass gently before feeding time.. He will soon learn to come swimming towards you.

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