Home aquarium adds fun, decorative accent THE ARRIVAL of winter means spending more time inside. A natural beauty that can be enjoyed within the home is ornamental fish. The fascinating movements, bright and distinctive colors and various shapes of ornamental fish are a delight for the whole family. Enclosed porches are ideal locations for goldfish aquariums. Goldfish, unlike tropical fish, do not need a heated aquarium and are a great addition to spring and summer living. Goldfish are fun, goldfish are beautiful and, in fact, a study conducted by researchers at the Univer- sity of Pennsylvania 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 soinething your whole family could enjoy, consider an aquarium with ornamental go!dfish. To go about starting a goldfish aquarium, 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 retailers. Tropical fish are warin-blooded and require a heated aquarium. Goldfish do fine in an aquarium with a water temperature of around 65°F. When visiting a tropical fish store, get an idea of different sizes of aquariums and type of equipment you will need. A goldfish aquarium should be covered with a reflector using fluorescent lights which do not throw off a significant amount of heat. As for a stand for your aquarium, your dealer will have a selection, but you could consider building 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 2x4s 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. In addition to the reflector you will also need a good filter since goldfish are rather messy. Your dealer can help you with a selection. Even though you don’t need a heater, it’s a good STOCK LIQUIDATION SA TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE 1989 NEW LOOK idea to use a thermometer to make sure the water temperature does not rise beyond 80°F. A recent development in thermometer technology is the jiquid 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 addition to the filter to add more oxygen to the water. 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 reai in reproduction it’s almost impossible to distinguish them from live plants. Most good retailers will have a complete assort- ment, and your selection should be based on size of your aquarium 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 few fish will help develop the proper biological conditions necessary to maintain a fully stocked aquarium. After three or four weeks, assuming everything is functioning 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 partial water change (not greater than 20 per cent), by siphoning the water from the bottom of the aquarium, is all that’s required. Following this siraple routine, your goldfish will live a long and prosperous life. In fact, one of the biggest prcblems people have is spending too much time maintaining their aquarium. On a daily basis, goldfish should be fed a small quantity of flaked food or pellet. Goldfish are truly beautiful and their popularity has been increasing dramatically. There are many dif- ferent 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 unheated area for most of the year. Goldfish and tropical fish form the basis for a truly rewarding lifetime hobby — and one the whole family can enjoy. © 25 - Friday, November 18, 1988 — North Shore News PALLISER BRAEMORE SNOOZER SAYS “LOTS OF FREE PARKING” RECLINERS PALLISER @& STYLECRAFT E ATLANTIC FRANKLIN KROEHLER Lifetime Guarantee on frame and mechanism on selected models, contemporary Styles in assorted = fabrics and colours BEN ‘SWIVEL | ROCKERS KRC OEHL| in ER anos and tradi- tional styles. Assorted colours mT: "Also Available Large Selection of Tub Chairs. 4 SHOWROOMS Ga, OPEN SUNDAYS Aubrey Schneider - your Furniture Specialist FURNITURELAND Ce) 411 E. SRD NVAN.- 986-1361 ee) fand 5000 Gift Ideas Hurry in with your Xmas list! iNorth Van store only _And & only brass beds at 30% Off an’? days a week: