"Peter in New Zealand" wrote in message
...

Whew! I can see all these points, but I have a little tank of about 40
litres with four decent goldfish and two white cloud minnows in it.

I'm not familiar with the metric system. ;-)
The recommended amount of filtered water per goldfish is 10 gallons. GF are
large fish and to starve them into a stunted condition (which some people
unknowingly do) to keep them in small tanks (less than 10g per GF) is
considered cruel by many people. They're big eaters and grow quickly when
well fed and well housed and cared for.

I
have a very good external pump/filter hung on the outside of the tank, and
change around half the water three or four times a year. I dump
chlorinated water straight from the tap on the assumption that what's
already in the tank will dilute anything unpleasant for the fish.

Most of us do partial changes at least every few weeks to remove the
dissolved solids (pollutants the filter doesn't get).


Apart
from that all I do is feed them lightly once a day.

This in my opinion is cruel. Would you feed a puppy or growing child
"lightly?" GF are not once a day eaters. They're browsers or grazers who
nibble all day long in nature - and grow rapidly if healthy.


This little tank has
run without a single hiccup for over two years now, and brought endless
enjoyment to me and the grandkids when they come to stay. In fact each
grandchild has his/her own fish they have named.

Now, my point in all this is simply this - people often remark on how
clean and fresh the tank looks, and how healthy and energetic the fish
are. I never check Ph or any other parametres - the only three principles
I use are - (a) watch the feed quantity,

Which seems to mean you are underfeeding them if they're still small. A
normal 2 year old GF is a good 6" long or longer.

b) understock the
tank, (c)

Each GF needs 10 gallons of water for maximum health and growth, MORE when
an adult at 8 to 12" long.

have a good filter setup and keep it running sweetly. So,
ahem, why the need for all these other things, or am I just plain lucky?

Luck and starving fish perhaps? One light meal a day? :-(

I am not seeking to be provocative, and I respect the obvious experience
and knowledge of others in this group, which is far greater than mine. I
just want to know if all this extra stuff is good for the fish.

All they really need is enough space, clean water, plenty of decent food and
a running filter.


--
ZB....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
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