Introduction to Sharky and Face

Hello GF fans!
I'm new to this group, and keeping Goldfish. I've been lurking around for
a few days, and have learned a LOT from this group. Let me offer a bit
about how I got into the whole GF addiction . . .
My 14 yr old daughter was given a science project at school. They were to
create a "complete" ecosystem out of a 2liter soda bottle. The bottom was
to be an "aquarium" (using only distilled water and one plant) and the top
section a "terarium". If the fish in the aquarium, and the crickets in the
top survived for one week at school, the student got an "A" on thier
project. Nice easy assignment for the teacher, but almost certain doom for
the animal participants. I jokingly refered to the fish as "Sharky", and
figured he had less than a decent chance of survival. In my mind he was
just an unwitting pawn in the whole education process, and would soon go
the way of other past school projects. I didn't like the idea of animals
being used this way, but then any parent knows that there are enough
battles to fight with school, in the interest of securing a good education
for your child. We have to pick our battles judiciousely or risk becoming
a nuisance to the educators, who will then respond with avarice toward our
children. I know this seems paranoid, but I have seen it in real life. So
I let the matter go, and allowed the project to go on.
Well little "Sharky" survived his ordeal, and returned home the following
week. As none of us are in any way knowledgable concerning fish, "Sharky"
got the home you would expect . . . a Goldfish bowl. It got dirty very
fast, as you can imagine, and I made my daughter change the water
constantly, being sure to use only distilled water (per the school's
recomendations). This ordeal was to continue for about two months, with
the associated parent/child struggles and disputes. I thought the darn
fish would simply die, and the "problem" would be over. . . . NOT SO! This
little fish showed amazing resilience and zest for life. He survived!
Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I can admire a creature with
that kind of moxy! Little "Sharky" now had my respect and admiration. This
is no small accomplishment, as anyone who knows me will attest. As a
former dog breeder, I can assure you that culling of inferior specimens is
not a problem for me. It keeps the breed strong and well defined. My
experience in animal husbandry taught me that.But I also care very well
for the finer specimens, and do all I can to guarantee their wellbeing,
health and happiness. This trait of mine secures "Sharky" the best that I
can provide for him. The learning begins . . . .
I began at the pet store, and was assured that a 2 gallon fishbowl was
just fine for goldfish. All I needed was the minimal air pump, some
plants, and an air stone. Things didn't get much better. Sharky was
breathing a bit better, but the tank still got filthy very fast.
Then I went to the internet and browsed some websites. What an eye opener!
NOTHING I was doing was right, except the air stone and pump, and they
were far too small.
Back to the pet store! This trip resulted in a 20 gallon starter tank. No
mention of cycling or proper setup by the store clerks. But they did sell
me another fish to keep Sharky company. The new fish is called "Face", as
her face is completely white. Now I have two fish, a raw tank, and very
little knowledge!
I'm noticing that the tank is getting very dirty, despite the filter and
air stone. So I go back to the internet webpages and newsgroups. A week,
and many hours of studying later, I have my first real knowledge of how to
do this better. Back to the pet store. . . . AGAIN!
Thanks to all of you, and your kind sharing of REAL knowledge and
experience, I'm getting on track. I had to put the boys back in thier
original bowl for a day, and rebuild everything. But I can see good
results begining to come forth. It cost me a few hundred bucks, and a lot
of extra work, but things are looking up.

Sharky and Face now have the following:
- 20 Gallon tank
- Model 20 power filter
- Undergravel filter system (front of tank)
- 24" Air stone bar mounted under the gravel (back of tank)
- Large ornament with two air stones within (One for cottage chimney, One
for under glass fake stream)
- Two sections of filter material incorporated into bottom of large ornament
as supplemental filter
- Regular testing of Amonia, Nitrites, Nitrates and Ph
- First partial changeout to reduce amonia and nitrate
- A Dad who cares about them!
--
With all due respect
Kevin

wrote in message
...
Hello GF fans!
I'm new to this group, and keeping Goldfish. I've been lurking around for
a few days, and have learned a LOT from this group. Let me offer a bit
about how I got into the whole GF addiction . . .
- A Dad who cares about them!
--
=========================
It's an addiction! :-) I have Shubunkins indoors and outdoors and 5 new
baby pearlscales from Petco. Good luck with Sharky and Face. They really
lucked out with you for an owner.
--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

Time will tell how lucky they are . . . I havn't been able to complete the
first cycling of the tank yet! The boys seem to be doing ok so far
though, and I'm hoping they survive my learning experience.

--
With all due respect
Kevin