| Title: How to Increase Your Fishkeeping Fun | | | | possibly a dream ofmany breeders but hardly a |
| | | | specific objective. When setting yourspecific |
| Word count: 1,857; 65 characters per line | | | | objective, keep within your time and money |
| Contact e-mail: Categories: Pets & Animals, | | | | commitment. |
| Self-Help & How-To's, Recreation | | | | The great thing about fishkeeping is the wide |
| Autoresponder: Article URL: | | | | range of possiblegoals you could pursue. If you |
| Author URL: | | | | are a fish breeder for instance,you could specialise |
| Terms for reprint: | | | | in one fish and set a goal for a |
| 1. You must publish the article AS IS. Do not | | | | breedingprogramme. If you are not a breeder but |
| modify, alter or edit it. | | | | enjoy collecting youcould possibly try to collect |
| 2. The author's resource box must accompany | | | | every species within a genus. |
| the article at all times. | | | | Whatever your interest make sure you narrow it |
| 3. The link/s must be active or clickable. | | | | down to a specificobjective, one that is practical |
| 4. Notifying the author is not required, but doing | | | | within your time and moneyobjective. It could be |
| so is appreciated. | | | | "Collect as many species of Dwarf Cichlidsas |
| This article is distributed as part of the Featured | | | | possible", "Develop a strain of albino Discus" or set |
| Author service at | | | | up atank housing only the species from a |
| How to Increase Your Fishkeeping Funby Trevor | | | | particular geographical area |
| Greenfield | | | | - a Madagascar tank for instance. |
| Do you really get the fullest amount of | | | | Having decided... think about your first step |
| enjoyment out of yourfish?, or is it hampered by | | | | towards achievingthis goal. This is your short term |
| little worries and anxieties? | | | | goal, something to be achievedin the near |
| Do you sometimes worry that you may be | | | | future."Find a good source of dwarf cichlids and |
| spending too much timewith your fish? I often | | | | buyone pair" or "Keep adult discus alive for x |
| hear people remark that although theyenjoy their | | | | months". |
| hobby, the routine maintenance tasks involved | | | | Give some thought to it but having decided write |
| detractfrom the fun. | | | | it down andremember your previous decisions all |
| In this month's feature we will explore how we | | | | the time. |
| can increase ourfun by maybe taking a different | | | | OK, Next Step... |
| approach to those mundaneactivities that are so | | | | With your new goal in mind, go and look at your |
| essential if we are to keep our fish intip top | | | | set up. Askyourself - "does everything in my |
| condition. | | | | current set up contributetowards my short term |
| Create a plan | | | | goal?" The answer will almost certainly be |
| When you get some time to spend with your | | | | NO. There will probably be odds and ends of fish |
| hobby do you go througha sort of mental conflict | | | | and equipmentthat have nothing to do with your |
| wondering what to do?... and when youfinally do | | | | goal. NOW comes the hardestbit....Everything that |
| decide, half of your time has gone already. | | | | does not contribute to your goal should besold or |
| WELL...you are not on your own, most aquarists | | | | traded in and the proceeds put towards your |
| share the samedilemma. BUT... it is possible to | | | | objective. |
| overcome this problem, to evendouble your | | | | When you have achieved this you could well find |
| fishkeeping enjoyment. HOW? Well, certainly not | | | | that you havedoubled your tank space without |
| byadding more tanks or even devoting more time | | | | buying a single tank!!.... |
| to your hobby...the answer lies in a change of | | | | NEXT |
| mental outlook, a change ofapproach. | | | | Create a list of priorities |
| Have you ever noticed that some people always | | | | Most aquarists have regular jobs that they do |
| seem to be on topof their work?, how their fish | | | | over and overagain. Daily jobs. Yet we regularly |
| rooms and tanks are always tidy?how they | | | | waste a lot of time decidingwhat to do, often |
| always seem to have lots of time to enjoy their | | | | every day. I'm sure many of you can relate tothe |
| hobby? | | | | scenario; |
| Yet others never get a minute to live, they | | | | You get home from work, take care of the |
| always seem to havelots to do and yet nothing | | | | immediate priorities,sit down to dinner, finishing at |
| seems to get done.The most importantingredient | | | | 7.00 pm. Perhaps you now have 2hours to spend |
| in our formula for increased fishkeeping fun | | | | with your fish. So you now go through the |
| isplanning. | | | | decisionmaking sequence of what to do tonight. |
| Most of us lead busy lives, holding down a full-time | | | | We can lose 15 valuableminutes each time we |
| job, andtaking care of family commitments etc. | | | | stop to decide what to do next. |
| Without a plan it is alltoo easy to put off our fish | | | | How can we overcome this? As we have |
| maintenance tasks until another daywhen life is a | | | | identified above mostaquarists have routine jobs |
| litle less hectic. Unfortunately, more often thannot | | | | plus a few special ones. Keeping inmind our short |
| life doesn't get less hectic and our maintenance | | | | term goals, write down each job on a |
| jobs buildup until our tank(s) become dirty and our | | | | separatepiece of card. |
| fish begin to suffer. | | | | For example a fish breeder might list the following |
| That's when the pressure starts to build. | | | | 7 items: |
| Include the family | | | | Feed fish |
| This can be particularly difficult when your partner | | | | Expand set-up |
| doesn'tshare your love and enthusiasm for the | | | | Cull young fish and move into a larger tank |
| hobby. It is only naturalthat they will have | | | | Clean filters |
| different priorities for your time than youand if | | | | Set out new pairs to spawn |
| harmony is to be maintained then some sort of | | | | Check for disease; treat any observed |
| agreementmust be reached. Having a plan that | | | | Check water; change if necessary |
| includes both the familyneeds and your hobby | | | | This is not a complete list, of course, you will |
| needs goes a long way to ensuring | | | | probably end upwith one much longer but 7 items |
| thateveryone's needs are satisfied. The biggest | | | | will do for our example of howto set priorities. |
| obstacle to overcomein any hobby is distraction. It | | | | Now look at the list and re-arrange the items |
| is very tempting when we have thetime to spend | | | | something like this: |
| with our fish to waste that time on trivial | | | | Any disease can spread quickly and if left |
| mattersor even just admiring our fish. | | | | untreated could wipeout your entire tank - it only |
| Now don't get me wrong... I'm not suggesting that | | | | takes a minute. |
| we shouldn'ttake time to admire our fish, after all | | | | Make a visual check for unusual behaviour...hanging |
| that is the reason westarted keeping fish in the | | | | in corners...clamped fins...scratching etc |
| first place. What I am suggesting isthat there are | | | | So No. 1 on our list is: 1. Check for disease |
| probably more suitable times to sit and admire | | | | Look at the remaining list. What should you do |
| ourfish. We can fit in time for that when we are | | | | next? Feed thefish? Well...maybe...but would you |
| relaxing with thefamily, for instance. | | | | put food in a cloudy tank?? |
| What I am saying is that during those precious | | | | No, so it is best to check the water and if cloudy, |
| occassions whenwe can devote some dedicated | | | | change somewater. |
| time to maintenance, we shouldconcentrate just | | | | So No. 2 on our list is: 2. Check water - change if |
| on maintenance activities.The most | | | | necessary |
| importantingredient to making the best of our | | | | You may ask, would you change water before |
| valuable time is one ofmental outlook and | | | | cleaning/changing thefilters? Yes, I would. It is |
| organisation. Clear thinking about your fishis the | | | | important to remove dissolved solidsand waste |
| key to getting maximum pleasure. No matter | | | | (bacteria) in suspension which can create |
| what your hobbyor interest is, there can be no | | | | harmfulnitrite before changing the filter media |
| pleasure in it if it causesanxiety and frustration. | | | | where wastes are beingpartly broken down |
| Your hobby will only be pleasurable ifit brings you | | | | anyway. It is important to change the filtermedia |
| satisfaction and relaxation. | | | | as time permits but not before water changes in |
| Be realistic | | | | my opinion. |
| Ask yourself ... is your thinking absolutely clear | | | | We mentioned feeding the fish above and this is |
| about yourfishkeeping? Perhaps when you get | | | | very importantand only items 1 and 2 above |
| some time one evening get apencil and paper and | | | | should come before it. |
| make a few notes along these lines. Have | | | | So our No. 3 is: 3. Feed the fish |
| youever considered how much time and money | | | | Followed by: 4. Clean the filters |
| you can afford to spendon the hobby? Give it | | | | Now the last three. |
| some thought and write it down. You mightthink, | | | | -Cull young |
| for example, ......I can afford to work 2 evenings a | | | | -Set out new pairs |
| week, | | | | -Expand set-up |
| 3 hours each evening and 5 hours every other | | | | Having completed this exercise we now have a |
| saturday. ......Ican afford to spend £10 a | | | | priority list towork from. Having set that up, |
| month or £20 a month. Be as specificas | | | | whenever we get a few minutes tospend with |
| possible even though any one week may have to | | | | our fish we start at the top of the list and work |
| be changed. Themain thing is to have a clear idea | | | | ourway through. |
| of time and money commitment. | | | | Check for disease; treat any necessary |
| These will be different for every aquarist, of | | | | Check water; change if necessary |
| course. Theimportant thing is that they are | | | | Feed fish |
| commitments that you arecomfortable with. | | | | Clean filters |
| One of the common traps that many of us fall | | | | Cull young fish and move into a larger tank |
| into is letting ourhobby get out of hand. We | | | | Set out new pairs to spawn |
| become involved with fishkeeping, eitherthrough a | | | | Expand set up |
| visit to a garden centre, pet shop or through a | | | | We have removed the delays caused by having |
| friendand set up a tank in our lounge. Before long | | | | to decide what to doeach time. In the 15 minutes |
| the bug has takenhold and we introduce another | | | | that we may have wasted trying todecide what |
| tank, then another and before weknow it we find | | | | to do we could be halfway down our list. The |
| we can't cope with the water changing | | | | prioritylist will be different for every aquarist but |
| andcleaning the glass etc. that we have to do just | | | | the principle willbe the same. |
| to be able to seethe fish! | | | | Finally....make a habit of keeping a diary of all |
| One of the interim steps that we might have to | | | | yourfishkeeping activities. This will provide valuable |
| consider isshutting down one or more of our | | | | information onfrequency of activities and when |
| tanks, maybe just as a temporarymeasure until | | | | things like water changes aredue. Time has a habit |
| we get better organised. | | | | of going so quickly that several weeks canpass |
| Next... | | | | since our last water change but without having |
| The next step is to set a specific objective for | | | | notes torefer to it may, and often does, seem |
| yourself andyour fishkeeping. This is not | | | | like last week. |
| necessarily one to be achievedimmediately but it | | | | Create your plan, work to it and replace the |
| must be specific. | | | | anxiety withpleasure. |
| "To keep and breed every species of fish" is | | | | Happy Fishkeeping! |