Issue VIII The Goldfish Cruisader A newsletter of the Goldfish Sanctuary September 1997 The summer is coming to a close, and it's time to bring those moors and fantails inside for the winter. Even in the hustle and bustle that happens everywhere in the fall, our goldfish won't be forgotten. If anything, it is in caring for them that we find a peaceful corner in our own lives. Welcome new readers, and welcome to the September Newsletter. * * * * AWARDED FOUR STARS! That's right! The Goldfish Sanctuary Website has been reviewed and awarded four stars out of five by the Web-Fish Catalog. This new award is proudly displayed in place of its previous 3-star standing, and can be viewed when you visit our site. For those who do not know of it, the Web-Fish Catalog is dedicated to listing only the very best fish sites on the web... above and beyond mere link pages, the Web-Fish Catalog reviews every site in its archives for quality and effectiveness. Bravo! * * * * AWARDED COOL PET SITE of the DAY! Two awards in one month! The GFS homepage was awarded the honor of "Cool Pet" of the Day two weeks ago. The award is proudly displayed on our main page alongside our new Aquarium Setup link. Here's an excerpt from AcmePet: ... Great Page! I wanted to let you know that it was chosen as the cool pet site of the day. I have heard of people that didn't find this out until after many months. Just wanted to let you know. Check it out at: http://www.acmepet.com/common/cool_pet.html Your page was selected as the August 15th site of the day. :) Congrats. Wonderful page. ... Of course, this only strengthens our dedication to bringing you the best goldfish page on the web! * * * * A Look at Goldfish and Feng Shui provided by A.F.S. Here is something for your newsletter. I just came back to Sweden after living 3 years in Malaysia. There I really got into the practice of Feng Shui. Feng Shui also got me into keeping goldfish, but before I go to that I would like to explain what Feng Shui is. "Feng Shui" - Lillian Too Part one - Understanding Feng Shui "From the Chinese Earth, there arise a thousand rich aromas, the most fascinating of which are its divinity and metaphysical sciences. Feng Shui is probably one metaphysical science which holds the most extraordinary and exciting promise for Man to consciously rearrange his living space in order to attract all the good fortune the living Earth offers! "An aura of mysticism surrounds the practice of Feng Shui. Here we commence penetration of the obscure domains of Chinese symbo- lism, divination and astrology, covering the whole spectrum of the Chinese preoccupation with the Universe; a practice which stresses a critical need for balance and harmony. "Feng Shui is the science of living in harmony with the land, such that one derieves the greatest benefits, peace and prosperity from being in perfect equilibrium with Nature. Feng Shui holds out the promise of a life of meaningful abundance to those who follow its principles and precepts when building their homes & work places. "Literally, Feng Shui means wind and water." Well, I started to read all these books about the subject and stumbled on the subject of keeping goldfish. From the same book I took this passage: "Fish & Tortoises" "Like plants these are symbolic of living things and when kept HEALTHY, ALIVE and WELL in the home they are regarded as being excellent Feng Shui stimulators. "Keeping fish in an aquarium with its bubbling oxygenators stimulates the creation of chi. The fish swimming in the water also stimulate life and activity, both of which are good indicators for business and commercial success. "In Hong Kong, Feng Shui men recommend the rearing of eloborate hybrids of goldfish. Specifically, one is told to keep 8 gold or red coloured fish and 1 black, making a total of 9 (the maximum no.). The 8 goldfish symbolise growth, expansion and prosperity, while the single black fish symbolise protection. "The Chinese believe that when bad luck enters the home or office, the fish protects the residents by "absorbing" any adverse misfortunes. Thus, when the black fish dies, it is a sign that some accident or critical event has been avoided." The below passage is taken from: "The way to Harmony Feng Shui" by Albert Low "For a businessman, a live goldfish is a very powerful sign to have in the house or office, because it enhances luck and future of the occupant. Take care of the number you rear, however, or it may have negative consequences." In all these books I've read it is clearly stated that if you mistreat your goldfish you will attract bad luck. You have to keep the water clean and feed them properly. A healthy goldfish means prosperity. Maybe we should spread the word to these people that mistreat these beautiful creatures. I mean, who wants bad luck? * * * * WEB-SITE NEWS: The Goldfish Sanctuary With hard work and diligence, we are proud to present to you a new section for the Goldfish Sanctuary homepage on Setting Up your Aquarium. A huge number of the questions we receive are related to various aspects of setting up a proper goldfish home, and so this information is instantly available from our page. The wonderful animated picture was donated to the GFS by Red, and we are pleased at the final result. The page still requires a little aesthetic work, and the best way to "wire" it into the main page has not yet been determined, however, it was most important to make this information available as soon as possible. So go take a look! Available in graphic and nontext versions. We've also increased the quality of our adoption page, including more details on the adoption process. * * * * Be sure to tell your friends about the Goldfish Sanctuary, and stop by to see our work as it progresses! If you like our stuff, add a link or submit our URL to your favorite page. Consider it your contribution to the availability of good goldfish information on the Web. * * * * Hoods on your Fishtank: The True Story excerpts from Solefod One question commonly asked is: "do I really need a hood?" People have heard that goldfish sometimes leap out of their tanks, but in the end they are more likely to say, "how is a two-inch fish going to jump out of the water? What's he going to brace himself against? He doesn't even have feet!" The truth is that although many fish live quiet lives in their fishtanks with nary a thought of escape, some fish literally have that adventuresome spirit. What follows is a true story sent to me recently... "Last Sunday I was minding my own business vacuuming the loungeroom floor when all of a sudden Bill lept out of the fish tank and landed on the carpet just in front of the nossle of the vacuum cleaner. Now I have been told several times before, by someone who I care not to mention, that I drive somewhat erratically around the hallway and especially fast in the loungeroom. How was I to know that Bill would land on the floor just in front of where I was vacuuming. "I sucked him up the tube but fortunately he got stuck in the vacuum control valve, and when I eventually turned off the machine he was able to fall back down the tube and out onto the floor. I quickly picked him up understanding that time was of the essence, and threw him back into his tank- he was very lucky to survive said my friend who has been involved in the counselling of many 'at risk' injured animals and fish during the past 20 years. "I am almost finished but I thought I would quickly mention his tendency to want to jump out of the tank. Since the incident I have installed a new fishproof lid ( by the way it is a great idea $29.95 down at the local petstore) it is bascially a piece of glass that extends from one side of the tank to the other and it's adjustable for different size tanks. Anyway since I put this fish proof lid on my tank, Bill keeps on hitting his head on it- every minute or so he just jumps up into it. Ive checked the temperature of the water and I clean it regularly so I guess I just need some help in finding a solution to this problem." The fish is back in the tank and although he has survived, he has also been hurt due to the accident. So take some advice from this good man: get your fish a hood! * * * * Great Web-Sites for the Goldfish Enthusiast! i LOVE goldfish! - Here's one of the newest goldfish pages on the web. The author talks about her favorite fish, and talks about the importance of your fish's health. This page is visually stunning and very beautiful. It makes you proud to be a fishkeeper! See it here: http://mnic.net/~amy * * * * Remember, Goldfish Sanctuary is always looking for new members who are able to look after Goldfish in their own homes. This is a service we provide free to the community because we love goldfish! Goldfish Sanctuary needs kind considerate and knowledgable people to participate in all capacities. We accept donations of equipment in order to further the welfare of goldfish in our keeping. * * * * DID YOU KNOW...? Baby goldfish are called "fry?" * * * * FREE GOLDFISH If anyone in the Cedar Rapids Iowa Area would like some free goldfish (as pets, not pirahna food) I have an excellent selection of healthy Comets & Sarassa Comets 3-4" long. They are 1 year old. Also, I still have room to adopt plenty of goldfish, so if you are unable to keep your goldfish for some reason, and you live in my area please send me an email at GBICKAL@AEA10.K12.IA.US * * * * BUBBLES ON THE WATER mail from YOU! Our mailbox has been overflowing lately, and much time is spent responding as quickly and in as much depth as possible. Here are some of the most interesting or inspiring letters from these past two months! ..... FairFish writes: Hi, I am 13 and I just got two goldfish. Actually, I won them at a carnival and I am sort of worried about their health. I have had them for two days and I was wondering what I could do to make sure that they don't have any diseases or anything. Right now they are in a fishbowl but I hope to buy a tank soon. So, do you think I should get a "fish-checkup" froma vet or just wait and see what happens? I am also worred about "finrot" because one of my fish has a white edge on it's tail and it's tail and upper fin is more jagged than the other fish's. Well, please respond soon because I am relying on your answer. Help!! GFS: Watching your fish for unusual signs or behaviors is the best way to check your fish for disease. You can also check out our on-line diagnosis at: http://www.csh.rit.edu/~tonyl/goldfish/warning.htm When in doubt, contact your local vet for advice (your petstore can point you in the right direction). ... Filtmaster wrote: Thanks for all your advice. Just one last question. Is a filter completely necessary? GFS: In absolute terms, the filter is not necessary. To better answer this question for yourself, it is good to have an exact idea of what the filter does: First, it cleans the water. Precisely, it removes ammonia (the carbon in the filter cart. does this) and it also removes other dangerous chemicals like nitrite. Because goldfish produce a lot of these wastes (ie ammonia) the filter is a great help. The filter is also of help in removing other particles from the water. This makes your cleaning a little easier. Finally, a box-type filter agitates the water's surface. This provides better oxygen for your fish. If you already have an air-pump, you won't have to worry about that part. Having a filter OR an air-pump is highly suggested. It helps oxygen and keeps temperature even when there is good water flow. Now, even if you have a filter, you must still make partial water changes. A filter simply cannot do the entire job, no matter how good it is, and there are other reasons to change the water, too (ie keeping the pH constant). If you do not have a filter, you must be extra-attentive toward partial water changes. As mentioned, 30% - 40% per week is suggested, and when in doubt, more often is better (but don't change all the water at once. Be gradual when you can be). I have run tanks successfully without filters, but the more fish you have, the smaller the tank, and the longer you wait between water changes, the more you will benefit from having a filter. If you are willing to siphon out bad water at least once a week, then I say more power to you, but make sure that you do! Filters don't cost too much, really, maybe $15 for a small model, so I still suggest it. Still, your fish can be perfectly healthy without one if you are able to spend the time caring for them more regularly. ... Pier Wrote: Hi there My name is Pier. I live in a country community called Dubbo in the state of New South Wales AUSTRALIA. I have been a Cold Water and Warm Water fish keeper/breeder for about 30 years. It always annoys me when I walk into a pet shop to find starving/ unhealthy fish. It brings the good name of fish keeping into disrepute. I breed purly from a hobbists point. Excess stock are either given away of sold to local dealers. It always concerns me that once the fish leave my care, that they will be abused. It is gladdening to hear that their are others that feel like myself. GFS: Pier, we certainly share your viewpoint! Goldfish are too often treated with little or no respect even though they are living, feeling creatures. If those of us who feel as we do take the time to make our views known, and do what we can to prevent these abuses from happening, there may come a day when each pet is treated as it was always intended: as a companion and friend. ... Fishhead wrote: Hi there! I am a GF lover and have found your page on the web. Was very excited to find your group. I am located in Tennessee and would like to meet others interested in GF. Would also love to correspond with others. Do you have memberships & mem' info available? Thank you,.. looking forward to hearing from your group. Sincerely Fishhead GFS: Well, everyone, if you would like to correspond with Fishhead about goldfish, here's the e-mail address! fishhead@hotcc.com ... GD wrote: Hello! Working for IDA (In Defense of Animails) in San Rafael CA, Ive often asked the question how much space do I need for my fish not to survive but to be COMFORTABLE and happy? Thanx to you - now I know. I would very much like to place a link to you on my personal home page when I goes up (Dec21st '98). I live in horse country and many people use goldfish in their water troughs to prevent mosquitos. Unfortunately - when they move the horses from a field, they dry up (and the goldfish die). So for the past several years just as weather gets warm - I go riding out looking at different troughs to see what is getting low on water. I of course am now the proud papa to a BIZILLION gold fish - all of which are now in wine barrels. I will soon be making a BIG pond. Keep up the great work!!! GFS: Thank you! It is amazing that you go hunting for abandoned goldfish who are left to die. Concerned fishkeepers, take note! GD, consider yourself an Official Honorary Member of the Goldfish Sanctuary! ... Roger wrote: I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your webpage. It has been of great help to me, as I am a novice goldfish owner. You have answered more of my questions in better detail than the pet store. Thanks a bunch. * * * * We need your stories! We enjoy every piece you send us, but we need more! When we receive goldfish stories and articles, we are able to provide a longer and more interesting newsletter on a more regular basis. Make it your task to send in one good goldfish submission. Share your hobby with enthusiasts all over the world - submit to the Goldfish Crusader! Is there any greater joy than to see an article about -your- goldfish in print? * * * * We look forward to hearing from all of you in the future. Let us know how you are and how those fish are doing! Until next time, best wishes, and swim thee well! Tony Lenzo GFSHQ * * * * our website is located at http://www.csh.rit.edu/~tonyl/goldfish/ if you would like to submit an article, editorial, feedback, or goldfish stories for our newsletter, please contact us at this address: tonyl@csh.rit.edu ... The Goldfish Cruisader is distributed monthly to members of the Goldfish Sanctuary. We presently have Sanctuaries in Rochester, NY ... Pasadena, Texas ... Cedar Rapids, Iowa ... El Dorado Hills, California ... and Johnson City, Tennessee. We support the humane treatment of fish everywhere and provide support for goldfishkeepers all over the world. The Goldfish Sanctuary Newsletter is copyrighted 1997. Permission to distribute this letter is granted provided that it remains intact. Some names have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved. Goldfish Sanctuary reserves the right to print letters which are sent to us (although we don't print names or complete e-mail addresses without permission). If you do not wish to have your letters printed, just let us know.