9781422280898

Understanding and Caring for Your Pet

Goldfish

Understanding and Caring for Your Pet

Written by Carl Cozier Goldfish

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D Broomall, PA 19008 www.masoncrest.com Developed and produced by Mason Crest

© 2017 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-3691-8 ISBN: 978-1-4222-3697-0 ebook ISBN: 978-1-4222-8089-8

Every reasonable care has been taken in the compilation of this publication. The Publisher and Author cannot accept liability for any loss, damage, injury, or death resulting from the keeping of fish by user(s) of this publication, or from the use of any materials, equipment, methods, or information recommended in this publication or from any errors or omissions that may be found in the text of this publication or that may occur at a future date, except as expressly provided by law. No animals were harmed in the making of this book. You may gain access to certain third party content (“Third Party Sites”) by scanning and using the QR Codes that appear in this publication (the “QR Codes”). We do not operate or control in any respect any information, products or services on such Third Party Sites linked to by us via the QR Codes included in this publication, and we assume no responsibility for any materials you may access using the QR Codes. Your use of the QR Codes may be subject to terms, limitations, or restrictions set forth in the applicable terms of use or otherwise established by the owners of the Third Party Sites. Our linking to such Third Party Sites via the QR Codes does not imply an endorsement or sponsorship of such Third Party Sites, or the information, products or services offered on or through the Third Party Sites, nor does it imply an endorsement or sponsorship of this publication by the owners of such Third Party Sites. Words in bold are explained in the glossary on page 127. QR CODES AND LINKS TO THIRD PARTY CONTENT

Understanding and Caring for Your Pet

Guinea Pigs Hamsters Kittens Parakeets

Aquarium Cats Dog Training

Ferrets Gerbils Goldfish

Puppies Rabbits

Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic moments, and much more!

Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text, while building vocabulary skills.

Contents The first goldfish.  10 Fancy goldfish.  12 Spreading worldwide .  14 Perfect pets.  16 Good luck.  18 Special requirements.  20 Goldfish homes.  24 Goldfish basics .  26 Goldfish varieties .  32 Common goldfish.   36 Shubunkin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   38 Comet.   40 Ryukin.   42 Veiltail.   44 Moor .   46 Lionhead.   48 Fantail.   50 Oranda .   52 Bubble eye.   54 Pompom.   56 In the wild.  58 The aquarium .  60 Positioning the tank .  62 How many?.  64

Filters and other equipment Keep it clean Tank set-up Plants Filling up Understand the nitrogen cycle What not to do!

66  70  72  78  80  84  92  94 98 100 106 110 116 118 124

Looking good Arriving home Feeding fish Goldfish care Fish behavior Health problems

Signs of poor health Parasitic infections

126 Find out more / Words to understand Index 128

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The First Goldfish

The Chinese first caught fish from the wild 4,500 years ago, and kept them as a source of food. T he crucian carp (Carassius carassius), a small brown-colored fish, was a frequent sight in the cool, slow-moving freshwater rivers and streams of southern China. The Chinese caught carp from the wild, and then set up their own fish farms to breed and sell as food. Fish farmers noticed that some fish were brighter in color, more orange than brown, and they decided to breed these fish to produce gold- colored fish. By the time of the Chinese Sung Dynasty, 1,000 years ago, the goldfish was recognised as a species in its own right. But goldfish were not for eating. They were kept in beautiful ponds, planted with water lilies. Soon keeping fish was a popular hobby among the Chinese.

The history of the goldfish.

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Goldfish

The Japanese koi (pictured below) may look like the goldfish (left), but has in fact descended from a different species of carp and has distinctive whiskers around its mouth.

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Fancy Goldfish The Japanese also caught carp from the wild, and they developed into their own species, known as koi. These are much bigger than goldfish, and come in a dazzling array of colors. Today koi are highly prized all over the world. I n the 14th century, the Japanese turned their fish-breeding skills to goldfish and they developed spectacular new varieties. They kept their fancy goldfish in ponds, which were decorated with plants and sculptures. Wooden bridges and stepping-stone pathways helped give admirers a really good view of the fish.

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Goldfish

Goldfish

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Spreading Worldwide

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