General Chat

My grandson who's 5 just after Christmas wants a goldfish for his birthday, and I'm going to buy him a book on how to care for it (he only wants one, and it will be called James - much more PC than his sister, who called her rabbit Jesus)
Just looked on Amazon. The RSPCA book on Goldfish care (paperback) costs £22,44!!!!!

.......is there really that much to know about caring for a goldfish?

I can see a trip to Waterstones is in order, as I want a 'child friendly' book....

How about if you downloaded some information from the net with some pictures he can colour in. He could make a scrapbook with a space for him to write little stories.

Brilliant idea Sue!! :-D

What about

The Goldfish: A Guide to Selection, Housing, Care, Nutrition, Behaviour, Health, Breeding and Species

sold by Pets at Home (pet supermarket chain) for £3.99

You can have my book on goldfish care for free.

Add water, stir, show to cat.

:-D Eldrick!!!

DeT, I'll have a look at that book if I can get to the shop!
We have a Pets at Home, but it's on the outskirts of town, I'm working next week, and I don't drive :-(

Have you tried looking on Ebay - Liz

Maggie - try on internet - Abe books - very cheap - some new, used - always very clean and in good condition. Just looked the first one is the RSPCA on goldfish - good clean condition - £2.19 including postage.

I used to get all g.daus books for Uni, saved me a fortune and I go to their site if I wish to buy a book.

Would save you worry! Try the Oxfam Bookshop.

Thank you for your suggestions.
I've looked and got some titles - but would rather see the book, to make sure g son will be able to understand at least a bit of it!!!

The book is specifically for him - not for mummy to look at - she should know how to look after goldfish!!

Hope your grandson's goldfish lives as long as the one my son won at a fair in 1997! Touch wood, it's still going strong, in a large unheated tank on his kitchen worktop - just inside the door so everyone sees it as they enter the flat. and most people feed him too as he comes to the surface to say hello lol.

Lizx

They don't like being all alone, goldfish (a variety of carp) like company. One on its own will go around and around and get depressed and stop eating.

They are easy to look after so long as (a) they have no problems at the get go (b) everything is kept extremely clean. On no account use the trad. goldfish bowls you need a proper tank.

Also endless entertainment for the cats. Watching the cats watching the fish is funny - they have no chance of catching one but they live in hope.

Large goldfish are known as koi carp and originally came from Japan. When I was a child we had a pond with them at home, they would come and eat from yr hand. Koi can live for many years.

Just like any other creature think twice before considering it as a Christmas present. Who will look after it, feed it in the months and years to come ?

Agree a bowl is cruel and to have only one fish is psychologically scarring on both fish and keeper.

So a decent 18" X 12" tank with two fish, gravel and a couple of plants. And perhaps a filtration system, and possibly a cat fish to keep algae off tank. And a light.

Possibly also one of those very attractive shubunkins. And a larger 24" x 18" tank on stanby for when they grow bigger. £24 for a book will then seem like peanuts.

Oh, and for once, totally agree with Eldrick's cheaper option. Add water, add fish, stir........ :-D :-D :-D

I seem to remember my son getting a second fish as company and it died pretty quickly (a matter of months). My son's fish seems happy, he has things in the tank to swim round and through and weed etc and always comes up to say hello when I go round - I feed him a little food then. My son keeps the tank very clean and the fish eats well and has grown a lot. He is a lovely golden colour.

Lizx

The pet shop you get it will have book's and give advice.Be worth going in and fining out more.

My son bought one(Pets at home) for my grandaughter.
Wasnt straight forward,had to fill in forms answer lot's of questions etc.Also had to buy the tank and have it filled with water days before he got the fish.It died a few days later,and he had to take sample of the water in.He then got two other little fish who are doing well.With names like Baby Basil and Elvis they got to be tough fish lol

It's not like years ago,you went in ,got your fish in a plastic bag and off you go.


Marion

Watchdog did a special on Pets At Home ... Eldrick land, survival of the fittest. Hopefully they have sorted themselves out since then.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mg74/features/pets-at-home

My son's fish came in a plastic bag from a stall at a fete


Lizx

You keep it in bag,put the bag in the bowl/tank to let it get used to the temp and surroundings.Then take it out bag and put in treated water.
As i say pet shop should tell you all this.