Page 5 - Kind News, May/June 2022

A BETTER FISH TANK
hook,” he says. Even with the
catch-and-release method in
which a fish is caught on a single,
barbless hook and thrown back
THIS SPREAD: TROPICAL STUDIO/BIGSTOCK; REDROVER. injury to their lips and eyes. He
into the water, he says a fish still
experiences fear and sometimes
spends his time outdoors in other
ways. “Any time I can snorkel, it’s
the best activity,” Balcombe says.
“I see huge numbers of fish. You
can make lists of the different
species of fish you see and use
a resource like iNaturalist.org
to identify them.”
You can’t recreate a whole pond or ocean in
a fish tank, but you can take these steps
from Dr. Balcombe to help keep life healthy
and interesting for pet fish.
„ Give fish space to swim. "The more
confined they are, the less able they are to
perform the behaviors they do in nature,"
Balcombe says.
„ Do your research to make sure the water
is the right temperature for the species
or type of fish you have. Some fish
require heaters.
„ Fish need to breathe! A filter not only
cleans the water, it adds oxygen. It’s part
of the reason the city of Rome banned
fishbowls in 2005. The round shape
doesn’t easily allow for a filter.
„ Friends are important. In 2008, the
country of Switzerland made it illegal to keep
a goldfish without a companion because
they are social animals.
„ Provide things your fish can interact
with or hide in, like plants and rocks.
ONE FISH’S STORY
Dr. Balcombe loves to snorkel! Balcombe wrote a picture
book, Jake and Ava, about
a boy who goes fishing for
on his line.
the first time and meets
Ava, an archerfish caught
5
May/Jun 2022 | 5
May/Jun 2022 |