Literature Review

Review

Fish keeping has transformed dramatically over recent years; quite recently there have been many changes in the way in which a tank should be set up before adding fish, and this consists of adding the correct chemicals and treatments required in order to keep a variety of healthy fish as explained in the work of Gay (2005, pp.82). Due to the majority of people having a keen interest in coldwater fish, their basic setup and the way in which they are cared for has caused a colossal impact on the general environment in which they are kept in; mainly due to inexperienced aquarists (Gay 2005, pp.20).

There are a number of reasons as of why fish are not being cared to the standard they should be; the major issue being that since coldwater fish particularly, have been sold in standard bowls and tanks without filtration Fish Bowls (Anon., 2011); others feel that they should be cared for in a similar manner. This has not only become an issue for just goldfish; but has also linked to other variations of goldfish, such as fantails which can produce an awful lot of waste in comparison to other fish (Brough 2011) and even tropical fish that cannot live in the environment with high toxic levels; which is caused sorely by the lack of attention of caring for fish suitably, such as small tanks with high stocking levels (Gay 2005, pp.86). Jeremy Gay explains in his book that “the filter acts as a life support system and is of course, vitally important for the well-being of fish that live within it” (Gay 2005, pp.32).

Whether or not fish water is changed several times a day, without having any sort of filtration aid, “fish can become poisoned by their own waste products and may die as a result” as stated by Jeremy Gay (2005, pp.32). The filter itself must be set up before any fish are added (Gay 2005, pp.65). Fish diseases and fish death has risen to a significant rate because fish are being added to aquariums which have not been setup properly and may not include the proper biological and mechanical filtration (Sharpe 2011) to maintain fish health; resulting in Nitrite Poisoning.

Sharpe developed an article online which provided information on how to prevent this issue from occurring and solutions to those who currently have the issue and how to aid it. It does indeed show that older articles provide inaccurate information on “natural aquariums” that do not suggest filtration or heaters for fish as seen by the Fishnet article (Anon., 1996), “set up and care guide”. Overall, it appears that Sharpe’s knowledge on Nitrite poisoning clearly states the impact it can have on aquatic vertebrates and the preventative measures provided by Jeremy Gay’s aquarist book.

References

Anon., 2011. Fish Bowls
Rate My Fishtank, [Online]
Available at: http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/articles/56
[Accessed 2 November 2011].

Brough, D.B., 2011. Fantail Goldfish
Animal World, [Online]
Available at: http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/goldfish/FantailGoldfish.php
[Accessed 2 November 2011].

Gay, J., 2005. The Perfect Aquarium. 1st ed.
London: Hamlyn.

Sharpe, S., 2011. Nitrite Poisoning
Fresh Aquarium About, [Online]
Available at: http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/nitritepoison.htm
[Accessed 7 November 2011].