NEWS113
39
Infobox fürEltern
DearParents,
please start by readingagoodhandbookonmaintaining
anaquariumwithyour child,beforeactuallyacquiring
any fishes.Thepet trade,book shops,andpublic libraries
all haveawide rangeof books for beginners. It isn't
possible tokeep fishes successfullywithout first finding
out thebasic requirementsof these finned creatures and
the correctway tomaintainanaquarium (settingup,
water changes,etc).
General hints
Platies are fundamentallyveryeasy tokeep.Theyhave
no special requirements regardingwater chemistry.They
will tolerateanymainswater andwater temperatures
between16and30 °C,with20-26 °Cbeing ideal.Because
of the tough living conditions in their natural habitat
bothof theseplaty species arevery resistant to
beginner'smistakes andpollutedwater.But even soyou
should take the trouble to teachyour child to lookafter
theaquariumona regular basis (themost important
thing is aweeklypartialwater change, if possible).
Holidays
Fishes arepoikilothermic ("cold-blooded") and require
much less energy thanushumans.A fast of two to three
weekswon't affect themmuchat all andwon't do them
anyharm. If youaregoing tobeaway for twoor three
weeks then it is alwaysbest to let the fishesgohungry,
as aneighbor or friendwill usuallybe toogenerous
towards them.Under normal circumstancesno fishhas
ever diedof starvation in theaquarium,butmillionsof
themhavediedbecause theyweregiven toomuch food
and thewaterwent bad.
Hazards
Maintaininganaquarium is fundamentallynot
dangerous.Butmake sureyour child is aware that the
combinationofwater andelectric current requiresgreat
care.Generally speaking there isonlyonedisease that
canbe communicated from fishes tohumans,a
tuberculosisof the skin thatmanifests asdifficult-to-heal
wounds.But such infections areextremely rareandmore
often contractedviavisits to swimmingbaths than from
aquarium fishes.
i
