June 2001

Events

There are several British open shows in June. Two of the largest and best US shows follow, one in July in Portland OR and one in the Chicago IL area in August. These are all on the events calendar.

GFSA Info

Due to changing professional responsibilities, Chuck Miro has resigned as editor, after producing a well-received January-February issue of the Report. Vince McCarty has resumed his now semi-permanent "acting editor" role. This is the reason for the delayed mailing of the March-April Goldfish Report. Vince says he and Chuck each had an edition in preparation when the handoff occurred, so he merged these into a double issue of about 30 pages that was mailed out in the second week of June.

One perennial challenge for the Goldfish Report editor is getting enough contributions to produce a full issue. Please provide any articles, news items, photos, comments and requests to the editor, Vince McCarty, for inclusion in the Report. Vince has offered a set of topics for future issues, to try and get all of you to dig back in your trove of experiences and create a contribution for the Report:

September/October 2001 (submit by July 2001)

Breeding goldfish indoors, designing indoor ponds and aquariums, inside filters, forming clubs

November/December 2001 (submit by September 2001)

Goldfish ornaments and decorations (how to make), Japanese and Chinese Goldfish art and collectibles, evaluating breeding results of the summer's breeding

January/February 2002 (submit by November 2001) 

Goldfish varieties (example: Tosakins and Celestial Pom Poms), Goldfish health management/disease control

March/April 2002 (submit by January 2002)

Buying Goldfish - How to find the best source/fish for you, what to look for, Breeding issue, culling

May/June 2002 (submit by March 2002)

Pond issue, filters, feeding, algae, pond preparation, poisonous plants, pre-show issue. Show times, requests for help, tips on judging, requests for items for auction from members and advertisers, volunteers for booth

July/August 2002 (submit by May 2002)

Tips on transporting fish, last minute show details, Fall feeding issue, preparing ponds for fall

The upcoming Report issue, which you should receive by mid-June, will also have the results of the last society Board of Directors election; the board information on this site will be updated at that time.

Seasonal Advice

Many authorities recommend that if you feed prepared, pelleted foods, you should either feed frequent small amounts or soak the pellets prior to feeding (or better yet, do both). The question of how long to soak, though, depends on the food. Some goldfish and tropical fish pellets will fall apart in water in less than a minute, and thus really just need to be "wet". Other pellets, like many Koi foods, can be soaked over night.

A good guideline is to soak the pellets as long as you can and still have them hold together during the feeding process. To minimize the leaching of nutrients from the food during soaking, only use enough water to accommodate the absorption of the pellets. You can also consider adding a drop or two of a vitamin supplement for fish to the soaking water. If the pellets will be soaked for more than an hour or so, consider putting them in the refrigerator.