810-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 27, 199
Aquariums Teach Kids Life Cycles Through 4~H Club
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
LITITZ (Lancaster Co.)
Eight-year-old Brian Hollings
worth pointed to a fish in his aquar
ium and said, “It’s a neat fish. It’s
fast I like it the best.”
The fish, called a Kukli Loach,
lay motionless in the bottom of the
tank until the water was slightly
agitated. In a flash, the fish darted,
zoomed, and swerved around the
plants in the water.
Names like Albine Catfish and
Cardinal Tetra easily roll off
Brian’s tongue. He learned the
names of tropical fish because he
joined a 4-H aquatic science
program.
Don’t let that big name scare
you. It’s actually just taking care of
fish in a bowl or aquarium. It’s a
neat project to leant responsibility
and have fun. The project doesn’t
need to cost a lot of money. Some
kids have only one or two goldfish
while others have large aquariums
filled with tropical fish.
Brian explained that tropical
fish and goldfish are called clean
water fish while salt water fish
need salt water in which to live.
Tropical fish, since they originate
in the tropical regions, need war
mer water than gold fish.
Brian also has a Siamese Fight
ing Fish. He said, “I only have one
because if 1 had two males, the fish
would fight until one dies.”
If Brian holds a mirror against
the tank, the Siamese fish thinks it
is another fish and spreads its
purple and red gills, prepared to
fight.
To begin his project, Brian went
to a store called That Fish Place.
He bought a small aquarium,
gravel, rocks, slicks, plants, a filter
and an air pump.
With the help of his father, who
had raised fish when he was youn
ger, Brian chose several varieties
of fish. He only needs to feed the
fish once a day.
The aquarium is set up in his
bedroom so that Brian can see
them as soon as he wakes up in the
morning,
Brian tells his sister, Carol, 10, about the Siamese Fighting Fish that will fight
another male until he dies.
“I never forget to feed them,”
Brian said.
Occasionally, Brian needs to
check the water’s pH level. This
shows the acidity or alkalinity of
the water. Brian has a test kit that
he has learned to use himself to
measure the pH level. If the pH is
wrong, he adds a few drops of a liq
uid from a specially marked bottle.
It colors the water for a few hours,
then he checks the level again until
it is neutral.
Brian said, “You should change
'/ of the water in the tank every
two weeks.”
According to Brian, it is “real
easy” to learn fish care. As part of
his 4-H project, he has a booklet
that explains everything he needs
to know about caring for fish. The
booklet was written by Paul Spiece
who formerly hosted his own tele
vision show called “From Guppies
to Groupers.”
Brian needs to keep records of
his fish such as when he purchased
them, how much they cost com
pared to those at other stores and
other basic information. If the fish
die, Brian writes down when they
died and why. Brian said fish usu
ally die because the water isn’t the
right pH or temperature or maybe
the fish are old.
The booklet has lots of interest
ing information about fish. For
example, Brian learned that there
are 22,000 different fish in the
world.
The purpose of the 4-H club is to
teach kids how to set up and main
tain a beautiful, successful aquar
ium. Participants learn that diffe
rent fish have different habits. The
fish basically need a proper diet
and water.
Fish raising is considered the
second largest hobby in the U.S.
Photography rates first, but some
years, the popularity of raising fish
hits the number one spot.
According to Zoann Parker,
Lancaster County 4-H extension
agent, the project teaches environ
mental science principals and
helps youngsters understand the
cycle of life.
Brian Hollingsworth thinks fish are really neat. He has joined the 4-H aquatic sci
ence club, which teaches him how to have a successful, beautiful aquarium.
“An aquarium is the perfect life
cycle,” she said. “The plants give
off oxygen for the fish, the fish
give off carbon dioxide for the
plant”
That Fish Place, 237 Centerville
Rd., Lancaster, PA 17603, is help
ing with the 4-H project. The store
is the largest fish store in the
world. It has more than 500 variet
ies of fish plus all the supplies
needed. The price of gold fish
starts at 29 cents, but you may pay
as much as $3OO for a Purple Tang
fish. It is a brilliant purple fish with
a yellow tail. The Purple Tang’s
natural home is the Red Sea.
That Fish Place offers a 10 per
cent discount to 4-H’ers who parti
cipate in the project. If you do not
live near the store, you may call the
toll free number 1 800 733-3829
and request a free catalogue. That
Fish Place ships over the world.
Make sure you tell them, you read
about the 4-H project through this
article; otherwise, you will need to
pay $2 for the catalogue.
This is the first year for the
aquatic science project. The parti
cipants can complete their record
Did you know that there are 22,000 varieties of fish in the
world? Brian Hollingsworth studies his 4-H aquatic science
booklet to discover interesting facts about fish.
Support Agricultural Education
books with the help of their parents
until a club is formed in the area.
For more information on the
4-H club, contact your local Pern
State Extension office or cal
Zoann Parker at (717) 394-6851
Z/Jfc-