Ornamental fish are pretty fish people keep in tanks or ponds. Guppies are a great first fish – and wild guppies live in the rivers and swamps of Trinidad!
Setting up a fish tank
- 🧽 Clean the tank or bowl with plain water (no soap!).
- 🪨 Add washed gravel and a few water plants.
- 💧 Fill with tap water that has been left to stand for a day, so the chlorine can escape.
- ⏳ Let the tank settle.
- 🐟 Float the fish in its bag for a few minutes, then let it swim out gently.
- 🍤 Feed a tiny pinch of food once or twice a day.
Good practices for fish and for nature
- Do not overfeed: leftover food makes the water dirty.
- Change some of the water every week.
- Keep the tank out of strong direct sunlight.
- Never pour tank water or let pet fish go into rivers or drains. Pet fish can harm wild animals there.
- Do not keep too many fish in a small tank.
Fish care team
Share the jobs: one feeder, one water checker, one cleaner (with a grown-up). Be gentle and wash your hands before and after.
TRY ITFish keepers
Choose a game.
Let’s practise
Try each one. Then tap Show answer to check.
1. Why do we leave tap water to stand for a day?
Show answer
So the chlorine can escape. Chlorine harms fish.
2. How much food should you give?
Show answer
A tiny pinch, once or twice a day.
3. Give two good practices for keeping fish.
Show answer
For example do not overfeed, change some water weekly, keep out of hot sun, never release pet fish into rivers.
4. Why should we never put soap in a fish tank?
Show answer
Soap is poisonous to fish.
5. Name a fish that lives wild in Trinidad.
Show answer
The guppy.
Quick check
1. What goes at the bottom of the tank?
Show answer
Washed gravel.
2. What happens if you overfeed?
Show answer
The leftover food rots and makes the water dirty.
3. Why should pet fish not be let go in rivers?
Show answer
They can harm the wild fish, animals and plants.
Words to know
Say these words with a grown-up. Can you use each one in a sentence?
ornamental fish · guppy · tank · gravel · chlorine · overfeed · environment · roster
Try it at home
- Visit a pet shop or a friend with fish. Watch how the fish are cared for.
- Draw a fish tank with gravel, plants and fish. Label it.
- If you have fish, make a feeding chart for the week.
For parents and teachers
After this lesson, your child should be able to:
- sequence the main steps in keeping ornamental fish
- name two good environmental practices for keeping fish
- work safely and happily in a team to care for fish
Adults should handle glass tanks and any electrical pumps or lights. Small tanks need more frequent partial water changes.
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Attributions to media used in this post:
Poecilia reticulata Wild Guppy Trinidad Caroni Swamp pair 20121228.JPG – Emilio17 – CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
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