Meet Philly --: I once had a goldfish. He is dead now. His name was Philly. I got him in “Pets ‘n Vets”, a pet shop in Waterford. He was ten months old when he died. My mother decided on the name. My mother and father decided to get him. I fed him twice a day,once in the morning and again in the evening. Goldfish food costs £1.50 a tin. A tin lasts for ages. I never brought him to the vet because he was never sick. He used to eat goldfish food. Did you know? Young goldfish do not have bright colours, but many develop brilliant hues. They are all called goldfish, though their colours range from red, gold, and orange to bronze brown grey white and black. My goldfish is small and orange. Goldfish is a member of the cyprinidae family. I like him because he does not damage anything.

Did you know that Chinese people were keeping goldfish many years hundreds ago. The wild goldfish was a kind of a  golden carp. A goldfish bowl should not be more than half full of water. You need not change the water very often, but  you must take the dirt out from the bottom using  a little glass tube. This can be messy as you have to such the water up from the bottom first. You must be careful that you don't suck it up too far or else it will end up in your mouth.You should look after my goldfish because otherwise it will die. I changed the water every week. You have to be careful to add a small drop of warm water otherwise the fish could die of the shock.

There are over a hundred kinds of goldfish. The common goldfish has two sets of paired fins. Goldfish have exceptionally large eyes and acute senses of smell and hearing. Goldfish have teeth in their throats which they use to crush food. Goldfish are commonly fed dried flake or pellet food. Goldfish usually mature in their second year but this varies with diet,water temperature, and other environmental influences. Females can produce several thousand eggs per spawning period up to several times within a few months. Goldfish eggs hatch in about 4-5 days. Goldfish are omnivorous, meaning they feed on both plants and animals. Goldfish will survive in water temperatures ranging from freezing to 30 degrees centigrade. I like my pet.
 
Stephen Byrne
Third Class