The Effect of Goldfish (Carassius auratus) on Water Quality in Horse Stock Tanks.
Abstract: Goldfish (Carassius auratus) have been reported as a method to keep water tanks clean; however, little information exists on this approach. The objectives were to evaluate the efficacy of goldfish on maintaining water quality in tanks and to evaluate the frequency that this method is used. The first objective was completed during June through October 2017 in St. Paul, MN, using plastic and metal 379 L stock tanks, each with and without goldfish in a drylot that housed six adult horses. The stocking rate was 5 goldfish per tank. Daily readings of total dissolved solids (TDS) and water turbidity (NTU), and weekly samples to measure chlorophyll a were taken. At the end of each 28-day period, tanks were cleaned and rotated. Plastic tanks had lower TDS than metal tanks (P < .001); however, metal tanks had lower NTU and chlorophyll a (P ≤ .008). Adding goldfish resulted in lower TDS (P < .001); however, there was no effect on NTU or chlorophyll a (P ≥ .097). No parameters had an impact on horse preference (P ≥ .108). The second objective was completed using an online survey that was open from October 31 until December 15, 2018. Of the 672 completed surveys, 56% had not tried using goldfish in water tanks, 26% had utilized goldfish in the past, and 18% currently used goldfish. The inclusion of goldfish in water tanks did not affect all water quality parameters; however, 44% of survey respondents had tried, or were currently using, this management method.
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2019-05-23 PubMed ID: 31405505DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2019.05.016Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This research paper investigates the effect of introducing goldfish to horse water tanks on maintaining the water quality and key findings indicate that goldfish helped in lowering the water turbidity and chlorophyll levels but did not affect all water quality parameters.
Research Objectives and Methodology
- The study was primarily decided to test the authenticity of the popular notion that goldfish keep water tanks clean, and to find out how frequently this method is used.
- To test the first objective, a trial was set up in St. Paul, Minnesota, between June and October in 2017. The trial involved 379-litre stock tanks, some of which contained goldfish and some didn’t. Plastic and metal tanks were both used in this experiment.
- Five goldfish were added per tank, and each of these tanks was set up in a drylot housing six adult horses. It was observed over a 28-day period, after which the tanks were cleaned and used in a different configuration.
- The water quality in these tanks was measured in a few key ways: total dissolved solids (TDS), water turbidity, and levels of chlorophyll a. TDS and turbidity were measured daily, while chlorophyll a levels were measured weekly.
- The second objective was achieved by performing an online survey that ran from October to December 2018.
Key Findings
- The tanks made of plastic were found to have lower TDS than those made from metal. On the contrary, metal tanks had less turbidity and chlorophyll a compared to plastic tanks.
- Adding goldfish did result in lower TDS, but it didn’t affect the water turbidity or the amount of chlorophyll a present.
- None of the observed parameters appeared to have any bearing on which type of water horses preferred to drink.
- The online survey indicated that majority of the respondents (56%) had not tried using goldfish in water tanks, while 26% had utilized them in the past, and only 18% were currently using them.
- The overall conclusion of the study was that while goldfish in water tanks can improve some aspects of water quality—namely lowering TDS—they don’t affect all water quality parameters.
Concluding Remarks and Future Research
- Despite some noted benefits of including goldfish in water tanks, the practice was not observed to be widespread among the survey respondents with 44% having tried, or currently using, this management method.
- This observation leaves room for future study into possible reasons behind the non-adoption of this method, potentially through further detailed surveys and focus group discussions.
Cite This Article
APA
Catalano DN, Heins BJ, Missaghi S, Hathaway MR, Martinson KL.
(2019).
The Effect of Goldfish (Carassius auratus) on Water Quality in Horse Stock Tanks.
J Equine Vet Sci, 79, 73-78.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2019.05.016 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN.
- Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN.
- University of Minnesota Extension, Farmington, MN.
- Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN.
- Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN. Electronic address: krishona@umn.edu.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Chlorophyll A
- Goldfish
- Horses
- Motor Vehicles
- Water
- Water Quality
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Elshafey AE, Khalafalla MM, Zaid AAA, Mohamed RA, Abdel-Rahim MM. Source diversity of Artemia enrichment boosts goldfish (Carassius auratus) performance, β-carotene content, pigmentation, immune-physiological and transcriptomic responses. Sci Rep 2023 Dec 9;13(1):21801.
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