Fishing for Family Pet? Local Aquarium Offers Help

Diving into unfamiliar waters of pet ownership can be tricky.

For families straying from felines and pooches, in downtown New Baltimore offers options for newbies to seasoned pet owners.

But, whatever the selection, longtime store employee Rhonda Rysztak has a tip that applies to all customers: "Doing your research is best for any animal."

Siamese Fighting Fish

The male betta fish, also known as Siamese Fighting Fish, is a low-maintenance, colorful creature that needs isolation due to its aggressive nature with other fish.

The species is perfect for the inexperienced fish owner, such as a younger child, because it can swim in a small bowl, Rysztak said.

"It's an easy fish to take care of," she said. "It's definitely not very demanding."

Aquarium Fish

From the fresh- to the saltwater, there are scores of fish choices for children and adults looking for more maintenance. Swordtails, for example, can be quite entertaining for kids to watch because they have live babies—as opposed to laying eggs—and their growth can be seen right before your eyes. Those fish generally live for about two or three years, Rysztak said.

Tank sizes vary, as does the need to separate certain fish from each other to avoid predatory behavior. Sizes range from as small as a clown fish, like the beloved protagonist in Finding Nemo, to the aquarium's biggest tenant, Frank—a tropical catfish that will get as large as 6-feet long and ideally live in a heated pool.

"He's kind of like the store mascot," she said of the large catfish that eats thawed fish fillets meant for people.

Turtles

Although they're a popular pet, turtles pose some health hazards for pet owners, including children, and are a lot of work, Rysztak said.

By law, turtles must be more than 4 inches in diameter in order to be sold because young children left unattended with small turtles have choked on them in the past, she said.

The most repeated warning about turtles, however, is they could spread salmonella. Frequent tank cleaning and hand-washing is a must with these creatures, as their waste can prompt sickness.

The aquarium recommends turtles for older children, such as teenagers, as well as adults.

Red-Eared Sliders have interesting-looking green shells with shades of yellow and can live to be about 20 years old. But, they must have partial water changes approximately once a week and an ultraviolet heat lamp to prevent bone damage as well as other developmental issues. Box turtles can still pose risks of salmonella, but their tanks are easier to care for because they do not wade in water like their Red-Ear counterparts, Rysztak said.

Lizards

"There's some lizards that make great pets for kids," Rysztak said.

Bearded dragons and leopard geckos—growing 15-18 inches including the tail and 1-foot with the tail, respectively—are able to be handled gently for short periods of time and can live for more than a decade.

They are usually better options for children over snakes and other exotics, she said.

"They don't look to their owners for companionship," she said of snakes.

For more information about potential pets at the aquarium, visit www.anchorbayaquarium.com.