on record was 43 years old.

是 43 歲。

But chances are your goldfish

但是你養的金魚，

didn't even live a quarter that long.

卻連牠四分之一長的壽命都活不到。

In fact, most goldfish don't survive

事實上，大部分的金魚，

past their fifth birthday, and that's a major problem

都活不到五歲，這是個嚴重的問題。

since they're supposed to live for

因為牠們應該要活得

about as long as your cat.

像貓一樣久。

So why are goldfish dying so young?

為什麼金魚那麼年輕就死了？

The usual culprit behind your goldfish's untimely demise

金魚會不正常地死亡，

is, well, poop.

罪魁禍首就是大便。

You see, goldfish waste contains toxins like ammonia

你知道金魚的糞便含有像氨一樣的毒素，

that can burn gills and even damage the brain.

那可以燒傷腮或是損害大腦，

In the wild, this isn't a problem.

在野生環境，這不成問題。

Freshwater lakes and ponds are home to armies

淡水湖泊和池塘都是細菌們的家，

of bacteria that break it down

牠們會將毒素分解，

into less harmful chemicals. But in your home tank,

變成較無害的化學物質。

there's no bacteria to be found.

但是你家裡的水箱，找不到細菌。

You have to introduce it, and that's where a lot

你必須自己製造，

of goldfish owners slip up because you can't

這就是養金魚的主人容易疏忽的事情，

just buy a fish the same day you get your tank.

你不可以當天就把買到的魚放進水箱。

The process of growing bacteria takes patience.

養菌過程是需要時間的。

First, you'll need to remove chlorine

首先，你必須用過濾器，

from your tank water using a conditioner.

將水箱裡的氯排掉。

Chlorinated tap water is fine for you to drink

殺菌後的氯化自來水，

since it kills off germs, but it's not so great

很適合人類飲用，

for the bacteria you want to cultivate.

但並不適合讓你培養細菌。

Once you've created a safe space for the bacteria to grow,

一旦你建立一個安全的地方讓細菌生長，

they'll come from all over: the air,

牠們就會從各處來，空氣、

the outside of the tank, and any rocks

水箱外、或是任何石頭、

or plants you stick in the tank for decoration.

植物，任何你放進水箱當裝飾的東西。

You can also buy commercially sold bacteria cultures

你也可以買商業上從實驗室培養出來的細菌。

grown in labs. After that, all they need is dinner.

之後，牠們所需要的就是晚餐。

Fish food will do.

像是魚飼料。

As the food breaks down, it releases ammonia

當食物被分解，就會釋放氨給細菌吃，

for the bacteria to eat, and finally, you wait for a while.

最後，過一陣子，

Depending on how much bacteria you start with,

時間是依照一開始有多少細菌在水箱裡所決定的，

the process can take about two months.

這個過程大概要兩個月，

That's right, two months.

沒錯，就是兩個月。

But then there should be enough bacteria.

但是前提是要有夠多的細菌。

You can double-check with a simple water test kit.

你可以做簡單的水質測試，

But here's the thing, all the bacteria in the world

但是還有一件事，如果水箱太小，

won't keep your fish alive if the tank is too small.

世上所有的細菌不會讓你的魚活下來。

You see, as these bacteria gobble up goldfish poop,

你想想，這些細菌吞噬了金魚的糞便，

they produce some waste of their own,

牠們自己也會製造糞便，

and if it's not sufficiently diluted,

如果不能被充分稀釋，

it can kill your goldfish.

這也會殺死你的金魚。

A dinky, single-gallon bowl is much too small,

一個一加侖的小碗太小了，

and even the 10-gallon tank you see

甚至是你在寵物店看到的，

in every pet store won't cut it.

十加侖的水箱也不行。

A single adult goldfish needs at least twice

一隻長大的金魚，

that much water to thrive.

至少需要兩倍以上多的水才能生長。

That's almost 40 kilograms of water,

大約是 40 公斤的水，

2000 times heavier than your goldfish,

比你的金魚重 2000 倍。

and even with a huge tank, you'll still need

即使你有一個大水箱，

to replace about 30% of the water every two weeks

你還是需要每兩周換 30% 的水，

because besides poop, goldfish release hormones

因為除了糞便，

and pheromones into their environment,

金魚還會釋放賀爾蒙和費洛蒙。

which, if left unchecked, can stunt their growth.

如果不加以控制，會影響牠們成長。

That might help explain why goldfish

這就有助於解釋，

in healthy environments can reach the size

為什麼金魚在健康的環境下長大，

of an American football, while your last goldfish

可以像美式足球一樣大，

wasn't much bigger than your index finger.

但是你的金魚卻沒有比你的食指大。

Once you have a big, detoxified tank,

一旦你有了夠大且無毒的水箱，

Goldie just needs one more thing: your attention.

還有一件事要注意的是：你的注意力，

Because you're not swimming in the tank with her,

因為你無法和金魚在水箱裡游泳，

it's hard to notice if something's wrong with, say,

所以如果有像是水質的問題，你不會察覺到。

the water quality. So oftentimes new goldfish owners

所以養金魚的新手常常意識到問題時，

don't realize anything's amiss until it's too late,

已經為時已晚了，

and common diseases like fin rot, white spot disease,

還有常見的疾病像是鰭腐爛、白斑病、

and fungal infections have already taken hold.

和真菌感染，在發現時就已經得到了。

So it's a good idea to pay careful attention

所以好辦法就是多注意，

to how the water looks and smells,

多去注意水質狀況和味道，

and anyway, spending time with your goldfish will

花時間在你的金魚身上是值得的，

be worth it since you can teach Goldie

你可以教金魚游過圈圈，

to swim through hoops and eat from your hand.

還可以讓牠學會吃你手上的食物。