《趣味科普學英語》介紹
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導讀
想養金魚但總是活不過三天？這個視頻科普了養金魚的一些注意事項。
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中英文文本
The longest-living goldfish on record was 43 years old.
有記錄以來最長壽的金魚活到43歲
But chances are your goldfish
但是你的金魚甚至
didn’t even live a quarter that long.
可能還活不到它壽命的四分之一
In fact, most goldfish don’t survive past their fifth birthday,
事實上 大多數金魚都活不過五歲
and that’s a major problem since they’re supposed
那麼問題來了
to live for about as long as your cat.
既然它們本來能活得和貓一樣久
So why are goldfish dying so young?
為什麼你的金魚沒幾年就英年早逝了？
為什麼寵物金魚總是很容易死掉？
The usual culprit behind your goldfish’s untimely demise is,
金魚早夭的罪魁禍首通常是……
well, poop.
嗯 便便
You see, goldfish waste contains toxins like ammonia
你知道 金魚排洩物中含有氨那樣的毒素
that can burn gills and even damage the brain.
會燒傷魚鰓 甚至損傷大腦
In the wild, this isn’t a problem.
在野外水域 這不是問題
Freshwater lakes and ponds are home to armies
淡水湖和池塘是細菌大軍的家園
of bacteria that break it down into less harmful chemicals.
這些細菌會把糞便分解成危害較小的化學物質
But in your home tank,
但在家裡的魚缸裡
there’s no bacteria to be found.
沒有這類細菌
You have to introduce it,
你不得不加入細菌
and that’s where a lot of goldfish owners slip up
許多金魚主人疏忽了這一點
because you can’t just buy a fish the same day you get your tank.
因為不能在買魚缸的當天就買金魚
The process of growing bacteria takes patience.
培養細菌的過程需要耐心
First, you』ll need to remove chlorine
首先需要用水質調節劑
from your tank water using a conditioner.
除去魚缸水中的氯
Chlorinated tap water is fine for you to drink
人可以喝氯化處理後的自來水
since it kills off germs,
因為氯可以殺菌
but it’s not so great for the bacteria you want to cultivate.
但自來水可不適合培養細菌
Once you』ve created a safe space for the bacteria to grow,
一旦創造出一個適宜細菌生長的空間
they』ll come from all over:
細菌就會從各處而來：
the air, the outside of the tank, and any rocks
從空氣中 從魚缸外 從隨便什麼石頭上
or plants you stick in the tank for decoration.
從種在魚缸裡作裝飾的植物上
You can also buy commercially sold bacteria cultures grown in labs.
你也可以購買實驗室培育的商用細菌
After that, all they need is dinner.
接種之後 細菌需要進餐
Fish food will do.
魚食就可以
As the food breaks down, it releases ammonia for the bacteria to eat,
食物被分解後 釋放出的氨被細菌攝取
and finally, you wait for a while.
最後 你需要等一段時間
Depending on how much bacteria you start with,
時間長短取決於一開始放了多少細菌
the process can take about two months.
這個過程可以花上大約兩個月
That’s right, two months.
沒錯 兩個月
But then there should be enough bacteria.
但兩個月後就應該有足夠的細菌了
You can double-check with a simple water test kit.
可以用簡易水質測試套件複查一下
But here’s the thing, all the bacteria in the world
但這裡要注意 如果魚缸太小
won’t keep your fish alive if the tank is too small.
哪怕加入世界上所有的細菌都沒法讓金魚成活
You see, as these bacteria gobble up goldfish poop,
你看 這些細菌攝入金魚的糞便
they produce some waste of their own,
它們自己會產生一些排洩物
and if it’s not sufficiently diluted,
如果細菌排洩物得不到充分稀釋
it can kill your goldfish.
就會殺死金魚
A dinky, single-gallon bowl is much too small,
容量一加侖的碗太小了
and even the 10-gallon tank you see
甚至寵物店裡看到的
in every pet store won’t cut it.
10加侖魚缸都不能稀釋到位
A single adult goldfish needs at least twice
一條成年金魚至少需要那兩倍的水
that much water to thrive.
才能茁壯成長
That’s almost 40 kilograms of water,
也就是幾乎40千克水
2000 times heavier than your goldfish,
比金魚重兩千倍
and even with a huge tank, you』ll still need
即使用了一個巨大的魚缸
to replace about 30% of the water every two weeks
你仍然需要每兩個星期換掉大約30%的水
because besides poop, goldfish release hormones and pheromones into their environment,
因為除了排便 金魚還會向生活環境中釋放激素和信息素
which if left unchecked, can stunt their growth.
如果含量不受控制 將會阻礙它們的生長
That might help explain why goldfish
這可能有助於解釋為什麼
in healthy environments can reach the size of an American football,
健康環境中金魚可以長到美式橄欖球那麼大
while your last goldfish
而你養的上一條金魚
wasn’t much bigger than your index finger.
比你的食指大不了多少
Once you have a big, detoxified tank,
有了一個巨大的「解毒魚缸 」
Goldie just needs one more thing: your attention.
金魚還需要另一樣東西：你的關注
Because you’re not swimming in the tank with her,
因為你沒有和它一起在缸裡遊泳
it’s hard to notice if something’s wrong with, say, the water quality.
所以你很難注意到水質的問題
So oftentimes new goldfish owners don’t realize anything’s amiss
養金魚的新人通常意識不到哪裡出了問題
until it’s too late,
等到發現已經太晚了
and common diseases like fin rot, white spot disease,
等發現爛鰭病 白斑病和真菌感染這些常見病時
and fungal infections have already taken hold.
已經來不及救治了
So it’s a good idea to pay careful attention to how the water looks and smells,
所以最好仔細關注水的外觀和氣味
and anyway, spending time with your goldfish will
花時間在金魚身上是值得的
be worth it since you can teach Goldie
因為你可以教金魚遊過鐵環
to swim through hoops and eat from your hand.
從你的手裡找吃的