The hardy breeds of goldfish are so rugged that few die from lack of attention, but you can pamper practically any of them to death in a week. Most goldfish that die before their time do so by reason of three leading forms of overkindness.

   The greatest cause of trouble is overfeeding. Few amateur fish fanciers seem to realize that important adjustments must be made for fish kept in unnatural surroundings, particularly in bowls and aquariums. Living wild, fish eat practically all the time. That is because food is not too plentiful, and fish must scurry around the livelong day in an effort to find enough. It is disastrous to reverse this natural order of things by giving fish plenty to eat and at the same time depriving them of space in which to work the food off by exercise. If allowed, fish confined to an aquarium will literally eat themselves to death. Fish in outdoor pools live under more natural conditions, it is true, but the rule of sparse feeding also applies to them.

   Another danger is crowding. Six or eight goldfish in an aquarium designed for three or four, or overcrowding in the same proportion in an outdoor pool, will soon separate the strong from the weak, and the weak will die.

   Too much sun and improper water temperatures, along with too frequent changing of the water, are also harmful. In a large bowl or average-sized aquarium properly placed and not overcrowded, the water need not-should not-be changed more often than once a week, and I have kept goldfish healthy in an aquarium for as long as two and three months without changing the water.

   Goldfish will eat practically anything, but you will find it convenient to buy a prepared fish food. There are a number of excellent brands with a perfectly balanced content of food, salts, and minerals. Ask your dealer to recommend one.

   What you feed goldfish is not nearly so important as how much you feed them. You cannot rear them properly if you feed them when they seem hungry, because they are always hungry, even hungry enough to beg. Indulge them occasionally, if you like, but infrequently and only with tidbits.

   Whatever fish food you buy will have a printed label telling you how much to allow for a certain number of fish of a given size. Follow directions only at the start. Observe the fish as they eat what you throw to them. After a few days of watching, limit them to only as much food as they will consume in five minutes. Remove the surplus, for it becomes waterlogged, decomposes, fouls the water, and kills some of your fish.