Pet fish questions

[lirpa1]

Godd morning :bow:

It's getting near christmas time, and I have been racking my brain to figure out what I could ask for... I don't really need anything, and I dont want it to be expensive... so I have thought of asking for a fish bowl, some fish bowl accessories.. and then afterwards I can go pick out a fish for the bowl. it'd be a pretty cheap present, and I know I'd love watching the fish...

So i want to know what fish are good for pets? It will be a decent size bowl, but I am not getting a big tank until I can take care of a fish properly.. so I will start easy and move up next year or year after hopefully with more fish and a bigger area..

I have looked at the goldfish, bubble eye fish, fighter fish, guppies (but they like interaction alot so i'd need 3 minimum), and others in the betta family..

so does anyone have any advice? what fish are easy to take care of? can live in rain water (we have a rainwater tank and one of my friends uses taht b/c it doesnt have as harsh chemicals as tap water...)?

I've never had a fish, so ANY input is most welcome! Thanks :hamster:

[Brandon]

Please don't keep a fish in a bowl. The water quality drops really fast in any captive environment without filtration and circulating water.
Especially don't keep multiple fish in one bowl. That just exacerbates the water quality issue, not to mention they have no room to move about.

Please consider a 10 gallon tank. With filtration and treated water. I've had fish for many years now and I'll be happy to talk to you about fish stuff but please.....no bowl.
It's more often than not a death sentence for the poor fish.

There are actually a few of us here on VB that care for fish and enjoy providing them with a healthy and happy environment in which to live. Maybe others can also provide some insight?

My experience is predominantly with goldfish and bettas, but I have cared for mollies before too.

[Tom]

Well... I'd really advise you to wait until you can get a somewhat larger container, rather than a bowl. With a bowl I assume you would need to change the water periodically, whereas with a 5 or 10 gallon tank you have a filter apparatus and good bacteria build up to take care of the waste. (You still need to change some of the water every now and then, though... how much water you replace depends on the fish, I think).

You mention fighter fish, goldfish, and guppies... I've never had fighter fish but I've kept the other two. Guppies and goldfish are both hardy, although guppies don't live very long- they have naturally short life spans. The problem with guppies is that they reproduce and you'll wind up with a lot of them. The trouble with goldfish is that they get surprisingly big eventually.

Goldfish and guppies will survive in a bowl for a time... usually. But as Brandon points out, it's really not ideal.

[lirpa1]

aww thanks! i didnt know bowls were that bad :-/ so now I'll definately check into the cost for a bigger tank, b/c I dont want them to die.. :(

I really like the betta b/c of the tails and colors... and I have read that you can keep two female guppies and one male guppy in a tank and they get on fine, and they are very active, so the extra space would definately be a plus...

what about baby fish? if I get two females and one male I dont want it to be a mass explosion of babies where I have nowhere to put them all and no one to take them, so how do you combat taht problem?

and as for the tank, I can ask just for that at christmas, then maybe buy rocks and stuff afterwards on my own, then start the cycling of the tank and buy fish a couple weeks later? or is taht too early to put the fish in?

[Tom]

what about baby fish? if I get two females and one male I dont want it to be a mass explosion of babies where I have nowhere to put them all and no one to take them, so how do you combat taht problem?

and as for the tank, I can ask just for that at christmas, then maybe buy rocks and stuff afterwards on my own, then start the cycling of the tank and buy fish a couple weeks later? or is taht too early to put the fish in?

I don't really think there is a way of preventing a population explosion of guppies, other than having only one sex. I had three female guppies in my community tank, and they seemed to do OK. If you know anyone who has guppies, maybe they will give you a few of one sex- with guppies it's easy to tell the boys from the girls.

You can start with just the tank and set it up, addng fish later... I'm not sure how long you have to wait. My current tank started up okay, but I have goldfish and they are hardy. The first tank I ever had (back in the 60s), I put three corydoras catfish in it- nobody else- but they all died.

[animallover7249]

If you want a betta, one in a 10 gallon tank should be good. :)

[be_it]

I am a manager at a Petco, and get to help people set up tanks all the time. You can only have 1 inch of adult fish per gallon of water. ALL goldfish (ALL meaning ALL) get about a foot to 2 feet, so unless youre willing to start off with a 30 gallon tank for 1 fish and eventually move him into a pond, Id stear clear of them. And guppies get 2.5 inches at full size, so if you wanted 2 of them, a 5gallon would be fine. Most people like more than just 2 fish once they get started, so a 10 gallon and up with be good. Youll need a filter, a heater (tropical fish like 74-78 degrees), a net, water conditioner (to remove harmful chlorine and chloramines) and a gravel vaccuum (5$ at any pet supplier). Start off with no more than 1 one inch fish per 5 gallons of tank for the first month. Then slowly add fish, but no more than 1 inch of adult fish per gallon of water. Use the gravel vac to do 25% water changes once every 4-6 weeks, and never change the floss of the filter the same time you change the water. If you have any more questions, drop me an email. Oh, I forgot to add that the only fish you can humanely keep in a bowl is a betta. And even they need a heater.

Des

[be_it]

If you want a betta, one in a 10 gallon tank should be good. :)

A betta in a 10 gallon tank freaks out. They are used to tiny amounts of water, and they are very territorial over their space. If theyre given too much space to patrol, they get really stressed and cant find their food.

Des

[Beachbnny]

Great advice so far :) I just wanted to add that maybe you could look in the newspaper or some kind of rescue to find a fish that needs a home rather than buying it from a pet store.

[dormouse]

Agreed with the others about the bowl. I have a small 5-gallon tank in my apartment with a few tropical fish. It wasn't too expensive. I have to keep getting filter cartridges for it, but you should expect upkeep costs to take care of any pet.

Definitely set your tank up (water and all) before you buy any fish. Unfortunately I know nothing about this rainwater set up you have. Are there any chemicals added to it? Unless it is just pure water, you have to dechlorinate it in some way. Pet stores sell drops for this, or you can just boil water (and let it completely cool before adding it, obviously).

[Brandon]

A betta in a 10 gallon tank freaks out. They are used to tiny amounts of water, and they are very territorial over their space. If theyre given too much space to patrol, they get really stressed and cant find their food.

Des

I had one that lived in a 10 gallon for years and was fine.
I turned the flow regulator on the filter down to the lowest setting so there wasn't current. He did usually stick to one area of the tank but he would on occasion swim around the rest of it.

That may not be the case w. every betta, but it's not to say a betta can't live a happy, healthy long life in a 10 gallon.

[animallover7249]

Yeah, Brandon beat me to it. I've had a betta in a 10 gallon before, was fine, and I know others who have too.

[lirpa1]

Thanks for all the replies!

Ok, so a bigger tank the better... I dont know if I will be able to afford a 10 gallon, but I'll check out some prices! otherwise, is a 5 gallon alright? and how many betta's for a five gallon?

Ok next question, have any of you had fighter fish? they're a type of betta right? could I have a couple of fighter fish, say both females? or a no no?

also, as I will start pricing tanks, filters etc... do they have filters with variable speeds so I can put the speed on low? I dont want to irritate the betta with currents. I have also seen some betta in filtered tanks with jelly jars (cleaned of course) in the tank so they can escape the current, is this a really good idea?

And as for the rain water, that's just what it is. water here in australia is very scarce (so we have lots of limitations on it)... and we have a rain water tank for drinking water, and then we have regular tap water (with heaps of harsh chemicals), so they rain water would definately be better for the fish.

Thanks everyone!

[Brandon]

Fighter fish are the same as bettas. You don't want to mix male bettas ever. I had a tank with 3 females in it and for a while they co-existed fine but in time one of them killed the other 2, which was very sad.

It's easy to tell the males and females apart. Males are the fancy, long-finned ones.

The jelly jar idea is good. I always just placed a few plants in the tank for the betta to "sit" on. Lots of times they would sleep on them too. (which is adorable)

Even if you use rain water (which I'd assume has pollution?) you'll still need to take a sample to the local pet store or aquarium shop and have them test it for you. I believe most of them will do so for free. With tap water here, all you have to do is buy a treatment which removes chlorine & chloramine and it's safe for fish.

[lirpa1]

Yea i have thought of the pollution and i'd still test it, but it isnt anywhere near as harsh as our tap water. there are a few fish and fish tank stores around, so surely they'll test it for free...

wow I really have so many questions sorry!

ok, so bettas dont like bettas sometimes... so do I get one at first, let that one adjust to the tank and then add another fish? what other fish would go well? and no I dont want them to kill each other :( and howlong do they live for? I dont want a really short living one, so if they have small lives I might shop around at the other fish...

and yea, I'll look in the Quokka (where u find bargains, free stuff) and see what fish people are trying to give away once I set up my tank and get all my stuff, be better to save one rom death than buy one i guess... I havent ever even thought of that.

ok and as for plants, fake plants or real plants?

[animallover7249]

I've had both fake and live plants in my aquarium. I perfer live plants, but sometimes theyre hard to keep alive, and can get expensive to replace if they die or your fish (well, my snails) eat them. But to me, they look nicer, and the fish (and snails) seem to enjoy them. So I do live plants.

[Brandon]

Yea i have thought of the pollution and i'd still test it, but it isnt anywhere near as harsh as our tap water. there are a few fish and fish tank stores around, so surely they'll test it for free...
:up:



wow I really have so many questions sorry!
No reason to apologize at all! One thing you will find, fish people like to talk about fish. :)



ok, so bettas dont like bettas sometimes... so do I get one at first, let that one adjust to the tank and then add another fish? what other fish would go well? and no I dont want them to kill each other :( and howlong do they live for? I dont want a really short living one, so if they have small lives I might shop around at the other fish...

and yea, I'll look in the Quokka (where u find bargains, free stuff) and see what fish people are trying to give away once I set up my tank and get all my stuff, be better to save one rom death than buy one i guess... I havent ever even thought of that.

ok and as for plants, fake plants or real plants?
I'd probably just go with one betta if it were me.
I'm not sure what other fish co-habitate with bettas well, though I've had corydoras in with the one that I had in the 10 gallon. (Those corys are still with me and live in my 55 gal now)

You should definitely go check out Betta Talk! It's a great site.
http://bettatalk.com/

I've only ever used plastic plants. I fear snail infestation! :lol:
Live plants are prettier, but like Chelsea said the fish may eat on them.

[lirpa1]

today I went to a pet store and checked out the fish tanks.. I can get a 30 ltr (around 7.8 gal) tank for $65... thats the tank only.. filter is around $30 and then I'd need accessories... I will keep shopping at a few other shops and see if I can score a slightly bigger tank before christmas...

also, I checked out the fish. The only betta i could find is the fighter fish, but I dont just want one fish in my ten gallon tank (If I get ten gal, which I am looking for, otherwise i'll go 7.8 gal).. so I had a look at the goldfish and "guppies". guppies are pretty, colourful, and very small! how are they to care for? and how will the cope with the filter?

and for the goldish, I could get one of them, I like the split tail ones, or the bubble eyes, anyone have experience with them?? are they easy to care for? I have heard they are hardy, so mayb I would have good luck with a easy fish, and could get a couple of those?

I havent made any choices or bought anything yet, so all options are still open, but if I get this bigger tank, i do want more than one solitary fish so I am looking elsewhere besides betta now:pibo:

[lirpa1]

alright, as of tonight I have one guppy. a friend is moving to teh otehr side of australia and has no one to take the guppy... She offered me the guppy first, but I was weary as I have nevr had one. and other friends said they wanted it. This guppy was the reason I took an interest in fish b/c I began researching how to care for him, and after others said they wanted him I was already interested..

so now I will have a guppy tomorrow evening. He has a fairly big bowl...so one solitary guppy in a bowl.. I'll keep him in the bowl until I get the fish tank, and get all the parts I need and set up, then mayb introduce him into the tank, and get a female friend? unless he's a she and I'll get a male because it'll be a big tank for two small fish..

so looks like I'll be starting my fish experience faster than expected, and now I'll plan around "him"... yikes. still scary, as I hope I do it all right:-/

But I am excited for the lil guy!

[animallover7249]

Wow, I'm surpised the tank under 10 gallons cost $65. I've gotten a 10 gallon, with some supplies (just some cheap food samples, a net, and a cheap filter I replaced, oh and I think a heater) for $35.

[heidiny77]

Ok I didn't read the entire thread but we babysat a beta at work for a few months and I took care of him (he started getting ick and stuff) and if I remember correctly they do better in a larger tank. Plus all the medicines and stuff (should he get sick) give you portions for gallon+ size tanks.

[lirpa1]

Wow, I'm surpised the tank under 10 gallons cost $65. I've gotten a 10 gallon, with some supplies (just some cheap food samples, a net, and a cheap filter I replaced, oh and I think a heater) for $35.

yea i kno lol, im in australia tho, evrything is expensive here.. I will check out kmart and bigW (kinda like wal mart) too and see if they have any kits.. even I could get a kit with the tank, filter, and rocks for under $100 i'd be happy, so ill keep checkin out other pet shops.

[animallover7249]

Good luck! :)

[be_it]

I wouldnt suggest getting a goldfish for any tank smaller than 30 gallons. They all (all types, even the ones who start tiny) get between 8 inches and 2 feet and live about 2 years when properly cared for. They are super messy and need their tank water changed more regularly than most types.

Des

[lirpa1]

Well I have the rescued fish...:-/ I was told he wasa guppy, but he/she is definately not a guppy...

The girl has had the fish for 2 weeks, and has kept him in abt (im guessing sizes here) a 2.5-4 gal bowl...


I dont know what the fish is, but here's a description... it's kind of blue/black with long split back tails (kinda like split tail goldfish) and then it has slight bubble eyes... very pretty

I think it looks like a sort of goldfish but I dont kno :/ so yea... I guess he will keep the bowl until I get my tank at xmas. I will head to the pet store tomorro to find out what to buy (ie water conditioner?) and what he is, and how to care for him when to feed etc.. she has had him just over two weeks and he's done fine so hopefully I will as well :)