Self-cleaning fish?

elsien

I work in a small home for adults with learning disabilities and one of the guys has expressed an interest in having a fish tank. However the chances of him helping to clean and look after it regularly is fairly remote and (on the grounds of taking personal responsibility!) I refuse to ask the staff to do all the hard work for him.
I've been looking at those bio-orb type things in the hope that they will need less looking after than a bogstandard set up. Anyone ever had one? (Money is not a problem if they are expensive.)
They'll also need to be coldwater fish as one of the residents has a habit of going round turning plugs off at the socket every night. My manager suggested one of those companies that do all the hard work for you, but I don't know how to find one in the Midlands that do small aquaria - the home is just an ordinary house so it just needs to be an smallish tank.
Any comments or suggestions?

suki1964

Now my understanding is that goldfish need a lot of space, a lot of water and a lot of cleaning cos they poo a lot and need room to grow

I have three in a tank thats 4ft x2ft x 2ft and mine get a partial water change every week and a good clean of the gravel - and believe me there is loads to clean - and thats a tank with filters etc

Now what Ive seen of bio orbs - i wouldnt have thought there was room for more then one goldfish in the biggest one.

Now what you can have is wee danios - you could have a few of those as they dont get big. And to be honest in our hot homes they are more suited then goldfish as they are sub tropical so like warmer water ( dont need heaters though)I have a shoal of them in with my goldfish, much more fun to watch.

Or maybe just do the plants and snails? Im pretty sure you need a tanks that contains more then 10 gallons to be able to keep fish

Sure someone eill be along with more advice soon but whatever way you go - that tank will need looking after

olias

Surely part of the remit of looking after people with learning disabilities, is to try and teach them or encourage them towards accepting responsibilities?

Why not discuss with the manager having a fish tank in one of the communal areas, to be enjoyed by everyone, that way you (or whoever), could use it as a learning tool to help teach the residents about responsibilities, by having them take it in turns to clean it out and feed the fish etc.

Olias

elsien

That's what we're looking at, having it in the sitting room (which apart from the kitchen is the only communal area.) However the other people in the home aren't interested in the slightest, so won't be involved in the cleaning out which is going to be our main issue.

Realistically speaking the gentleman who wants the fish is quite likely to refuse to help the majority of the time. Which is why I'm trying to find out how much or little looking after is required before we go down the route of actually getting one. I completely agree it's about teaching responsibility which is why if it requires a lot more help than he is willing to give, then (as with any pet) we're going to have to say no - he has the understanding to know what this means and to balance up the pros and cons.

I'm just trying to find out if there's any sort of easy looking after set up which will suit him and not leave all the work to someone else. I need to be able to say it will require x amount of time and effort, staff will help you but they won't do it for you.

Or if he still wants them but won't help look after them, he can pay someone to come and do it for him. Hence the aquarium company suggestions.

Edit - suki1964, he wants fish. I'm not sure plant and snails will really do it for him.

tankgirl1

I'm sure I read somewhere that those bio orb things are not very good as small surface area of water compared to volume, so less o2 for the fish. If I was you I would join a fishkeeping forum and ask their advice.

Did a very quick google - is this any help in terms of people who come out and do the cleaning? http://www.freeindex.co.uk/categories/entertainment_and_lifestyle/pets_and_animals/aquarium_cleaning_and_maintenance/

*confused*

I have a Biorb (result of too much wine and being on ebay) and yeah, having read up on them after I'd got it I don't think I would buy one again. They have a terrible name with professional fishkeepers.

Having said that since I got mine I just got a little oranda and a borneo sucker and they've been fine. I change the filter sponge every month-6 weeks and do a 20% water change every week and water tests I do are all very good. If the oranda gets too big or seems to be suffering in any way I have an aunt with a huge tank and she has said she will take him/her on

You do need to use the proper ceramic media in the bottom of the tank as that's where the good bacteria which process all the nasties in the tank live. Btw they do use an air pump as well, I leave mine on 24/7 as I'm not sure the filtration system would work with it being off so that's a consideration if you think someone may switch it off and it could go unnoticed.

CFC

We have a Bio orb and as I have no intention of being a professional fishkeeper it suits me fine. We have a small shoal of mountain minnows in it which require less looking after than goldfish. They are not tropical either. A bio orb 'package deal' will come with all the doings you need, the ceramic media and pump etc.
The filters are throw away jobbies so easier than cleaning out washable ones ( as you need to clean them out without tap water etc), so a 1 minute job. With just 3-5 white mountain minnows in it, a medium or large size bio orb will only need cleaning out and a partial water change about once every 2-3 months providing they are NOT overfed. Large bio orb will take 7 like that, a small one 3-5. They are shoal fish so if one dies you need to make sure that there are always a minimum of 3 fish in the tank.

Another advantage of the bio orb is that you can get some very lovely lighting sets for them if money is no object.

diable

*confused* wrote: »

(result of too much wine and being on ebay)

I know the feeling............

tankgirl1

CFC wrote: »

We have a Bio orb and as I have no intention of being a professional fishkeeper it suits me fine. We have a small shoal of mountain minnows in it which require less looking after than goldfish. They are not tropical either. A bio orb 'package deal' will come with all the doings you need, the ceramic media and pump etc.
The filters are throw away jobbies so easier than cleaning out washable ones ( as you need to clean them out without tap water etc), so a 1 minute job. With just 3-5 white mountain minnows in it, a medium or large size bio orb will only need cleaning out and a partial water change about once every 2-3 months providing they are NOT overfed. Large bio orb will take 7 like that, a small one 3-5. They are shoal fish so if one dies you need to make sure that there are always a minimum of 3 fish in the tank.

Another advantage of the bio orb is that you can get some very lovely lighting sets for them if money is no object.

Sounds ace CFC!

But as a failed goldfish owner-they all died despite my best efforts They are not easy to keep!

And given OP's circumstances, I think professional help is needed - and at the least a fishy forums' opinion!

Mel2

No matter what tank you get it will need filtration and that means that you need to keep it turned on all the time. If it gets turned off overnight and the water is not flowing through the filter media then the good bacteria will die and your water quality will suffer, killing your fish eventually.
Biorbs aren't great for fish. A traditional shaped tank is much better. Bear in mind that when you get the tank you will need to cycle it with just 1 or 2 small fish before you introduce anymore and this takes 6 - 8 weeks. Weekly maintenence would involve vacuuming the gravel, cleaning the insides of the glass, cleaning the filter sponges (this must be done in old tank water and not water straight from the tap or you will kill all the good bacteria which keep your tank cycled!) and a 20-30% water change. You must never do a 100% water change in a tank. You must also always use dechlorinator.
Keeping fish healthy, especially goldfish really isn't a doddle as a lot of people seem to think.

akitabow

I had a biorb tank (it was actually a cube but same makers) and I had albino frogs in it, They only live underwater and they are cheap to keep and to be honest they seemed fine and I only had to change the filter sponge pebble things every few months, Aslong as the water is moving through the filter then you shouldn't get algae as the water will not be still.
That being said though all my frogs died within about a week of each other after I changed the make of bloodworm I was giving them. I am sure its that what killed them. **RIP Chicken, Chips and Beans (the names of the frogs, not my dinner)**