Buying fish and a tank

pinkladyof66

We are looking to purchase a tank and some fish for our son (not goldfish a bit more exotic looking)

Please can anyone give us any idea on what to get what to look for and cost of equipment and best type of fish to have thanks.

VoucherMan

Sounds like you're after a tropical aquarium.

You'll also need a heater, filter & pump. Many aquariums have them built in.

Size of tank depends on how many / size of fish. Don't be fooled by those little fish you see in the pet shop tanks as they're all young fish. Most of them grow a lot bigger.

Might be worth having a read http://www.fishforums.net/ and http://www.tropicalfishforums.co.uk/index.php?PHPSESSID=0fae12f37c6d221c1aa1e0329af50a64&action=forum

Initial set up cost for a decent size aquarium £100-£200. More if you buy one with a stand.

Froglet

And please please don't buy the tank and then fill it with fish soon after.Nowadays the only humane way to do things properly is what is known as fishless cycling.

Have a read here http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=2491

as voucherman says,plenty of reading up is important.And if you join the above linked site there is all the help you could need.Lots of friendly and very experienced fishkeepers there.

juliebunny

Tropical aquariums are really hard work and once your son (not sure how old he is?) gets bored of it, it will become a bind. Also, they die a lot, especially in the beginning, so start with just a couple of tougher ones (guppy or something.)

You can get some quite pretty cold water fish. I got some yesterday - they have lovely gold tails, are very small, and I enjoy watching them just pootle around (as do the cats - solid lid required!). Most home tanks are NOT big enough for goldfish as they grow so big. Mine are about an inch long. I just keep the filter running and feed them every day, add a few plants for interest and extra food, change some of the water now and then and clean the filter. Low maintenance but nice.

Froglet

Julie,you are right in that goldfish need large tanks but wrong about fish dying in the beginning.Yes they do,but only if fishless cycling isn't carried out.And guppies are not hardy,they are so inbred these days that they are quite sensitive.If the tank is set up properly then no fish needs to die,or be a hardy fish just to cycle the tank.

pinkladyof66

Just to clarify it is for me to look after just for son for stimulation etc. As he is too young to be able to take care of it. We are looking for nothing too technical. Do you have to have filter etc with electric for cold water fish and what sort of fish are cold water apart from goldfish we wanted something a bit more fancier than goldfish and something smaller.
Thanks

Froglet

Again,if you read up on the sites we have linked,you will understand the whole filtration issue and just how important it is.Yes you ALWAYS need a filter with any type of fish.Their urine,like ours,contains ammonia,but,unlike us,who can deposit it and flush it away,a fish cannot.it is breathing in it's own waste all the time.If not passing through a matured filter it will burn its gills and make it very sick,just as it would us if we had to live in our toilet!

Chlorine is another issue,if you don't use dechlorinator every time you do a water change, the chlorine will burn the tissues and scales,and affect it badly.

I have seen a fish with burnt away fins and scales and it is a horrible and upsetting sight.

Tropicals are easier than goldfish,but there are other coldwater fish,like white cloud minnows.Here is a link to their proper care and conditions required

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=2950

so you are beginning to see that to care for fish properly there is a lot you need to know before you start.Do not take the advice of most aquatic centres and pet shops, they are usually only in it for the profit they can make and will spin you any old yarn or wives tale.That is why sites like Practical Fishkeeping were set up,so the poor much maligned fish that everyone thinks is so easy to care for,was treated with care and respect.

I have had goldfish and other pond fish for 25 years,most of that time in large ponds.I also have tropicals indoors.When i started there wasn't the info there is nowadays with the internet so readily available and i made mistakes,which i bitterly regret.Please make sure this is what you want to do,it can be expensive and time consuming but the rewards when you get a tank of healthy fish and plants is immense.

bugslet

Froglet, why didn't you call yourself fishlet:D

Idiophreak

When I was growing up I had two fish in a tank...










...but they could never work out how to drive the thing.

Froglet

bugslet wrote: »

Froglet, why didn't you call yourself fishlet:D

Ha ha probably cos it sounds like a mini fish finger!!

froglet came to me at the time of joining cos i also have a nature pond and there were lots of froglets emerging from the pond and they are SO sweet(just like me really)

bugslet

Good point!;)