Buying fish and a tank

pinkladyof66

well my sister in law gave me a tank over xmas that she used to use and i have scrubbed it clean along with the gravel and ornaments. So sort of ready to rock and roll. I have to get a filter, set up lotion and also stress coat, food and some amonia testing strips and also replacement bulb for the lid (anything else you would advise thanks). I am going to do it real proper and do the fish cycling and getting the tank to the proper state before we buy any fish (we are hoping to go for goldfish or minnows as dont know if you can mix them). Our tank is 60cm x 30 cms x 35 in height so dont know the exact litres. Anyone help with how many fish we can have please.

Notsosharp

It sounds as though it's about 60 litrees, I used this:

http://www.firsttankguide.net/calculator.php

To be honest 60 litres is too small for goldfish, not even the fancy (round bodied type). You could have white cloud mountain minnows though, they're more of a temperate fish though (not specifically cold water).

I would get yourself a heater and go tropical, you could have a nice wee shoal of neon tetras, guppies or mollies (they have live babies so nice for the kids to watch).

Ideally you need to have fish at the bottom, Corries (I think they're called that - it's a type of small cat fish), one for the mid level and one for the top. I'm just starting out on this tropical thing this week, going to get a heater soon, I've cycled the tank ready (usually takes about 4 weeks but I'd already been using it as a cold water tank).

A siamese fighter is always a nice, pretty fish to have BUT you have to watch because they are an aggressive fish and will attack anything bright, colourful with flowing fins so if you have a fighter you can pretty much rule out guppies and suchlike.

pinkladyof66

thanks how come years ago we all had goldfish in a round glass bowl probably not even in 1 litre of water yet it was suffice our goldfish lived years !

Notsosharp

It's a common misconception goldfish are OK in bowls, your fish might have seemed ok but it would have been stunted.

A healthy goldfish allowed to grow normally can reach about 12 inches I think and can live to 25 - 30 years old. They are related to carp and they are big fish. Even the fancy type of goldfish get big, I've seen ones about 7/8 inches.

Try this site; http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/ its very helpful.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

pinkladyof66 wrote: »

thanks how come years ago we all had goldfish in a round glass bowl probably not even in 1 litre of water yet it was suffice our goldfish lived years !

They didn't. Mum or Dad usually replaced little Flipper once or twice a year whilst you were at school.

pinkladyof66

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

They didn't. Mum or Dad usually replaced little Flipper once or twice a year whilst you were at school.

i was really shocked to read an article yesterday saying some goldfish can live up to 40 years. Gosh that old it would outlive me !

Froglet

pinkladyof66 wrote: »

i was really shocked to read an article yesterday saying some goldfish can live up to 40 years. Gosh that old it would outlive me !

Goldfish can live that long if treated properly and allowed to reach their full size and swim freely in a decent sized,,filtered pond.

Some of mine i have had since digging our first pond in 1990 and are large and healthy.Not so sharp is right in pleading with you again,as did I at the start of this topic,not to get goldfish.They look cute in the shops but it is cruel to prevent them from growing.

Again,the link to the Practical fishkeeping site provides everything you need to know,from how to fishless cycle to what type of tropical fish would be suitable for the size of tank.Many tropicals need to be in shoals so it is better to have a couple of good shoals where the fish will be happy and stress free than trying to get lots of different types.Stress equals sick fish.

As you have been given the tank,use the money you would have spent buying a new one,on a good filter,a heater and plants.Fishless cycling can take up to 6 weeks as not so sharp points out so patience is essential.In that time you can plan which fish you would like and get it right first time so you,your son,and the fish,are happy .

Froglet

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

They didn't. Mum or Dad usually replaced little Flipper once or twice a year whilst you were at school.

Exactly.And if they didn't,those poor fish lived a miserable existence,and a cruel one at that.How people could ever think a fish could be ok under those conditions is beyond me.They wouldn't even leave a pot plant in the same pot all it's life so how come it was ok for a poor fish ?

Pollycat

pinkladyof66 wrote: »

Our tank is 60cm x 30 cms x 35 in height so dont know the exact litres. Anyone help with how many fish we can have please.

Like Notsosharp & Froglet, I'm concerned that you'll end up with the wrong type of fish and possibly too many of them.

I reiterate this:

Pollycat wrote: »

Pinklady66
do you have a specialised aquatic place near you (I don't mean Pets at Home)?

Many places have people who work there and are passionate about fish and will happily give you advice about the best tank for you and what fish you should put together.
If you are thinking tropical, you can get some nice barbs or tetras that can be colourful and will swim together and won't grow too big.

A decent aquatic shop will be able to advise you how many of which type(s) of fish you should buy for the size (& volume) of your tank.

You are buying something that is living, treat it with the respect it deserves.

Aria`s_Tail

Can I just say well done for doing some research first.
I have had both cold and tropical fish since the age of about 7 and learnt a heck of a lot since the first goldfish my brother brought home from the fair, which lived in my Mum's mixing bowl for the last 2 days of it's life. I currently have a 180l tropical community tank and a 60L betta tank set up.
I was in a big chain pet store on christmas eve and couldn't hold my mouth when the woman in front of me at the till had a small (about 15L) plastic tank, bag of gravel and plastic plant and asked for 2 goldfish. :mad:. The bloke behind the till (they know me quite well in there) just stood and smiled as I let rip!
Please have a good look on the PFK forums, they are a haven of info and feel free to pm me if you need help.
By the way, corries are corydoras catfish, need to be kept in small shoals (ie 6 plus) on a sand or other soft substrate.