Any other fishkeepers out there?

Notsosharp

Hiya,

I am fairly new to the hobby but I have been told that goldfish (depending on the type) need at least 40 to 80litres, so unfortunately you can't really keep them in small tanks! I should know, I have four in an 80l tank and they are sooo dirty ( I am saving for a bigger tank). Small tanks can stunt a goldfishes growth causing them to live shorter lives.

Please maybe consider a baby biorb (though they are pricey) I have heard that you can keep a male siamese fighter in there on its own. Apparently they are friendly and I know they are beutiful fish. P@H do some nice small tanks but again would only really be appropriate for a siamese fighter and would have to have a capacity of at least 15litres to house one comfortably. Azoo do nice tanks too but they are small - http://www.onlineaquariumstore.com/acatalog/AZOO_Aquariums.html .

So again only suitable for a single siamese fighter.......These are tropical fish, so they will need a heater.....I am not sure if the biorb comes with one or not.

Many fishkeepers believe that rectangular tanks are best for keeping any sort of fish in as it allows the oxygen to circulate more effectively than in a circular one.

Maybe with a 60l tank you could keep a community of tropical fish, you can get some livebearers which produce babies which would be interesting for your son, but there is the problem of rehoming the babies.....aside from that I don't really know that much re tropical fish, I would love to have some but have to stick with goldfish for now.

Also you might want to get the tank at least four weeks before Xmas as it will need to be cycled.....the bacteria in a fish tank "eat" all the waste from the fish but they have to be given chance to grow, they eat the amonia from the fish, turn it into nitrite (which is still nasty for fish) and then nitrate which is not as bad, this is taken away by water changes.

Like I said though, I am a complete novice and its been a heck of a steep learning curve (lost one fish through not knowing how to look after them) so please, to avoid any upset please do the research before you buy a fish or tank. Sorry to go on some but it is upsetting to watch a fish go downhill like mine did, I am not preaching either though it probably sounds like I am so apologies in advance!

For further info please check out http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/forum/.

They are really friendly and can offer loads of brilliant advice.

looby75

Wow I didn't realise you had to have such a large tank for simple little gold fish. I haven't thought about getting tropical fish as I thought it would be really complicated and hard to keep them. Looks like he won't be getting the 4 fish he wanted lol

Thanks for the link, I'll take a look at it when I have a bit more time

Notsosharp

LOL yeah a lot of people don't realise, they are wonderful fish but they take a lot of looking after, more than people realise! And with patience you can get them to feed from your hands, I have also seen clips on youtube of people "stroking?!" goldfish!

Are you fussed about it being a new tank? Its just that there are a lot of good tanks on Ebay but obviously a lot of them are local pick up only. There are also fish stores online who do deliver....

How big were you thinking of getting? I have read that you need to get as big a tank as you have room for, apparently the water levels are easier to keep right in bigger tanks especially for novice fish owners.

I have an 80litre tank (its about 60cm long, 40cm high and 30cm wide - so fairly small) and I think you could keep a fair number of small tropical fish in there such as guppies or white cloud mountain minnows. I could be wrong but a lot of people say that tropicals are easier to look after and there is a lot more variety.

The people on the practical fishkeeping forum are really helpful, they have helped me a lot:o

mutley74

Notsosharp wrote: »

Hiya,

I am fairly new to the hobby but I have been told that goldfish (depending on the type) need at least 40 to 80litres,

its not just the volume that is important there is a ratio (you need to look around on google under aquariums) for the surface area to size of fish in length. Surface area is very important to allow adequate exchange of air between the water, hence to ensure there is sufficient oxygen in the water. A good filter is recommended. If i was you buy a simple tank with filter (try adtrader) for a starter tank say 40litre then just buy one simple goldfish. Learn how to look after one, and it also gives your tank (if new) to develop into an proper aquarium eco-system. Then after some experience you can buy other types of fish. Its very easy to kill the fish as they are sensitive to the quality of the water.
As your son is 7yr i would recommend you stick with coldwater fish such as Goldfishes. The secret to keeping them healthy is to not use chlorinate water to fill it (de-Cl2 to it) and only feed them 1xday to keep the water clean. when i was into aquariums for my son, i bought lots of my acessories for Wilko - plenty of choice and low cost too.

Notsosharp

Yep, I only feed mine once a day and I dechlorinate the water before I replace it. I also change the water at least one a week but its relatively easy to do with a gravel siphon.

Lokolo

Keeping children in tanks is cruel. (read the thread title )

looby75

Notsosharp wrote: »

Are you fussed about it being a new tank? Its just that there are a lot of good tanks on Ebay but obviously a lot of them are local pick up only. There are also fish stores online who do deliver....

How big were you thinking of getting? I have read that you need to get as big a tank as you have room for, apparently the water levels are easier to keep right in bigger tanks especially for novice fish owners.

I have an 80litre tank (its about 60cm long, 40cm high and 30cm wide - so fairly small) and I think you could keep a fair number of small tropical fish in there such as guppies or white cloud mountain minnows. I could be wrong but a lot of people say that tropicals are easier to look after and there is a lot more variety.

To be honest I hadn't really thought about the size, I was just going to get one as big as my budget could run to Ebay is a really good idea though, just had a quick look and there are a few in my area that might be worth looking into, one of them was a tropical tank too, complete with the filters and heaters.

looby75

mutley74 wrote: »

its not just the volume that is important there is a ratio (you need to look around on google under aquariums) for the surface area to size of fish in length. Surface area is very important to allow adequate exchange of air between the water, hence to ensure there is sufficient oxygen in the water. A good filter is recommended. If i was you buy a simple tank with filter (try adtrader) for a starter tank say 40litre then just buy one simple goldfish. Learn how to look after one, and it also gives your tank (if new) to develop into an proper aquarium eco-system. Then after some experience you can buy other types of fish. Its very easy to kill the fish as they are sensitive to the quality of the water.
As your son is 7yr i would recommend you stick with coldwater fish such as Goldfishes. The secret to keeping them healthy is to not use chlorinate water to fill it (de-Cl2 to it) and only feed them 1xday to keep the water clean. when i was into aquariums for my son, i bought lots of my acessories for Wilko - plenty of choice and low cost too.

Thanks, so if we got a reasonable size tank and started with just the one fish would it be ok to add others later, I always thought that you couldn't add more fish because they would fight or is that just a myth?

looby75

Lokolo wrote: »

Keeping children in tanks is cruel. (read the thread title )

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:but very tempting at times

mutley74

looby75 wrote: »

Thanks, so if we got a reasonable size tank and started with just the one fish would it be ok to add others later, I always thought that you couldn't add more fish because they would fight or is that just a myth?

from my experience in keeping fish if i was to start again, i would set up the tank, get it filled up and start it running for a day or so with the pump on etc (and de-Cl2 water). Then i would 1 fish or 2 if you wish to. Adding fish to a tank is technique too. If i recall you need to let them sit in the bag floating on the tank water to allow the water temperatures to equalise. If there was a problem in your new tank you should know within 2 weeks. Most common problems i found are disease in the wate usually white spot (which is curable if spotted early) and over feeding. Also not enough O2 (hence important not to overstock the tank).
if your new fish live then you know they are adjusting to your new tank and its becoming an established aquarium system, but i found in my experience as a beginner this can take several weeks. Also make sure you get a plastic plant so the fish can use to hide behind. Dont get real plants unless you feel experienced enough to look after as they can create other problems in a not well maintained tank.
I had loads of net links to fish care but deleted them all after my ex gave my tank and Oranda's away (BTW my son was gutted).

best of luck;)

found this on goggle for starters
http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/aquariumstartup/u/gettingstarted.htm