Any pet fish experts?

[shmoogrrrl]

My daughter’s birthday is June 1st and she will be seven years old. The only two things that she has asked for is a pair of Keds that she gets to design herself on their webpage, and a pet fish. The shoes are very easy, but the fish is a bit more involved. She is desperate for a pet, and I am allergic to cats and dogs so she has decided that a fish would be perfect. I will admit that I had a few fish in college but they all didn’t fair very well and that was a long time ago anyway.

Can anyone help me figure out where to start? We will likely get a smallish (5 gallon?) tank and we don’t want any really fancy fish like salt water. We just want the basic set up that we would need and a fish or two that are fairly hearty and not uber high maintenance. Colorful would be a plus just because my girl is seven and is color crazy, but we are not opposed to simple goldfish.

So here are my questions:

1. We are going to surprise her by letting her pick the fish out on her birthday, but we can steer her to a certain type if there is one that is better than the others.

2. Is a 5 gallon tank okay? Should we get something bigger? We really don’t want anything huge.

3. In a tank that size, how many fish should she put? We will likely get one of those fish that likes to stick to the side of the tank as one, but can you just have one or two others or do fish need more socialization?

4. What other equipment will we need besides an air pump and rocks for the bottom of the tank (and maybe a little castle or something)?

5. I seem to have a vague memory of having to set the tank up and letting the pump run for a period of time before adding the fish. Is that correct, and if it is, how long before should we set it up?

6. Anything else that we need to know?

Thanks for your help!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We gave dd a fish for her birthday one yr. It turned into a complicated tank over time. My brother is into fish.

First you decide on the fish you want and how many and then you match that to the tank size you need. So fish first and then tank. The employees can explain it to you pretty clearly.

One inch of fish per gallon of water is a good rule of thumb for most small community fish

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

 

[LovinPooh]

I used love working with the fish tanks at my parents pet store! A rule we used to follow was 1 fish per gallon of water. A 5 gallon tank is a good starter. Or you might want to bump up to 10. Other than gravel, a hood, a filter, heater and the basic chemicals you should be good. I never used a heater for the goldfish. Only for tropicals. A PH test kit, and dechlorinator. Depending on your water. We have spring water, but most cities have water full of chlorine that will kill fish. I myself always liked to throw in a fake plant for them as well. Goldfish are hearty and pretty. I had a black moore once that lived for years. But tropical fish are my fave. Like neons, gouramis and mollies. Neons are a small hearty little bright blue and red fish. Those are colorful and hearty. Some fish dont necessarily get along. So be sure to ask the pet store before you buy. I used to let the tank sit for a day or so just get to temp and circulate.
hope that helped a bit... have fun

 

[maelstrom]

I recommend the Minibow aquarium system, which you can buy at Petsmart, Wal-Mart, Petco, etc. I have their 5 gallon tank. It comes with the tank, hood, filter (*not* undergravel), and light. You don't *need* an air pump, and they also make a lot of noise. Gravel is a definite for the bottom of the tank, and this is cheap and can also be bought at any of the above places. I have a few (fake) plants of varying heights in my tank, as some fish to like to hide. I have five "fish" in my tank: blue crowntail betta, fancy lyretail guppy, ghost catfish, ghost shrimp, & African water frog. Everybody seems to coexist rather happily, even the betta. Your daughter might like a tank made up of a few fancy guppies or neon tetras, as they're both colourful. Ghost catfish are also schooling fish and while they aren't colourful, they're see-through, and I think they're pretty awesome. You'll want to get some tropical fish flakes for food, and perhaps some bloodworms or brine shrimp as a treat.

 

[HM]

I would suggest forgeting the fish. We had no luck with them.

My DH is allergic to cats and dogs and we found that gerbils made good pets and are easy to care for (and only live an average of 3 years) and don't take up much room. We've had two sets of gerbils as the kids were growing up and I really liked having them. They were interesting to watch, petable, and as I said, easy to care for. We have graduated to a dwarf-mix rabbit and she is quite a bit more trouble and will live a lot longer.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Youarehere]

Sunset Mickey Mouse Platy

How about a few Mickey Fish?

We had some Platy's- they were easy enough and they are little so you can have a few (they are community fish and prefer to live in groups). We lost ours due to other fish getting sick and it spreading. One thing to consider- get all the same sex fish or they multiply like rabbits, unless you have bigger fish to eat the babies, which may not be pleasant for your daughter. I don't find it pleasant.

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/platy.htm

Another very easy fish is a Betta, but I find them boring.

 

[mrsv98]

DD is 9yo and has had fish for a while. We have two small tanks in her room, one a four gallon and the other a one gallon. We have a female Betta in the large tank and a male Betta in the smaller tank.

I highly recc' Bettas, they are hardy, clean and little fuss. Plus they are beautiful, DD loves to watch them swim, especially the male. They are very territorial, thus the two tanks. We have had a few sets of Bettas and in general they live a long time. The first set we had for over two years and these are close to a year.