Fish wishes

CosbyWood · **Posted:** Fri Nov 28, 2008 9:57 pm

So, Caitlyn went and sat on Santa's lap the other day. We got her picture taken and then she told him what she wanted for Christmas. One thing, a fish. Out of all the things she has told us, and all the things that she wrote down on her list to mail to Santa, that was the only thing she actually asked him for. So, we have to get one.

Now, the dilemma is, what kind of fish to get? She didn't specify, so that leaves us wide open which is good because we can now set the limits for what the fish can take up. The stipulations are as follows: Lives for at least one year, can use a small tank (small being anything under 10 Gallons), can do well as a loner or get along with friends in the near future, does not just sit around waiting to be fed.

Does anyone know anything about fish that can help to fill in the gaps here and give us an idea of what kind of fish to be on the lookout for?

Thanks all!

Bernie Baake · **Posted:** Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:02 pm

Gold fish

ColinOConnell · **Posted:** Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:47 pm

When the boys were kids, we had angel fish and loaches. The loaches were by far my favorites. They were just more interesting to watch.

There are a bunch of loach varieties, but I think ours was a kuhli loach.

An angel fish may be more mainstream but what ever you get, add one of these, they're helpful in keeping the tank clean and you'll probably find him/her more fun to watch.

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/l ... iLoach.php

Scott Johnson · **Posted:** Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:56 pm

I've seen a beta live 3+ years in a bowl on an office desk. Periodic water changes (when it got totally horrible) was all it got. No heater or anything... (and our office isn't know for the best functioning heating and cooling system).

Just feed it a few times per week.

Scott

steve remchak · **Posted:** Sat Nov 29, 2008 2:39 am

an Oscar. they get huge over time. as do all hobbies our children force us to embrace. seriously Cosby, have ya'll considered a dog?

Dustin Fredrickson · **Posted:** Sat Nov 29, 2008 1:09 pm

steve remchak wrote:

an Oscar. they get huge over time. as do all hobbies our children force us to embrace. seriously Cosby, have ya'll considered a dog?

Oscar's will outgrow a 10 gallon in relatively short order. We had a small one (bought at Petsmart) outgrow a 55 gallon aquarium in just a couple years.

Tetra's can be interesting to look with multi-colors at and are relatively active, so were one of our favorites when we had freshwater fish. But a key selling point on basic goldfish is that they are easier to find and replace after the kids have gone to sleep, when the last one has been "sleeping" for a little too long. Oh, and Elmo has a pet goldfish, so there's a selling point

Todd Breakey · **Posted:** Sat Nov 29, 2008 3:22 pm

Definately go fresh water.

Gold fish are extremely easy to maintain as are Tetras. Tetras like to swim in schools so if one goes to the great blue sea in the sky, it won't be noticed as much. (I liked Cardinal Tetras better than Neons due to there being more red on their bodies. Just makes for a prettier fish.)

Neon

Cardinal

Plus both Golds and Tetras are CHEAP!!! Not bad when you are getting fish for kids enjoyment.

Of course, if Caitlyn is into Finding Nemo, you are screwed. Because nothing other than a clown fish will do. And now you are talking about a marine tank and those are serious money.

Gwen Habenicht · **Posted:** Sat Nov 29, 2008 3:40 pm

I have to agree with Bernie and Dustin on the goldfish. They’re pretty, don’t require a heater, and will survive as long as the water doesn’t get really green. I like what Dustin said about replacement “value”. As long as there’s a Petsmart close, you’re golden. (Excuse the pun.) Dustin is the saltwater guy that I know, and he’s now only salt water since we relieved them of “Bob”, the Oscar. Bob, by the way, also pretty much outgrew the 90 gal tank I had him in before he finally bought the farm. You know a fish is large if he’s big enough to name! :wink:

We only have freshwater and brackish. Fresh is easier, salt is the most demanding. At least that’s my story.

Todd Breakey · **Posted:** Sat Nov 29, 2008 4:29 pm

Gwen's exactly right about marine tanks requiring more work. I used to live with a family that gave me a free place to stay in exchange for taking care of their dogs and fish. They had 3 dogs and one 200 gallon marine tank. The dogs were easy compared to the tank. It required daily cleaning and maintenance of the plants and the damn Sea Horse was a pain in the ass. He wouldn't eat IN the tank, I had to remove him to a 5 gallon bucket and drop some guppies in for him to chase until he was ready to eat. Never will I have a Sea Horse as a "pet."

Cos, get a 10 gallon fresh water tank. They are relatively cheap and can be found anywhere. Check out Fish World in Raleigh for everything you ever needed to know about fish. http://fishworldnc.com/home.html A 10 gallon is just big enough to keep you daughter and yourself entertained. Then you can decide if you want to go bigger. Just like racing, start small until you decide if it is really for you before you go big.

Fresh water fish are much cheaper than marine fish also. Golds go for a couple of bucks each, if that. Tetras are real cheap also. For hearty fish, Swordtails are good. They are cheap and will help condition the water before you get something prettier. Don't forget to get a Plecostomus to help keep the tank clean.

That said, I do know a guy who has a 125 gallon marine set up for sale. It is currently dry but has everything aside from live rock to get it going. Just think, in about 6 months you too can have a big tank with a couple of fish that aren't dying every week or so!!

Here's a deal at Petsmart for a 10 gallon set up. Just add fish!

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2754151

clinehall · **Posted:** Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:11 pm

I had a lot of fish as a kid, really got into it before I got my braces off and discovered girls. my 2cents.

Gold fish crap a lot making them gross to a little girl

Beta's- on fish is just plane boring

Tetra's and hardy little fish are the way to go, looks more like the undersea world a kid imagines. Watching the school is very entertaining.

Kevin Butler · **Posted:** Sat Nov 29, 2008 11:19 pm

Guppies!

CosbyWood · **Posted:** Sun Nov 30, 2008 8:13 am

Perfect! Thanks for all the help, ideas, and tips everyone. We'll see if Santa can unload a small school instead of a single fish this year for Christmas!

Chuck Frank · **Posted:** Sun Nov 30, 2008 12:39 pm

I was heavily into fresh water aquariums for many years, having as many as 20 at one time. My favorite fish I had was a red bellied paranha. Get a real glass aquarium of at least 10 gal (I personally recommend a 20 gal "high" tank as the ideal small tank size for a number of reasons, contact me for more info), avoid fish bowls and plastic tanks they do not have enough surface area and volume for more than one suffering fish.
I prefer outside filters that either hang on the back of the tank or have an inline cartridge like a fuel filter with a pump that pumps the water thru them rather than just air. It's the biggest misconception that air pumped into the tank adds oxygen to the water. Oxygen transferance takes place at the water surface, hence the need for ample surface area and water circulation.
Do not set the aquarium up in front of a window or in front of a heating duct! If you must put it somewhere that gets a lot of natural light, cover the back and possibly the sides with an opaque panel. A roll of unpasted wallpaper will provide a lot of panels inexpensively and a dark, mottled pattern will give a natural distant look and a good contrast to view the fish.
Use a light and hood with a flourescent tube rather than an incandecent bulb (too hard to control the heat added) and replace the tube with a "grow-lux" brand bulb to make the fish colors "pop". Add a timer to the light power cord to have it on for no more than 4 hrs per day total. If you get much more algae growth than the fish can eat cut back the hours of light, and/or you are overfeeding or the filter is not doing it's job.
If you are on city water, use bottled spring water to fill the aquarium. The chloramines used now in purifying municipal water is hazardous to fish and does not offgas like chlorine used to (as found in the info in a lot of old inexpensive "how to" books) by sitting in the tank for a couple days.
Avoid the temptation to change the water to "clean" it. A properly filtered and not overfed tank does not require water changing. buy a test kit that includes nitrate testing, test once a week and adjust only when needed.
Aquariums can be a great learning experience! Get a GOOD book from a book store (the books by Axelrod used to be the "bible" for aquairists but they may be other newer ones out now, If it has less than 100 pages keep looking) that covers water chemistry and maintainance and involve the child in the care.
If keeping a "community" tank (more than one species) be very careful to get similar sized fish and that the fish are compatable with each other! There are some harmless looking fish (angel fish being the prime example) that will kill other fish either for food or sport. Some fish like tetras are schooling so get at least a half dozen or so for the best show.
The family of fish known as live bearers are some of the most hearty and non-agressive. Get a pair of a species even tho the male will be the more colorful. Kissing fish in pairs are fun to watch and good community fish.
A plecostamus as mentioned is a must as an active and effective tank cleaner with a prehistoric appearance. Avoid snails and non-fish like turtles and frogs!
Overfeeding kills more fish than anything else! Young ones (and novice adults) like to feed and watch the fish eat. If more than a few flakes reach the bottom of the tank you're overfeeding! An overfed tank can go bad in a hurry! Most of the fish gasping at the surface of the water is a sure sign there's a serious problem with the water quality.
I liked to buy my fish at an aquarium store rather than a chain pet shop or discount store to get healthy fish and knowlegable advice. It's a good idea to find out who the most knowlegable person in the store is and their schedule then only do business with that person. Developing that raport will pay off down the road! Find out what day the store gets their fish deliveries, and buy your fish from the new stock on that day. The fish will be at their healthiest the day they are shipped from the breeder.
Tropical fish keeping can be an addictive and lifelong hobby!

Jason Mauldin · **Posted:** Sun Nov 30, 2008 4:06 pm

My opinion with that size of a tank is to get a couple of guppies, or maybe one school of tetra's and then a couple of cleaning fish.

If you can move up to a 20-30 gallon tank, you would have room for a dwarf cichlid or an angel fish.

Ash Nelson · **Posted:** Fri Dec 05, 2008 11:26 pm

I think a small school of some kind of tetras is the way to go. They are really easy to care for and visually entertaining. Goldfish should have something larger than 10g, even for just one. Neons are one kind of tetra, there are a lot of others and they will school together. Let me know if you need a tank, or a filter, or a gravel vaccum, or well, you get the idea lol. I got out of fish a while ago and Chuck would love for me to get some stuff out of the attic. :lol:

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