We want fish but don't know where to start!

[Lagoonablue]

I am sure this has been done to death but......I want to get a couple of goldfish. I know I need a tank but what size???? Lots of conflicting advice on line. Also I will need a filter am guessing but what kind???

I didn't realise it was so complicated. What is the basic package I will need for 2 go,d fish?

Or are goldfish a bad idea and should I get different fish"

Please help?

[marne2]

Tbh, I wouldn't go for goldfish, they need a huge tank, produce a lot of waste and some of the fancy breeds are prone to disease. Tropical are easy to keep and need less space, there are also some cold water fish that are ok in smaller tanks. Cloud minnows are a great starter fish and are quite pretty, they are cold water fish, or there are many easy to keep tropical fish.

Fist big bit of advice is ' don't take any advice from pets at home or any pet/fish shop', the advice is never good, they just want to sell you a expensive tiny tank and will tell you that you can stick 25 fish in it , do your research on the Internet, look at ' how to cycle a tank' as this is the most important part when starting out.

[Gautami]

Ooh, I'm interested in this too. We've been given a tank and a filter. Not sure where to go next though as people have warned us away from PAH.

[Lagoonablue]

Thanks for your response. Think we are set on go,dish though. Will check out cloud minnows anyway.

[EauRouge]

For two fancy goldfish you will need a tank that holds 180 litres minimum. Baby goldfish are small and cute but it doesn't take them long to get to the size of a tennis ball with fins, that produces shitloads of poo and needs a massive filter. They are fabulous fish if you can provide them with the right conditions. Fancies are overbred though so are likely to have all kinds of health problems due to breeders selectively breeding for looks rather than health. They only tend to live around 10 years whereas common goldfish can live a lot longer.

Minnows are a great choice, colourful and easy to look after. There are other small fish that do not require a heater.

If you did go for a heated tank then you'll have a lot more options too.

How big a space do you have for a tank? That will narrow down your options a fair bit.

[marne2]

I would start with a tank no smaller than 60-80ltr, the smaller the tank the harder it is too keep the water at a good quality. Don't get guppies, they are sold as a good starter fish, they are over bread, in read and they don't last very long in a new tank. I like endlers ( am successfully breeding them at the moment ), they are small so you can have quite a few.

I am eying up some fish I saw last weekend but sadly they can't live with my fish , I may have to get another tank, they are diamond tetra's and are very pretty.

[Lagoonablue]

Don't want a huge tank. Know small tanks are no good but would like to keep things as small as poss. Not looking for a bit tropical fish tank.

Didn't realise it was so complicated!

[marne2]

If you want a small tank and something fun you could get a male fighter fish, they like living alone but they are very pretty and great fun for kids ( you can teach them to follow your finger and eat out of your hand ), they are easy to look after and they don't cost a fortune to buy ( usually under £5 ). I have female fighters in my big tank, they are one of my favourite fish.

[marne2]

fighter fish

[EauRouge]

I agree with Marne, something around 60-80 litres is a really good size for a beginner. 45 litres is the absolute minimum I would go for, you could have a betta in there. Anything smaller than about 45 litres is only good for a bunch of tulips.

The fish part isn't really complicated, but there's a lot of misinformation out there so you have to be really careful who you listen to. Most shops are no good but some specialist aquatic ones are OK. Because the hobby is changing all the time, there are a lot of disagreements about a lot of things so you'll be unlikely to get the same answer from different places. That's what makes it complicated!

This is a good source of info. There are some websites that will tell you you can keep a betta in a jam jar but they are best ignored if you want a happy, healthy fish.