Bit of a novice ...

[ChunkyMonkeyMother]

I am looking for some advice, we currently have 2 relatively simple goldfish type fish - we've had them for 6 months and they are fab (I used to hate fish but these 2 are very cute and very good agony aunts!).

We got them for my little boys birthday and he loves them, helps to feed etc - they are currently on the kitchen top in a smallish tank which has served us very well, but I want to give them a little more room (and maybe a new brother or sister) so am looking for some advice about fish tanks.

Ideally I'd like a biggish one on a stand which can be appreciated in the living room and accommodate another fish and maybe a few more bits (only a small plant thing in there at the mo) but I have no idea where to start, I have looked on eBay but they range so vastly it's a bit of a boggle! Can you get a decent fish tank and put it on a sturdy table? Or do they have to go on a specific stand? I know that I don't need a heater but I take it I will need a bigger/better filter? Where can I find something like this without breaking the bank?

I had a look in our local pet shop but they didn't seem very big, I'd rather invest in a relatively big-ish one now rather than having to upgrade yet again in 12 months iykwim?

Thanks for reading if you got this far ha ha

Evening :)

You can put a fish tank on a sturdy table if it's a small tank but if you need a tank for goldfish then you're best off getting a proper stand because they need so much space.

You might be surprised how much space actually. This pretty much tells you everything you need to know.

If you don't know whether you have fancy goldfish or common goldfish, fancy ones are the fat, round ones, sometimes they have long tails or googly eyes.

Common goldfish are a regular fish shape. Comets (fish shape but with long tails) and shubunkins (fish shape but black/white/gold mixture) have the same requirements as common goldfish.

They will need a pretty hefty filter because they are messy fish. There are loads of second hand bargains around at the moment. Eheim are a good brand, they are reliable and you should be able to get a second hand one. Spare parts are easy to get hold of too.

Let me know if you see something you want and I can tell you if it's any good if you like :)

They are shubunkins, I knew the name as soon as I saw it ha ha

Yes I think I will invest in one of the bigger tanks, they are very curious little blighters! I have really grown attached to them ha ha

I was thinking probably just a standard type tank on a sturdy table then, so Something like this

That website looks fab, I didn't know they could live that long or get so big! They are very funny things, one is spotty and the other is stripy, which is handy because the spotty chap always eats all of the food so I can separate them easier to make sure the other eats!

They sound cute

A standard tank is fine, they are just glass boxes after all so you don't need anything too fancy. 54 litres is not even close to big enough for 2 shubs though :( You say you don't want to upgrade again in 12 months- understandable, it will be cheaper to just buy one the right size instead of buying a new one every year! Also better for the fish because it is so hard to tell when they are becoming stunted so it's best to just give them the right size straight away. For 2 shubs you are looking at about 240 litres. I hope you haven't fainted.

They do make good pond fish if you know anyone with a pond.

Jeepers I can't put my two little bubbas into a pond anytime soon! They're still only tiddly so there's no immediate rush but I'd like to give them a nice bit of room - I'm going to have a look around - thanks so much for your advice!

It's quite weird. I have a pretty big phobia of fish but these two are definitely helping