Advice please, we're starting from scratch

[Sleepyoto]

DS has decided he would like a pet for his upcoming birthday and I think fish are our only answer. I haven't kept fish since childhood when I had goldfish which survived a remarkable length of time despite much neglect :(

My ideal setup would be something that requires very little ongoing input other than feeding, and would be happy to spend more on a tank or equipment that would cut down on subsequent maintenance (if such a thing exists). We have a cat so would need a cat proof tank. I see from reading on here that initial setup is a long process so am prepared for that. Our water seems to be middle to soft.

So - bearing that all in mind, what would be the best starter setup in terms of tank size, equipment, number/type of fish? Brands of equipment to consider/avoid? And where is the best place to buy?

Any help much appreciated

From what you've said, there might be better options than fish. Aside from feeding, you'd have to do weekly (or sometimes more often) water changes and tests, dechlorinate the new water, clean the gravel and filter etc. There are potions that claim to keep the tank clear for months but I'm not sure about them- there's a lot of minerals in water that fish need and they get used up over time so weekly water changes and filter cleanings are a must.

It depends on your DS really, some children really enjoy getting involved but others find it a bit boring. How old is he? Will you be helping him do everything?

For beginners I'd get a tank of around 60-100 litres, that will give you plenty of options for fish especially with soft-medium water. Smaller than that and you might have to end up doing more than one water change a week depending on what you put in it. I wouldn't go any smaller than about 45 litres.

There are tons of filters on the market, or you could go for a plug-and-play type tank. The Juwel ones are quite popular and perfectly fine for a simple community tank.

Fish choice comes down to the size of the tank and water parameters. There are loads of small, colourful tropical fish that are easy to care for as long as you choose carefully. Have you seen anything you like the look of?

Ooh really useful thanks.

He's going to be 8, and there's a 5 year old who will no doubt want to get involved when he feels like it too. I am not expecting him to take full responsibility, but would hope he would be involved. I am assuming that I will be doing the majority of upkeep, then if he does turn out to be enthusiastic it will be a bonus. I wouldn't get anything I would not be prepared to look after fully myself. He did reasonably well with his tamagotchi :) and said he would do more with a real pet because it would be more interesting.

Plug and play sounds good. What does the water change involve? Do you have to lug the whole tank around? Take fish out, change all water? Can you give me an idea of the minimum maintenance routine for a larger tank? Eg how often for gravel, filter etc.

Types of fish - really I'm more concerned that we have something that will be happy in the conditions we can offer. But should imagine that something active and colourful would be fun to watch.

I can see that fish aren't the lowest maintenance pet, but the cat rules out most small furry creatures, and I'm just not sure I am cut out for the insect route (I know you might suggest stick insects, but you would need to do a big time sales pitch on me!). Between them their list consists of a chinchilla, tarantula, bald eagle, tawny owl, a hen harrier and a big white dog with black spots...

No, you just syphon out some of the water into a bucket, vaccum the gravel, rinse out the filter sponges in the water you take from the tank (never ever tap water- this is very important!) and then replace it with fresh water from the tap with some added dechlorinator- you can get this at any aquatic store. It takes about 20 mins to an hour depending on the size of the tank and usually it's just once a week.

You never have to take the fish out or move the tank around unless something goes really badly wrong. Doing a fishless cycle will massively reduce the risk of that happening.

You'll also need a water testing kit that can test for ammonia, nitrIte, nitrAte and pH- you can get other test kits but these are the basic things that you need to be able to test for.

I'm with you on the tarantulas We got some stick insects last year and after some initial shrieking from me we got used to handling them. They are really cheap and low maintenance too.

But - at least fish are pretty to watch! What do the stick insects actually do?!

So what is cycling? Is that what you do before the fish go in for the first time, and does it only need doing once? And what do you vacuum the gravel with?And lastly - where to go? We have Pets at Home, and garden centres. Possibly a local pet shop. Am gathering PaH not the best option. Sorry for so many questions, just want to know in advance what it will involve.

Sorry I just saw you said aquatic centre - are those the types of places usually in garden centres?

Sometimes in garden centres, yes, or little independent places. You should be able to get it at some pet shops too, or you can get it online.

P@H is sometimes OK, they can vary a lot. They are trying to clean up their act but specialist places are normally better. If there's a Maidenhead Aquatics near you then they are usually pretty good.

The best way to choose is to go and have a look at the livestock. If there are loads of dead ones or ropey looking ones then avoid the shop. It's pretty easy to spot a sick fish, they have tatty fins or can't swim properly or are covered in white spots. If you do a google image search for aquarium fish diseases then you'll see it all!

Fishless cycling is basically feeding the filter so that it's ready to process fish waste. It can take about 4-6 weeks although some places will tell you anything between 24 hours to a week. This explains the basics. It only needs doing once, when the fish are in then the filter will keep ticking over. As long as you don't switch it off (other than when you're cleaning it) or rinse the sponges in tap water then the bacteria will be OK.

This explains how to do a water change. You can buy special gravel vacs but I just use a small plastic drinks bottle with the bottom cut off, it does the job just fine.

Hope that helps a bit :)

Wonderful, thank you so much

EauRouge hope you're still around - I have a quick question!

So, I am now the proud owner of a 68L tank with gravel and sand mix filled up to the top with water. I am going to try the cycling with fish food as it seems easier to get hold of than ammonia.

My question: the water is slightly cloudy. I rinsed the gravel but assume that it's from that as there's nothing else in there. It has been undisturbed for nearly 24hrs now and still not clear. Does this matter at this stage, or should I try to get it clear now? Would I need to change the water at the end of the cycle anyway?

Ooh, that sounds pretty good!

Yes, you need to change the water at the end of the cycle anyway so I wouldn't worry about a little bit of cloudiness. You can cycle with fish food if you want, using ammonia is more accurate though. You can get it on Amazon.

Yes, I was just wondering how you know how much ammonia is in, I guess the answer with fish food is you don't?! Will check out Amazon, thanks loads for all your help.