I can't cope or understand this pet fish thing

[notactuallyme]

So, ds is quite sensitive and after a little mate (starting jnrs, scared of things with claws) and dh has bought a starter fish tank. Aaaaaargh! Sat here as you have to set it up before you can buy fish and its too difficult! In the pet centre (you have to take a water sample in before you can buy a fish) they said top up with water and this stuff once a month, I think. Now the instructions say weekly and there's a filter and two types of solution.
I can't do this!

Get straight over to the fishnet topic and post this, they are all lovely in there

(Ssshhh. Don't tell the pet police). I've always kept my goldfish in a glass bowl with shells in the bottom for decoration (picked up from the beach shells, not purchased at exorbitant prices shells, I might add).

They swim in purest tap water, cleaned out every two weeks or so, when I pick them out of the water (with my hands!) And put them into another bowl of water, give the fish bowl a good swishing and fill it up again.

I have kept fish like this for years. They often lay eggs (non fertilized yet!) Which I take to be a sign they are happy. I love them, but dont stress over filters and such.

They are fish, not pedigree dogs. They live in water. Relax! Enjoy!

YANBU - keeping fish properly is really complicated, its wonderful that the pet centre are making an effort to make sure people can do the job, it warms my heart. The fish depends on you for its entire environment - who would want someone else controlling their oxygen levels without proper training? The problem is maybe fish are not the best starter pet. The best pet for a child is one that mum & dad enjoy, as you are the ones who will have to care for it ultimately. Or at least one whose care is so easy it is effortless for you to supervise. So unless DH is a fish wizz and wants to do it all, time to consider something else. How do you feel about mice?

Interested to know how long your goldfish live ami. How lucky you are if you havent managed to kill them. Sure they love going in circles with nowhere to hide. Glad you are proud of what you have done.

Yes, post in fish net.

Keeping fish is more complicated (and expensive) than most pet shops will have you believe, but it's not rocket science so don't panic :)

And yes, they live in water but they also swim around in their own waste. No filter= dangerous levels of ammonia. The lifespan of a goldfish is at least 10 years and they grow very large.

They are also covered by the animal welfare act now.

I agree with Eau, it's more complicated than just chucking them in a tank with water, but once you have the basics it's pretty simple.

Please ignore ami's advice.

wow - a really lovely corner of mumsnet! Thank you for your kind replies. niggle He is really nervous of things he has to handle, and he filled an ikea container with pebbles and labelled it Hero and Cindy in anticipation of fish - that's the first we knew!
eau don't worry - the filter is on the table, confusing me!
sexy I certainly shan't tell my pet shop; they refused to let me buy both at the same time, and i have to take the water in before they will release a fish!
honey i might ask for this to be moved to fishnet - never knew it was there!

Really am trying to get this right; we have set Friday as the buying fish day.
Tank is 14litre with a filter. Wr have rainbow gravel - and I am super confused by the tap purifying and bacteria creating solutions.

its not too hard - dd2 got a fish in July - small tank - cleaned once a week - we use very simple tap safe and a friendly bug solution - it's simple just read the instructions

oh and I wouldn't bother PH testing etc on a small goldfish tank with one fish

14 litres isn't big enough for a goldfish, not even temporarily. 14 litres isn't much good for anything really, apart from a nice bunch of flowers. Can you take it back to the shop and give them a massive bollocking for lying to you swap it for something bigger? 60 litres is a good size for a few small fish, if you're dead set on goldfish then you'll need something closer to 150 litres.

Hello

We've moved this to Fishnet at the OP's request.

Oh good, I'm less likely to be told that I'm bonkers in here

The tap water purifying stuff- all that does is neutralise the chlorine in the tap water. Chlorine can be very harmful to fish-

answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070926133306AAh6t66

I've never used the bacteria stuff, whenever I've set up a tank I've just let it run for a week, then added 1 or 2 fish, they get the cycle going themselves. There's no harm in using it though, it will help the filter get going.

Don't buy too many fish at once, the ammonia levels spike (cos of the poo and wee ) before the filter can balance things put again. So if your tank is large enough for several fish or more, add them gradually.

If he's interested in tropical fish, the most common of those (neon tetras, guppies, platos) are as easy to keep as cold water, all you need extra is a heater and thermometer.

Maybe see if your library has a fish care book?

A guide to how many fish your tank can hold

www.howmanyfish.com/#page=page-2

Most filter start stuff does bugger all, the good bacteria that process fish waste are aerobic so die off once they are bottled. A proper fishless cycle takes around 4-6 weeks and is easy enough to do. Some shops still recommend using fish to cycle a tank but there's no need, it exposes them to ammonia and nitrIte which can make them pretty ill. Here is how you do it.

But you'll need a bigger tank first, I really really would not recommend keeping anything in a 14 litre tank, especially if you're a beginner.

If you're on a budget try Freecycle or the local tip, you can usually pick up a tank for next to nothing and then you can just buy a filter, heater etc.

Ah that's interesting. About the size of the tank - it was a kid friendly one. Unfortunately I have unpacked it all and fiddled with it. Hmmm. It does say that it only can have 2 plateys? Or a few zebra ones?
Could we start with his one and then upsize if they get bigger? Am only thinking 4 max tiny zebras. Or maybe a heater and some teeny ones.

I know the tanks you mean, I wish they were banned!

Zebra danios are really active fish, they shouldn't be kept in anything less than 3 feet long really. Sadly there are no laws about what can be sold as a fish tank- it's very much buyer beware! You should be able to return it though, as it's fit for purpose under the sales of goods act. You could quote RSPCA guidelines (they say 45 litres minimum for fish) and mention trading standards. Most shops should give you a refund or exchange it for something larger.

The other problem is that fish that live in groups need to live in large groups (most people recommend 6+) because of the way they constantly scrap to establish pecking order and because they need the security of large numbers to evade predators. 2 platys would probably beat each other up but a larger group would be OK. But larger groups near larger tanks!

Oh good, I'm less likely to be told that I'm bonkers in here

Eau Genuine LoL at that

EauRouge, can I hijack briefly? We've had a very contented group of 7 danios for a couple of years, but three have pegged it over the past three months. The remaining four seem ok together -- should we be adding more to keep the numbers up?

OP: I'd follow Eau's advice, really I would.

I need to proof read my posts properly, especially when DD2 is trying to climb me while I type.

Lancelottie- any ideas what caused the deaths? How long's it been since the last one snuffed it? You could add more to boost numbers if you're sure there are no on-going problems with the ones you've got.

Its realy quite easy once it is set up (yes it takes time to cycle the tank but once its done its easy to keep uptogether as long as you do regular water changes). We have just bought our 3rd tank, looking after fish is a lot easier than looking after a cat or a rabbit.

Loads of brilliant advice here, thank goodness. Dont worry I am paying close attention to what eau says!

marne phew!
Btw if ds wants to add a castle or plant do we have to douse it in the antibac stuff first?