New to the Goldfish business aaaaargh! Help. Please

[sweetestB]

Dd woke up one day saying she wanted a goldfish, so after work dH went and bought the cheapest fish tank starter at Argos, and than, on Sat he bought 2 goldfish., food and a thing to put in the water.
We had to change the water already yesterday and I will have to do it again as the tank is smelling, the water isn't clear and the fish is constantly on the top struggling for oxygen.
so basically I need help in choosing the right tank from a UK store that sell online and delivers quickly. Meanwhile what do I need to do/buy to keep the fish alive. There is a Vet close by, I know they sell cat food, perhaps they sell fish sachets fir the water too, (sorry I'm not familiar) I can pop there and buy if needed, but won't have time to research online today and wont have time to go to a pet shop until the weekend.

I know DHabi shouldn't have bough the whole thing whiteout thinking property and probably should have bought 1 fish only, I had no part in this and just trying to save the situation as he works today until 10pm and I'm at home (I'm a CM), so for me will be easier to turn this around.
Thanks

thanks. and why do I need 6 weeks to prepare the tank?
and I could use the tank linked above for col water fish and tropical fish if I put the heater on, is that right?
what else do I need to buy?

The 6 weeks is to cycle the tank so that it's safe for fish. Most shops won't tell you to do this. They will either say to chuck in some cheap fish like mollies or danios or they will tell you to just build up the stock slowly. Neither option is desirable because they can both result in fish injury or death- not nice! Especially when there is a cruelty-free option: fishless cycling. Sometimes they will try and sell products to speed up or instantly cycle a tank. I've never tried any that actually work though so I'd just save your money and be patient.

It's not complicated to do a fishless cycle but it takes a while. Don't be tempted to skip it though, if you put fish in before the tank is cycled then it can trigger off all kinds of illnesses that will cost you time, money and stress to put right. Wait for the cycle to finish and there shouldn't be any problems.

Equipment-wise, aside from the tank/heater/filter you will need a bottle of dechlorinater; a water test kit (these are essential, do not rely on the local shop to test water for you. Something like this would do the job); a syphon tube, bucket and gravel vac for doing water changes; an algae scraper for keeping the glass clean; a thermometer; some decor for the tank- sand/gravel, some rocks or wood, some plants (real or silk); some food for the fish and some plant food if you have real plants. That's about it!

And you need a very strong table or stand to put it on. 60 litres of water, plus a tank, plus some gravel, is very heavy.

OMG. Thanks for reminding me why I don't keep any pets. I go through every day trying to keep the toddlers alive and now have to deal with this fish business too. All dh's fault. And I can't even not care and let him deal with the situation because it will be cruel to the fish and dd. I'm NOT happy

I don't blame you! If you're looking for an alternative, we have stick insects for me the DDs- they are totally harmless and pretty much free once you've got the housing. They just eat brambles so we go out for a walk once a week and nab some. They are really easy to look after and you can pick them up, unlike fish!