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Fishnet

If you have a fish pond, fish tank or are seeking advice about keeping tropical fish, you can find advice on our Fish forum.

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Original poster

Easy first fish?

19 replies

bobstersmum · 29/07/2019 14:39

We have been given a small starter tank plus filter and ornaments. I have cleaned it all and bought some gravel, but now I am having second thoughts as I've never kept fish! Does the filter produce oxygen or do I need a pump as well? How often do I clean it out and how? I can't find a definitive guide on Google, I was thinking goldfish but apparently they grow huge? Don't want to rely on asking at pets at home for advice so if anyone can give me some starters I will be very grateful! Thanks.

OP posts:

MindyStClaire · 29/07/2019 14:43

What size is the tank?

We inherited goldfish when a family member moved abroad. I wouldn't recommend, they're quite gross. If I had my time again I'd go for a freshwater tropical community tank.

I'm no expert (sooooo not an expert) but people on here are great.

Original poster

bobstersmum · 29/07/2019 15:06

It's a 12 litre tank I think. Why are they gross? Lol

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MindyStClaire · 29/07/2019 15:19

Ok, 12L is tiny, and definitely too small for a goldfish. Which are gross because they poo a lot.

tessiegirl · 29/07/2019 15:21

Goldfish are not gross
I'm watching this as we are planning to buy a couple of fish for dd. I had loads when I was younger, really great easy to look after pets

Original poster

bobstersmum · 29/07/2019 15:29

I'm sorry I've just measured the capacity and it's actually 24litres!

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grafittiartist · 29/07/2019 15:31

Goldfish grow to quite a size. We got some neons and tetras that stayed small.
Go to a good suppliers, they will recommend which fish to go for.

Starlightstar · 29/07/2019 15:35

Platys are good first fish and can be cold water or tropical (requiring a heater) but I wouldn't swap them between. Tetras are lovely but can be more difficult to keep. Guppies can be variable, a good strain is very easy to keep, but ones from places like pets at home can be more tricky.

haverhill · 29/07/2019 15:41

We’ve got a very small cold tank and the zebra danios are great fun, really robust and quick moving. The mountain minnows are OK too but seem more fragile.
Don’t get goldfish. They are meant to grow pretty big and most domestic tanks are way too small.

Heulog · 29/07/2019 15:55

We have a 24l tank, a filter and no extra air pump. We have danios which dart about a lot, and two 'sucker' fish that are interesting to watch. The danios are top feeders, and the suckers are bottom feeders which means the danios eat the flakes only from the top of the water, so the suckers take care of cleaning up any dropped ones and attempt to clear up any algae.
My top tip would be to get a gravel hoover thing (pets at home, less than £10 iirc). It basically cleans up all the poo/muck from the stones when you do a partial water change.

Original poster

bobstersmum · 29/07/2019 16:40

I have tried to post a pic of the little tank, it does only look big enough for the really tiny fish, I have made a note of the ones mentioned and will try to find a good pet shop near here. I don't trust pets at home!

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Original poster

bobstersmum · 29/07/2019 16:41

The hoover thing sounds good!

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BettaSplenden · 29/07/2019 16:44

Get a heater and a filter and get 3 or 4 male endlers. Otherwise it's a very small tank and 100% not suitable for goldfish x

Original poster

bobstersmum · 01/08/2019 12:15

Well here's my update! I got 4 danios yesterday from our local pet shop, they advised to start with just 4 then increase after a week, not sure why? Anyway they are very lively and we are enjoying watching them dart around, but this morning one of the smaller ones seems to be hiding behind if the ornaments, the others seem to be bugging it? I have no idea if this is normal, do I need to do anything?

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BettaSplenden · 01/08/2019 19:51

Tank is far too small for danios. They're too active. Sound like your going to a dodgy shop (big chain shop?) They will inevitably all die. You either need to get a bigger tank or return them.

Original poster

bobstersmum · 01/08/2019 19:55

4 danios in a 24l tank? Why are much smaller tanks available then? I avoided pets at home specifically to not get dodgy advice but the local fish shop didn't have much small fish to be honest. They did say they'd order in for me though. The tank we have was given to us and I thought it would be a good way to get into fish keeping, by starting small. I am not against buying a bigger tank if needed.

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BettaSplenden · 01/08/2019 21:21

Sorry having reread what I wrote I realised I may have comeacross as a dick and I didn't mean to.

There is Unfortunatly no protection for fish in this country which leads to all sorts of issues with advertising and mis selling. If you have Facebook try looking at practical fishkeeping. They have a lot of knowledge.
I'm going to write a quick guide of what you need apologies if it's too basic.
The tank should have a filter. A heater is also a good idea but not essential. With having danios I personally feel they should be kept with a heater but they are whts known as temperate fish so they are not cold water but not tropical either.
You should have done a fishless cycle to get the filter working properly before adding fish. If you don't do this then when the fish excretes waste it isn't dealt with well by the filter and the fish will be slowly poisoned.

You should be doing water changes in the tank. I do 25% a week with dechlorinsted water at the same temperature as the tank.
The bigger the tank the easier to maintain as more water to dilute the waste.

Fish also need quite a bit of swimming space. Danios are very active and should not be hiding etc. Endlers would have been better as they're smaller and are less energetic.

I think you have been set up to fail by your shop. What area are you in - I could recommend some better shops (keep it as generic as east Midlands etc if you want)

Original poster

bobstersmum · 02/08/2019 08:29

Thanks for your reply, I am in East Lancs. The little fish that was hiding is absolutely fine now it was just an hour or so yesterday I have no idea what they were upto! I did set the tank up with the filter on for a week before going to look at fish, the shop said I was fine to add them. I have read up as much as I can and I was planning to replace one third of water every week, is one quarter better? I am a responsible person and if the fish show any signs of not being happy I will make sure I get them sorted. I will be grateful for any advice from experienced people

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NotSoThinLizzy · 02/08/2019 08:35

You cant fit much in a 24l tank sadly. Danios like space for darting around plus is a schooling fish. Mabye a betta fish would've been better?

MashedSpud · 02/08/2019 08:44

Read about cycling a tank and an established tank.

If you have water testers you need 0 nitrite, 0 ammonia and a low reading for nitrate. Keep up with small water changes treating the tap water with a dechlorinator.

Only clean the filter and filter media in tank water you’ve removed for a water change. Never clean it in tap water as it kills the good bacteria that keeps your filter and tank healthy/established.

As people have said you can’t fit much in a small tank.

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