should I let dd get a fish for Christmas?

[hester]

Title says it all, really. dd (3) asked her dad for a goldfish (lord knows where she got that from) and he said, "yes, if Mummy agrees".

Mummy is actually a bit horrified. Given my track record with pets, I know it will only be days before we find it mouldy and floating. And am I right in thinking that these days a small glass bowl is disapproved of, and you're supposed to provide a ruddy great tank? As my entire flat is the size of a (modestly-sized) fishtank, this does not sound good.

Am I being too mean? Would my dd get a lot from having a fish? Or will she, as I fear, get bored of it within 48 hours and leave me to spend my waking hours trying to keep the wretched thing alive?

Its a bind.... You have to walk it and exercise it and everything!!!! Our siblings have had pets and the least precious were the fish. As long as you don't mind looking after them as soon as the novelty has worn off its no prob. Some kits are quite cheap so no major loss of money on that front

Clicked on this thread thinking it was about having fish as opposed to turkey.

Was gonna say.. we had salmon last year instead and it was lovely.....

Ignore me.

No - a bowl is fine, and when the fish die (in order of expesiveness as is their want) it is a useful life lesson.

Goldfish can be a bugger to keep alive. They're messy, need about 40L per fish and easily become diseased.

Tropical are easier and you can have a smaller tank and lots of fish without causing stress or cruelty.

HOWEVER, do read up before you buy one. Find a decent aquatics centre, not Pets At Home. Google "cycling with fish" and "fishless cycling" and learn about the nitrogen cycle to avoid unnecessary deaths.

Goldfish FAQ - very basic starting point on keeping goldfish.

Basic Fishkeeping advice - a selection of articles on general fishkeeping.

Be warned. I let DH (yes, DH) have a couple of goldfish just after we got married to shut him up about not having a dog . I thought he'd kill them off within 6 months, job done. One of the buggers is still going strong 8 years later. Every morning I come downstairs hoping it's floating but no luck so far! I hate fish.

Bowls are really bad for goldfish.

We have used bowls and tanks. Bowls tended to need more cleaning though. Def a good exercise in loos as said previously

sleepycat - how often you do you have to clean them out with the snails?

i'd be tempted to get a cat instead. you don't really need to do much with them except feed, water and play with them. emptying a litter tray much less bother than cleaning a fish tank.

Remember, snails may remove algae from the surface of the glass, but they're not removing toxins from the water.

Ideally you need a test kit to check for the presence of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate to work out the best cleaning routine. (Ammonia being the waste product of the fish, nitrite and nitrate being what bacteria in the tank convert the ammonia to once the tank is established).

Ammonia and nitrite are highly toxic to fish and you need to have 0ppm (zero parts per million). Nitrate needs to be less than 40ppm. This means, that if you don't use fishless cycling to prepare your tank that you will be doing partial water changes every single day for several months to keep your fish healthy (not doing this is the primary reason why most people's goldfish die within days/weeks of purchase). As the tank gets established you will find you can drop the partial water changes to once every week or two weeks.

Filter carbon (if using) will need to be changed once a month or removed if you ever need to medicate. Gravel/substrate should be hoovered to get rid of crud (fish crap and rotted food) at least once a month although I tend to do this once a week and with goldfish (very messy) it'd probably be best to go the once a week thing too. Filter sponges need to be regularly rinsed in old tank water (NOT under the tap) and occasionally replaced.

Then there is diet. Ideally, you shouldn't give them all dried food, but a balance of different things (I use dried, frozen and the occasional lump of cucumber - good for the snails too).

There is a LOT of work looking after a fish humanely. It's not just stick a bowl in the corner and add water while occasionally sprinkling food. Most people don't realise this before purchase or blame the pet shop for week stock when the fish dies within a few days of getting it home.

Wow, thanks so much, everyone (I thought this thread was so boring it would get completely ignored!). I'm very intrigued by the crap-eating snails, and really grateful for RubberDuck's extensive advice. Which will be very useful if I do end up being landed with the fish, but I think it's decided me that I'm just not the woman for the job. I can barely keep a pot plant alive; it's a miracle my daughter has reached the grand old age of three; and I think I might be better suited to a pet more able to fend for itself - a particularly street-smart cat, perhaps.

themoon66 - if my finances get any worse, I may end up having to serve up goldfish for Christmas dinner, and your comment will not be wasted.

Eyeballs - I have stood firm for a full decade against dp's ceaseless campaign for a puppy. You know, you ruddy KNOW, who will end up walking it twice a day. dp has fond memories of a Caribbean childhood, with a much loved pet who was walked and watered by - ahem - a housemaid. Spot the difference, as I keep pointing out.

Thanks all! Mean Mummy claims the prize!

can you sponsor an animal anywhere reasonably close to you?

otherwise there's always Fur-Real...!

Hester, my BIL wanted a labrador for the very same reason - memories of a beloved childhood pet. The difference is my sister gave in, and now she is the one getting up at the crack of dawn to walk the dog, and rushing home from work in her lunch hour to let it out in the garden (and then clearing up the garden).
Stand firm I say!

bought my DD 2 goldfish- did all the right stuff (i thought)... anyway 2 dead goldfish in the morning...