Contemplating getting fish. What to consider?

[Coffeeandprocrastination]

My son (13) is adamant he wants to get some fish and insists he will look after them. I’m worried how much work is involved in taking care of them and the tank.

Has anyone got any advice for a first-time fish owner?

They stink!
make sure you have a decent filter- tanks need cleaning regularly.
A bowl will not do.

when buying fish you need to get the tank set up first and the water to settle.

They are much trickier to keep that you would think. You become a water keeper, not a fish keeper. You need to research water cycling before you get them- basically need to set up the tank and let the water settle/ do things to make the water suitable before getting the fish. Don't get the fish immediately otherwise they will all die. We found all this out the hard way...

I love fish - quite a lot of work tbh.

we had fish for years but moved them on when we had kids as both was too much

getting the chemicals right, cleaning the tank, dealing with poorly fish it’s doable but very time consuming

I think generally speaking a responsible teenager could deal with it all but as with all pets, what happens when you go on holiday or DS moved out?

holidays are relatively easy to sort for fish however when we moved house, moving the fish was without a doubt the most stressful aspect

finally I was very protective of my fish and unfortunately they do die quite a lot

Also be aware they can live quite a long time! Our goldfish are 8 years old and still going strong. My friend had the same fish for over 20 years.

You need a good filter and lights and clean the tank regularly and we do 50% water changes every so often. Our fish seem the hardy kind though as we never put anything in the water to balance it and they’re doing fine.

Get ds to do some proper research and tell you what sort of tank and fish he wants and why.

then do your own research on the above

if he’s serious I’d be broadly encouraging but the cost is significant. We spent hundreds - probably thousands over the years - on various tank paraphernalia. Including a filter (essential) and heater (essential for most fish). If he hasn’t really given serious thought then just a flat no.

Get some goldfish. They last longer than the fancy tropical breeds, and aren't prone to eating their tank-mates, unlike some other breeds!

Saying that, I quite like guppies. They breed as often as they die, so the tank is always replenished. Every time a family member cleans their tank out, they have more babies.

Thank you all. This has confirmed my suspicions that it’s hard work - that will inevitably fall to me to deal with.

My ten year old son has some. I’ve ended up looking after them but it’s fairly minimal tbh. They are platys and don’t need a heater. They have a filter and I occasionally clean the tank and change some of the water. I give them a pinch of food twice a day. They must be happy as they’re breeding like mad! We started with 4 and now have 10!

That’s good to hear. Platys are a good choice tbh they’re pretty hardy.

I never managed to get mine to breed though! Well done

Maybe I need to research hardiest breeds? How do you clean the tank? Is that with fish in it or all water and fish taken out?

I have a ‘gravel hoover’ and something to wipe the inside of the glass. I don’t take out the fish.

Once a week you need to change a fair bit (say a third) of the water but you do this with a jug, not very technical

less often you may need to get the fish out and manually clean the sides of the tank properly. You should never change more than 50% of the water though

The gravel hoover sounds like a good idea. Think I need advice from a specialist aquarium shop. I can see this being a very expensive hobby though.

go for tropical much easier than goldfish who grow huge and are much harder to look after due to waste etc or get him a betta can go in a smaller tank but so many diffrent types could add some shrimps and snails along side

Goldfish can be a nightmare to look after and need a really large tank for their size.

Platys are much easier and are temperate so could be kept in tropical or unheated water.

For a good few years my platys didn't seem to breed, now they won't stop and I've got 20+ baby fish in there. Cute.

DD kept danios. Also q hardy and not v big. They don't give birth, but DD once found a baby danio in her tank.

Whatever you keep, you need the largest tank you can afford/fit, a filter that you are committed to settling in before you add any fish (google fishless cycle and buy some ammonia - it can be cruel to try and cycle a tank with fish in) as well as a water testing kit and a gravel hoover.

I had goldfish years ago when I was a teenager and didn’t know how to look after them properly (although they lived a few years) so definitely wouldn’t get them again.

Lots of good advice here. Thank you. I like the idea of shrimps and snails too!