What is a good fish for a person that never had one?

Question

I am going to be going to school and I am not allowed to bring my pet cat (He's going to stay with my mom.) I've hardly ebver lived without pets before. Whenever I've had to, I've felt really strange every day, like I went to work without my shoes on or something. We are allowed to have pet fish there. I would consider getting a fish. Does anyone know of a type of fish that is not boring, and that is fairly easy to take care of?

Answer 1

Guppies are a lot of fun. They do require a heated tank, and you need to keep the males separate from the females unless you want babies (they're so cute, and you can sell them to the pet store!) but I love them because they will learn to recognize your voice and come to the surface and dance when you enter the room because they want to be fed. They will "kiss" your finger also if you put it in the tank because they think its food. The males are also striking in color.

Answer 2

I would get a cichlid, actually. They have good personalities, don't take too much to research, and you can keep a small one (small species, not fish... some grow huge!) in a 20 gallon tank. Some are more difficult so I would suggest a Convict cichlid. If you had a 25-30 gallon tank, you could even have a pair of convicts, which is really fun- they breed, build nests, dig, spy on you! They prefer soft water and will eat pellets, flakes, brine shrimp, etc.
Also in a 20+ gallon you could keep two or three angels (the freshwater kind). They are really pretty, and more docile than some other cichlids. They also prefer soft water, and a similar diet to convicts (do not keep convicts and angels together!)
Some people think cichlids are tough, but they are not all difficult, and I would say that the ones I mentioned are far cleaner than, say, a goldfish.
Those two species are pretty easy to find. Besides cichlids, kissing gouramis and other kinds of gouramis are really neat and pretty.
Of course, you can always do a livebearer community; guppies, platies, mollies; etc.
A 10 gallon tank with 5-7 kuhli loaches is really cool, too, but again, it may be difficult to find enough healthy ones at one pet store- check your local fish clubs; there are usually a few around campuses; you could even join one or find a fish geek to give you some tips.
I hope this helps you a little; good luck, have fun!

Answer 3

The cichlid suggestion is fabulous. I personally recommend Convicts to any new owner. They are hardy and spawn like crazy. They certainly are more fun than some guppies. Cichlids are aggressive fish though. If your friend bought you a goldfish for your tank and you put it in there they would kill him.

Speaking of goldfish- these are a unique freshwater fish. They are big, delicate and VERY dirty. They are very high maintenance fish. Because of all of these things they also need a lot of room. At least ten gallons per fish.

Goldfish and Cichlids are fish that you keep a few of in a large tank. 2-8" fish rather than 10- 1" fish. If you want a tank with a whole lot of fish then try community tropical.

Do some research. Go to a petstore and see if anything catches your eye. I bet you could probably keep fire-belly nutes there too. That might be an interesting expeience.

Good Luck and have fun!!!

Answer 4

Get a betta, goldfish, or guppy if you want to be bored to death. They are great to talk to if you're in solitary confinement. It's sort of like having a volleyball with a face painted on it when you're stuck on a deserted island.

Cichlids are great. They are fun to watch, and they are the most colorful of freshwater fish. I would recommend an oscar. They are more like pets than any other fish. They react best to their owners. They are large enough where you dont feel like you are staring at a bowl of unknowing goldfish. You can give an oscar live foods as a treat. Goldfish are great feeders because the oscar will eat it and spit the scales out of its gills.

Answer 5

Your best bet is going to be either a goldfish or a betta.

For the goldfish, which is the more difficult of the two, you'll need a ten gallon tank with a filter. You'll need to do a 25% water change and replace the filter media every 3-4 weeks. Contrary to popular belief, they do poorly in fishbowls. Because of the lack or water movement and filtration, he can die of suffocation or ammonia poisoning. In order to keep him alive you'd need to clean the bowl out every day! Also, remember that you'll have to take him home with you. Another pupular belief with goldfish is that they grow to fit their environment. This is not true. A goldfish will keep growing despite it's confined space, which can lead to bone deformities and organ misplacement. Ultimately he'll die from these abnormalities. Be prepared to buy a slightly larger tank every few years for him. And keep in mind that in some colleges, you'll have to take him home for summer breaks. You could even have your dorm room switched every semester. Moving the tank every few months could wind up being more trouble than it's worth.

For the betta, a 1-2 gallon bowl is more than sufficient. As with the goldfish, a heater is not necessary, as both species to fine in room temperature water. Though you'll need to clean to bowl more often than a goldfish tank, it's much easier and less stressful. You simply remove the fish with some of his water, empty the bowl, rinse it and the gravel to get rid of any detrius that may be present, fill the bowl back up with room temperature water, put the fish back and you're done. However, while two small goldfish will fit into a 10 gallon tank, you may only keep one betta, male or female, per bowl. If you put two males together, they will fight to the death, and if you put a female in with a male, the male will bully her until she dies. Keep this in mind if you wanted more than one fish. However, if you look around in some pet stores, you may be able to find a bowl designed to house two bettas: there will be a divider in the middle of the bowl. Try to find one where the divider is opaque. If they can see each other, the bettas will attempt to fight, which can stress them out and cause them to become ill or even die.

Obviously, feeding for both species is every day. Make sure you buy a food specifically for the species you're feeding, and use a pelleted food, as it's cleaner than flakes.

In my oppinion, the betta is the better choice. I have had both species, along with dozens of other fish, and have always liked the bettas better.

I hope this helped!

Answer 6

I have had all kinds of fish, right now I have an oscar, and he is big and beautiful. I don't recommend oscars as starter fish, they grow fast and get big. For a starter I would suggest a goldfish. Someone said they don't need heaters, they are right, a goldfish can live almost anywhere. Start with a small tank, like a five gallon kit, where you get most everything you need. You will enjoy taking care of your new pet.

Answer 7

One of those Fancy Goldfish or a Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta). Fancy Goldfish don't need a heater if your water is at least 60 degrees Fairenheight, and are very pretty and calming. Betta fish are nice, but don't put 2 males together. Neither of the two require expensive equipment or hours of care and don't require much room.

Answer 8

A betta fish. They r super easy 2 take care of and they make a great pet cause they r very pretty 2 look at and easy 2 maintain. My fish even has alittle personality. They r great---pick a betta! Good Luck!

Answer 9

Get a betta. They're great, they watch you and have personalities. I trained mine to jump into a spoon so I could change his water.
Get a 1 or 2 gallon tank, fill it with water, a little gravel, some pretty decorations and you have a happy betta.
They don't require a filter or air pump but it's a good idea if you can get them. If you don't get a filter, change the water every few days. Remember Chlorine kills, so get a remover. You need food of course.
Enjoy

Answer 10

The best and easiest fish to care for is a goldfish. I would statr out with a goldfish then if you find that you can take care of it you can move on to better more exotic fishes.