taking care of Fish?

Question

what type of fish should i buy? i am a begginer and want to buy a fish, which type would you recomend? Note again: I am a fish Noob so please teach me.

Answer 1

Gold fish are poor choices for beginners because they prefer (healthwise) to have water that is cooler than what most people keep thier houses at. - that stresses the poor fish, and they die shortly.

I have kept bettas for several years. They are easy to maintain, and supercheap to feed. They will be happy in a smaller container. Any pet stores that sell fish should have them. And there are a ton of resources on the web. They are very popular with beginners and collectors.

Answer 2

Bettas are hardy fish and good starters, although you should NEVER keep them in those cramped little bowls- buy a nice small tank, they have neat 3 gallon acrylic tanks at Petsmart and Petco, it comes with a light and filter built into the hood, which means all you need to buy are gravel, decorations, and fish. This is a great tank for a betta, although you should know that bettas have to live alone.

If you prefer a tank with many fish, start with a 20 gallon- the larger the tank, the easier it is to keep the chemical balance in the water correct. Start with a small group of tetras, mollies, guppies, platies, or barbs. Avoid goldfish; they're dirty and can't live in community tanks. Gourami are pretty, but somewhat delicate and semi-aggressive, so they're not really good for beginners. I wouldn't reccommend any of the larger, aggressive fish like African cichlids or oscars for starter fish either.

It might be best for you to go to a petsmart, or better yet, try to find an aquarium store in your area and visit it. They usually have starter kits for aquariums you can buy, and the staff can teach you about starting up your tank and show you all the fish that are easiest to care for- it's always better if you can look at the fish and see if you like them instead of just hearing names.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Welcome to the Internet! This, my friend, is a fascinating source of informartion that will keep you busy for years!
Research freshwater tropical fish and learn about livebearers (they have live babies!), tetras (fast and flashy), gouramis (4-6 inch colorful submarines), barbs (masses of schooling color) and catfish
(algae eaters and the corydoras, who eat the leftovers. Catfish do not eat poo).
Want live plants? Research flourescent and compact lighting. Consider your substrate, filter, heater, and tank size. Visit a Mom and Pop fish store if possible, they have more variety in species, and see what appeals to you, then learn how to take care of it.
What does it eat? Where does it come from? Is it shy? Does it need to be in a school?
Observe fins and eyes. If the fish is keeping his find close to his body, and has cloudy eyes or wierd spots, stay away.
The sky's the limit. Just be sure you declorinate your water, add a heater for tropical fish, don't keep tropicals and goldfish together, and don't overstock. Be patient. Make friends with someone in the fish department at the petstore and let them test your water. But research! Become a sponge. There's a ton of information out there, many people have been in this hobby for most of their lives and still learn something new.

Answer 4

DON'T get a goldfish. It is a common misconception that you can just put a goldfish in a fish bowl and it'll survive. It's not true, they need 20 gallons of water per fish.

Anyway, much of what you do depends on how big a tank you can get. The minimum for a small school of tetras and one large fish would be 10 gallons, but bigger is always better - because you can get more fish, and it's easier to keep the water stable.

One major thing you need to know before getting fish is how to cycle your tank.
In the wild, and in established tanks, there are nitrifying bacteria that break down toxic ammonia from fish waste and excess food into less toxic nitrates. In a brand new tank, these bacteria don't exist, so any fish in the tank will produce ammonia, which, not being broken down by bacteria, will kill or weaken the fish. So, of course, it is vital to cycle your tank.
There are a few methods. Do you have access to an established tank? These bacteria live in the gravel and in the filter cartridge, so if you can get some from another tank, you can put the bacteria right into your tank (don't let the gravel or filter cartridge dry out). If you do this, in a day or two, your tank will be A OK.
Another way is to get Bio-Spira. It is the actual live bacteria in a little pouch, and your tank will instantly be ready for fish.http://fishstoretn.com/bio_spira.html......

You can also put a source of ammonia into the tank, such as fish food every few days, or a piece of shrimp. You can also use a fish as a source of ammonia, but I don't recommend this - it borders on animal cruelty. Without bio-spira or bacteria from another tank, the bacteria will eventually develop, but it will take at least 2 weeks.

You should invest in an ammonia, nitrite and nitrate testing kit so you can keep an eye on your levels. It's worth the 30$!



No matter what tank size you need, you will also need a filter. Get a Hang off the Back filter, or a canister filter. Don't go with an undergravel filter, they just suck :S. Anyway, filters come with a filter cartridge which have carbon (biological filtration to take out small bits of ammonia and convert them to nitrates) and a sponge (mechanical filtration which removes large particles of fish waste). It is important not to change it! It says on the box to change it every 3 weeks, but don't. Only replace it if its falling apart. You can rinse it in a bucket of tank water if its gunky.

Don't forget that you will need to clean you tank every week. Never take out all the water; you get a syphon tube and 'suck' out 20-30% of the water every week.

When you are ready for fish, go to your local fish store or petstore. Bring a pad and pen and write down the names of the fish you like and that are in your budget. Come home, and research it. 99% of the time, people who work at petstores don't know what they are talking about. All they care about is selling fish. So, before you buy anything, read and research to make sure you can take care of the fish.

Anyway, those are the big outlines. Post again when you know what size tank you will have and we can help you decide what fish to get :)
In the meantime, here is some important reading as there is a lot to having a succesful fishtank!
http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/aquariumstartup/a/newtankmistakes.htm
http://www.firsttankguide.net/steps.php
http://ut.essortment.com/howtosetupfi_rkby.htm

Good luck! Feel free to e-mail me if you have any more questions, as I'm always happy to chat or e-mail about it.

Answer 5

it truly is a marginally small tank. even with the undeniable fact that the length are extra significant than the flexibility. Take the length and width of the tank and calculate the outdoors section. Then divide that by 20 and thats what percentage inches of fish you may have contained in the tank assuming its chilly water, divide by 12 when you're going tropical. My purely right suggestion will be both get a siamese battling fish or if the tank is able to settle for the flexibility some white cloud mountain minnows (they're an excellent starter fish). cleansing out is a demanding pastime. before each and every thing i tips figuring out to purchase a tank spyphone, that isn't in problem-free words take out the water, yet besides the poo and different nasty issues on the gravel that you employ. eliminate 50% of the water if its a less warm water tank or 25% if its a warm water tank. sparkling the clear out sponge and carbon at the same time. eliminate all debris from flowers and then replace the water, attempting to compare the hot waters temperature as heavily to the old as close as achievable different smart you need to kill your fish with intense stages of unexpected rigidity. be particular you deal with all of your water with anti chlorine, and upload in anti rigidity besides. Guppies do boost, yet i wouldnt recommend them as a starter till to procure an all male crew as a million male and a million female can produce as a lot as 30 youthful a month and the position would you position all of them?

Answer 6

The best types of fish for beginners are: goldfish, angel fish, guppies, platies and things like that. Fish are pretty easy to take care of if you do a little homework. Get a tank large enough for the number of fish you want. The general rule is 1" of fish, per gallon of tank. So, if you have 3-3" goldfish, you should have atleast a ten gallon tank. Make sure you have the proper filtration. This is important to keep disease away and water healthy. I would go with a power filter. (walmart, $10) This has carbon, which helps to control waste and ammonia. Make sure you are using water dechlorination drops, this takes chlorine out of water and other metals found in tap water. You need to make sure you choose the right food....look at the bottle to see what fish it is meant for. Fish also need a lid on their tank to prevent them from jumping out. Add some gravel to the bottom to create biological growth. The big thing is a clean tank. Also, buy a water test kit. These allow you to measure: ph, hardness, ammonia, nitrates, etc. of your tank. It also tells you how to fix such problems. KEEP IT VER CLEAN! This is the key to success. Good luck. : )

Answer 7

hello! um lets see what kind of fish? first you need to say how big your tank is. if its atleast 20 gallons you can get a goldfish. they are fun and easy to care for. you need to let your tank cycle ist before you add any type of fish. wait atleast 48 hrs. wash gravel well before putting in tank. the reason i say get a gold fish is cuz i have them. you can teach them to eat out of your hands also. just make sure you do a water change once a week. atleast 25 to 50%. make sure you have a good filter also. really though any fish is ok! if you have doubts just contact your local pet store for advice. or you can pick up a book about goldfish or tropical fish. to be honest my 1st project tank we turned into saltwater and to this day i dont regret it! so i hope this helps if you have anymore? you can always email me.

Answer 8

Comets are a type of goldfish, they have just a single tail. They are not as fancy as fantails etc. but they are very hardy and you do not need to heat the water. They come in different colours and are fun and easy. Good luck. P.S. I found that granules are better than fish food flakes. The flakes are algae based and foul up the tank more quickly.

Answer 9

the easiest fish to raise and are colorful too would be guppies. get yourself a 10 or 20 gallon tank, good filtering system, and a couple dozen guppies. if you need to know how to set it up, just ask, i have had at least one tank running for over 14 years. email me any time, i would be glad to help.

Answer 10

If you only want one fish, buy a Betta from the pet store. Look at how small their cup is where they live in, buying one would help them.