what kind of fish?

Question

im planning on setting up a little fishtank to keep my kitten "occupied" (had a hamster but he died, dont want another). Im curious to see whats a good kind of fish to get besides gold fish. Those damn things seem to die to quick...something freshwater

its not "keeping" them alive. I want something different for the most part.

i had a few different kinds of fish in the same tank, and i think the goldfish always ended up "loosing"

Answer 1

Angel fish are fairly cheap and easy to look after.

Answer 2

Goldfish are tough because the info out there about them is very misleading. You get the impression that you can stick them in a small bowl and that they'll be fine, then are surprised when they die after a month.
You may be surprised to know that goldfish are BIG fish - the small fancies grow 5-7", and other types like commons, comets etc grow to 1-2 feet. They are also huge waste producers and need a lot of filtration and a lot of water (20gallons per fish).

If you're getting a little tank, don't go any smaller than 5 gallons. I wouldn't suggest a betta, they don't move much. If you do go with 5 gallons, get 3 or 4 white cloud minnows. They are cute looking, and are one of few fish that can go in a tank that small.

If you go to 10 gallons, then you could get some lemon tetras or danios or platies, which are a little bigger and move a little more. Small tetras like neons would be fine too. You can't, though, put them in a 5 gallon because they need a lot more swimming room.

You will need a heater and proper filtration (hang off the back filter is best) - and you can probably get a 10 gal, used, with all accessories for 20-30$. Check local classifieds, ebay, craigslist, local fish club, etc.

Be sure to properly cycle your tank first (google: Fishtank Cycling).

Answer 3

In my opinion you definitely want to get african cichlids!!! I have had freshwater fish tanks for the past three years. Now I have a 55 gallon at my house. I started off with mollies, platies and other "average" fish and soon grew bored with little one or two dollar fish. Then I started seeing african cichlids at the pet store. They are the most beautiful freshwater fish available and are very hardy (meaning they do not die easily), I have not even had an aquarium heater for 6 months and have not lost one of them, you definitely need a filter though. I have Firemouth Meekis, Green Terror (the best looking fish avalable in my opinion), Jack Dempseys, and others, google these names to see the pictures. They are usually about $5-9, which is more than "average" fish but well worth it because of the attractiveness and hardyness of them. You will be very happy with these, they are among the most active, intelligent and personality having freshwater fish you can get.
As far as cycling goes (getting the tank bio system ready). The most important thing is to not add fish too quickly which is tempting, I know because I did it at first and lost fish. You want to get the tank set up then wait a couple of days, then put in one fish. A week later you can add a couple more and in another week a couple more fish if you tank is big enough (1 inch of fish per gallon) . One more thing: even though you might think your fish are hungry all the time and they eat the food you give them, they are not hungry. You should only feed them a small amount of food "every other day". That will keep your water crystal clear, because the excess food and waste makes the water cloudier than it has to be, which I found out through a lot of research and time, trust me. If you take my advice I think you and your little kitten will be very happy.
OK one more thing I want to add. You definitely want to get a bottle of water dechlorinating solution and add it to the water before you put the water in the tank. It is only a couple of dollars and well worth it because chlorine in tap water is Fatal to fish. It is very easy to use and needed, trust me. That might be why your other fish died. Have a good day.

Answer 4

Platties, mollies, barbs and guppies come to mind as easy to maintain. Obviously you will need a heater for them contrary to your past goldfish. Not sure why you had problems keeping goldfish alive, perhaps you did not allow the tank to cycle correctly... If you choose to try fish again, I suggest reading up on cycling as that is often a cause of fish loss. Goldfish also produce a lot of waste compared to tropical fish, perhaps you did not keep up with sufficient water changes or simply had too many fish for the tank's size...

Here is a good article on cycling, it may be more than you wish to learn about it but it's important to understand the basics of this:
http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html

This is an article I wrote regarding fishless cycling using fish food, I prefer it over dosing ammonia personally, but if done correctly all cycling methods work be it fish or fishless.
http://www.gpodio.com/food_cycling.asp

Hope that helps

Answer 5

Neon tetra's are a bright fish, yet they only grow to be a around 2". i admire the flowery Tail Guppies their colorings are great and that they provide beginning to stay toddlers (you will want a place for the toddlers to cover or the mummy and dad will consume them). yet another alluring Fish is a purple tail black shark, they advance to approximately 3-4" (they do no longer look to be guy ingesting sharks) have enjoyable with setting up the aquarium!

Answer 6

you can't keep goldfish with anyother kind of fish it causes diseases in the tank (temp differences) I would pick platties, sword tails, mollies, or tetras. They are all easy to care for and can have brilliant colors. the first three mentioned are livebearers and are easy to breed if you keep plants (real or fake) in the tank.

Answer 7

Well goldfish live in room temp water for the most part so I'm not sure if you have a heater or a filter.

If not then go with a beta.

If you do then try guppies, Molly's, platys or sward tails.

Answer 8

if you can't keep a goldfish alive, then you won't be able to keep anything else alive.

get a fake fish tank that has plastic fish in it.

Answer 9

Stick ur kitten in the tnak that should keep it busy...