what is the easiest fish for an 8 yr. old to care for?

Question

and can you tell me what we need to get started.....
seriously, we don't know anything about fish.

Answer 1

goldfish are fairly hearty, and an 8 year old should be able to handle the job of caring for one, with a little help from parents when needed. I know this a lot, but there's a lot to know.

what you'll need:
*a 20gallon tank for ONE FANCY goldfish. not a bowl. 10gallons can handle a young goldfish, but once it gets older you'll need a 20, so it's best to just buy the 20 right away. however, goldfish are very sociable creatures so a 30gallon with 2 fancy goldfish would be better.
*a filter. a good one. goldfish are VERY dirty. if you get a whisper power filter (or most filters people buy for fish tanks are measured the same way) you want one that for a tank 10 or 20 gallons bigger than what you have. so if you get a 20gallon tank look for one for a 20-40gallon tank or 30+gallons.
*a thermometer, make sure the are no major fluctuations.
*gravel. I prefer something natural so the fish is the focal point of the tank, but an 8yr old might prefer bright green, whatever. just as long as it's aquarium gravel.
*decorations. now fancy goldfish aren't great swimmers and they tend to have pretty flowy fins, so you wan to stay away from rough decorations and hard plastic plants. instead try silk plants.
*goldfish food. don't just go with the cheapest, I know it's usually what we want to do, but if you actually look at the ingredients you'll notice the more expensive brands have better ingredients. all food should be soaked for a few minutes before given to the fish to minimize problems with the swim bladder. fancies have round bodies and are prone to buoyancy problems. it is also recommended that you feed goldfish an orange slice every once in a while, give them vitamins. shelled, thawed, frozen peas are good for them too.
*an aerator. this is VERY important as well because goldfish need a good amount of aeration to survive.

get the tank, cycle it (see here to learn how to cycle http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article14.html ). once the cycle is complete get your fish. find a store that looks like they have a good stock and take care of them (ex: no dead fish n the tanks, clear water, healthy looking fish). ask them when the stock came in. buying the fish the day or two after they came in isn't good because they're stressed form one move, another move could be bad. but you don't want them to be sitting in there for too long. so try two or 3 days after being shipped. buy your fish, take them home and float the bag in the aquarium water for 1 hour, adding spoonfuls of the aquarium water to the bag every 15mins to help get him used to the water in the tank.

if he doens't eat for a few days don't panic, this is stressful and they often take a few days to adjust. good luck with you new fishy!

Answer 2

Betta fish, NOT GOLDFISH. Goldfish should not be kept for beginners since they need their water cleaned often and require a lot of space to be happy. A Betta is best since they can survive in smaller places and don't require as many water changes(only maybe once every 3 weeks). Get goldfish ONLY if you really know what your doing or follow Kylie Anne's advice exactly how she says.
And learn more about fish, Keeping fish is just like keeping any other pet. You have to DO SOME RESEARCH if you want to keep them alive.
To be honest, I don't think any fish is "easy" to care for (at least not for an 8 year old) It requires a lot more input then you most people think. But if the keeper works hard enough, the fish should be alright.
Good luck with the fish!

Answer 3

If you want a goldfish, you absolutely must follow Kylie Anne's advice exactly or the fish will die. They are not the simple fish that we have been led to believe they are. Here is a very helpful link for the proper care of goldfish. And just one extra comment about food. I think we know we don't need them to grow too fast in a tank, so opt for the color enhancing food instead of the growth food. Otherwise, the other easiest option would be a betta, but please, even with bettas, please provide a nice, roomy home for them. At least a couple of gallons of water.

Answer 4

i'd definitely stay far flung from salt, that's quite in touch, exceedingly once you have lots else to do :) i'd attempt a 10 or 20 gallon of tropical community fish. that's guppies, mollies, platys and neon's, all incredibly trouble-free to look after. in case you p.c. something large trouble-free, I propose a small 5 gallon tank and one male betta. i'd stear sparkling of goldfish, they require very lots of area and can be quite messy, it incredibly is what i've got self belief your chum has. attempt stoping via your community petstore and finding on the tank kits that are presented. A kit i something I definitlly advise, they're going to contain tank, hood, mild bulbs, heater, filter out, filter out cartridge, water conditioner pattern and a internet. quite lots each thing you will would desire to start it up, basically upload your individual personalized touch with rocks andecorationon. See what length you need and the fees. Be arranged to drop a pair hundred in this nonetheless. I don'recommendnd the bio orb or the bio tubes, they havterribleel filtration and are generally poorly designed. I additionally do no longer advise something under 5 for a betta, and ten for community fish. you will see how promptly it fills up! ultimate of success!

Answer 5

i keep bettas in 2 1/2 gallon tanks -- very easy to care for once you get the basics covered. ultimately though i think you are looksing at it kind of sideways. you don't have to care for the fish as much as you do what you put them in. the smaller the thank the more you have to clean it. you can put 20 1" fish in a 20 gallon and its the same work if you put 2 fat 3" goldfish. the fish you just feed daily and treat for diseases now and again. the tank is the work part.

Answer 6

Either a betta in a 1 gallon bowl or a gold fish done just as Kylie Anne lays out above. The goldfish set up would be easiest over all and far more forgiving of errors and "helpful hands" feeding the fish a little extra dinner (read dumping in the whole can of food here). For a young child learning to care for fish, I would highly suggest you follow Kylie Anne's advice

Yes, I have fish and children ... been there done that.


MM

Answer 7

Does he have to have a fish? Hermit crabs are great for kids to take care of, they take little or no care. You feed them very little, and they don't need a whole lot of food, they can live in aquariums but without water.

If not a hermit crab then perhaps you should buy a siamese fighting fish or a betta fish. They pretty much take care of themselves, their container and everything can be bought at walmart, and you can train them to do things like go through a hoop. If you buy one of these fish you can hold a mirror up to its tank and it will go wild, because it thinks theres another fish on the other side. Whatever you do, DON'T buy 2 males or they will die. Betta fish live a long time, and hardly ever need to have their bowl cleaned. They can live for years at a time if you pick a healthy one without the white guck. Plus its a very pretty fish.

Answer 8

first of all your 8 year old must not be the sole carer of the fish, you will need to help out with water changes, adding chemicals (dechlor, medication etc). these chemicals must ALWAYS be kept out of reach of children. and most fish have a fairly lengthy life span, so if your 8 year old starts to tire of the weekly water changes after 2 months, you will need to step in to care for it.

as others have said, goldfish are the ones everyone always jumps for, but i think they're far more complex than people make them out to be and need much larger tanks, excellent filtration, oxygenation, space. common (long-bodied) goldfish get huge and are best left for pond life!

bettas are colourful little guys that are happy in smaller tanks. and usually fairly tough, personable, will almost come when called heh. you can pick up 5 gallon tanks pretty cheap and in my experience bettas like space to stretch their fins! get a 5 gallon tank, make sure it's filtered and heated, some SILK plants (not plastic, plastic tears fins), and other decor, make sure theres no sharp edges to cut on or small holes to get stuck in! before you get the fish however you need to put the tank through the nitrogen cycle. adding your fish straight away is likely to kill it. the link below is a good beginners guide to fishless cycling, needless to say this will be your job and not your 8 year olds as it will involve handling pure household ammonia! have a read through that, it's pretty hard going, but ask in the forum there and they'll be happy to help!

Answer 9

The people answering Goldfish do not know what they're talking about.

A Betta by far is a much better fish for a child, and much easier to maintain.

Answer 10

Betta fish, aka siamese fighting fish. They are very tough, don't require a big tank... you can keep these in a bowl (unlike goldfish, who get too big for a bowl.)
you can only have one betta however, as they fight if you put 2 together.
They really are the perfect beginner fish.