What is an ideal Fish for a pet?

Question

I am going to college for the first time in fall, and I will be living in a dorm. The only pets they allow are fish in a small bowl or aquarium, I have never had luck with fishes as pets? Is it because I have purchased them from retail stores rather than specialty store? What breed of fish do you recommend and do you have any tips regarding the care of a fish?
thanks!

Answer 1

I recommend a fishtank over a bowl, as you have room to expand when you want to change fish, or add more. Few things you'll need.

Powerfilter - Aquaclear's are still a favored choice even for advanced hobbyists. Find one thats a bit stronger then what's recommended on the box. Instead of reading "good for up to 10gallons," go a little higher, more specifically, find one with a 3-5x turnover rate, I would say a higher number but your dorm wouldn't have that big of a tank, which then I would recommend 6-7x turnover rate. That's the number of times it cycles the entire volume of water in your tank in one hour. Advanced thinking for advanced filtration. When you get the powerfilter remove the carbon bag, its unnecessary and only use it when removing medications, otherwise it's a waste of space. When you remove that carbon bag, you buy another bag of aquaclear bio-max to take its place, so more beneficial bacteria can colonize on them.

Water conditioner - Any one works fine, as long as they remove ammonia, chlorine, and chloramine. (amquel+, prime). Water conditioner is fine if you accidentally overdose it, its only ingredient is sodium thiosulfate.

Waterchanges of 15-25% every week preferrably.

Heater - A stable temp is better than a fluctuating one. It doesn't hurt to have one in your tank. How a heater works is, whatever your temp of the water is, it'll regulate it to the temp you set on your heater. Buy a fully submersible one.

Food - Try to feed a variety, they promote health and growth of your fish.

These are very basic necessities, everything else such as decoration, lighting, and substate are optional. Anymore questions just ask.

Answer 2

I would suggest you buy a 2.5 gallon or so tank kit that comes complete with a filter and heater. They are very affordable at the big department store style pet places like Petco etc... Yes, it will cost you more than even a large bowl, but it will provide the stable environment you need for success. A bowl will not without lots and lots of work. If you are looking for more success with fish, this truely is the first and most important choice you can make. Get it all set up and in place in your room BEFORE you buy a fish. Between now and then get a small book on aquariums and read up on the set up and maintenance sections. That's the second important choice, knowledge is power!

Once you have the tank set up, then get your fish. I would most recommend a betta for your situation. They are reasonably priced, pretty and quite hardy. There are loads of other choices of course but most are harder to maintain and would require maybe a bit of experience before you could expect to be really successful with them.

One word of caution: Don't be fooled into a goldfish for this situation. It will not work long term because of the goldfishes adult size.

MM

Answer 3

If you have a little space, go for the gold.
GOLDFISH that is.
They each need 10-15 gallons, a filter and an air pump, but like it cold, so no heater.
They get tame, sort of like dogs. You can teach them tricks and they will watch you and follow you around the room.
So will a Betta.
They like it warm. Warmer than even tropical fish, but don't need as much space. 2-5 gallons is cozy for these guys, but make sure it comes with a heater. As long as you change the water every week they don't need a filter, but it's a good idea to get one anyway.

Other dorm pets: Carnivorous plants. Interesting and definitely conversation starters.
Consider plants instead. You are gonna be super busy and a pet can sometimes be a party pooper.

Good luck

Answer 4

I would get a betta, they are really the only fish that can live in a small bowl, but remember surviving is not thriving. I would get a nice 5 gallon tank and one male betta. You could also get 3 female bettas instead as long as you have multiple hiding spots for them. But remember never keep males and females together or two males together.

Answer 5

Bettas (aka Fighting Fish) are great low-maintenance pets. Pet stores often show them in tiny containers, but a normal sized fish bowl is best. They are remarkably sturdy little animals, but you should change their water once a week or so and feed them once a day.

The only catch is that you can only have one fish per bowl. They can become aggressive with other fish.

Answer 6

Mine are dogs a million Cat 2 Frogs 2 fish (too many to count selection)! i'd love yet another dogs yet room and time do no longer enable! i've got stored lots of diverse pets and enjoyed all of them! A tigers place as much as i like All vast cats is contained in the Wild! Our puppy cats could be small yet all and sundry of them is a tiger interior!

Answer 7

A betta fish is to boring because he only floats.You might want a goldfish.Koi get to big but goldfish grow to suit the size of its bowl.Care tips-change half the bowl's water every week and thouroghly clean the entire bowl 1 a month.Add drops of chlorine neutrilizer to it every water change.

Answer 8

none~I think it is mean to keep fish in small aquriums with nowhere to really swim and be confined to basically swin in circles. I wouldn't like that if I were a fish.

Answer 9

I would recommend getting a regular old goldfish. There is nothing special to them. All you must do is feed them and clean the bowl every now and then. I hope this helps!!!

Answer 10

gold fish / cat fish