Basic fish care

[Hunter's Moon]

I have a 10-gallon tank that I've been wanting to fill with some fish for awhile now. For my birthday, my boyfriend and I will be heading over to the pet store to pick a few out as well as getting a filter, food, and possibly some decorations.

 

I'll be getting cheap fish, so I don't expect them to live a long time, but I would like to know how to possibly prolong their lives?

 

The filter is one way, I hope. But, other than that, are there little tricks, such as some type of water drops (we had these for my Betta), a certain water temp., certain amount of light, etc.?

 

Since they'll be cheap, we can easily keep replacing as they die off, but I love fish and am always really sad when they die, so this is to save myself some grief ;)

 

They'll most likely be your typical goldfish, but guppies are pretty cheap and we had one that lasted three years, once.

 

Thanks :001_smile:

[Ginevra]

I would set up the tank first and then get fish in a week or two. The water does matter, even for cheap fish. Do you have a ph test kit? It should be filtered and brought to a correct ph before you begin to add fish.

 

Might as well do it right. The fish might live for years, which is certainly preferable to flushing them and buying a new one every couple weeks...or days.

[Lady Marmalade]

The best way to prolong the life of the fish is to start with a whole mess of them. The tank water needs to go through a cycle with the fish actually in it- they help make their own environment suitable. I would start with 4-6 fish, which is more than is recommended for a 10-gallon tank. Expect one or all to die off, and then go buy some more. After a while, the tank will cycle through and you will have the perfect environment as long as you keep the filters fresh and change the water every so often.

 

Mollies are really easy fish- and they will also breed if they are happy in your tank. Baby fish are really fun!

 

Interestingly enough, I have learned a ton about keeping fish from the Petco website. It's full of information, and where I learned all about the tank cycling. I can't tell you how many fish we went through with our very first tank because I didn't know what I was doing. On their site you can look at different breeds of fish as well and it will suggest different additives for the water, ideal temperature, things like that.

[WishboneDawn]

If you have a 10 gallon tank you should only really have one goldfish. If you can only have one goldfish, you shouldn't really get goldfish.

 

I love goldfish. They're fun to watch and beautiful but man, are they dirty. They produce a LOT of poop and need much more water then many aquarium fish so that the water stays suitable for them. They also need a lot of maintenance because of that. You will need to do about a 30% water change every week (take out 30% of the water and replace it with fresh).

 

They are also social fish. They need company. You need two. If you're going to have two in a 10 gallon tank you'll need even more in the way of water changes to keep the water healthy for them. 10 gallons is a general minimum for just one goldfish.

 

Okay, yes. You can keep goldfish alive in conditions not up to that standard but that should be your minimum standard if you're interested in giving them a good home. Goldfish should actually not be short-lived. The last one we had was two years old when it died and that's pretty young (It was homocide. My son, very young at the time, dumped a bunch of food in with caused bad things with the water chemistry and poisoned the fish :()

 

If you look for a good fish store you'll also find fish of much better quality.

 

I'd go with mollies or similar small fish considering the size of your tank. Much easier then goldfish and much more suited to the home you'll be offering them. I think we tend to think of fish as almost disposable pets. They aren't. They're little creatures we're taking responsibility for and it's really not very difficult to give them what they need to live a good and healthy life.

Edited September 11, 2011 by WishboneDawn

[WishboneDawn]

The best way to prolong the life of the fish is to start with a whole mess of them. The tank water needs to go through a cycle with the fish actually in it- they help make their own environment suitable. I would start with 4-6 fish, which is more than is recommended for a 10-gallon tank. Expect one or all to die off, and then go buy some more. After a while, the tank will cycle through and you will have the perfect environment as long as you keep the filters fresh and change the water every so often.

 

Mollies are really easy fish- and they will also breed if they are happy in your tank. Baby fish are really fun!

 

Interestingly enough, I have learned a ton about keeping fish from the Petco website. It's full of information, and where I learned all about the tank cycling. I can't tell you how many fish we went through with our very first tank because I didn't know what I was doing. On their site you can look at different breeds of fish as well and it will suggest different additives for the water, ideal temperature, things like that.

 

I have never bought fish with the expectation that they would die and have never had any die while cycling the tank. :confused:

 

Here's a really good guide to cycling a tank for fish. Yes, you do add a few fish to start with. The guide helps you pick which ones.

 

Before adding fish, do give your tank a good scrubbing with chlorine-free water and aquarium salts. NO soap or cleaning chemicals. After it's set up never clean it out again. Only ever do the water changes.

[WishboneDawn]

I would set up the tank first and then get fish in a week or two. The water does matter, even for cheap fish. Do you have a ph test kit? It should be filtered and brought to a correct ph before you begin to add fish.

 

Might as well do it right. The fish might live for years, which is certainly preferable to flushing them and buying a new one every couple weeks...or days.

 

:iagree: I spend a long time on the internet researching when my FIL first bought my kids Walmart goldfish for Easter one year.:rolleyes:

 

I've never regretted what I learned and the fish certainly had a much better life for it.

[Ginevra]

:iagree: I spend a long time on the internet researching when my FIL first bought my kids Walmart goldfish for Easter one year.:rolleyes:

 

I've never regretted what I learned and the fish certainly had a much better life for it.

 

:iagree: Besides, they are very pleasant to watch. I am revving up to have another aquarium when dh finishes the basement. I'm very excited to have Mollys, Swordtails, Guppies and Cardinal Tetras again. :001_smile:

[WishboneDawn]

:iagree: Besides, they are very pleasant to watch. I am revving up to have another aquarium when dh finishes the basement. I'm very excited to have Mollys, Swordtails, Guppies and Cardinal Tetras again. :001_smile:

 

I have a special place in my heart for goldfish. The little buggers are a ton of work but I love 'em. :001_wub:

 

We only have a ten gallon tank though. I keep my eye on the used stuff sites for 20 or 40 gallon one so I can have a few.

[mcconnellboys]

I like all the different varieties of goldfish, such as the calicos, which are very colorful. I always add a medication for ick/fin and tail rot as those are things that fish are most likely to come down with. I also always add something to help facilitate production of slime coat as this helps overcome any sort of stress to the fish in changing environments, etc. I've had good luck doing just these two things over the years....

[Bang!Zoom!]

Don't use colored gravel. Use aquarium sand. Use live plants in the water. Let the water age for a bit before you put fish in.

 

Always adjust your fish to the water temp very slowly before releasing.

 

Keep a five gallon bucket with plants off to the side with live plants in it - use that water for replacing.

 

Live plants are key.

[Heather in OK]

Mollies are really easy fish- and they will also breed if they are happy in your tank. Baby fish are really fun!

Until you have a Mollie that has 17 the first time. Then 15. And then another dozen or so. She will eat some of them but still...it's a lot of fish! Mollies don't just have ONE fry. They can keep eggs fertilized over several months and just keep having babies.

 

They are the only kind of fish we have (well, except for one Guppy) right now in THREE separate tanks because she kept having babies!! We have the males in one tank and the females separated into two tanks.

 

So if you want Mollies, get males!!!! :lol:

[WishboneDawn]

I like all the different varieties of goldfish, such as the calicos, which are very colorful. I always add a medication for ick/fin and tail rot as those are things that fish are most likely to come down with. I also always add something to help facilitate production of slime coat as this helps overcome any sort of stress to the fish in changing environments, etc. I've had good luck doing just these two things over the years....

 

I'd usually use a bit of aquarium salt for that if I remember right. And you do get very adept at diagnosing and treating fish health issues, don't you? I became the go-to person for a few people with fish. :D