Fish as a pet...

Hi there Niah1976 I have three gold fish that I got for my girls as pets and they have lived for over a year. I have a air pump in their tank and I think that is why they have lived so long. If you want a low matiencene fish try a beta. They do not need a pump and they can live in almost anything. i mean I had one once and the water was so dirty that I could not even see the fish and it still lived. I do not reccomend doing that but they do not need the pump for some reason. They also come in great colors too, try a beta. Good luck and happy mylotting to you.

Goldfish are really hardy fish, but like any fish they do need proper water conditions which means a filter and a treatment product to remove chemicals from your tap water. Just because your pet store sells fish bowls doesn't mean they are a good idea. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you're considering fish: * A bigger tank is actually easier to keep clean than a small one because the water quality will stay more stable. * Never change all of the water at once when cleaning a tank. Depending on the size of your tank and what type and how many fish, you may need to change 30% or 50% of the water on a regular basis. * Always make sure that new water going into the tank is treated with a chemical remover and is the same temperature as the water already in the tank. Temperature changes can kill fish in a very short time span because it stresses them. * Don't overcrowd a tank. For most freshwater fish, the rule is 1 inch of fish per 1 gallon of water. * Don't overfeed- just as much as the fish will eat in 2-3 minutes twice a day (for most fish). My personal suggestion would be to try African Convict Cichlids instead of goldfish. They're very attractive and have some really interesting behavior patterns, unlike goldfish which pretty much just sit there. Plus, Convicts are extremely hardy and tolerate a wide range of water conditions. But before you get any fish, please do some research about what you need to do to keep them healthy and what equipment you need. Just like any pet, fish require an informed decision.

Fancy goldfihs can live to over 10 years if kept in good conditions and common gooldfish can live to be over 3 years if given good conditions. The one inch per gallon is only good for fihs that do not get much larger than one inch long at adult size. I reconmend the following, take the number of inches is long (not including the tail) and multiply that by how tall the fishes body is (again not including the fins) and ths sum wil be the number of gallons that the fish should have, make sure that you consider how large it will be as an adult so that yo lso not overcrowd the fish. Also there is the matter of ammonia that is given off by fish which is toxic to fish and most animals. When ammonia builds up we (as the caregivers to our fish) need make sure that it does not build up to deadly levels. and to do this is to "cycle a tank but having bacteria that will break down the amonia to nitrite which is also dangerous to fish, but a seconk kind of bacteria will break this nitrite down to nitrare which is not as dangeroud to fish but long term can cause problems. It takes time for bacteria to grow to take care first of the amonia and then the nitrite so if you put too many fish in a tank too soon you are likely to loose fish to ammonia poisioning. ONce a tank is compltely cycled you need to do regular water changes with water that is of the same temp and that has the ammonia and chlorine removed (chlorine and ammonia are often put into drinking water to make chloramine which does not evaproate like plane chlorine).

Your goldfish will not live long that way. Aside from the water and food, fish need more. They need some of your affection and extra time (not just for feeding but for cleaning and re-setting the tank). I suggest that before getting any fish to pet again, do read some basic things about aquarium keeping. Here's one article for a start: http://freshwater-aquarium-fish.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=39 You may search the web more and buy a good book for other info. Your local pet shop owner can give you valuable tips to on how to start and maintain a beginner's aquarium.

happens that a fish can die soon but it is not said that it's always so,when I was small I had a red fish and he live two years ,only with the water and his food

we used to have an aquarium at home and i remember my mother coming home excitedly talking about this and that that the pet shop told her to put this and that and do this and that. so, i guess, the pet shop can help you more.

Hello Niah, we do like fish as pets too, We have a blue gourami, two black mollies, one big plecos, two sharkies (not real shark but i just call them sharkies, but they belong to a cat fish family), and two cutie puffer fishes. About the gold fish, i think you need an aquarium for that with good filter, good air booster pump for them to live longer. If you have aquarium plants, then it is also good. But to keep the fishes in a bowl without their air pump on, is not a good idea, fish do need oxygen too. I also recommend to search more about taking care of fishes and ask the pet shop owner about the varieties of fishes that will be ok if you mix them with other fishes. Food, good clean aquarium and water will help your fishes to stay longer. Plus proper care like some drops you put in water to make sure they will be disease free. Happy Mylotting!

Try getting a family pet a beta or get a few beta to put in seperate aquarams. My daughter has had hers for over a year now Blueberry. They will live longer than goldfish

Wow atlast someone is like me... not you but atleast your sweet kids..i am too in love with the aquarium in my house, lol.i love gold fishes and even others like sucker fish, angel fish, black gold fish etc. i got 8 gold fishes and i just love them as pets i take a lot of care so that they are not hurt by any means. because it is very risky to handle animals, they are beautifull creation of nature but only that they cannot express what they feel. so we have to understand these dumb animals..i take a lot of risk to care for the fishes atleast. You need to feed them fish food ofcourse, but even keep their fish tank clean and get oxygen for them, see that they have enough space to move around , yes oxygen pipe with perfect tempreature is very necessary for them to survive or ese they wont.

We had gold fish that we won from a state fairthat lived in a large bowl for over 5 years they are not too hard to take care of just feed them and make sure that their tank is clean.

Gold fish do best in a tank with an air filter and no other types of fish, betas do well with no air filter but don't seem to live as long and can't be kept with ANY other fish not even another beta. Also gold fish need light, either sunlight or artificial or they won't always be gold though it can take years for the color change. My kids love our fish and will watch them for hours. You could always check local free listings for someone getting rid of an old tank, or just buy a submersible filter for t he bowl you have, they work in just about anything and aren't expensive.