We got a fish, and it died. (Part I)

You have a rather casual attitude about the lives of these animals, don't you?

Reply

Beta. They're risiliant and can live in little bowls - the petstores even sell little Beta homes complete with rocks and fake tree for like $5 (the lid is necessary with curious toddlers). They pretty much maintain their own habitat and are much likely to live longer than goldfish or the like.

Reply

Just change about half the water every couple days for the first couple weeks and make sure the water doesn't get too cold (you didn't mention a heater). We have 3 up and running fish tanks. One 45 gallon, a 20 gallon and a 10 gallon decorate the house. We were thinking about setting up another for salt water fish, but that takes some ambition I've heard.

Reply

Most tanks need to run for a while before they are ready for fish (commonly known as "cycling" the tank). Our first 20 gallon tank was running with no fish in it for 6 weeks before our local pet store said it was safe to start moving fish in.

We're lucky enough to have a local well run privately owned pet store that will do free water testing.

http://www.preusspets.com/

Reply

I don't think we could kill our goldfish if we tried. He or she will be 3 in October! I think part of it is that the fish bowl (we have this cool "Biorb") is on my desk so I keep it company all day.

Reply

We also could not keep fish alive, so my grandma bought us "Fighting fish", but the fight was not theirs to win I guess. Beta are tough, but my 3 were jumpers when I was growing up. I understand your point and dread the day my son wants fish.

Reply

We have a fish tank that has about 15 fish in it that are at least 2 yrs old. We bought the fish at Wal Mart no less. We don't have a heater and we don't do anything special. We add tap water when it evaporates and rarely bother with the filter. This tank is so maintenance free, it's not even funny. All I do is feed them store-bought fish food a couple times a day and that's it. I think having one of those sucker fish for the tank helps. Ours has gotten huge since we got it. He must be a hard worker too, as the tank is crystal clear. Don't know what kind of wimpy fish you are buying Jonathon, but you'd better get over to WalMart. :)

Reply

I've had fish ever since I was a baby, and my father was obsessed with them for most of my childhood... you'd never think there was so much chemistry behind plain ol' water! Getting the water conditioning chemicals is a good start, but here's a few other Big Things to keep in mind:

Always, always set up the tank *before* the fish, and let the water sit for awhile - 6 weeks at best, or at least until the water clouds over and goes clear again. This is called the nitrate cycle, or the "chemical that builds naturally in the water, can kill your fish, and only goes away with time" cycle. I know when you have a kid chomping at the bit for a new fish, making her stare at an empty tank for a month is easier said than done, but it prevents a lot of dead fishies.

Don't change more than 1/5 the tank water at a time if you can avoid it. Any more than that upsets the tank's water chemistry and stresses your fish.

Undergravel filters are best. Clean the gravel regularly even if you do have one (we always used a siphon with a large mouth at one end that we dug around in the gravel). That's where all the poop and uneaten food goes, after all.

And as for fish types.... goldfish poop about 4 times more than other fish and need that much more tankspace. Angelfish are aggressive toward other fish, as are most things called "cichlid". Anything called a "tetra" prefers to live in schools. If you have the space, invest in a plecostamos - they eat algae and will help keep your walls clean.

And of course, take everything I say with a grain of salt. We fish lovers are an opinionated lot and there are bound to be others who do it differently and swear by their technique ;)

Good luck.

Reply

I got three goldfish a few years back. Two croaked within a week. I realized I needed to up my game. I got a better tank with carbon filters and a bio wheel. I "cycled the tank" and read up about fish tank water chemistry. Goldfish need a lot of water apparently-- 10 gallons per fish. Yes, you read that correctly. Anyway, the third fish is now vastly larger than he once was, to a very frightening degree, and appears to be verging on immortality.

Reply

Andy beat me to it. I've had lousy luck with most fish but I've managed somehow to keep a single (always single) betta alive.

They're beautiful and very low maintenance.

Reply

Pick up some mollies. They're easy-peasy. Better yet, just take a few off my hands. I've got, like, 35 of 'em right now. *sigh* (Some of them are adowable wittle weensy baby fishies!)

Reply