aquarium for 6 year old? *update in 1st post*

[mamaKristin]

My older DD turns 6 in 2 weeks. She wants "pet fish". We don't have any pets in our home, for a variety of reasons at this time, however, fish, we can do fish :tu

So, I've got a lot of questions. Apparently, our water here is not good for fish, so should we be thinking starter aquarium set in order to reduce the amount of water changes? Is a starter aquarium kit a good idea? Are small aquariums noisy - like, could she put it in her bedroom? (because I don't know where else it would fit, this is a small house) She likes goldfish, and fancier fish, but I'm thinking of going basic with the goldfish. Should I consider tropical fish over the goldfish, as in, do they typically live longer? I'm not looking forward to the fish funeral :shifty

I've thought about a Beta in a bowl, but I don't know where we could put it that it wouldn't be at risk of being knocked over. It's really a simple option though :think

Is there stuff I'm just not thinking about yet??

****EDIT****

Blue, the Betta moved in yesterday :D He's in a 2.5 gallon tank in my girls' bedroom. He's so pretty!

[Johns_Gal]

Eek. Fish. :shifty :lol

Honestly, bigger aquariums are easier to maintain. You have more time to get any issues with ammonia or whateverr fixed before you wake up to a tank of dead fishies. Much more forgiving.

OTOH, a betta doesn't need a heater, and a little five gallon is great for them. They're rather clean, not poop machines (like goldfish), and easy to care for. We had one go from CO to TX with us, through four homes, a kitten attack, and three owners.

[PurpleButterfly]

My advice, after years of kid-tanks and LOTS of lessons....a single beta in a 5-gallon filtered aquarium. The maintenance is incredibly low - I clean the tank every couple of months, change the disposable filter, that's it. I use a combination of aquarium salt, stress coat, and the stuff that dechlorinates and makes water safe, each time I clean the tank.

The more fish, the more poo, the more water trouble, the more expense, the more cleaning, the more issues, shorter life-spans, etc. And whatever you do, NO snails! We got one teeny little snail and two days later she produced a hundred or so babies that took over the tank!

Our beta is gorgeous and has had a wonderful life after being rescued from a tiny cup on a shelf over two years now, to his luxury digs - a 5 gallon tank in our bedroom. We use a Whisper filter with pump and there is no noise unless the water level gets low and you can hear the water trickling.

I use nugget-sized white rocks and real large seashells along with a few soft rubber plants (safe for betas who have delicate fins) and the tank is so peaceful and pretty. To clean it, I scoop our fish with a net into a drink pitcher (dollar store, used only for fishie), scoop out most of the water with another fishie-only pitcher, then carry the tank to our backyard where I pour the rest into an old noodle strainer. I hose all the shells/rocks/etc. off, wipe the tank with paper towels, then bring it back in and fill, treat the water, add fishie back in. Takes about 30 minutes.

Betas have really fun, interactive personalities - they do silly things when they see their reflection, they are gorgeous to watch swimming in a larger tank where they actually have space to move, and they actually "sit" and lay down to rest. Ours has two favorite spaces to hang out - one is a floating hollow log he peeks out at us from and the other is a soft rubber plant he lays down on every night! Sometimes we walk up and he is just sitting on a seashell! He always comes right up to visit when he sees us, too. :D

This is the tank (http://www.petco.com/product/110703/Aqueon-Mini-Bow-Desktop-Aquarium-Kit-in-Blue.aspx?CoreCat=FamilyCrossSell)we have, I got it on recommendation from a friend and we love it! We have the 5 gallon version, and I added a better filter after much trial and error - this enables me to clean the tank much less frequently so well worth the extra $15.

[domesticzookeeper]

IMO, goldfish are high maintenance and prone to illness. Not a great beginner fish.

In your situation, I would recommend a Betta. I have one living on my desk in a 5 gallon tank. Betta's don't *need* filtration and they don't *need* a heater (a 5 gallon tank is going to retain heat more easily than a small bowl). They can be very active and entertaining, very close to goldfish personality-wise, and they are generally hardy with few health problems.

[mamaKristin]

Wow - what great insight! I hope I can find a kit around that size, the store we were in today in the city only had 10 gallon starter size, which kind of felt like overkill for one fish. :giggle All I really know about fish is from when I owned 2 goldfish in a bowl that lived for 2 and 3 years each.

[Johns_Gal]

BTW, I totally want to set up another tank now after reading the description of Purple Butterfly's tank. How pretty!
Wilson (the betta... he was a single guy's only friend for awhile. Hence, Wilson. LOL) died a few years ago. We were surprisingly distressed by his loss. He really did have a personality, all flaring and mean when the kittens got too close (he never forot, lol) and would come out of his cave and kind of dance when we came home each day. Awesome fish. :D

[Macky]

Erin has six little copper rasboras in a 6-gal tank. They'll be two years old this Christmas (babies when she got them). Of course, I do all the cleaning and it's a HUGE job every 2-3 weeks. Take the advice above... one fish in luxury digs. ;)

The most important thing is to "cycle" the tank BEFORE you put the fish in it so you don't lose any fish. I started from scratch, but you can get going quicker if you can get some "used" water from a healthy tank. If you like, I can meet you in the city sometime with a bucket of water (that'll look funny in some parking lot :giggle).

Our water is no good for fish either. Fish folks call it "liquid rock" or something similar. I bought the big chemical test kit when we started up and found that a mixture of half tap water and half distilled water was just fine... and these are acid-loving fish. This mix worked with both our well water and the river water after we got on the new pipeline. You'll need conditioner to get the chlorine out of tap water still.

Our little guys look kind of boring to most people, I suppose. I think they have lots of personality, though. They certainly prefer me to anyone else in the house. The only fish we've lost so far (originally had seven) was one that jumped while we were away and our neighbour was doing our chores. They're favourite thing to do is play in the current from the filter system... silly things!

ETA: Factor in the cost of a heater and thermometre for our climate, even though others further south might be able to keep them without heaters. Water temperature can have a profound effect on the health of captive fish. Also, if you're really intent on not losing any fishies, the test kit is well worth it. While you're setting up, it will let you know when your tank is cycled and ready to add a fish. During your first few months, it will let you know if your cleaning/water changing regimen is effective before anything unfortunate happens to your new pet. Definitely read up on the type of fish you choose because they all need something slightly different. For example, I found that I can keep these rasboras from breeding by keeping them on the lower end of their preferred temperature range. I don't have time for little fishy babies!

[Bonnie]

Another vote for a Betta, and *not* in a bowl. Bettas have a unique physiology, and while they can *survive* in those cute little plant bowls you see them in everywhere, they won't *thrive*. They actually have some weird organ in their heads that they use to "breathe" at the surface of the water, so they need some surface space to do well. We inherited one from Blue Aurora :heart (I think they inherited him from someone else? :giggle) when they moved off-island, and after some research moved him into a 1.5-gallon rectangular tank, and he did really, really well. We almost never changed the water :shifty but did about a 50/50 switch when it looked bad, and skimmed the top occasionally once he got all ruffled up due to a short-lived tank mate :shifty and started building bubble nests. That was cool. The males, if they feel their territory is threatened, will start building bubble nests on the surface to entice a female. Had no idea until we inadvertently threatened him.

---------- Post added at 10:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:56 AM ----------

And yes, to clarify, we knew not to give Bettas a roomie. ;) Another friend had some guppies that were going to be flushed due to moving, so we decided to see what would happen. :shifty Now we know.

[Zoesmama]

I love to get a 1 gallon filter tank for my bettas. Right now we have an unfiltered one. But I think the filtered ones are easier to maintain. Only did water changes once a month.

They do not do well with other fish but some have gotten none betta tank mates that went well. But definitely not other bettas in the tank.

I've had several bettas in my years. And the times I have the filter tank they lived 3 years. We had one that didn't make it a year in this unfiltered tank.

[mamaKristin]

shameless :bump for update

[PurpleButterfly]

Blue, the Betta moved in yesterday :D He's in a 2.5 gallon tank in my girls' bedroom. He's so pretty!

:woohoo How fun!!! They must be so thrilled to have their new roommate! :grin :heart