Thinking of getting fish...what do we need to know?

[heartnbrainmommy]

We've been thinking of getting DD1 a small fish tank with a fish or two for her birthday, but have no idea what we are getting into. (We rent and aren't allowed to have pets - but figure fish should be okay). Advice, tips, suggestions greatly appreciated. My biggest concern is that she is a sensitive little girl and I'm a little nervous about her special birthday fish that she attaches to dying in a week. :( But she does want a pet. So....?

[Kiara.I]

Okay. First thing is, you can't start a tank and put fish in it right away. Well...you *can*...but it won't be a good plan. ;) There's something called the nitrogen cycle that you need to read up on. http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/biologicalcycle/a/nitrogencycle.htm

Basically you should set up an aquarium and leave it running for several days. THEN add your first fish. One. One fish. ;) Then add others later.

Figure out what type of fish you want. Do you want just one or two big ones, or do you want to have several smaller ones that school? Or mix them? Make sure all the types you want play nice in the same kind of water/temperature. For instance, cichlids live in a different pH than most tropical fish, so you don't typically put them together. Goldfish don't need a heater, but tropical fish do. Some fish are aggressive towards some types of fish but not others. :hug It's terribly fun. ;) If you have a *good* fish store nearby they should be able to help you figure some of this out. Otherwise, you'll need to do your reading.

Oh, and for dechlorinating I've never used water treatment, I just let water sit in a bucket for at least 24 hours and then I can use it. Oh, and you'll need two buckets, one to empty water from the tank into (when cleaning), and the other to have the water ready to pour back in.