# need help please!



## foxxy cleopatra (Nov 18, 2008)

hello..i normally hang out in the hamster chat, but im thinking of getting my boyfriend some fish for christmas...ive kept fish when i was younger, but just in my pond...i thought it would be simple...but im SO confused. i think he will want tropical because of the colours. i really really reallllly need help  how hard are thy to keep?


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## Katie&Cody (Dec 4, 2008)

It is the setup that is more important, other than that cleaning the tank every month (ish) and feeding them once a day. 
The tank runs itself most of the time, and your local fish store would be able to advise you which types of fish are best to start with...

Neon's are a top one normally.
Must say i do like the 'sucker' fish they are lovely, but don't have more than 2in a medium tank as they grow!! Lol!!

As i said above the most important thing to do is get a good tank, with plant life in there and little castles etc... a stock of fish food and pop down to your local store... Neons i would defo advise, avoid angel fish etc as they tend to eat the others...

Let us know how you get on 
xXx


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## foxxy cleopatra (Nov 18, 2008)

thankyou...i went into pets at home today and i counted 7 dead fish  they were been eatten  is there any where else i can get fish from? also, there was a nice tank...but it was only 19.99....is this too cheap?


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## Guest (Dec 17, 2008)

foxxy cleopatra said:


> thankyou...i went into pets at home today and i counted 7 dead fish  they were been eatten  is there any where else i can get fish from? also, there was a nice tank...but it was only 19.99....is this too cheap?


I'd never get a pet from Pets at Home...  where do you live? Sometimes Exotic pet shops do tropical fish, and some places even specialise in them.

I don't think it's the cost that matters too much ie; worrying if it's too cheap, it's the size, depth etc that counts... Depends on how many fish you'd like to keep in the tank. I used to keep them, and I have to admit, they are harder to keep than cold water fish. Making sure the water's the right temp etc. I used to love Dalmation Mollies - mine had babies and there were millions of them  
Also, some tropical fish don't do well together, so it'd be better to ask the advice of someone in a store on what to keep.


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## Guest (Dec 17, 2008)

Katie&Riley said:


> avoid angel fish etc as they tend to eat the others...


I kept 2 Angel fish and found it was the other way around! Other fish tried to eat them! lol poor things.


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## sullivan (Aug 29, 2008)

Angles are known for fin pecking. Other good comual fish are Mollies, Platies, Guppys, Tetra,and you can get some good bottom cleaners its best to ask a tropical fish shop for advice. Stay clear of Pets at home i have heard of many bad experiences of them and yes theres always loads of fish dead in there tank. A ggod pump and filter will cut down the extra need of cleaning. Bio life built in pump and filters are very good but expensive.Adding plenty of live plants also helps with keeping the water healthy. Do try and keep your fish to not to many or it will go very dirty quickly and the ph will go to pot. Have a look on the net as there is a lot of advice. You could try Free cycle google in. you place a item you no longer want and you can arrange to collect from your area some thing your after. There is no cost and you dont need to register. Theres always a few tanks on there. You arrange suitable time and pick up arrangements. Hope ive been a help.


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## Pet Photographer (Dec 17, 2008)

They say that tropical fish are harder to look after than cold water fish.
cold water fish seem to be easier to keep & look after.
good luck with them.


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## sullivan (Aug 29, 2008)

Pet Photographer said:


> They say that tropical fish are harder to look after than cold water fish.
> cold water fish seem to be easier to keep & look after.
> good luck with them.


Cold water can be a pain to depends what you get some of the oriental cold water fish can suffer a lot of swim bladder problems. You do get more choice of colours and different types with the tropical they all need a far bit of looking after but once you set up the tank and its ph is correct it tends to keep its self with small water changes every few weeks.


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## poppydoll (Dec 16, 2008)

Remember when setting up your tropical tank you need to leave the water in (with the pump running) for at least 5 or 6 days before putting any fish in. Guppies are pretty fish but can be fin nipped by some of the others. A male Siamese Fighter is also colourful and eyecatching but you can only ever have one male in a tank.


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## PoisonGirl (Oct 24, 2008)

hey if its your first time fish, why not check out some of the coldawater fish?
ive had some pretty amazing lookin goldfish! 

yeah, stay clear of pet at home fish. they dont last very long
and as with most pets at home stores, many of the tanks are liked so if one lot of fish has something wrong ie fin rot or white spot then its pretty much guaranteed they all do!

i get my fish from my garden centre. in glasgow i used to get them from a specialist tropical fish shop and my local pet shop

x


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