# New to Fish



## Little-moomin (Sep 28, 2008)

Me and my mum are 'thinking' about getting a fish. But mainly I am just curious 

I have some questions

What breeds are in general the easiest to keep, require the least care, and are good for beginners?

How often should you clean out their tank?

If you go away, what should you do - are there are forms of food than can last over a week period say?

What equipment do you need - I know a tank, food, water treatment, gravel and plants - but I have heard about filters and heaters too?

Thank you!


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## *Ragdoll* (Jan 21, 2009)

Hey

Well i have only had cold water fish before and am now going to get tropical but to be honest the best thing you can do is nip down to your local pet store and have a chat with them as well as on here.

I started off with a biorb 30- big mistake! not good tank it was poorly designed for every day function and really is a fashion item.

It depends if you are going to go into fish keeping for the long run and how much you have to spend?

After doing some research it would appear tropical fish are quite easy to keep with the usual requirements plus heater so this is something to think about. Dont think you are stuck with cold water fish as i once did. 

Another thing to think about is tank positioning, if you are keeping it in a bedroom then keep it away from direct sunlight and going with the floor joices for support on the weight if it is a large tank you are going for.

Fluvel are really good for filters. But i think the best thing you can do is go have a look at local pet shops and see which have the best prices.

Im no expert by far and still learning myself.


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## Little-moomin (Sep 28, 2008)

Thank you 

We would not be going into keep fish in the long run, I mean we wont be doing it professionally etc, I see a lot of people on here breed fish and have expensive tropical fish etc, we would just be getting 2 or 3 small, basic fish as pets. Tank wise, we can't afford or have room for a large one, saying that, we would not want to deny the fish of the space they need and deserve, so obviously we would look in to what they require etc


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## Little-moomin (Sep 28, 2008)

I don't think we would be looking for a tank that needs joists, we were considering a tank around 80-85cm long, 25cm wide and 25cm high.

Or something like that, for say around 3 fish? (around the size of guppys)

Does that sound ok, or not?


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## *Ragdoll* (Jan 21, 2009)

Yer that is what i meant about the joists just didnt come out right 
Well its on ltrs, i have two orandas and one small fish in a 30 ltr and they live very happily together.


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## catz4m8z (Aug 27, 2008)

Ive just got the one 60l tank that is more 'just a pet' then a serious hobby type thing. You def need a filter and you get more options with a heater. Also its nice to have some live planting, I have some bogwood with Java moss and Java fern that has grown really well.(amazingly so coz I tend to kill any houseplants I have!!).
All I have to do is change about 20% of the water a week and give the sides a wipe down with a sponge. Then every 3 or 4 weeks I clean out the filter sponge. 
I would say to give tank placement some thought too. Make sure its going to be easy to do water changes and not require lugging big buckets around coz that gets old very quickly.. (mine is next to the kitchen sink!!)


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