First fish tank and fish which last a little while
Discussion
My youngest is 4 and is fascinated by fish tanks, I'd love to get him a fish tank for his birthday.
Ideally not a massive tank but one which doesn't require much maintenance and with fish which last a few years rather than a few month
Any suggestions for a first time fish tank owner please ?
Ideally not a massive tank but one which doesn't require much maintenance and with fish which last a few years rather than a few month
Any suggestions for a first time fish tank owner please ?
If we're talking tropical fish... A larger tank is more forgiving than a smaller one, due to more damping of changes in parameters.
There are also differing opinions on how to start it. Some say cycle it beforehand, others say put in a bottle of bacteria and chuck your fish in.
We got a 200 litre tank, set it up as per local shop advice, £30 on fish, £20 on bacteria. All dead within a fortnight.
Consider how patient you (and he) can be, and how much time you can spend on it.
There are also differing opinions on how to start it. Some say cycle it beforehand, others say put in a bottle of bacteria and chuck your fish in.
We got a 200 litre tank, set it up as per local shop advice, £30 on fish, £20 on bacteria. All dead within a fortnight.
Consider how patient you (and he) can be, and how much time you can spend on it.
I recently got my 9 year old a 240 lire tank and he loves it. I got it used so was already cycled.
We have about 50 fish including Tetra’s, Gourami‘s, Rainbows, a male Betta, Shimps, shark, corydoras, Pleco….
It’s really interesting watching the interactions and feeding them.
One tank is never enough though - he’s already added another tank for an Axolotl and we are looking at one more for Marine fish.
Adding fish straight into a new tank needs careful monitoring.
We have about 50 fish including Tetra’s, Gourami‘s, Rainbows, a male Betta, Shimps, shark, corydoras, Pleco….
It’s really interesting watching the interactions and feeding them.
One tank is never enough though - he’s already added another tank for an Axolotl and we are looking at one more for Marine fish.
Chester draws said:
. We got a 200 litre tank, set it up as per local shop advice, £30 on fish, £20 on bacteria. All dead within a fortnight.
Consider how patient you (and he) can be, and how much time you can spend on it.
Were you doing regular water tests and water changing based on the levels?Consider how patient you (and he) can be, and how much time you can spend on it.
Adding fish straight into a new tank needs careful monitoring.
SDK said:
[...]
Adding fish straight into a new tank needs careful monitoring.
Tested every day, followed instructions from the shop which were to leave it alone for two weeks. Think now it was the (shops) choice of Cardinal Tetra that weren't suitable for a new uncycled tank.Chester draws said:
. We got a 200 litre tank, set it up as per local shop advice, £30 on fish, £20 on bacteria. All dead within a fortnight.
Consider how patient you (and he) can be, and how much time you can spend on it.
Were you doing regular water tests and water changing based on the levels?Consider how patient you (and he) can be, and how much time you can spend on it.
Adding fish straight into a new tank needs careful monitoring.
After that, I got some liquid ammonia and did a proper fishless cycle, no problems since then.
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