Can anyone recommend best fish for child's first aquarium?

[RandySF]

We've decided to buy our 6-year old son an aquarium for Christmas. I want him to take an active role in caring for them and wondered if anyone could recommend some low maintenance fish. i know goldfish will be on everyone list, but wondered if there are any others. Thanks.

[TuxedoKat]

1. Actually

I think goldfish are among the most beautiful and interesting. They are so fun to watch, especially fantails. I used to sit in front of my aquarium and watch for hours. They were always rooting around in the sand and gravel looking for food. The goldfish would suck up mouthfuls of gravel up hoping for a stray piece of food, swim around with it in their mouths, then spit it out while swimming around. Great fun to watch!

Get a big enough aquarium so that the ph level doesn't change too quickly. If you get an aquarium that is too small, waste from the fish and the fish food will make the ph levels change more quickly and the fishes' health will suffer, even with a filter. Get a least a 20 gallon tank, or bigger if you have the space. Think wider instead of taller too for a tank.

Tetras are fun to watch too, because they school. A catfish is nice because it scuttles along on the bottom and eats the excess food.

[Arugula Latte]

2. One thing about goldfish:

If you get them, don't overcrowd the tank. They eat/poop more than most fish, so they need more space. The common ratio is one inch of fish per gallon of water in tank, but that doesn't really apply to goldfish. Plus, those suckers can really get big, so even if you start out with enough water for them, it might not be enough in several months.

Having said that, I'm a fan of goldfish. I think they're actually pretty smart and also beautiful.

[TreasonousBastard]

3. Well, brightly colored seem right for a kid, so...

someone else suggested tetras and the kid should have fun watching them race around the tank. There's also a "glass" tetra that's actually transparent. And the ever-faithful blue gourami.

Mollys, platys, and related fish are usually reasonably hardy, peaceful, and are live bearers so they will probably breed in the tank and there will be new tiny fish swimming around one morning. If they have the right food and some place to hide, they can grow to adulthood. And, they have been bred into some fantastic colors like the fantails.

Avoid some barbs, most chichlids, and others that are combative or overly hungry. Even if they don't eat the others in the tank, some get an annoying fin nibbling habit. Angelfish are cichlids, but not the munchy kind, and they move too slowly to catch anything. They are, however, often victims of the less peaceful fish in the tank so if you get one make sure everyone else gets along.

I'd say avoid the cheap 10 gallon starter kits and get at least a 20 gallon tank so the fish have some room to move around. Fun stuff to stick in there is not only good for the fish to hang out in, but can help keep the son interested.

I haven't had a tank in years and some of what I say might be dated, so find a book (websites about tropical fish are not always the most reliable) and have fun.

[Xyzse]

4. Plecostomus

It eats whatever dirt that goldfish you put in will do.

[davsand]

5. Get any kind that they all look alike. That way you can replace it without telling your kid.

Fish tanks take a lot of work and I KNEW better than to give my kid one.

I KNEW better, I did it anyway, and it bit me on the ass big time. It was (again--dumbass me) a small tank, and we were never able to keep the PH in any sort of decent range--especially because to a six year old the fish looked hungry all the time. Fish were dying almost like clockwork, and after the highly emotional drama of the first fish funeral I did not have the stomach for dead fish to be a regular issue. I now am somewhat horrified at my own duplicity, but we replaced that fish more than a couple times.

My personal advice is buy some breed of fish that you can run into any pet store or pet department, buy one, dash home with it, and get it acclimated to the tank before your kid ever realizes the previous fish expired.

Good luck!



Laura

[Donkees]

6. Crowntail Male Betta + 3 Corydoras

The Crowntail Betta for beauty and friendliness towards whomever feeds them food and the 3 very cute and hardy Corydora catfish for schooling activity and their role as sanitation crew of any food leftovers. The Betta will get along fine with Corydoras.

<*}}}}<

[Art_from_Ark]

7. Goldfish

They are the easiest to maintain because they can live in a wider range of temperatures and water conditions and don't require expensive foods like some tropical fish. They are also pretty inexpensive.

If you can keep the tank at a constant temperature and have a good water filtration system, then neon tetras would be nice. They are small, don't make a big mess, and flow under an aquarium light.

[fightthegoodfightnow]

8. Suggestions

Guppies, Zebras, Platties, Tiger Barbs

[HopeHoops]

9. Unheated - regular gold fish. Heated - fancy guppies.

On Edit: Remember the basic rule: 1" of fish for every 5 gal. or water. You can get serious ammonium build-up if you overcrouwd. Gold fish are a little forgiving, but not much.

[NV Whino]

10. Shobunkin

Which I may have misspelled. They are basically glorified goldfish. They come in a variety of colors, gold and white, gold and black, grey and white, calico with all colors. Very interesting fish and pretty hardy. I have them in my outdoor pond and they survived the winters. They also breed fairly easily and I generally have babies every year.

Inexpensive at PetCo.