thundersquirrel

hi there!

i'm a fellow animal lover that's been thrown into a non-animal environment- namely, college dorms!

the ONLY animals we're allowed to have are fish (technically, anything that can't survive out of water for more than a couple of minutes).

i'd really like to get a fish for my room, but i have issues with committing to tank animals. i'm trying to discover the best species for me. here's what i'd like;

short life span (less than a year, preferrably)
not too messy
not too much equipment/travels well

are there any fish that fit that description?

the largest tank i have room for is a ten gallon. i figure that's plenty of room for one fish, esp. if it's small. what do you guys think?

Peterpiper

Hello and Welcome to FishLore

I would do some reseach before getting a tank to gain an understanding of what is required, so you can enjoy your aquarium and keep your fish happy and healthy.
You may want to start with a goldfish in a 5g tank, 20gph filter and heater

Mike has a link here, please read it and best of luck

http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/fr...-stickies.html

COBettaCouple

welcome to Fishlore.. i'd look around at the species profiles on the fishlore homepage, i'm not sure of a fish with that short of a lifespan offhand though.

offminded

a fellow rookie...welcome

thundersquirrel

thank you for the replies.

i'll browse through the species, but i'd like to know more about goldfish, specifically.

what do goldfish require? i would just have one, unless my roommate decides to get one as well.

i figure it's a classic choice, i don't need anything fancy.

Richard

Welcome to fishlore.. no equipment, as in airpump, filter etc, I'd go for a Siamese Fighter.. they're chamber-breathers that survive on atmospheric air.. travel well.. and offer a much more colorful variety than Goldfish.

The downside is more often than not, they don't do well with any other fish in their space, especially other Fighters!.. but they are beautiful fish who actually become affectionate to their owners, and will actually eat out of your hand if you treat them right!

Without the filter, airpump etc., be sure to do regular waterchanges.. 30-40% weekly with water treated with a chlorine/chloride/ammonia/metals remover.. 'Ammolock' works well regardless to what fish you decide on.

One last thing, no such thing as a fish with a short 'one year' lifespan, unless the owner is unaware of how to properly care for it, or just doesn't care, in which case I'd say just get a Ficus.

COBettaCouple

An Anabantoid (Bettas or Gourami) needs proper filtration, a heater and an airstone. The air labyrinth only supplements their system and they still can draw oxygen from the water like any other fish.

Any fish should have that basic equipment setup - they're in an unnatural closed system and those things help some to compensate for it. I'd recommend at least 2.5g for a Betta and at least 3-5g for a Dwarf Gourami, depending on species.

A goldfish is a huge waste producer and many of them grow to a food and have a lifespan much longer than a year. At least a 20g tank would be recommended for a goldfish.

thundersquirrel

yikes!

ok well i'll explain- when my brother and i were younger, we got goldfish. they would usually only live for a week. the longest one we had went for three months. clearly, this was a result of our utter stupidity, and i feel pretty bad now.

i know they live for a while, but i would like a goldfish. they have the larger kind (a few inches long, bulky) at meijers.

however, i want to do this RIGHT. i'd rather not bring an animal into my life and have it die from my lack of intelligence. at the same time, i'd like to simplify things as much as i can.

so here- if i have a ten gallon tank, and i want to put a goldfish in it,

what water equipment do i need?
how often (and just how) do i clean the tank?
what should i feed the fish?

i need to balance a low budget with quality care. help!

jack11

generally you need 30 g for a gold fish and 10 g more per gold fish after that.

Jack

COBettaCouple

the thing about goldies is that so many of them get BIG.. you might want to check out this link: http://www.kokosgoldfish.com and find a goldie that doesn't get so big and can fit in a 10g - there are some types that only get up to 6". i'd recommend weekly cleaning & 25% water changes along with treating the tap water with a product called Prime.. and a good filter.. they're pretty dirty fish so it takes some maint. to keep their water healthy.

Sabi

To Fishlore!

My
All fish will need at least an air pump and filter and with most tropical fish, a heater too. I agree with CO-BCouple most gold fish are going to get too big for your tank. If you really want to keep them then, you should only keep one. As said they are huuge waste producers and the bigger they grow the more they will mess.
However i know there is a type of kili-fish that lives for a year only, surprisingly. But that may need more care then you may want to give, i'm not sure. If you are interested, ask a guy here called Tom.

There are a lot of other tropical fish species that are easy to care for like mollies platys some tetras that will fit in your tank. But like i say heater filter & pump will be needed.

Neville

Goldfish Rocks

Welcome Mo
Goldfish is my favorite, i have 2 fancy orandas in a 10g, they r both 3". they eat pellets, dried worms, lettuce, and bloodworms. the r cold water fish, they need a good filtration, i have undergravel filter. u have to perform 25% water change every week. they r heavy waste producers, so give them dime sized food twice a day. Good Luck