I want a fish aquarium!

I should add as well that the water chemistry issues apply just as much to gold fish as they do to tropicals. I don't know why it is considered socially acceptable to mistreat goldfish in our culture as opposed to any other animal! The only difference between coldwater fish and tropicals is whether or not they need a heater (or indeed a cooler in this part of the world!).

Hi, I'm just having a browse in here (I normally am in the Qatar forum) and just wanted to say that I have over 20 years' fish keeping experience and I am more than happy to try and help anyone with keeping fish. Please don't take on fishkeeping lightly - when I was 11 I read books on the topic for about 3 months before getting my first tank as there is so much to learn. It is very difficult to keep tropical fish alive without understanding the various water parameters which have to be maintained. Also, with the water being desalinated in this part of the world, it won't be suitable for keeping fish - you will need to buy 'RO' water from the aquatic shops for water changes, or have an RO (reverse osmosis) unit installed at home. Fish do suffer and feel pain if not looked after properly, so I would be more than happy to advise anyone by email if they need any help in getting into the hobby. If you do look after them successfully, they may well live more than 10 years, so please don't take it on lightly. It is a great way to teach science to your children, especially chemistry, so I can really recommend it as a hobby if you have kids of secondary school age. As well as reading up on maintaining the water chemistry, you will also need to read up on the species and make sure they are compatible and of the right size for your tank. As a rule of thumb, the total body lengths of all of the fish as ADULTS when all added together should not exceed the total length of the tank. For cold water fish, which need more oxygen, you should halve this. When you first buy a tank (and this applies to cold water fish too) you will need to get the filter up and running for at least 6 weeks before putting fish in. The filters work through harbouring colonies of 'good bacteria' which break down the fish waste (ammonia) to nitrates. It takes a while for these good bacteria to get started - you can speed up the process by adding household ammonia solution to the water daily, and testing the water to see if the ammonia has started to break down into nitrates yet. If you add fish straight away without doing this, the ammonia levels will spike in the water within days, and the fish will most likely die - this is probably what happened to EmilyG's fish and it's not a very nice way for them to go, as they are basically drowning in their own c r a p. Even if they don't die, they will suffer. Even with a filter, you will still need to change about 20% of the water every 2-4 weeks (or weekly with smaller tanks) as the nitrate levels which eventually build up can also make fish sick. My email is amybambridge at hotmail co uk if you need any help.

:) If they are a tropical fish, there might be a lot more to their care in terms of water maintenance compared to gold fish. You'll need a test kit and to keep an eye on pH etc. You'll also probably need a heater to control the water temp. Tropical fish are just that...from tropical climes and need nice warm water to thrive. They'll struggle in cold weather and under the blast of AC. xx

Ooops! Sorry about that Green-ish. I misread your post and assumed you were advising against a goldfish bowl, not a tank. LOL. Never mind... so far our tank is v v low maintenance which suits me :-) I will do some research online and find out more about this species! Albino cories look like goldfish but are tropical. Cheers x

Lol Em...my advice was to go for a bigger tank. ;) I'm not familiar with those fish (a variety of catfish I think??) so can't help anymore than to suggest you might find lots of really useful, easy to follow websites on their care. Did you put water conditioner in when you set up the tank and let it all sit for a while before releasing the fish? Put the sealed bag of fish in the tank and let the water temps equalise before releasing them? Do you have a filter and pump or some fresh plants for oxygen? Is the tank in a spot that gets hit with AC blasts...or hot, direct sun? (fish hate sudden temp changes and some hate cold water altogether). Depending on the volume of water and the size of the fish, the tank may also need daily, partial water changes. Fingers crossed for healthier fishies. :D <em>edited by Green-ish on 13/03/2011</em>

Thanks for all your comments, ladies! Last weekend I followed Green-ish's advice and bought a very small aquarium... no bigger than a goldfish bowl in fact. We got 3 fish to go in it (albino corys I think). It's perfect for dd1's room so she is v happy. Only problem is... 2 of the 3 fish have already died! 1 jumped out (we have since bought a lid for the tank). Then another started to look at bit under the weather, off his food and just wallowing down at the bottom. He then started floating belly-up and that was it. Any idea what we could be doing wrong? TIA x

Tasha, you've got mail (and can remove your email address!)..

Yes, it's covered. I also have a pump, a light and lots of decorations. I can send you some pics if you want?

Hi TashaB, I know that part of the fun is the shopping but I have a beautiful fresh water aquarium (40l) including 6 fish (3 different kinds of sharks) that you can pick up for free! We will be moving shortly and need to find a good home for it...

I know you have said it comes with fish, but just for maybe future info: There are some good quality and not too expensive fish at Ace. Also lots of bits to go in it, and if you are lucky and you go on the right day, and you get the guy who is really knowledgeable. Like knowing which fish go well together - ie pretty neons or guppys will not look so pretty if you put a barb in there. Make sure you get a bottom feeder like a plecky it will keep the glass clean of all the algea.

Who will clean it and feed the fish?