Fish.

[Lore]

Hi, My thirteen yr old son has wanted fish for a long time and now that I'm sure it's not just a one off idea that he'll lose interest in, I'm happy to get some.

I'd be grateful if anyone could give me some hints and tips as to where to start.

Many thanks. :)

[sn�gs]

Are you talking a goldfish in a bowl... or tropical fishy wishys?

[Lore]

Somewhere in between, I don't want to go over the top having only ever had goldfish as a child myself, but I don't really want a goldfish bowl either. If you catch my drift?

[sn�gs]

So you want the visual splendor of a tropical tank - but with the ease of maintenance of a goldfish in a bowl!

No chance lol.

What about a small tank of Guppies: hardy, fairly low maintenance... simple tank set up...

and when he kills them all they'll be cheap to replace...

[sn�gs]

Guppies are prolific breeders though...

[rinkins]

and mollies too!

[Lore]

Snags, haha, you're so judgemental! :p

Nope, I want him to have full responsibility of caring for them so I don't want to make it too difficult by going for something we have no idea about and something that will result in many deaths, so I thought, start off small (ish) and build on from there.

I'm trying to take the responsible approach here instead of being one of those parents who goes in guns blazing and buys something beyond reason! :p

[tamborine]

Start with goldfish & aereated tank (�10 all in - Wilsons). Feeding daily/cleaning weekly.

[sn�gs]

I'd do as tamborine says: 18'' x 12'' plastic tank with a lid (maybe a simple light in the lid too), simple internal filter, a few plants/decorations (not sunken ships or deep sea divers!), a bit of gravel (not a necessity) and a couple of goldfish.


Or get him a tortoise.

[nix-j-c]

whats the longest you can leave fish for without feeding them?

i want to get some fish. And want to know if you can feed them friday night and leave them for the weekend and feed them again sunday evening or would they be dead by then?

ps. i know fish probably depend so i'm asking if theres any small hardy fish that i can do this with?

[hammerman]

Nix....fish are fine being left a few days each week without food and will probably benifit from it. Just don't add more on sunday to compensate for the days you've missed.

Lore.... tropical fish are actually easier to maintain than goldfish and, apart from a heater, the equipment is the same.
Goldfish are messy fish which require large filters and good water changes if you are to keep them properly.

Why not try the local papers....second hand aquariums are always for sale and a 24" x 12" x 15" tank is an ideal starting point.

Get your son to have a read up on how the filter works and why it's needed and get him to talk to a reputable aquarium shop in your area.

A good forum to join is http://www.theaquaticroom.com/forum/index.php where you can ask questions and you will get decent answers.

Oh....and with regards to "snags" comments on the guppies above, they are not hardy, easy maintenance fish any more due to years of inbreeding !!!!!!!!!!!!!