Little Weed has decided to raise goldfish, and has dragged me in for technical support. I have not kept fish since I was his age, so know almost nothing. It has been an interesting learning experience, delving into a subject matter that is completely foreign to me. Still, as a quick study in anything, I am learning fast. Research has always been my strong point, and keeping an aquarium is no exception. Here are some hints and tips. Once set up an aquarium is really not much work to maintain and it really does a good job of humidifying your house!
Larger Tanks are better than smaller tanks: Of course there are limitations into the size of tank you need. We started with a 10 gallon tank, but this proves to be more work than a larger thank. More water means fish pollution and toxic ammonia is diluted. A smaller thank means more water changes are required, which means you need to do more labour. Larger tanks mean you can buy more fish and they have more room to swim.
Minimum Equipment Needed: You need, at minimum:
- tank: Start with a 10 gallon, but you might want to upgrade if you really like fish. Buy used as it is so much cheaper, and so many people want to sell their tanks
- bucket or two: It should not leak. A clip to keep the hose in the tank is also useful
- siphon: simply a long tube or hose
- small net: you can make one or buy one
- aquarium filter: buy one at a store
- fish food: A little goes a long way, so buy a small container
- dechlorinator: These cost $5. You can dechlorinate 4L of water with 1 drop. This is much more convenient than standing a bucket of water for 24 hrs so the chlorine dissipates.
- thermometer: $3, nothing fancy
- Air pump, air hose, air stones and suction cups: Air pump you need from the store. Air stones and silicone air hose we bought at Walmart. Suction cups we bought at the dollar store, 6 for $1
- Accessories: Make your tank nice looking with gravel, stones, cute stuff that allows your fish to hide, glass beads. These are optional
- fish: We are starting with small feeder fish, specifically common and comet goldfish. They are $0.18/ea so not expensive
As with most specialty items, going to your local aquarium store or LFS (local fish store) will be much more expensive. While they do have everything, they will be over 4 times more dear. The internet is a treasure trove of information for saving you money. Buy the minimum you can from your local aquarium store.
Fish tanks can be purchased used on Kijiji or Craigslist. There are so many available, but most are overpriced. Be patient and wait for the right size you need. A 10 gallon tank is the minimum, but you will need to get a larger one fairly quickly.
Of course the LFS (local fish store) has brand new tanks for high prices in kits that come with everything you need sans water and fish. These kits are used for a short while and then sold used, but they are still expensive. You will probably find you need to change a lot of things in your tank anyway. You still need to cycle these tanks and this will take about 6 weeks or so. Until then you will need to do many partial water changes.
I did not pay sufficient attention to the nitrogen cycle of my tank. As fish poo they leave behind ammonia, which pollutes the water. This water will eventually kill the fish, unless you do a partial water change. This is true even with a filter. The nitrogen cycle takes from 4-6 weeks, when benficial bacteria grow to eat the ammonia and convert it to less harmful forms of ammonia. While you will still need to do a partial water change, you do not need to do this as often, liker maybe once a week or two. A new tank with lots of goldfish needs to get a partial water change near every day, or the ammonia levels spike. The more fish the more poop and therefore the more ammonia that will be in the water, thus requiring more partial water changes. Ignore this and your fish will perish.
Clay or terra cotta pots can be used to make hiding spots for fish. These have no glaze or paint. You just clean them up and they are usable. You might sand off the sharp edges. Clay pot shards can also be used to hold down ornaments that are too light in your tank.
Once the tank has been set up and cycled, there is not much work to do. You have a weekly partial water change, but a siphon makes this very easy. Feed the fish just a tiny amount each day. If you skip a day it is no problem. It is fun watching the fish swim about, and if you get Little Weed to do most of the work, there is less work for you.
