So our little un has been promised she can have a goldfish after we move house in a few weeks, thinking of a small aquarium and a few fish to liven it up. What kind of size do I reasonably need to get? I’m not looking for something that’s going to take over the room, or our become a ball ache to look after. What about filters etc?

Also, what other kind of fish live well with goldfish? Be good to have a little variety in there.

Is this going to end up costing so much I’d be cheaper taking her to the sea life centre every weekend?

Ta

G

Please please read up on goldfish before you commit. They need seriously big tanks to be healthy and happy.

There are plenty of good fish keeping sites out there that will be able to guide you.

Cheers

Danny B

Instead of goldfish (which can out-grow a small tank easily) , how about temperate tropical fish such as dannios or platys? You can get various colours of them, mickey mouse platys etc. That’s what we started with in a 15 litre tank. No heater needed if your house is reasonably warm. You need to prepare the tank and water well before you get the fish though.

Careful with letting a little kid feed them though, as over feeding can be disastrous for the water and fish.

White cloud mountain minnows fit the bill,they will also fit in a large goldfish`s mouth however.

i have white cloud minnows in with my goldfish, no problem.
they have places to hide, but the goldfish dont seem to care about eating them anyway.
‘goldfish’ in my case means 1 blue shubunkin 1 white ryukin 1 comet
and a common or garden goldfish.
they do need a sizeable tank though, and regular cleaning/filter replacement.
i also have a japanese rice fish, it hangs around with the minnows.
EDIT: minnows are actually a good choice, as the males constantly show off their colours to each other, which makes them great to watch.
DOUBLE EDIT: i got mine off a guy at work who couldnt be arsed cleaning the tank any more.

Thanks all, looks like my suspicions about the costs and complications were true,,,,

I’ll take some expert advice before parting with cash.

Apologies, my initial post was rather curt – I using my phone at the time.

A small tropical set up will not be that much more that a cold water set up.

Both need a good filter (air pump unnecessary – more for cosmetics), both need sand (better than gravel, kinder on the fishes mouths), some form of lighting is preferable and plants.

The only extra expense for going tropical is the heater and they are not pricey.

Then a small school of tetra, guppies, platys (only one type mind otherwise you are in danger of overstocking) and you are good to go.

Read up on the nitrogen cycle and how to do a fishless cycle – very very important (and actually quite interesting).

Where abouts are you. I have a 90l tank going (and possible a heater) which you are more than welcome to have in you can collect from Sheffield. 15kg of well washed play sand from Argos or the like and a reasonable but cheap filter + lighting and you are good to go.

Remember water changes – 30-40% of the tanks volume per week ideally and don’t let a fish shop (or your daughter) talk you in to overstocking the tank – biggest mistake all beginners make (me included).

Fish are great first pets but they require a surprising amount of care.

Happy to advise further if you need anything.

Cheers

Danny B