New to fish

[supermome]

Just getting started with fish.
It all started by saving a beta fish from being dumped. After 2 weeks of cleaning his bowl constantly, I decided to get a tank with a filter so I wouldn't have to clean so often. I quickly found out I could get a big tank as cheap as a small one just for him.
I've ended up with a 20 gal and about a dozen fish. Oh and a frog.
I'm really enjoying them. Fun to watch.

[Shayman10]

Congrats and welcome to the hobby.

You'd better watch out, these little(and big) fish can be addicting!!

What kind of fish did you get?

[poel_19]

no kidding!! welcome!!

[supermome]

In addition to the beta that started this obsession, we have added a aquatic frog, couple of neon tetras, glo tetras, catfish, black mollies, a couple of zebra somethings, and another one that I can't remember what it is called. I think I need to go back to the store so I can remember what they are (except everytime I go I come home with more fish).
My kids want goldfish, but I was told they needed their own tank, so I am now in search of a tank for that.

[poel_19]

gold fish are "cold water" fish......very different from tropical fish. They are pretty neat just remember they get big and very dirty

[dcacjc]

Welcome to the box and to the world of MTS (multiple tank syndome).

[supermome]

How big?
When I think of goldfish, I always think of those cute little orange things.
I was planning on just getting a 10 gal tank. Would that work or do I need to go bigger? I was just looking at getting 3 or 4 of them.
Or could I start them in a 10 gal and then move them to something bigger later? I think I may need to move my current ones into something bigger if they grow too much so I could do the same with them.
Sorry to sound so clueless, but, well, I am.

[supersmirky]

Congratulations and welcome to our forum. Yes, fish can get addicting. It's always, "I'll just get one more tank" and next thing you know, you have 3+ tanks of fish going! I currently have 6, and I still catch myself looking at some deals.

Get some pics of your fish. The zebra something you mentioned is probably a zebra danio.

Anyways, enjoy your stay here!

[supermome]

Yea! That sounds right.

[supersmirky]

HOw do you like your glo-fish? I was thinking about picking some up. Petco on Plano rd has the cheapest as far as I have found, they are 3.99 each or 4.99 each.

[supermome]

We love them. They really do look like they are glowing. We got them at petco. They actually had them on sale for $1 each. That is part of how we decided which fish to get. I decided that until I had this whole fish thing figured out, I didn't want to get the expensive fish. I'm afraid they will die on me.

[poel_19]

which gold fish were you looking into?? there are many species of gold fish and virtually all get bigger than the ten gallon could hold but if you are willing to upgrade tanks down the road a ten to start off would be fine!!

[supermome]

I really don't know. The kids are wanting them, so I guess I'll let them pick out which ones they like. Are some better than others? How big of tank would I need if I got 3 or 4?

[bra8ndy8]

Well............I have a "starter comet" goldfish in my tank. And he is about 6 inches now. They say that one goldfish needs 20 gallons of water, cause their brain won't grow if not in a big enough tank. Also they have a very disgusting digestive system, so they need good filtration.

Nice to have you here!! We love having new people to corrupt, and sell of our tanks too!! Enjoy your stay.....and no questions are silly........

[lellison]

Hello and welcome! It is great to have you here and good to see your introduction to the hobby! You have found the right place! Let us know if you need anything:) Oh, and post some pics when you can, we would love to see your fish

[supermome]

Someone tell me how to post pics, please!

I am more clueless with pictures on the internet than I am with fish.
I know how to take them on our digital and get them on the computer (at least if I get on the right computer, we have 3 but I only know how to do it on one), but from there I am clueless.

[jjriotgrrl]

i have a single fancy silver fantail goldfish i rescued and after seeing REYREY's goldfish tank, i am planning a huge tank just for them! all the different breeds, it's eye boggling, and the bubble eyes are my favorite...those and the moors...and the bubble heads...:tumbleweed:

[xtc]

1. Create a photobucket (http://photobucket.com/) account (free)
2. Upload pictures from your computer to the site.
3. copy the link that they provide below the picture. Use the one that has the image tags around it- the one that has in front and at the end. Paste that line where you want the picture and viola!

[greeneyed]

When posting click go advanced.
Scroll down until you see manage attachments.
Click it and browse for your pictures.

[EAST_TX_RN]

We are so glad you found our little home on the net! I started out(again) with a free 55 gal. long tank with cichlids included(an African lake fish with lots of sub-species), then got so many I had to get a 50 gal. tank. I really believe I need another one, at least a 100 gal, but hubby says "no"! I think goldfish are pretty but they are bad at polluting the water real fast. They will outgrow a 10 gal. pretty quick. Also, the bigger the tank you put them in, the bigger they will grow. I caught a goldfish at White Rock Lake as a teen that had at one time been bait, and it was about 8-9 inches long!

[rolloffhill]

:welcome:

[supermome]

I see everyone's list of animals and thought I would list mine.
In addition to the fish we also have
1 Lab--Sandy
2 Cats --Princess and Charcoal
2 Parakeets--They're my son's and I don't remember their names
3 Hamsters--They're new and everyone is still fighting over names
8 kids (only 5 still at home)
2 grandkids (much more fun than kids--spoil them rotten and send them home)
And one husband--who I think wishes I would get rid of all of the above Ok, not the grandkids.

I on the other hand want more fish, a husky, and some sort of small dog. And to trade cats for some that I am not allergic to.

I will get fish pics up as soon as I can swipe hubby's camera from him

[supersmirky]

Haha.. well great. That's a nice healthy list of animals! Well rounded.

[AndrewH]

Yes welcome to the site! We're really glad to have you.

Goldfish are sometimes what get people interested in the hobby and then they also turn it around and get the people un-interested. Goldfish are normally kept in small fishbowls when someone’s is starting out (say they win one at the carnival or something). Problem is, these fish need water circulation, good filtration, good aeration, and lots of room to move around. So of course they quickly die and the owner decided "fish are hard to keep".

Goldfish actually have some trade offs... they're tank doesn't have to be heated (less equipment) but they do require larger tanks in general (as do most cold water fish to my understanding). The thing I try to encourage people to do is make the original investment so that the animal doesn't suffer. If you buy a 10 gallon now, you'll need a 20 gallon say in 6 months. After the 20, you'll need a 30, 40 or 55 gallon. And later on the Gold fish will require up to a 100 gallon (depending on which species and number of fish) to live long, fulfilled lives. Now what happens if after the first 6 months, the fish don't get the 20 gallon they need? If you start out with the 55-100 gallon you'll save time, money, and undo stress on the fish. The initial cost of the larger tank will be quite a bit more then a smaller one, but if you have to buy several smaller ones on the way to the larger you'll find getting the larger tank to begin with will save you money and headaches.

And we'd rather you ask 1,000,000 questions and for you to enjoy the hobby as much as we do, than to ask just 10 questions to only end up hating the hobby.

Also, don't get discouraged if you have a few fish die or if you start having problems with the tank. We've all been there and we'll help you though it if you'll let us :D

[T.c.T]

I started out with a 1gal bowl of goldfish. Now I have 300gal water of fish.

[supermome]

Please no one tell my husband how your obsession (I mean hobby) has grown. He would probably dump my 20g of water and fish in the toilet before it became hundreds of gallons.

[bra8ndy8]

Yeah I went from 100 gallons that I thought was big.....and now it's up to 300 gallons!!

[fishyjoe24]

doesn't brandy have the biggest tank here? then it would be mine then chris's.