Fish for my daughter

Question
Hi Chris,
I just read one of your articles about the keeping goldfish and that they are more maintenance as far as keeping the tank clean.  I would like to get a tank for my 3 year old daughter - to put on her dresser.  Could you recommend what type of fish to get? And the best deal on a tank set (I don't want to buy a lot of accessories not needed).
Thank you,
Debbie

Answer
Hi Debbie;

The type of fish really depends on what size tank you will have. For a ten gallon or larger, there are some very pretty and interesting fish such as platies, neon tetras, danios, white cloud minnows, cory cats, and dwarf gouramis. For tanks under ten gallons you are pretty limited. A five gallon could have 5 little danios or 5 white clouds. Or, get three danios or white clouds and a couple of cory cats. If your tank is 3 to 5 gallons you are limited to maybe a male betta with a single cory cat. The rule of thumb is to have one inch of fish per gallon of water when you are keeping small fish. You have to start very slow though. Your tank, no matter what size you get, will need to get through the break-in period. Here is a link to my article on new tanks to help you with that part;

http://www.xanga.com/Expert_Fish_Help

If your daughter's dresser is big enough to hold a ten gallon tank (weighs about 90 to 100 pounds) that's a really good one to start with. You can usually get a good price on a ten gallon with a kit that includes everything you need. The basics are; a tank with full cover and lights, power filter, heater, water conditioner, and fish net. You will also need an aquarium vacuum with a hose to make water changes with. Choose your decorations and substrate too when you buy your tank. Just don't buy any fish yet. Set the tank up and let it run for a couple of days to be sure everything works properly and the tank doesn't leak.

Here are web pages with helpful info for choosing a tank and what to watch our for as a newbie;

http://www.firsttankguide.net/steps.php

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/aquariumstartup/a/newtankmistakes.htm

http://www.fishpalace.org/Community.html

http://www.fishpalace.org/Tank.html

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/beginnerinfo/a/fishcalc.htm

http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin-intro.html#success-tips

Have fun and let me know if you need more help.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins