# easy fish suggestions



## Aside (Mar 20, 2012)

So I was showing my dad's girlfriend my betta and she expressed interest in getting her own fish tank. I recommended she get a betta but I think she wants to get a couple fish. She wants something pretty low maintenance I think. I don't think she really knows all that goes into a fish tank but I think she will be willing to learn before she gets a fish. She loves animals and I trust her to do well by them.

She is away from home sometimes so needs a fish that can go at least 3-4 days without food (again, I recommended a betta). I don't think she wants to set up a huge tank, probably a 5.5 or 10 gallon. 

She seems to really want blue fish. 

Any recommendations?


----------



## Hopelessaddict101 (Dec 30, 2012)

Aside said:


> So I was showing my dad's girlfriend my betta and she expressed interest in getting her own fish tank. I recommended she get a betta but I think she wants to get a couple fish. She wants something pretty low maintenance I think. I don't think she really knows all that goes into a fish tank but I think she will be willing to learn before she gets a fish. She loves animals and I trust her to do well by them.
> 
> She is away from home sometimes so needs a fish that can go at least 3-4 days without food (again, I recommended a betta). I don't think she wants to set up a huge tank, probably a 5.5 or 10 gallon.
> 
> ...


First fish that came to mind was the common Goldfish. They are hardy, can last for days without food, and are pretty low-maintenance when you come to think of it. ;-)

However, you said she wanted blue. Now my mind has gone blank. Sorry. :roll:


----------



## Aside (Mar 20, 2012)

I was thinking goldfish (I might be able to persuade her off the blue) but don't they need 70+ gallons once they grow? And one fancy needs like 20 gallons, right? I don't know much about goldfish. I had three when I was little but they lived in a kritter keeper. I was eight.


----------



## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

Not to be rude, but the common goldfish is a bad choice. (Any goldfish, really) They produce so much ammonia, and can live more than 20 years! They also need 100+ gallons, unless you go for fancies which need 20G and then 10G for each additional one.. Please don't get a goldfish.. They need a lot of food anyway. Go to our mother site, tropicalfishkeeping.com and then search at the "Tropical Fish Profiles". There's a lot to choose over there, you might wanna look.


----------



## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

Aside said:


> I was thinking goldfish (I might be able to persuade her off the blue) but don't they need 70+ gallons once they grow? And one fancy needs like 20 gallons, right? I don't know much about goldfish. I had three when I was little but they lived in a kritter keeper. I was eight.


Correct. The bigger you can get, the better.


----------



## Aside (Mar 20, 2012)

I'm looking around. I'll check out the parent site. I just wanted to ask you guys because everyone on this site has been so helpful to me and my blunders getting into betta keeping.


----------



## eatmice2010 (Jan 1, 2013)

Or you can take a 10g put a divider in it and have two bettas


----------



## Hopelessaddict101 (Dec 30, 2012)

You can get really little goldfish that only grow up to, like, an inch..
I'm not sure though. They were the easiest fish I've ever had.


----------



## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

0.0 All types grow over 4 feet. What did you keep your goldfish in, exactly? 
If it was a small tank then the enclosed space must've stopped him from growing. You know, stunt hormones and poo.


----------



## Hopelessaddict101 (Dec 30, 2012)

I'm not sure if you get them there. But you can actually get full sized adult ones that are only around an inch here... and I had quite a few of them in a 300L 

I'll try find out the name. Maybe it is a strain that a breeder here had started...


----------



## Hopelessaddict101 (Dec 30, 2012)

And I think you mean 4"


----------



## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

That's a pretty big tank, I think.. I'm too tired to calculate. >.>
Can you give me a link? I live in the north east of US if that matters, or are you out of the USA?


----------



## Hopelessaddict101 (Dec 30, 2012)

I live in New Zealand.

Thinking about it, and thanks to google, you're right. It was probably a strain from a Breeder here that they formed from some deformed Betta or something. They were very cute but didn't have a very long life.


----------



## BettaPirate (Nov 20, 2012)

I think her best bet is a split 10 gallon with two males betta or a sorority tank but that would need to be a bit bigger than it sounds like she wants although I know people have run successful sororities in a 10 gallon most people think 20 is a minimum for a sorority. Or she could just get a 10 gallon with some neon tetra (they have blue in them) and a betta?


----------



## eatmice2010 (Jan 1, 2013)

http://www.goldfish-as-pets.com/types_of_goldfish.html


----------



## Bluewind (Oct 24, 2012)

Could it been a type of guppy Hopeless? There are plenty out there that look like goldfish :-?

I am gonna explain this as best as I can. If your aunt is willing to get a proper setup (the bigger, the better) a betta is gonna be perfect for her. If she wants more than one, tell her to get 4 young females. She can research auto feeders that can feed the fish when she is gone. She also needs plants for the fish to eat if they are in a bind and she is gone. That also means a proper light with a timer.

If she only has one, she can go wild with inverts and add snails and maybe shrimp. Again, the betta can eat dead shrimp (and sometimes live shrimp) or snail eggs if an emergancy happens. Shw would need to feed ALL of them when she was home.

That is the best mix I can come up with for her situation. The question is, is she willing to put in the work? Water wont change itself ya know.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## RoMay (Nov 28, 2012)

If you want a truely easy fish to take care of get fathead/rosey minnows. There active amusing, and durable fish that will eat well anything. Add some nice plants and they'll feed themselves while she can't feed them. They also do not require a heater no matter how cold it gets. Standard tank cleaning required, ammonia is still bad for all fishies no matter what.


----------



## McMarvel (Sep 13, 2011)

I'm going to take a risk here and suggest Cichlids, as long as you are careful with which breeds she picks. I've kept and bred Cichlids for ten years now and find them to be much easier than bettas. In fact, the first Cichlid I ever got is still alive, which is pretty common, life spans are between 5 and 20 years. They are relatively hardy fish, I've only had to treat for disease twice in ten years. I started with Cichlids because I lived in an area with hard water and needed something not as sensitive to lower quality water. 

The basics: 
Cichlids are divided into African and South American varieties. They CANNOT be mixed. I'm going to suggest African because I'm more familiar. 

As a beginner wanting to build a community tank she will need to stick with the least aggressive Cichlid breeds. You can get away with a highly aggressive or two as long as the rest of your tank is peaceful. Also she should consider their final size, because Cichlids can get big, like up to a foot. Stick with anything less than six inches. 

You'll need at a minimum a 25 gallon tank with a filter and a heater. You want a tank that is long horizontally because Cichlids prefer to stay near the bottom. In terms of decorations they prefer more caves and rocks, less plants. 

Tank cleaning is once a week, can be pushed out to twice a week without major consequences once the fish are older and more durable. Wipe the sides with an algae sponge, 40% water changes should be done using a gravel vacuum, and rinse or change the filter. 

They should be fed every day, but can definitely go a few days in between feedings. I've gone on vacation for two weeks before and left one of the feeder pyramids in while I was gone, and everyone was fine upon return. 

You'll also need an algae eater. In my experience the only ones that will survive in a Cichlid tank is a Raphael. He doesn't need to be fed everyday either, but they are nocturnal so he'll need his food at night. 

In terms of good beginning Cichlids that can be found at most pet stores I would suggest these:
Labs: They come in Yellow, White and Blue. They're one of the most peaceful varieties, and only grow to about five inches. 
Peacock: These are most varied in color. They are normally born a brown and as they mature can turn purple, orange, red, and blue. These range from peaceful to mildly aggressive and are between five and seven inches at full growth. 
Red Zebras: These are on the list because they're the most commonly sold variety of Cichlids at places like Petco. They're more aggressive, though also much easier to keep alive. Only about five inches in adulthood.


----------



## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

Neons aren't a beginner fish, either.

Fancy goldfish commonly reach 20-30 centimeters, the size of a dinner plate. Common, Shubunkin, and Comets get well over 60 centimeters. They're rated as a pond fish because of the amount of poo they put out. Provided you have the appropriate space, they're very rewarding, they recognize their people. But the amount of water changes mean they're not beginner friendly.

I feel that guppies are pretty low-maintenance. They're hardy, friendly, schooling fish. They come in a plethora of colors! We have blues, reds, greens, black, and a white guppy in our tank.

I also agree that cichlids can be more user-friendly. South American cichlids are a little more aggressive than the African ones though. A 5cm "Convict" will try to take on a much bigger fish! lol


----------

