Pet fish

[DBowling]

I think I'd like to get a pet fish, but would prefer to have not much more than just a fish and a bowl. What would be the best type? I'd like as little work as possible, so maybe get an algae eater and another type of fish? Anything else I need? Do i need gravel? How do I clean the fish crap? etc.

[OtisTheMarsupial]

Don't get a pet fish.

If you want a pet, go to the ound and get a cat or dog.

[mason55]

Visit the Microlimit forum.

[DBowling]

[ QUOTE ]
Don't get a pet fish.

If you want a pet, go to the ound and get a cat or dog.

[/ QUOTE ]

no pets allowed in my apartment

[manpower]

Just go down to the pet store and ask. They get this sort of thing all the time. Get one of those fighting fish(i don't know what they're really called, but if you put two in a bowl together one'll end up dead), they're tough as hell and I'm pretty sure all you have to do is feed them and change out the bowl water with tap everyone once in a while.

[GoblinMason (Craig)]

I think given your constraints you have the choice of goldfish or a betta (I think that's what manpower was refering to.) Both are fiarly low maintenence, but yeah just go to the pet store and they know about that stuff more than I.

-Craig

[manpower]

[ QUOTE ]
betta

[/ QUOTE ]
You are correct sir! They're pretty cool fish but rank way up there on the unoriginality scale. I see them in dorm rooms fairly frequently, not that it should really matter.
http://www.aquabotanic.com/contest2004/tank_21/resized/Betta%20crop2.jpg

[Clarkmeister]

I have a pet betta fish at work. His name is Bartholomew.

[2+2 wannabe]

[ QUOTE ]
Visit the Microlimit forum.

[/ QUOTE ]

nice /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
I have a pet betta fish at work. His name is Bartholomew.

[/ QUOTE ]

Fish aren't pets. They're decorations.

[iMsoLucky0]

Betta would definitely be your best bet. My fiance and I had one for a while. Very low maintainance.

[Blarg]

They do make great wallpaper, if high maintenance.

My advice: don't get a tank so big you resent cleaning it out regularly, because it starts to look like crap and stink if you don't. You'll need to get a pump, just the right size for your tank hopefully, and see if the pet shop can recommend a quiet one.

Get yourself some nice colorful stones or pebbles, and some plants help strain toxins from the water 'n' stuff, but I don't remember which ones they are. They also add a nice dash of "design" and color/interest to the tank/bowl. Something to eat algae, like a snail or two, is cool.

Even people who don't like fish or wouldn't want a tank often find a tank incredibly soothing to watch, so don't tuck it too far out of the way so that you can't really see it much. Even a small tank can lend quite a lot of life and color to your place.

Also -- putting it in the sun can make more algae grow, and mess around with water temperature too. Gotta think about that junk too.

As to fish -- Siamese can be beautiful but surprisingly dull, and look like crap if they aren't in flawless shape. Even alone, their fins sometimes wind up looking ragged. There might be probably better choices.

[Blackjack]

Get a pirahna from the black market and a bunch of different feeder fish and watch the chaos that ensues.

Blackjack

[jakethebake]

I have an Ecoshpere (http://www.atherbys.com/ex9ec.html) on my desk at work. It's pretty much the coolest thing ever.

[DBowling]

[ QUOTE ]
I have an Ecoshpere (http://www.atherbys.com/ex9ec.html) on my desk at work. It's pretty much the coolest thing ever.

[/ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Extra-Large 9" EcoSphere®
9inchEcosphere$500.00

[/ QUOTE ]

$500?!?! No thanks.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I have an Ecoshpere (http://www.atherbys.com/ex9ec.html) on my desk at work. It's pretty much the coolest thing ever.

[/ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Extra-Large 9" EcoSphere®
9inchEcosphere$500.00

[/ QUOTE ]

$500?!?! No thanks.

[/ QUOTE ]

Mine wasn't nearly that much. You can get them much cheaper. And there are smaller ones too. Mine has like 4 little shrimp swimming around and a couple of snails. No feeding. No cleaning. And it's pretty amazing that it's totally self-sustaining.

[DBowling]

i got a betta, he seems so bored. its just a bowl and gravel. does it need anything else?

[rlr]

love /images/graemlins/heart.gif

[RocketManJames]

[ QUOTE ]
i got a betta, he seems so bored. its just a bowl and gravel. does it need anything else?

[/ QUOTE ]

Another male betta. That'd definitely kill the boredom.

-RMJ

[mostsmooth]

[ QUOTE ]
Get a pirahna from the black market

Blackjack

[/ QUOTE ]
why not just go to a pet store?

[OtisTheMarsupial]

[ QUOTE ]
i got a betta, he seems so bored. its just a bowl and gravel. does it need anything else?

[/ QUOTE ]

No, there is nothing you can do. He is doomed to live a boring life.

[Pocket Trips]

a good flushing?

[rusellmj]

I have a Betta that lives in a vase with a plant growing out the top. I remember to feed him about once or twice a month. This is the laziest mofo I've ever seen. He buries himself in the roots of the plant so he doesn't have to swim. I actually thought he was dead a couple times but he was just resting I guess.

[siccjay]

Get a big fish tank and put some Bass and Bluegill and other random pandish in there. They are way more fun than tropical fish.

[DBowling]

[ QUOTE ]
I have a Betta that lives in a vase with a plant growing out the top. I remember to feed him about once or twice a month. This is the laziest mofo I've ever seen. He buries himself in the roots of the plant so he doesn't have to swim. I actually thought he was dead a couple times but he was just resting I guess.

[/ QUOTE ]

found this (http://www.healthybetta.com/articles/Lily%20Vase%20Series/vase_intro.html)

[Blackjack]

FISH FIGHTS BABY

[DBowling]

[ QUOTE ]
FISH FIGHTS BABY

[/ QUOTE ]
my betta will pwn your betta

[Blackjack]

Wanna bet? I beat my Betta and prod him with toothpicks to cut his scales so they harden and form callouses. It also improves his response time to attacks.

Blackjack

[J_B]

Having and having had a bunch of fish, a few things you should know.

1. betta like to live in confined areas. A tank larger than 2.5 galons seems to shorten their life span.

2. 2 Betta together will kill at lest one of them. Try it at the pet store. The will even jump out of the tank to get at the other if possible!

3. Read about fish on aquariumfish.net

4. If you really want fish at minimum you'll need a 10 gallon tank with filter that hangs off the back. Only put in enough gravel to cover the bottom. A heater is a very good investment too.

5. Bettas don't workout in a large tank - they just don't. Read about the rice fields in regards to bettas.

6. Though shalt change 15% of the water once a week. Thou shalt use a dechlorinater in the new water. Thou shalt vacuum the gravel in the tank. Thou shalt change filters when needed. Thou shalt not take the fish out of thy tank to pet them. Thou's fish will be spotted from time to time watching TV.

[jakethebake]

My grandma has a Betta. it's one of those things where the fish swims around in the roots of a plant that grows above it. Since she got alzheimers she talks to it constantly like it's a person. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif