I want a single fish in a small bowl. No large tank with a filter. When I need to clean the tank, how many times a week? May I know how to say it is dirty. I need: LebensmittelTankPflanzenKiesFelsenkleines SpielzeugIrgend something else? I get no filters or something big.
What supplies should I get for fish?
4 Responses to “What supplies should I get for fish?”
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If you don’t want a filter or a proper tank then fish are not for you.
Bowls are NOT adequate housing for a fish, at all. It gets toxic within a day, it is constantly unstable, it’s just entirely wrong. This includes the much misunderstood Betta.
If you want to keep fish, you will need a proper fish tank, with filter, that has been properly cycled. Fishkeeping is NOT simple and requires careful setting up.
If you just want something in a bowl, get one of these:
http://www.giftmonger.com/acatalog/bathroom_swimminGoldfish2.jpg
edit: Cyrus, an air pump does not replace the need for proper filter media in which lives good bacteria to keep the water chemistry stable (which, even with a cycled filter, in a very small bowl with a big fish is going to be entirely unstable).
The bubbles from an air pump are decorative, the action of them popping at the surface is what oxygenates. But all the oxygen in the world does not get rid of toxins like ammonia and nitrites.
edit2: and if that’s what they teach at Petsmart, no wonder so many people end up buying fish that last a week. Goldfish can NEVER EVER EVER be housed in a bowl! The sheer amount of mess they make and the size they get to (at least 6″-8″ or more) means they need more like a minimum of 25-40 gallons and HEAVILY over filtered. NO self-respecting well-researched Goldfish keeper would even DREAM of putting one in a bowl!
As for Bettas – Bettas ARE tropical fish, they too need heaters and filters!
Alright Goldfish Bowls get criticised to much, you dont need a filter if you get just a cheap air pump, and put it on for 1-2 hours a day to pump oxygen in the water or the fish will die. Plants will pump the waster with oxygen to so the more the better, rocks and toys are fine just be careful they are not sharp.
Get a gravel vacuum if you want your fish to live a long time, it’s just a tube you put it then suck it then the water will flow out in the bucket, do it all over the gravel to get all the dirt out and replace 1 third of the tank with fresh water that has had the ph setter in. I’m not be harsh on you by saying not to get a bowl and filter because thats ok, however you need a gravel vacuum and air pump if you don’t have a filter.
when it comes to cleaning the tank, it depends on the type of fish you plan to put in the bowl. if it’s a gold fish. you have to clean it every day or every other day because of the amount of ammonia the gold fish produce and releases. if the fish is a betta (which is more recommended for a bowl) then it’s every week or every other week depending on the size of the bowl. However, if it is a male betta there can ONLY be one in the tank. Bettas are aggressive. more than one female can be together. Tropical fish cannot be in a bowl because they require filters and heaters. they will not survive in a bowl. as for the supplies you need, I would add a net, tap water dechlorinator and a place to put the fish when you clean the bowl. Hope this helps
If you are housing a fish in a bowl, be careful what fish you choose. Not many fish can live in an unheated unfiltered bowl. If housing in a bowl plants, gravel and toys are NOT needed and basically take away much needed space and water.
You will also want to get dechlor to prepare the water, A turkey baster to remove solid waste and uneaten foods that will lay on the bottom. Depending on the type of fish you are getting and the size of the “bowl” water change will vary from every other day to every three days. Water quality is not judged by how clean or how dirty it looks to you but by what it is to the fish. A small test kit on hand wouldn’t hurt either to ensure the ammonia levels are in check.