# Any Of You Here Keep Fish?



## Mrcrowley (Apr 23, 2003)

Just testing the water.......................


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## Running_man (Dec 2, 2005)

We have a 30 litre Biorb; basically it's a low maintenance aquarium which comes complete with pump, filter and lights. Excellent value for money for any beginner (i.e. me) or a hassle free ornamental display in it's own right.

We only keep two goldfish for the kids but there is a tiny water heater available for the unit that makes it suitable for tropical fish.


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## unlcky alf (Nov 19, 2006)

Marine or freshwater Paul? I used to keep freshwater years ago and never made the leap to marine, but I think I still have a book on the subject somewhere, yours if you want it (and I can find it).

It's an interesting and rewarding hobby, I took it up as a bit of stress therapy and it worked a treat.


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## Mrcrowley (Apr 23, 2003)

Thanks guys.

Whatever i get i'll need someone to maintain it for me.

So far only found one suitable co. Rental - they supply everythin inc fish, & service it every three wks.

Only drawback - Â£47 a month. I'm willing to pay it but some folk think its too much - despite only thing required from me is to look at it.


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## Robert (Jul 26, 2006)

I had always kept fish until we moved three years ago and gave the tank etc to my parents.

Always tropical and I found them quite self sufficient - unless you keep too many in the tank and you need to do a bit of cleaning. Just needed to clean the filter every so often and change half the water occasionally. Oh, and feed them.

I thought about marine but they can really be neglected and I worried about doing so.

Never thought about renting, not sure I would pay Â£47 a month though. Probably good value for just the cost of labour. Might take the fun out of it a bit - dunno really.


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## Running_man (Dec 2, 2005)

The 60l Biorb would probably suit your needs Paul. Every 6 - 8 weeks you change the filter cartridge and siphon 2/3 of the water off and replace with new. The standard light can be replaced with a timed LED unit so the shade changes to simulate day and moonlight. Towards the evening, the fish get a soft blue violet shade, it looks really cool. Biorb sell all their own accessories including water siphon. Whoever maintained the tank for you wouldn't have much hassle.


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## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

I look after two goldfish here at work - believe it or not they are used as a classroom resource & get hauled out into the classroom occasionally ........ obviously still in their tank!! By now they should be pretty well educated! They're just goldfish & nothing particularly fancy or exotic but we've had them a good few years now (5 or 6 at a guess) & they both still seem to be hale & hearty. I call them Simon & Kathryn after the two science lecturers here at college .... but I'm not sure which is which







!! They're in a small tank & I clean them out every 3 weeks or so - sometimes sooner than that, sometimes later - other than that all I do is feed them everyday (except at weekends) so they're definitely low maintenance.

I like them & they both have definite personalities (even though they're only fish) - I'll be quite sad when they swim off this mortal coil!

Fish have a very calming influence & I can look at them swimming around for ages. If I didn't have a cat there's a good chance that I'd have a fish tank


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## Mrcrowley (Apr 23, 2003)

Robert said:


> I had always kept fish until we moved three years ago and gave the tank etc to my parents.
> 
> Always tropical and I found them quite self sufficient - unless you keep too many in the tank and you need to do a bit of cleaning. Just needed to clean the filter every so often and change half the water occasionally. Oh, and feed them.
> 
> ...


See your point, & if i was ok physically then fine. But to keep the fish healthy i understand they need maintenance i couldn't possibly give.


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## thunderbolt (May 19, 2007)

Won a goldfish at a fair when I was a kid. He went round and round the same bowl for 15 years!


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## blackandgolduk (Apr 25, 2005)

I've got two coldwater 'goldfish' - a Black Moor and a Golden Fantail. I've had them both around 7 years, and they've moved with me from Plymouth to Leeds and then to London, with a brief stay in the Midlands at one point! If you could get someone to come round and change some water now and again then I think that would be preferable than spending 47 quid a month - I guess that's more for businesses though. I love them, they're really low maintenance and very theraputic.

On another, but similar, vein - have you thought about a snake? Now there's a creature which can look after itself!


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## Mrcrowley (Apr 23, 2003)

blackandgolduk said:


> I've got two coldwater 'goldfish' - a Black Moor and a Golden Fantail. I've had them both around 7 years, and they've moved with me from Plymouth to Leeds and then to London, with a brief stay in the Midlands at one point! If you could get someone to come round and change some water now and again then I think that would be preferable than spending 47 quid a month - I guess that's more for businesses though. I love them, they're really low maintenance and very theraputic.
> 
> On another, but similar, vein - have you thought about a snake? Now there's a creature which can look after itself!


Snakes never appealed to me - and Trish just wouldn't have it.


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## unlcky alf (Nov 19, 2006)

Mrcrowley said:


> Thanks guys.
> 
> Whatever i get i'll need someone to maintain it for me.
> 
> ...


What size aquarium are they supplying for that Paul, and what sort of fish planting etc? Planting makes all the difference between a big tank of water and a fascinating environment. If it's a decent size tank with proper planting etc, then I don't think it's a bad price, would you be tied in to a minimum lease?


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## jaslfc5 (Jan 2, 2007)

i had a really good collection of fish at one point but ,i had 6 angel fish and the biggest one ate the other five one night and then we got an infection and it spread throughout the tank killing all of my fish probably had about 2 grands worth of fish at one point - the taank i still have its 6ft x 4ft by 3 ft custom built .

also had koi out in my pond they got stolen lucky i had em insured - fish are alot of work and expense .


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## Robert (Jul 26, 2006)

If I had the cash I would get another set-up now. For the time being I think I'll get one of those aquarium DVD's









Google finds no-one around these parts that do it but a few within the M25 that do Â£60 a month upwards. I guess they are aiming at offices, dentist surgeries etc. Is there a minimum contract so you could get them to take it away if its not your thing?

IMO you wouldn't regret it


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## andythebrave (Sep 6, 2005)

We have a 180L Juwel Rio tank that's seen a goodly variety of aquatic specimens. Only about a dozen in there now with a lot of rocks brought back in a suitcase from Greece...

The physical demands of fishkeeping are very infrequent but do involve lugging buckets of water around. If that's not going to work then a rental arrangement is a good alternative although I would be a little concerned that the lack of personal involvement with water changes may reduce overall enjoyment somewhat.

Incidentally I'd be concerned about changing half to two thirds of the water in one go, doing so could seriously deplete the levels of good bacteria and prove to be a significant shock to the fish. Generally a 15-20% change is recommended with the frequency depending on how well stocked the tank is - it could be weekly but with a low stock level in a large(ish) tank I've got that down to every 3 months.

The one thing that I've found difficult is finding colourful fish - most in local emporia are yellow, silver or brownish. The solution I found was in the tiny Tetras, particularly the Emperor and the ubiquitous Neon. You need loads of those though as they definitely look best in a shoal.

If you go for a rental arrangement be sure to get, in writing, details of absolutely everything that is to be supplied along with what maintenance is to be done and when and what happens if (when) fish pop off to meet their maker.

Good luck.


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## unlcky alf (Nov 19, 2006)

As Andy says Neon or Cardinal Tetra look spectacular in a well planted and lit tank. They require very little maintenance and very little feeding, so the requirement for water changes is *dramatically* decreased, throw in a few Kuhli Loach to keep the bottom clean, a bit of bog wood for the tanic acid, and you're good to go. A setup like that would require very very little maintenance and I think you'd be able to buy and maintain the equipment yourself (maybe with a tiny amount of assitance from Trish).


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## Steve R (Sep 29, 2007)

When I were a lad I had a fairly large tropical tank... of course the fish were in black and white back then, but the licence was cheaper so it wasn't all bad.

These days I don't have the time/space/inclination for all the hassle that came with it, but I do have a cheeky li'l Biorb sat on my desk and I can vouch for their effectiveness and ease of use. It is an absolute doddle to maintain - it gets a one bucket water change every two weeks (but will go three or four if necessary), and the filter cartridge is changed maybe every 8 weeks - it's completely self-contained and you just take out one and plonk in another. I'd say 20 minutes for a water change, maybe 40 for a clean out including filter.

Personally I'd find a way to either do it m'self or bribe a mate/partner/pet to do it for a beer/pound/bone* and save Â£47 a month... wowzers. I should be in the fish tank maintenance business!









S.

* delete/rearrange as applicable


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