How to Choose the Right Fish for Your Child

For your child’s first time pet you will want to choose something that is easy to manage and that will have a long shelf life.

The goldfish makes the perfect first time pet. Goldfish are low in maintenance and fairly cheap to keep alive. This way if your fish does unexpectedly decides to take a trip off to “la la land’ for good, than you know you can afford a new one.

In order, to buy a goldfish you will need very minimal items. You will want to purchase a clear fish bowl that is big enough for your goldfish to swim around, but not to big where they feel alone. A 5 gallon fish bowl is sufficient enough. They are fairly cheap and prices are normally around $8.99. You will also want to buy peoples to put in the bottom of the tank. If you would like, you could buy a small design to place in the bottom of the tank. This will allow the fish to hide if they feel the need to.

The number of goldfish you would like to buy is up to you. The rule of thumb for a 5 gallon tank is to have no more than 3 fish in the tank. This will keep the tank from getting overcrowded. It is also best to buy all goldfish instead of mixing and matching. This will keep the fighting to a minimum. Goldfish are cheap and cost around 10 cents a fish.

Take your child to a pet store in your local area. Explain to them that you are there to buy goldfish and no other animal. Let them study the fish. Point out their differences to your child, so they don’t look all the same. Then once you have made a decision, let the sales person know. You will be able to take your new family member home after purchase.

Cleaning your fish tank is easy. Make sure to clean the tank at least two times a week. Remove the fish into a bowl of water. Remember to leave out a gallon of water overnight, so the water is room temperature. Once the fish are removed, dump the pebbles into a strainer. Run water over them and turn them over in your hands, to ensure all of them are removed of dirt and grime. Take the bowl and rinse it out with water. Clean the sides and bottom of the tank with your hand. Place the pebbles back into the fish bowl. You can now place the fish back into the bowl.

Goldfish live, normally, about 4 months. If they are well taken care of and fed twice every day, they can live even longer. Having goldfish can be fun. When you feel more at ease taking care of a fish, then you can upgrade.