Distilled water for goldfish? Low maintaince fish for single person?

Question

Is it good to use distilled water for goldfish? Actually what is the best fish to have that is low maintainence?

Answer 1

No distilled water for goldfish....single fancy goldfish needs 20 gallons of water...add another 15-20 gallons for each extra goldfish you keep...frankly speaking..when I got into fish keeping, I really thought its easy and low maintenance, but its not..its a commitment, investment of time and money too..

lowest maintenance would involve all of the following:

1) 5 gallon tank with a filter and a heater

2) A betta fish

3) A plant and a nice castle like decor to go into the tank

4) Water conditioner

5) Betta food - Flakes, bloodworms, pellets - Variety of food is good to have...keeps them healthy

6) Syphon - For cleaning

7) 2 new buckets (never used for soap) and have them dedicated only for the tank, used for water changes

8) Thermometer

This is to get you started..As time passes by..you need some medicines, like stresszyme, melafix...common ones to specific ones if your betta is suffering from any disease...which does not happen if you do 30% water changes every week without fail...maintaining the water quality is very important

Depending upon the tap water in your area you might have to buy a ph balance solution

Obviously filter pads that need to be changed at least once in 7-8 months...and of course the water changes need to be done in a particular way so that the useful bacteria does not die...

Also to start with you have to have a cycling of your tank that takes 3-5 weeks...but with a betta after 2 weeks you can put your fish in only if it is a 5 gallon tank with filter and heater..

Lots of research goes into all this...its time well invested...and if you enjoy all this, which personally I do..then you will have a very good friend for yourself...and am sure you will be very proud of it..

Its not as easy as getting a bowl, filling it with water...and put the fish in...its much much more than that..A friend of mine says "We are not fish keepers, we are water keepers. If the water is taken care of, it takes care of the fish"..I agree...

People start a fish tank with a lot of zest but then cannot keep up with the water changes and due to their slack teh fish die..and then its no more their hobby...think about it...do your research...and I would only recommend a betta fish...not in a bowl but in a tank...Good Luck...and Welcome to this awesome hobby...

Answer 2

ok, WOA oktober. Yo have it all wrong with goldfish. They need 20 gallons per fish and common goldfish need 50 gallons every 2 fish!! Goldfish are THE WORST beginners fish. DO NOT get one of these as a first fish unless you are able to spen hundreads of dollars on a proper sized aquarium.

I say the best begginers fish is a betta fish. Here is a good site on them- http://www.aquariumguys.com/betta-fish-c...

Good luck with your new fishey!=)

Answer 3

You should never use distilled water for any fish.  Distilled water has no dissolved minerals in it at all and fish need some of those dissolved minerals for healthy growth.  Distilled water is made that way so that it will not harbor any life, and that includes fish!  If your tap water is not good, what you want to use is spring water, not distilled water.  

Goldfish are really not that low maintenance.  They are very high waste producers, which means they need big tanks with very good filters and frequent water changes to be healthy.  The only thing that makes people think they are "cheap and easy" is that they are coldwater fish and can be kept without heaters.  Most goldfish kept in bowls live very short, miserable lives.  

If you don't want to get a heater, try getting a white cloud minnow.  They are also coldwater fish, but they are much smaller and not nearly so messy.  Bettas are also good beginner fish as they are very hardy and not expensive, but they should have heaters, as they are tropical fish.

Answer 4

If you want a low maintenance pet, get a cat or a guinea pig. Fish aren't low maintence.

With cute furries all you need worry about are shots, their bed and where they eat and p**p. With fish you've got all that (well accept the shots, but my fish medicine cabinet rivals my own) plus providing a whole ecosystem for it. There's a lot lot more to keeping fish than just water!

No, you can't used distilled water. It lacks essential minerals fish needs. Dechlorinated tap water will do just fine unless there's something really wrong with your tap water.

Http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/Guides

Lastly, NO FISH BOWLS. All aquatic animals need a stable cycled filtered environment. Bowls do NOT provide this!

Answer 5

goldfish are pretty easy to take care of and i guess you could put one in a bowl, but really every fish needs a filter, to keep it living longer. As for very low maintenance, I would say a betta fish. They don't really like other fish, so it's best to have one alone and it can be kept in a small aquarium, also theyre really beautiful.

Answer 6

beta fish are good. you dont need air bubbles for them (

it can make them sick). i wouldnt go with goldfish if your planning on using a 1-2 gallon tank. goldfish can grow to the size of your foot and then y need a lot of room (preferably 20 gal.). and you can put beta fish together with other betas, as long as all the fish are female! no other combo can work safely. betas are very fun!

Answer 7

distilled water is the worst water you can use. its "distilled" it has no minerals, no oxygen, very low ph, ect... walmart carries "RO" water in gallons if you really wish to use a bottled water. goldfish have a large body mass, and are not suitable for small tanks. they all get to be about 12 or more inches, which the smallest tank they can go in is about a 10 gallon (smallest not meaning best) and thats only for 1 goldfish. when they are really young that may be ok, but you would want something with more volume, for water movement, and yes definately a good filter, and good water changes. bettas are the easiest fish to keep, and you can find tons of the "exotic" bettas now (crowntails, deltas, half moons, ect. ) i would have one in about a 5 gal tank, with a water heater. do partial water changes about 3-4 times a month, and feed everyother day (their food is full of protien, and need time to digest or they get constipated) you can add a filter, but i would watch, they dont like a lot of water movement, so get one that doesnt have a strong output or current.

Answer 8

well, tap water w/dechlorinatoris the BEST to use. also, goldies arent exactly low-maintenance, they require a 30gal for one, and 10 for each one after that. thats for FANCYS (except pearlscales, they need 70 gals for the first one and 10for each ne after that) commons require like 50g A PEICE! the easiest beginner fish is a small (like 10, 15 or 20 gallons)  tropical community (IE: mollies, platys, neons, guppies) or a 10, 15, or 20g  coolwaer tank with a single type of minnow (rosy red, white cloud mountain minnow etc)