Help me! my fish is dying!?

Question

ok, so i dont even have a fish yet, but im sure this question got a lot of attention. i am getting 4 average goldfish, you know like the $2 ones at Petsmart. all from the same tank. my only problem:its a butt load of cash! i just got my july allowance ($40)

things i need:

filter-$13

fake plants-$7

magnet algae cleaner-$7

mini water test kit-$4

water conditioner-$4

fish net-$3

gravel-$2

i got the cheapest version i could in the approprate size. i rounded everything to the nearest dollar, so it comes to about $48 minus the fish. and i read on petland.com that you need an air pump. what is that? and what does it do? i also read that it helps to have a gravel cleaner; do i need to have it? ive never owned fish before, so i want everything to turn out well, like healthy fish, a clean tank all the time, stuff like that. any advice? thanks!

Answer 1

        -An air pump is this machine that blows bubbles into the water so your fish can get oxygen.  you need it so your fish can breathe.  it attaches to the tank and you plug it into the wall.  depending on the quality, air pump prices can range from $5-$70.  at petsmart there is one for 5 dollars, it's called air pumps by Hagen.

        -As for the gravel cleaner, you don't need it, my fish is 5 years old and we havn't ever had a gravel cleaner.  the rocks at the bottom of the tank will grow algae eventually and that is healthy for your fish.

        -Some good fish food brands are Topfin and Tetracolor.  there are lots of types everywhere so you can find them at your local pet store.

-P.S.  you don't need a water test kit, or fake plants, but if you want them, it's your money:)

-if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask a pet store employee.  you can also ask your parents for a book on goldfish.

-Hope this helps!!! (I hope you pick me for the best answer!)

Answer 2

Ok here's what you do. Go to Wall mart. They have set-ups for a reasonable price, and you'll get everything you need. btw: you don't need the magnet algae cleaner. Any cheap UNUSED toothbrush works just fine. ($1) Fake plants you can do without as well. I'd recommend getting a live plant anyway ($2-3 at petsmart), it will help keep your tank healthier. Also, don't forget the cost of food. I recommend Tetra tropical flakes. A small jar isn't more than $3.  An air pump isn't necessary as long as you have a filter. All it does is slightly oxygenate the water. The filter will oxygenate the water enough by itself.

Answer 3

Woa, there is no way you got a 40 gallon tank for that cheap! Wait average goldfish? You would need a 100 gallon tank for 4 common or comet goldfish! Many people think that comets or feeders only grow 3 inches, when they really get a foot. You are gonna have to wait a few monthes. If you want an easier first fish, go for a betta or some platys in a small tank. Platys breed like crazy tho, just like guppies! Plus, sinking pellets is better for goldfish than flake, it reduces the fisk of them getting swim bladder disorder. The gravel will be about 25$ or if you get 2 bags wich you will probably need, 50$ for gravel, 5 $ for food, I got the tank for 70$, stand is another 100$, for goldfish you really need a canister filter, wich is another 100$, if you go for something other than a canister filter it will still be at least 50$, 70$ if you want a good filter that will keep your fish healthy. Fake plants for that size aquarium would need to be at least...........30$, if you want it to look really good.......50$. An air stone (Also known as an air pump) Is really needed for goldfish. It gives them oxygen, if they do not get enough oxygen they will die, plus you need to but a pump to power the air stone. If this is your first fish, goldfish is a BAD choice. It is one of the most common and most abused fish in the world. They are kept in bowl or in to small tanks, they really need 10 gallon each, 8 gallons each if you really want to push it. That is for fancy goldfish, the average goldfish (I am assuming your talking about common or comet goldfish) need 50 gallons for every 2 fish. If they are put in a tank that is to small for them then there growth would be stunteed. It is a way to common myth that they are healthy even when there growth is stunted! If there growth is stunted their internal organs will continue to grow and they die at an early age. Goldfish can live to be 15 easily with proper care. When there internal organs start to grow inside them they either stop working and the fish dies OR an organ ruptres and the fish dies. Either way, not a good ending for the fish!The best first fish is a betta fish. You can only have 1 male per tank, you can have more than 1 female, but you need 3 or more females in a 10+ gallon tank. The minimum tank size for a betta is 1 gallon. A filter is not a must, as long as you test the water and cycle the tank properly. Also make sure you do weekly water changes. Feed them food made for them, about 5 pellets a day. A heater is optional also. If your room temp at your house stays about 75F or above you do not need a heater, but if it does not stay that high then you really do need a heater. The overall cost of a goldfish tank is well into the hundreads of dollars, but a betta tank is easily in your budget! Do not get the betta kits tho, they are way to small at only a half gallon! At petsmart there are 2.5 gallon tanks for 12$, betta food for 2$, water conditiner for 5$ gravel, 2$, and a fake silk plant at 7$, that is in your budget. Plus, bettas do not need an air stone because they have a gland at the top of there head that allows them to breathe from the air, so they can live in very low oxygenated water. My betta tank cost about 50$ to set up with the fish, of corse I went all out with decoratins! So, a betta will be much more in your budget than a goldfish. If you get the betta a heated and filtered 5 gallon tank then you could get 3 cory cats at the bottom of the tank, or african dwarf frogs! E-mail me with any questins about any of the species I listed here, and PLEASE do NOT put a goldfish in anything smaller than a 10 gallon tank, 20 gallon is the best size for them!

xoxoBettaloverxoxo

Answer 4

tell your parents to take it out of your next allowance and they would have to pay you nothing next time....

or buy everything one at a time

gold fish are normally 10 for a $1 at a regular pet store

Answer 5

I bought a Tank with everything you listed in it for $ 70. it was like a started kit. It really rocks. I'd wait for a month and get everything.

Answer 6

Use a whole wheat sandwich and only the fines soy sauce.

Answer 7

Hi, keeping Goldfish is a financial paradox! The cheapest thing is usually the fish & because they are cheap & plentiful people naturally assume they are the ideal beginners fish but this is far from the truth. A tropical community & even marine set ups are actually far easier to manage, set up, finance & research than Goldfish who are a regular money pit & need vast tanks & massive filtration to do it properly. The link below will help you decide whether Goldfish are for you.