Wanted 2 goldfish!!

[knitandpurl]

What a time I have had today. My daughter bought me a fish tank for my birthday, so I read instructions on how to set it up with air filter and stuff you put in the water etc. Had to leave it for a week for good bacteria to build up. So today went to buy a couple of goldfish, not as easy as you think, went to Pets at Home and was interrogated by assistant. How big is tank, how long has it been set up has tank got filter have I treated water and so on. Got through all that and then she said I could only have one fish if I wanted another one I would have to buy a bigger tank. Then she wanted my name address and postcode, by this time I was getting really fed up asked her if they were going to do a home visit otherwise why was address necessary. When we were younger we just used to stick them in a round bowl with water and they lived quite happily. Beginning to think this hoby is not a good idea, it was supposed to be a theraputic hobby but I have never felt more stressed!!!

[papagran40]

I think I know how you feel , it does seem a bit daft...yes they were in a SMALL round bowl , if you could get one ...but it is most likely all this da***ed goodie goodie tripe....you are not going to buy gold fish for fun....well not the fun they might be thinking off .....
....or are you going to take up angling at home ????.......papa.

[bykimbo]

Sorry you're stressed, really I am, but I'm thrilled to hear that the seller is taking such care to ensure that the fish aren't likely to end up dead in days. Just polish your halo and bask in the smug glow of being an approved fish-owner.

[ladynuttiepig]

we have never had that and we have been to 2 diffenct shops

lol all our fish died last nigt as plugs got turne off

[astral276]

Sounds more like a problem with the way it was said rather than with what was said.

Everything they mentioned is valid, including the number of fish suitable for a given tank size (How would you like to spend the rest of your life stuck in a lift with me?), to ensure the health of the fish. I can't see they had any right to require your address though.

Of course...if you don't feel fish warrant concern about their welfare when taken out of their natural habitat to become a 'pet' then the issues raised count for nothing.

Before you keep any form of pet it is always worth getting a good book on the subject first so that you can do your best by them and prevent suffering due to a lack of knowledge.

[knitandpurl]

I would never take on an animal without first looking in to what it needed to live a good life. I made certain that the tank was in good condition for the fish nothing plastic fresh plants and filters etc. My son has kept fish for some years so he has helped. Just a comment on how things have changed as regards the policy of fish buying. As for taking them out of their natural habitat I should imagine the goldfish are spawned in a tank and have never known anything different.

[PoppyGrove]

Well done on getting the tank sorted first before getting the fish.

I had it the other way around. Someone gave me 2 goldfish, which I housed in a square plastic box for nearly 24 hours before I had the opportunity to get to a pet store to buy a tank and its trimmings. Luckily both survived and I had them for nearly 4 years before they both died within a short space of each other.

The pet store assistant is right in some of the questions that she asked - depending on the size of the tank is dependant on the number of fish that can comfortably live in it. Same with animals on grazing land. Although for the life of me, I can't think why she would need your address, unless it would be to add you to a mailing list.

The best book I found on goldfish as a starter book is an RSPCA booklet type book - I thinks the cost is only a couple of pounds. Can't remember the proper title, but if I remember rightly its one of those 'how to' books. I'll dig it out and send you a pic if you like so you'll know what book to look out for. We have a few books on the subject, so feel free to pm me if you have questions.

We've since gone on to a tropical tank aswell as the cold water tank - but as the fish have died naturally, we've let the tank go so it is now empty ready for when we move. Fish - especially tropical fish - from past experience do not cope well with moving.

[cornishmaid1961]

I've never been asked questions like that when I've bought fish !

Must be doing things right though as my oldest one is now 15 years old (not sure how old it was when we got it) and my other goldfish and blackmoorhead I've had since they were tiddlers and they are about seven years old now. They are meant to belong to my boys but guess who always ends up having to clean the tank !

[knitandpurl]

Thanks for that BabsnRay. I think the idea of the fish tank was to give me a new hobby, that eventually will lead to me getting tropical fish. It is better to start small and see how I go. I don't go out very much due to panic attacks and I do get easily stressed out it never occured to me that it was for a mailing list. I refused to give them my address anyway. Have got a book with the tank my daughter thinks of everything.

[PoppyGrove]

A cold water tank is easier to set up than a tropical - but once they are set up and occupied, it is then a case of general maintenance and keeping the tank clean.

We had a couple of cold water tanks - one with 'normal' gold fish, and the other had fan tails.

Have a read through the book - it will give you a guide in the form of a table. Find the size of tank and the max number of fish it will hold. Our fish tanks are packed now, but working from memory, on of the cold water tanks was about 18 x 12 x 12 inch high and I'm sure I had 4 or 5 'normal' gold fish in it - although they come in different colour markings and different names. The other was about the same size and I had 3 fan tails in it.

The more into the hobby you get, the more understanding of it you will have, and the more you will want to learn.

Enjoy your new hobby - if you have a dog or cat - they'll enjoy it too. Our dogs used to sit for ages watching the fish moving around the tank - almost as if they were amused by something that appears to be floating.