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Originally posted by wellard:
Sorry to hear about your fish lady Z, 10 years seems a long time for a fish, is it? I have been thinking of getting some tropical fish for my kids this christmas, any suggestions? Easy to maintain is good  They have a hermit crab right now and hermit is the right description! [img]tongue.gif[/img]
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Well if you are looking for easy maintenance, it's not just the hardiness of the fish you have to consider, but also the water conditions the fish needs to live. You need to first know what your PH and water hardness is at your home, the water that comes out of your tap. Usually if you go to a pet store that is nearby your home, their water is the same as your home, not incase you use well water at your home. So not so hard to find out.
If you have a high PH, you most likely also have high water hardness (which is what I have). Only so many tropical fish can live with those high PH/Hardness conditions. Cichlids are the best choice, they come in many shapes, sizes and colors, and have personalities and are fun to watch. If your PH is medium (in the 7.5 to 7.8 range) then you have lots more things you can choose from! Guppies, little sharks, little corydoras catfish, silver dollars, mollys, red neons (not the cool blue ones), goldfish..). Those cool tiny neons you see at pet stores require a very LOW PH, 5.0!
You CAN buy chemicals that you can add to any aquarium to make the PH and water hardness higher or lower, but it can be a pain as it is an extra step you have to take when changing the water in the tank for cleaning purposes.
Hope that helps a little anyways. [img]smile.gif[/img]