Hello everyone!
I have experience of taking care of dogs, cats, rabbits etc, but now I'm thinking of taking a fish for a pet. I know that it's not very hard to take a care of them, but can someone give me some basic advises? I'm considering to take two goldfishes. Also, I study in another country and I want to go home for the holidays for 3 weeks, and my question is: can the fishes take the trip of 13 hours?
Thanks!

Goldfish need a BIG tank to live in. I had hoped to get some, but then found out how much room they actually need to thrive in, and it put me off. Not enough space in my house for a tank.

As for travelling, I'm not sure how they would cope without a filter and lights for 13 hours, where would you be travelling too? Plus you would need a big car to take the tank in.

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Agree with Happysaz... Gold fish need alot of room something which I didnt know when I looked into getting fish... infact you may be suprised to know that it may be easier to keep a few smaller tropical fish rather than a gold fish!

Also the 13 hour journey would not be good at all for them or for your filter. Having your filter off for that much time would kill all the good bacteria you would have built up and in turn could have a fatal effect on your fish!

Looking after fish isnt really hard but it does take alot of time and commitment which lots of people including me dont realise before getting them. Remember the water changes you will have to be doing as well as testing the water levels to ensure it has teh correct levels of ammonia, nitrate, nitrite etc.

Having said all that they can give a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction looking at a beautiful well looked after tank with happy beautiful fish in it!

Hope that helps a little!

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They would probably die if you did that... But- you can get a timer feeder (not one of those blocks you put in) or you could ask someone to take care of them while you are away?

Tropicals are Much easier to look after- goldfish are soo dirty and need a big tank.

x

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Common goldfish can top 30cm/12" in length and ideally need a spacious pond. The fancy varieties can also grow fairly large and need a big tank to match along with a good filter. Moving a large tank backwards and forwards every year would be hard work and would only cause unnecessary stress for the fish, and you most certainly can't move a pond.

Shipping fish in between countries often entails certain legal complications and livestock import/export licences may be required, shipping will also have to arranged as you can't just stuff the fish into hold baggage (that is if you are travelling by air). If you intend to move the fish into and out of the UK then I would have a word with Defra.

In any case fish that have otherwise been well cared for can go for a considerable period of time without food.

Be warned that fishkeeping isn't as easy as it looks, and quite a bit of spare cash for extra equipment will be needed. Tropical fish are 'generally' easier to care for and there is a greater choice of fish available for smaller aquariums, however research into each individual species is needed, as not all fish are suitable for beginners.

Thank you for your answers.
I've decided not to take fishes, because I can't find anyone to take care of them while I'm gone.
Thank you anyway

Hi

Go for tropical freshwater fish. When you go to the pet store, there will be signs at each tank that tells you what type of fish, what skill level they are for, and what type of fish. Never get two bottom feeders at once foe a new tank. My husband and I learned the the hard way when one of our fish ate the other one. It will say on the sign by the fish what level swimmer they are. One inch of fish per gallon of water is a standard rule to follow. Make sure you also pay attention to what the full grown size is of a fish and take that into consideration when going by the one inch of fish per gallon. Good luck with picking out fish! They are a lot of fun to watch!

Thanks
Have a nice time ahead....

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