When I was growing up I had Beta Sharks and Angelfish, and they lasted the longest of my fish. I don't count the suckerfish because they are kind of boring and kind of hard to kill. I wouldn't recommend goldfish because of how much ammonia they produce, and I've never been able to keep them alive longer than three days. So what fish would you recommend for first timers or for kids?
While it is true that some fish might be "hardy" compare to other fish, most fish are easy to take care of if you do things correctly. Likewise, if you are not doing things right, all fish will die regardless if they are "hardy" or not.
In other words, the same good condition can keep all fish alive and happy. The same poor condition can kill all fish eventually. There are only two choices with little in between. Either you keep all of them alive, or you kill all of them. Yes, a few fish might die here and there but in a well maintained aquarium you might not lose any fish for years.
Most kids do not have a clue on how to take care of the fish. It is up to the parents to guide them. Unfortunately, most parents also do not know the right ways to keep fish healthy in an aquarium, but at least they can do some research.
If you have any further question, feel free to ask.
If you absolutely have to know a few of the "hardy" fish, or "newbie friendly" fish, in my personal opinion there is no such thing as "newbie friendly". As for "hardy" fish, for example Zebra Danio is considered "hardy" since they can handle polluted water longer than most other fish, but they will still die eventually if the water condition is less than ideal. They are also not really friendly to newbies. Since newbies are tend to have small to medium sized fish tanks, it is not ideal for fast moving school fish like Zebra Danio.
Some people might say guppy and platy types of live-bearers are "easy". Maybe. They will just keep reproducing though, and they will overpopulate your aquarium in little time if you have kept them all alive.
Goldfish is fairly easy to take care of and they are less fragile compare to tropical fish, but they need larger fish tanks due to their (potential full adult) size. Large aquarium is not newbie friendly in my opinion.
I have to disagree with you. My cousin could keep her little guppies, I don't remember exactly what the fish were, but like eight of them in a fishbowl without a filter and wouldn't clean the tank until it was green. She had her fish for years. I have a big tank with clean water, the correct ph, filters, and the whole bit and the fish dies in a couple days or weeks. The only time they ever lived longer was when my mom took care of them. But I do think some fish are easier than others.
06-26-2016, 04:34 PM, (This post was last modified: 06-26-2016, 04:42 PM by Ram.)
No offense there. You haven't kept any fish alive for longer than three days. Obviously you were doing it wrong and what you know is wrong.
Yes, some fish are easier to keep than others, but not by much. If there is ammonia in the water, all fish will eventually die. So called "hardy" is just the matter of which one last the longest in a (unsuitable) environment. Without a filter, the ammonia will build up. There is no question about it. If you did not cycle the filter before adding the fish, ammonia will also build up... always... 100%. All "hardy" fish will die sooner or later to the toxic. If you do things right, it does not matter the fish is hardy or not since they will all live.
I very much doubt your cousin had kept the same guppies for years. She probably replaced them many times since guppies are cheap. Fish bowl with no filter nor heater have no chance to keep 8 guppies for years. Guppies are known for breeding fast too. If she indeed kept 8 of them alive in the same bowl for years, there should be hundreds if not thousands by now.
Quote: I have a big tank with clean water, the correct ph, filters, and the whole bit and the fish dies in a couple days or weeks.
"Big tank"? How big? In term of gallon or liter? The term "big" does not tell us anything at all. Someone might think a 5-gallon is big. While others will think a 180-gallon is big.
"Correct PH"? What exactly is correct PH? Different fish species live in different environment with different PH. What exactly PH did your water have?
Filters? Which exactly filter did you use?
From the way you have been telling us, you are a novice fish keeper who hasn't really started to learn the basics yet.
If you would like to keep fish alive and healthy for years, you need to listen to those who have been doing just that.
I had a thirty gallon fish tank. I changed the PH depending on the fish because some of them prefer a higher ph and others like lower ph. I know that with goldfish, you have to watch out for to much ammonia. I've had fish on and off for years, without luck. I'm not sure about the filter, I had the guy at the store help me pick it out. As for the guppies, they did breed fast but she never had more than eight in the tank. As for the idea that some fish aren't hardier than others, that's simply not true. In a tank with baja sharks, angelfish, and sucker fish (pleco?), angelfish always die first, then baja sharks, and then the sucker fish. Some fish have a greater degree of tolerance while some fish are downright persnickety.
06-27-2016, 07:13 PM, (This post was last modified: 06-27-2016, 07:15 PM by pwarbi.)
While I can't pretend that I'm any kind of expert on fish, this thread caught my eye. I'm 38 years old and live in the UK, and so I'm part of the generation over here that was brought up with Goldfish as the standard pet. Nearly every other child I knew growing up had a tank with a couple of Goldfish in. I even remember when you used to be able to win them at funfairs or on day trips out to the seaside such as Brighton or Blackpool although I think that's no longer allowed.
I'd imagine the main reason that the Goldfish was so popular was mainly because they was easy to look after because as far as fish go, there wasn't a lot that you actually had to do. Clean the tank out and feed them, from what I can remember that's about as much as it took to look after them. Another reason I think they might have popular as a pet for children, is the fact that you could never really get all that attached to them. As a child you'd feel sad if they died, as you would with any animal, but you was never going to be distraught over something that didn't really have any kind of personality. That might sound a bit harsh, but if a animal dies and you can replace it without your child even knowing, or being able to tell the difference, then you can't exactly consider that it's become a member of the family now can you!
(06-27-2016, 06:25 PM)CatCuddler57 Wrote: I had a thirty gallon fish tank. I changed the PH depending on the fish because some of them prefer a higher ph and others like lower ph. I know that with goldfish, you have to watch out for to much ammonia. I've had fish on and off for years, without luck. I'm not sure about the filter, I had the guy at the store help me pick it out. As for the guppies, they did breed fast but she never had more than eight in the tank. As for the idea that some fish aren't hardier than others, that's simply not true. In a tank with baja sharks, angelfish, and sucker fish (pleco?), angelfish always die first, then baja sharks, and then the sucker fish. Some fish have a greater degree of tolerance while some fish are downright persnickety.
You do not need to change the PH of your aquarium water. Messing with aquarium water PH is dangerous for the fish. Just let the fish adopt through accumulation when you first introduce them to your aquarium.
Ammonia should be absolutely 0ppm for all fish species.
You just proved Ram was right. Your idea of hardy fish is none other than who die the last under unfavorable conditions. Debating who usually dies the last is pointless. Why not just provide the ideal conditions so all your fish can live instead of dying one by one within short amount of time?
(07-01-2016, 12:24 AM)Thor Wrote: You do not need to change the PH of your aquarium water. Messing with aquarium water PH is dangerous for the fish. Just let the fish adopt through accumulation when you first introduce them to your aquarium.
Ammonia should be absolutely 0ppm for all fish species.
You just proved Ram was right. Your idea of hardy fish is none other than who die the last under unfavorable conditions. Debating who usually dies the last is pointless. Why not just provide the ideal conditions so all your fish can live instead of dying one by one within short amount of time?
You do need to change the pH of your water to match what your fish need. Different fish have ideal pH requirements that might not match what comes out of your sink. I've tried distilled water, tap water, and water that has been corrected with drops with varying results.
As for ammonia, yes the be kept to an absolute minimum. But some fish produce more ammonia faster which either means you need a better filter or you'll need to switch or clean the filter more often. At even given time, there is probably going to be some ammonia because one of you fish is going to urinate. But I made the mistake when I got my first fan tailed goldfish of getting a small filter that wasn't cleaning out the water fast enough.
As for the fish I referenced, my mom took care of the tank and most of those fish lasted a couple years. It's just that the angelfish usually died first, then the baja sharks, and then the sucker fish. I had nothing to do with those fish, which is why they lived longer than three days. I don't believe that all fish are created equal, some fish are easier to take care off, some are hardier, and super Sayan hardcore with very specific requirements. Some fish have harder ideal conditions to keep than others. Consider the fact that most people don't start out with salt water fish, heck most Petcos label them for experienced owners because they are harder to keep. Predatory fish can be hard fish to raise if they need live food.
As for hardy fish, it's not just them dying one by one. Some fish have a greater range of adaptability from pH levels, tank types, who you can put them with, and temperature than others. When you're picking out a fish for a kid or a beginner, there are definitely easier fish to have than others.
I have kept various fish species from different continent in the same aquarium without a problem. All by using the same tap water with the same PH. As I have said, most fish species can adapt to a wide range of PH no problem at all as long as you acclimated them slowly when introduce them into their new home.
There are of course a few exceptions. It is when the fish species is very sensitive to PH, as well as your local water's PH is a little extreme.
Yes, different fish species will produce different amount of ammonia. You can control it by the amount of fish food you feed to them. After all, the true source of ammonia is what they eat. Then again, a fully cycled aquarium should be able to handle it no problem at all as long as you do not overstock your aquarium with too many fish.
I do not deny that there are some fish species can last longer under terrible conditions. It doesn't mean you should go for only these fish as a beginner in the hope of solving your problem. You either provide the ideal conditions, or you do not. In the former case, all fish will live happily after. In the latter case, it is just the matter of time for all the fish to die. To truly dealing with beginner problems, providing the ideal conditions to the fish is the best way to go. By doing so, you do not have to worry about the fish is hardy or not.
Yes, a few fish might die here and there but in a well maintained aquarium you might not lose any fish for years. 
