How To Keep A Fish Alive! | Things Every College Girl Should Know

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Learn How To Keep A Fish Alive!

I am very talented at killing things. I have had several pets that didn’t make it, including a handful of goldfish, two turtles, and a crab. Well, if you need help keeping something alive let me tell you what I have learned from my mistakes!

First, many dorms and apartments don’t allow pets like kittens and cute puppies. However, most don’t mind an aquarium fish!

If you are going to get a goldfish, follow these tips!

1. When adding water to the fish bowl, don’t take it straight from the tap.

Instead put some into a cup or glass jar and let it sit for at least 24 hours. This will get rid of any chlorine, and will consequently not kill your little pet!

2. Don’t clean out the tank, like ever.

I know this may sound gross, but trust me it works! Year after year my fish died within a month. Then my aunt told me that fish like to eat their bacteria. She had one goldfish that lived 10 years, and only died because he got bloated due to a toddler pouring the ENTIRE container of fish food! I have lived strong by this rule for a year now, and my little fish Hector has not died! That is a record!

3. If you must clean out the tank, only wipe down one side with a rag.

4. Be consistent in feedings. I keep Hector in the bathroom, so I see him often!

5. If all else fails buy a plant. I would suggest bamboo or an orchid.

Bamboo requires light and water, and if you keep it by the sink it is a very easy reminder.

Orchids can be watered one a week! I use three ice cubes to water mine.

6. If you can’t keep a fish, orchid or bamboo alive go with a cactus. That’s gotta work…

What Do You Think?

Does your dorm or apartment allow pets? Will you consider getting a fish after reading this post? Leave a comment and let us know!

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Written by

Annie

Category: Just for Fun, Miscellaneous, Other Tags: dorm, fish, goldfish, pet

13 Comments

Aleida says:

17/04/2011 at 1:46 pm

I hope you know that there are products that get rid of chlorine in tap water for you and you didn’t just give your fishies tap water right from the get go.

I’ve never had a goldfish but I do keep Bettas from time to time. We don’t really clean the tank, just refill the water when it starts getting close to half empty. My Bettas usually live 2 – 3 years which isn’t bad considering their short lifespan and how most are already at least a year old when they’re put up for sale.

I don’t think fish get enough credit as pets. They each have their own personalities and if you take the time to get to know your fish, it’ll become apparent. They’re easy to take care of and make great pets for a dorm or someone who doesn’t have the time to commit to a dog or cat.

Reply
Annie says:

17/04/2011 at 2:08 pm

Can I just say it is slightly ironic that this post was approved, um now? Since my fish Hector died this week. However I still think these tips work, and Hector did live to be a year old. He simply was neglected the past few weeks and not fed enough due to being out of town too often and being ridiculously busy with finals. I am a bad fish mommy.

And I agree with you Aleida, fish do have personalities!

Reply
Rachel says:

01/05/2011 at 3:08 pm

Sigh. I am THAT person who has killed a cactus.

Reply
Candy Dish: Campus Scoop : College Candy says:

01/05/2011 at 4:01 pm

[...] How to keep your dorm room pet alive [...]

Reply
Lana says:

17/05/2011 at 9:52 pm

I don’t agree with #2. If you’re regularly maintaining the tank, it should be fine. I had two goldfish that lived for three years and I cleaned their tank on a weekly basis.

Reply
Fish Problems says:

21/05/2011 at 4:08 am

Actually, following the advice in this article is a direct recipe for killing your fish! I really hope no one has followed your advice.

First of all, goldfish can’t be kept in bowls. Period. They will not live, and if they do, they will be very unhealthy and severely stunted in growth. For more information about why a goldfish bowl will kill your goldfish, check out – http://www.fishproblems.com/fish-problems/you-don%E2%80%99t-want-to-get-a-goldfish-bowl-for-your-child

Fish do not EAT the bacteria in their tank! The bacteria in your tank is necessary to keep the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels from becoming toxic and killing your fish. You have to be careful when you clean your fish tank out because you want to preserve the beneficial bacteria colony – if you get rid of too much of it, your tank will spike in ammonia, etc..

Reply
Taylor says:

07/07/2011 at 6:09 pm

Wow. You would have to be an idiot not to clean out a fish tank. That’s the biggest reason why fish die in the first place. Bad water quality = introduction of diseases = DEAD FISH. Disease kills fish before hunger does.

Reply
Livy says:

08/07/2011 at 2:24 pm

Goldfish need AT LEAST 10 gallons of water per goldfish if a fancy goldfish, & 20 gallons per regular goldfish (yes, those 15c ones from the pet store). Goldfish are supposed to live 15+ years, so if they die after a year they probably weren’t happy. II learnt this the hard way, with my two goldfish who shared a 10gal. Stick to bettas in college, in the long-run much cheaper too! And better personality!

Reply
Fish Lover says:

13/07/2011 at 9:38 pm

“When adding water to the fish bowl, don’t take it straight from the tap.”

Tap water contains chlorine and Chloramine, a water treatment product will remove these from the water making it a safe environment for fish.

“Don’t clean out the tank, like ever.”

A fish tank requires cleaning and water changes on a regular basis. Final.

http://www.fishproblems.com/fish-problems/how-to-clean-a-fish-tank-%E2%80%93-do%E2%80%99s-and-don%E2%80%99ts/

“Be consistent in feedings. I keep Hector in the bathroom, so I see him often!”

About the only good advise here

Reply
Annie says:

13/07/2011 at 11:27 pm

Thank you for all your feedback.

I wrote this from my experience. Obviously many of you have a different opinion and different experiences with fish. Thank you to those who have expressed their opinion while still being respectful to my views.

I wrote this piece mainly for fun. But I can see that I may very well be wrong on many points. So thank you for your opinions and advice.

Reply
kaitlyn says:

08/02/2012 at 12:58 pm

some of yall are complete idiots..the 10 gallon this is complete bs..the pet stores keep like 30 of them in like 2 gallon tanks i had 3 in a 4 gallon tankand they lived for like ever….and livy they probly died by something else cause thats just not true AT ALL…

Reply
concerned fishkeeper says:

13/02/2012 at 11:37 pm

Kaitlyn, why don’t you do some research before you call those guys idiots? Yes, on rare occasions fish will survive in less than ideal conditions like yours, but they will not thrive. You may have gotten lucky with your fish, but what you did was just plain wrong and would normally kill the fish. And pet stores keep their fish in overcrowded tanks because a)it’s temporary and b)they make more money that way. It is still very bad for the fish, which is why a lot of pet store fish are often sick. You may very well be the most ignorant person to comment on this article.

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Jen says:

17/07/2012 at 9:24 am

‘Don’t clean out the tank, like ever.’

You have to have the fish in a tank. I’ve had many goldfish over the years and they always died within 2 days when I just had them in a bowl and never cleaned it out.
Now I have 8 goldfish in a tank and I’m always cleaning it out like once a month. They have lived for 2 years since I got them and still going strong.

Reply