Goldfish can actually live pretty long, provided that you give them the right conditions and everything. =] However, they do require lots of space. As in LOTS!! =]

Bettas actually make great starter fish as they are GORGEOUS and easy to take care of. They don’t require too much space, just 2.5 gallons at least for each. Clown fish are saltwater and harder to maintain. (Wouldn’t recommend it but that’s just me, haha!)

Bettas are very territorial, especially the males. However, this is only a general statement. Bettas have a lot of personality and while one may attack any living thing, another may be more submissive, so it just depends on the betta.

Generally, you shouldn’t put males together in any tank unless you have a divider of some sort. You can put females together in communities if you want though. =] Again, these are general statements. Each betta is different. Between clownfish and betta, I recommend the betta, definitely.

Other fish that I recommend are mollies, platys, and/or guppies. However, these are livebearers, meaning they reproduce like no tomorrow, haha! The females can store sperm for up to 6 batches of fry! So unless you want lots of babies, get males only or females only!! =]

Hope these helped!

Sheesh.. people are giving you good advice here.

Good on you for asking the questions first though..

Instead of thinking type of fish, think about the aquarium ecosystem that you need to run. If you set up the tank correctly and care for it right, then you can keep most common fish.

Now my suggestoin is to go and buy the biggest tank you can afford / justify / fit in the space you have. 15 or 20 gallons is a good size for a beginner. Big enough to actually keep some fish, not so expensive that you cant afford it.

Just buy a complete kit, and a good book on fishkeeping – no fish yet.

Get the tank home, set up and running, and read the book in the meantime. You may wont to do a full fishless cycle on the tank to set it up, but a betta can be added to a tank that size and let the tank cycle in it’s own good time. You than have a tank that you can keep a few other fish in, even with a betta, but never 2 betta in a tank.

You could buy a smaller tank, but that really limits you to a betta only.

Goldfish are perfectly OK, and can live for maybe 20 years, but you will want a larger tank for them. They grow big and are messy fish. If you try and keep them in a bowl, they will die.

Clownfish are tropical marine, expect to spend maybe $1000 on a tank to keep them, and any marine tank needs a lot of research and maintenance.

Good Luck

Ian

Comet goldfish either die quickly in a bowl, or grow HUGE in a tank. I would get some tropical fish, and I recommend black mollies, ballon belly mollies, and maybe some sunburst mickeys.

My seven-year-old brother has a gorgeous male betta fish in a 2.5 gallon aquarium. He feeds it all by himself and does water changes with no more than a little supervision. Since your daughter’s only four, you’ll probably be doing all the work. But in a few years, maybe she’ll be ready to take over some duties. My brother’s betta has been a lesson in responsibility for him, and he loves taking care of it.

Bettas are good fish for children or for people who don’t want to dive too deep into the aquarium hobby. They’re hardy, solitary, colorful, and they don’t require filtration or a huge aquarium. That said, a betta in an unheated, cramped bowl will not be an active, healthy fish. Bettas really should have at least 2.5 gallons or more of swim space.

I would definitely recommend a betta as a starter fish. There are 2.5 or 5 gallon aquarium kits that would be a great home for one. Just remember that bettas cannot be kept with other bettas. They’re extremely aggressive. Also, betta fish need their water temperature to be in the 76 – 82 degree range. For a 2.5 or 5 gallon tank, I’d get a 25W heater.

But if you’re really interested in the aquarium hobby and you don’t mind spending a little more money or putting in a little more work, a 10 gallon tank would give you enough space for a community of tropical fish. A 10 gallon tank gives you far more options than a 2.5 in terms of which fish to keep in it. Just be sure to do some research on aquarium cycling and compatible species before purchasing fish. A community tank can be a lot of fun, and it’s a little more involved than having a single betta.

i guess a regular gold fish or a bunch of neon tettras

No, Goldfish do not die too quickly, they live to be up to 10-50 years, depending on the fish, and how well they are cared for. If you buy a Goldfish, you should get a Fancy one, and purchase a 20-30 gallon tank with a filter specialized for gallons twice its size.

Clownfish are saltwater fish, and Betta’s are tropical, freshwater fish. I suggest, if you do not want to be spending close to $150 or even $250 on a Goldfish tank, I suggest that you get a Betta.

These fish are quite hardy, and will do well when put alone, in a 5 gallon tank. You could technically keep two female Betta’s in a 10 gallon tank, but no more, and definitely not combine them with males. Two Betta fish to be introduced to a 10 gallon, cycled, heated, and filtered tank with some kind of gravel substrate, a live plant or two, hiding places, and a bubbler will be lovely for everyone, and your daughter will love them.

Since this is your first time with fish at all, you should not be getting Clownfish, because you should really experience having a Betta, and a Goldfish, and a couple other hardy fish first, before stepping straight into getting Clownfish.

Read the article below that explains how to cycle a tank. You need this in order to make your fish comfortable in his/her/their new environment that you place them with. I suggest for a first-timer, you get a Betta, as Goldfish are a lot of work, and require lots of space, and care.

Good luck! I’m sure your daughter will love these fish!

Well, personally, I’ve found beta fish to be the most boring… not very appealing to a 4 year old! Since you say you’re new to this, I would start out with some freshwater community fish. they’re very easy to care for! just make sure you’ve had the tank set up and sitting for a few weeks before you put the fish in, since it will be a brand new tank and has no bacteria or algae, which is vital. Neon tetra’s are fun, and if you buy enough, you can watch them swim in their school. And don’t listen to them!! Having never done salt water before, I bought a tomato clown fish and the fish store had saltwater readily available to take home. That clown fish is still alive 2 years later. If you really want to try saltwater, try it. Just read up on it first, and you should be fine

goldfish dont die too quickly, they can live well over 20 years, they die quickly because people dont take care of them. Dont go for clownfish (or any saltwater) if you dont have any experience with tanks, saltwater is more expensive and freshwater will give you a good starting point to learn how a tank works and is maintained, I think a beginner having a saltwater tank is like giving a 16yr old kid a lambourghini as a 1st car, its just not a good idea. You could do a betta (as mentioned mixing bettas isnt a good idea), or you could do a simple freshwater community with fish like swordtails, guppies, cories, tetras, danios, rasboras, killifish, gouramis, etc. I would recommend getting a 20gal or bigger, the bigger the tank the easier it is to care for (I know it sounds like a contradiction but smaller tanks have little room for error). Look into some sites like fishlore.com badmanstropicalfish.com and firsttankguide.net they have some good beginner articles to get you off on the right foot. Please do the proper research, both you and your daughter will be much happier, make sure you have a basic understanding of the nitrogen cycle, how to clean a tank and why fish can and cant be mixed with others

clownfish require TOO MUCH WORK…
betas, are very simple, buy a five gallon, heated and with a filter, and your favorite male or female beta…
dont buy more than one beta male beta though-they will kill each other- on the other hand, if you want to have babies, then buy a female as soon as he builds a nest of bubbles

Beta’s are very popular, they even had them in the daycare where I clean. I personally like the neon tetra’s and fancy tailed guppies, the are colorful. You can get some pretty fascinating fish, depends on what you want to spend too.