Are Pet Fishes Right For Your Family?

Hello Everyone!! 

I'm so sorry we have not posted anything lately.  It has been an eventful couple of weeks.   If you follow us on Facebook than you already know that Ms. Bree was sick again last week.  To add to my already stressed week, my dear hubby had to have surgery as well.   

If you don't follow us on Facebook than you need to do so right away.. Caramel Curlz & Swirls Fan Page, where we have the most fun! 

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Because my two lovings were down, I didn't have the energy nor the time to properly prepare for Valentine's Day.  After having high fevers for a week, Ms. Bree was able to return to school on Friday. 

Unfortunately, no special treats were prepared nor Valentine's Day baskets.  However, Hubby decided to do something special for the children.  While I learned my lesson the first time around, apparently my husband has not.  By that I mean that this is the second time we have a fish tank.   

A few years ago my darling husband decided to invest in a 25 Gallon salt water fish tank because our son was into "Nemo & Dori" at the time.  Let me point this out.  What a mistake that was!! Unless you are serious about the hobby, have the patience, the time and are willing to do the extra work involved in maintaining a salt water fish tank, this hobby is not meant for you.  

Needless to say, it was not meant for us at all!  During that time we also discovered that our son was allergic to some of the ingredients contained in the fish food.  Thankfully he has outgrown said allergy.      

What triggered this idea?  Well, my husband decided to set up our old 25 Gallon Tank in his new office and the kids immediately began to ask for one, I kindly rejected their request! 

Aqua Culture Aquarium Starter Kit

Product Description: 

This kit includes all you need to start an exciting hobby for the whole family. Just add your imagination! The aquaculture aquarium hood and its incandescent lamp brighten and enhance fish colors. The hood allows for easy maintenance with contoured cut-outs for your filter and optional heater. Plus, the hood's convenient front access door makes it easy to feed your fish.

It includes: size 10 glass aquarium, aqua-tech 5-15 power filter with bio-fiber biological filtration and ez-change #1 filter cartridge, full incandescent light hood (complete with bulbs), water conditioner sample, tetra fish food samples, easy set-up instructions and tetracare support information

Ideal for goldfish and other coldwater fish

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Now, this item is no longer available online but I suggest you visit your local Walmart Store. 

However, if you don't mind having a bigger tank, you can always obtain the 20 gallon tank online or in store.  

Our Review: 

While you can make the choice to purchase the 5 Gallon, let me point out that the 10 Gallon is only a couple of dollars more and will remain clean longer than the smaller tank.  Therefore cutting your cleaning time in half.  

If you are new to this hobby, this tank may be for you.  It's neither too small nor too big, it comes with also priced at the right amount for first timers. 

The kit has everything you will need to get start it, filter, hood with LED lights, water sanitizer and an envelope of food.   The only item missing in this kit is the "heater" and decorations.  But I think it was a great buy for only $29.00. 

Aquarium Decorations:

The fishes currently in their tank are: 

3 (orange fishes)- 

2 Black striped Skirt Tetras

2 Silver Skirt Tetras
1 Cat fish (Bottom Feeder)
1 Black Molly

The fishes were purchased at PetSmart because of their current sale.  The orange fishes were only $0.88 each and the Skirt Tetras were $1.69 each. 

The children gathered some of their allowance money and purchased the decorations from Walmart as well.  

*1 bag of neon colored gravel;

*"Be Aware of the Sharks-No Swimming Stone; and

*Rock with plant;

All of these items ranged from $0.99 cents to $2.99.  

Like any new hobby, you don't have to buy everything on the very first day.   I love the look, the fact that does not take over my living room, and the noise is not an ugly noise, in fact, is a bit relaxing.  

I do wonder if having real plants will make the tank stay cleaner for longer periods instead of using the plastic ones the kids purchased.   But I am not running the thought through my kids.  Like any kids, they get excited over new ideas but fail to really understand the amount of work involved.  


Below is a photo of my loving and you can see how the tank looks. 

However, our children gathered some of their allowance money and went back to Walmart the day after  and purchased three more decorations. 

In total my husband and kids spent approximately $60.00, including all decorations and the fishes.  Compared to the amount of money we spent in setting up the salt water tank a couple of years ago, we save hundreds! 

This is what their tank looks like now: 

Have more questions?  Here are some answers from the experts: 

• This product does not come with a thermometer. You might consider getting a thermometer depending on which species you intend to keep and how you maintain the temperature of your home.

• Hardy tropical species will be able to survive in room temperature water in most homes, but some more sensitive species might get too cold if you like to keep your home cool. In this case, you'd also need to purchase a tank heater, which this kit does not come with.