My first fish tank

Take one fish in a plastic bag, one fishbowl and one child, and what do you have? Chances are you'll soon have a dead fish and a very unhappy child.

But it doesn't have to be that way. The secret of making your child's first fish tank a success is choosing the right equipment and the right fish, along with equal parts planning and patience.

Beginners need to start with the basics, and when it comes to fish, nothing is more basic than water. Without plenty of filtered, aerated water kept at the right temperature, your child's fish will become stressed, ill or may die. That's why equipment, rather than fish, is the most important part of setting up your child's first aquarium.

The first critical piece of equipment is the tank, and one expert suggests you make it easy on yourself by thinking big. "The bigger the tank, the easier to keep," says Maddy Hargrove, author of "Freshwater Aquariums for Dummies" (Wiley, $22). "I've always told parents to buy the largest tank you can financially afford and have the space for."

For Hargrove, that ideally means a 55-gallon tank. Add to that a high-quality filter capable of processing 100 percent of the aquarium's water at least three times every hour. The staff at a good aquarium supply store should be able not only to help you pick out a filter and other supplies, but also to make sure you know how to set up your tank and properly treat and test your water.

But even when your water has been treated, your filter is bubbling and the underwater plants are swaying, your tank won't be ready for fish until it has been running for around 48 hours. After that, you can add no more than one or two hardy fish, no matter how large your tank is. Good starter species include leopard or zebra danios and the smaller barbs, as well as that easiest of all beginner fish, the guppy.

Resist the temptation to add more fish for another six to eight weeks, because if you do, odds are they'll die. That's because it will take that long for healthy bacteria to develop in the filter system, and without those bacteria, the wastes produced by the fish will build up to toxic levels. Use this time to get comfortable with frequent water testing and partial water changes, and remember to get help from the local aquarium supply store if you need it.

Once the tank is established and you and your child are comfortable with the basics of aquarium care, it's time to start growing your fish population. Hargrove, who started her own first aquarium at the age of 5, has a number of favorites for beginners' tanks. "Convicts and cichlids, they're a great start for kids," she says. "Any of the mollies or guppies. These community fish are great, because they're really hardy, and it's pretty hard to mess them up."

If a larger tank isn't possible in your home, one fish that can do well in a tank that's 10 gallons or even less is the magnificent betta splendens, a very aggressive species usually kept as a solo fish. Other good choices for small tanks are white cloud minnows and dwarf gouramis.

Large tank or small, single fish or community tank, Hargrove cautions against what she calls the single biggest mistake made by new aquarium keepers: overfeeding.

"Parents need to tell their kids that for most of these starter fish, like the guppies, their stomach is the size of the head of a pin," she warns. "Don't give them more than they can eat in three of four minutes, two to three times a day."

Fish tricks & more

You can do more with your fish than just look at them - you can train them to do tricks. The inventors of the R2 Fish School Kit ($32 from pet-supply retailers or www. r2fishschool.com) offer a kit with props and the instructions that any fish-keeper needs to teach fish to do tricks.

If you just want to find out more about fishkeeping, here are a couple of great resources:

• About.com: Freshwater Aquariums (http://freshaquarium.about.com): A good collection of advice for beginners that covers the basics of tanks, heaters, filters, basic care, troubleshooting and species profiles.

• AquariumHobbyist (http://aquariumhobbyist. com): A community where newcomers can ask questions as well as read articles about freshwater and reef aquariums. Be sure to click on "Features" and save Jonathan Lowrie's indispensable guide "Got a Sick Fish?"