if one wanted to get an aquarium with several fish, how much maintenance would be required?
if you get an automatic filter (obviously more expensive) how much would that reduce the amount of times the tank needs to be cleaned? how much does fish food cost? what do they eat?
what else do they need besides the tank, optional (?) filter, temp control (?), food, or gravel (?) how much do the fish themselves cost?

have you ever kept fish (no, not in your freezer)? or currently have a fish tank?

i don't have any experience, but looked around in pet shops (i'd like to get either fish or a small parrot for my daughter, few years down the road). i saw fish as cheap as 5 for $5, also $4.99 each. but from what i heard, they die very fast

but they sell such adorable figurines to put in a tank

Okay, I've kept (and even bred) fish for years. I've had both saltwater and freshwater fish, and the amount of maintenance required depends on a lot of different factors.

How large an aquarium are you looking at? What type of fish? A ten gallon tank with a few mollies and guppies will not require as much maintenance as a two hundred gallon saltwater tank with sensitive species and/or inverts.

You definitely need a filter regardless of your set-up. You will probably still need to manually clean the tank once a week, basically just a water change and suctioning the gravel (for a freshwater tank).

What they eat depends on what kind of fish you have. Either way, you'll easily find a pelleted or flaked diet in your local fish store. Unless you have larger fish or exotic species with specialized diets, fish food isn't really that expensive. Do your research about what to feed them, though. Your fish will look better and live longer if they're fed properly.

Again, tank setup and fish cost will depend on what you want in the tank. Goldfish are a coldwater species and don't require tank heating. Most other species require some type of heating. Don't go with an undergravel filter, they're most always junky and don't do a good job. Technically, other than heat and filtration, most species don't need anything (if you see the warehouses they come from, the tanks are completely bare). Decoration is up to you. You'll probably also want to get a hood with light so you can see them better. I would be careful about buying the "kits" as some of the stuff is unnecessary and some of it is junk. You'll need water testing supplies.

You are my hero! I'm dreaming about having a saltwater tank. But the expense is pretty high from the research I've done. The maintenance is also quite intensive. A larger tank is easier to maintain in saltwater, but that means you need a sump, special lighting etc...
Freshwater is simpler, but of course you don't get such beautiful fish. Oh, and goldfish are the filthiest fish.

Ah, when I have money I will own a beautiful large saltwater tank IY"H:

It really depends a lot on the type of fish you have. I think you do need to give it maintenance even if you have a filter. The prices for fish vary a lot - some are quite expensive.
Also remember that you can't have certain species together in the same tank since they could end up eating eachother!
And, as with any pet remember that the fish are not a toy - they are living things and "kol hakoneh pet kekoneh adon leatzmo."


btw, I once had some Monsey talking gefilte fish. They're very high maintenance - they only eat kasha varnishkes and are pretty obnoxious. Next time I'm getting guppies.