This^^Originally Posted by Bogertophis
Indoors or outdoors, successfully keeping fish -even just one fish- should not be decided on a whim. Good care & success takes some investment of education time, money, & a sense of responsibility (ie. a firm commitment to regular care). All pets deserve no less from their owners- they're living creatures- so whether you're ready for one, it's impossible to say.
Keeping a fish is no different than keeping any other animal. They deserve the same level of care and respect as say a snake, a dog, or a cat. None of these animals do you go into without a lot of thought. People tend to look at a fish tank as something easy to do, and it is, with experience. The initial set up phase is incredibly important, cycling your new tank is probably the most overlooked and incorrectly done part of fish keeping. You also have to look at your budget. People think fishkeeping is cheap, but it can get expensive quickly depending on what kind of set up you're interesting in running.
Lastly, fish are not a set and forget pet. You're talking water changes, substrate vacuuming, feeding, live plant care if you go that route, filter maintenance, so on and so forth. This is a lot to think about other than "I want one."
