Fun at first, but inevitably becomes an obligation and a money-pit.
Tap Fish, at first, is fun, creative, and charming. Players may purchase a wide array of fish for their tanks (that of which they can also pay for more of). Certain fish are breedable, and it can be very entertaining to see the different combinations that can be created.
As has been said, it's all good and fun at first. However, after a time, things change drastically.
Firstly, there's the issue of costs. Everything in the game costs fish coins or fish bucks. Fish coins are easy to come along, with the player needing only to sell the fish that he or she raises. The problem is that there is only a limited number of tanks and items that the player can actually buy with coins, especially when the difficult-to-raise level is low.
Fish bucks, on the other hand, can be used to buy much more numerous and "better looking" fish and items. However, they cost real money. So, this leaves two dilemmas: either settle for the mediocre features, or give in to the temptation of spending your all-too-available iTunes credits on fish bucks.
Secondly, the monotony and repetition of the game is a huge problem as well. Pretty soon after beginning, basically the only actions available at a given time are to clean each tank and feed the fish in them.
While breeding is available, each egg produced takes exactly three days to hatch. And with 50+ breedable fish, well, doing the math would likely end up in one ridiculously large number. Additional breeding tanks are available to purchase, but, surprise! They cost fish bucks.
Lastly, there's the fact that the game inevitably becomes a obligation on a daily basis. There's an explicit need to feed one's fish every day, else they should die like a real fish. It doesn't sound like a huge deal, but the truth is that Tap Fish turns from a game to a chore. The developer could have included an option to freeze the game so to as prevent time from passing, but allowing too much time away from playing their game was clearly not in their agenda.
In conclusion, Tap Fish begins as a fun, charming venture, but then it soon becomes a time-consuming, money-eating chore. With unrealistic fish, non-gripping visuals, time-consumption, and a developer that is clearly out for as much cash from its players as possible, I would not recommend this game in the long run.