I want a tropical fish tank

[zixxer]

What is the best place to buy a complete set?

I was thinking like used, newspapers or something..

What's the best way to go, and how bad is the maintanence?

 

[Nyical]

Originally posted by: se7enty7
What is the best place to buy a complete set?

I was thinking like used, newspapers or something..

What's the best way to go, and how bad is the maintanence?

Go to your local store and don't buy used, you never know what your going to get and how long it will last as for a good
starter setup with no headaches at all but will cost you a few $$$ try this system Eclipse

 

[Shockwave]

Have you ever had a tank before? I wouldnt recommend starting with tropical.

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: Shockwave
Have you ever had a tank before? I wouldnt recommend starting with tropical.

What would you recommend starting with then???

 

[Nyical]

I think he is refereing to Tropical as a general refrence to a freshwater tank, though I could be wrong

 

[zixxer]

Originally posted by: Nyical
I think he is refereing to Tropical as a general refrence to a freshwater tank, though I could be wrong

no.. I mean tropical as in tropical, as in, not freshwater. I know they are more difficult to balance the water or whatever.. but im willing to learn.

 

[Nyical]

Originally posted by: se7enty7

Originally posted by: Nyical
I think he is refereing to Tropical as a general refrence to a freshwater tank, though I could be wrong

no.. I mean tropical as in tropical, as in, not freshwater. I know they are more difficult to balance the water or whatever.. but im willing to learn.

Ok in most general terms Tropical meens freshwater and Marine/Reef meens saltwater, as for starting one up, before you purchase anything read read read and visit your local store and pick there brains for the most trouble/maintence free setup.

 

[Jzero]

Indeed. Tropical = freshwater fish, usually ones that favor warm water.
That's usually where people get their feet wet.

 

[AbsolutDealage]

I would definately start out with a freshwater tank. Get some hearty fish like tetras or tiger barbs. From there, you should move on to maybe some freshwater angelfish, maybe have a cichlid tank. If you are really into the freshwater thing, maybe give discus a shot.

Once you have learned the ropes, then you will be ready for a reef tank. Don't dive in the deep end right away, a reef is a LOT of work, any way you look at it. It is also very expensive (in comparison to a freshwater tank).

You can go and get yourself a used 55 gallon tank for cheap (check your paper / local pet shop on bulletin boards), and usually people sell the light/stand with the tank. Grab a decent heater, an air pump, and a chem/bio filter... along with your gravel and such and that should get you started. There are plenty of guides on google for getting a freshwater tank setup, and I'm sure you're more than capable of searching for them.

Trust me here, freshwater first, then get a reef if you feel like you can handle the extra care and extra expense.

 

[dabuddha]

Go to walmart. I bought a 29 gallon starter kit for ~$80.00
Still using it to this day.

 

[Vic]

Do not start off with a marine (or saltwater) tank as a n00b. All you will do is blow a bunch of money and kill a bunch of fish.

I suggest starting off with a tropical freshwater tank kit at PetsMart, and buying the fish at a local reputable fish store.

 

[royaldank]

Walmart has 10 gallon tanks for around $30. It includes the tank, heater and pump.

 

[Mingon]

Dont buy tetra's or tiger barbs, the tetra's are not hardy and tiger barbs nip fins.

A good way to setup a tank is as follows;

get a decent size aquarium - minimum 2ftx12x12 - the bigger the tank the moreof a 'buffer' against water condition problems.
setup the tank after washing equipment and gravel.
Feed the tank every other day for 2 weeks to start of filter/bacteria cycle
Add 2-3 2" gold gouramis
feed every other day, but not too much a pinch of food - anymore will kill the tank
Change 10-20% of the water every 2 weeks
Leave as above for 2 months
start to add 1-2 2" fish every 2 weeks until you have the equivalent in inches as length of the tank i.e a 2ft tank should have 24" of fish.
Clean filters every month from now on in a bucket / bowl of the fish tank water (unless you are using undergravel in which case clean when you change the water)

Stick to this and you wont have many problems, it worth the hassle as fish dying is no fun.

P.S. I have 2 tanks, my favourite has discus in them - RO water the lot, but I have to change 25% of the water every week!

 

[Shockwave]

Originally posted by: Mingon
Dont buy tetra's or tiger barbs, the tetra's are not hardy and tiger barbs nip fins.

A good way to setup a tank is as follows;

get a decent size aquarium - minimum 2ftx12x12 - the bigger the tank the moreof a 'buffer' against water condition problems.
setup the tank after washing equipment and gravel.
Feed the tank every other day for 2 weeks to start of filter/bacteria cycle
Add 2-3 2" gold gouramis
feed every other day, but not too much a pinch of food - anymore will kill the tank
Change 10-20% of the water every 2 weeks
Leave as above for 2 months
start to add 1-2 2" fish every 2 weeks until you have the equivalent in inches as length of the tank i.e a 2ft tank should have 24" of fish.
Clean filters every month from now on in a bucket / bowl of the fish tank water (unless you are using undergravel in which case clean when you change the water)

Stick to this and you wont have many problems, it worth the hassle as fish dying is no fun.

P.S. I have 2 tanks, my favourite has discus in them - RO water the lot, but I have to change 25% of the water every week!

Thats pretty sound advice right there, and what I would do as well. Nitrogen cycle startup took out all my fish (All of 4), so if they die within a week or two dont loose heart. Let it sit for about a week, then add more fish and it should be good to go. Also, alot of places test water for free, I would go to a *good* pet store (As in not PetsMart, in my experience) and have them test your water and recommend some fish. Also, I'd probably start with a 30 gallon tank, but thats just me. That would be in the event you dont like tanks, your not stuck with a monster tank. Flip side, if you do get a monster tank and dont like fish, they work well for other pets (Snakes, gerbils etc)

 

[DrPizza]

I'd start with a 55 gallon tank... believe it or not, the bigger tanks are easier than the smaller tanks. The smaller tanks get polluted a lot easier. Most of the advice above is pretty good.

 

[BCYL]

My gf got a 10 gallon starter kit for $40 at the local pet store... includes everything you need (even fish food and water conditioning chemicals)... Much cheaper than buying all the parts individually...

 

[SaltBoy]

So, you let your kids watch "Finding Nemo," eh?

 

[Mingon]

I have had some monster fish, a 18" fire eel, 10" snakehead and a tiger shovel nose which grew to 16" in about 8 months - had to get rid of it kept eating everything else. I like odd fish, especially bottom feeders I have had lots of 'plecs' like gold nuggets which are fascinating.

 

[no0b]

Originally posted by: Mingon
I have had some monster fish, a 18" fire eel, 10" snakehead and a tiger shovel nose which grew to 16" in about 8 months - had to get rid of it kept eating everything else. I like odd fish, especially bottom feeders I have had lots of 'plecs' like gold nuggets which are fascinating.

So you are the sucker that will spend $150-$250 on a "plec" that just sits there and looks good.

 

[amnesiac]

Originally posted by: Vic
Do not start off with a marine (or saltwater) tank as a n00b. All you will do is blow a bunch of money and kill a bunch of fish.

I suggest starting off with a tropical freshwater tank kit at PetsMart, and buying the fish at a local reputable fish store.

Quoted for truth. I had a saltwater tank and I would have had a beautiful one going if I had time and money for upkeep. As it was, I didn't have time to check/balance the water constantly and had a lot of dead fish.

Freshwater tanks don't require nearly as much maintenance or devotion, at the expense of slightly less pretty looking fish.

 

[Maximus96]

i would advise against those 10 gallon kits. i bought one myself when i first started. usually the components in these kits are sub-par quality. for example they include clamp-on heaters that doesn't clamp on really well. you should get a submersible heater. the Ebo Jager brand is made of 2mm pyrex glass and almost unbreakable unlike the flimsy clamp-on types. and in reality, 10 gallons isn't big enough to keep happy fish, unless u like tiny neon tetras or zebra danios. the 1" of fish per 1 gal. of water is often misleading as well. u can't keep a 10" fish like an oscar in a 10 gallon. thats like living in your closet for the rest of your life. you probably wont die, but u wont be happy. in the end, it really comes downs to what kind of fish you want to keep and select your equipments accordingly. and make sure you know enough about the fish before you buy it. its no fun trying to find solutions on the net when your fish is dying in your tank.

 

[Mingon]

So you are the sucker that will spend $150-$250 on a "plec" that just sits there and looks good.

most i ever paid was $80 I think, but why else would you buy it if it didnt look good?

 

[Torghn]

This thread is kind of funny. My Lights alone cost $130 on my 20G tank. Ofcourse it's a nice reeftank. I've got a couple anemone's some corals and a clam.

 

[jinduy]

you probably know this, but reef tanks are freaking high maintenance! it's umpteen times easier to take care of dogs and cats!

possibly a lot cheaper too!

 

[Torghn]

Originally posted by: jinduy
you probably know this, but reef tanks are freaking high maintenance! it's umpteen times easier to take care of dogs and cats! possibly a lot cheaper too!

True... to a point. Reef tanks really aren't much work once you get them ballanced. They practicaly run them self with very little work from you, however getting them ballanced and properly cycled is not a simple task. If you don't have much experiance, it can be a very difficult and frustrating task.