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I want a tropical fish tank
- Thread starter zixxer
- Start date
AbsolutDealage
Platinum Member
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.
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.
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!
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)
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.
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
Diamond Member
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.
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.
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