What is a good beginner aquarium set up?
Of course I’d like to have a fancy salt water set up with a lionfish, or something like that. But that’s probably too much for a beginner. What’s pretty cool and easy to take care of?
I think guppies are definately the best or even tetras. (But watch out, guppies breed alot! so only get males or only get females in one tank)
And for a beginning, tank maybe you should try a 5 gallon, or if you’re prepared for the work ahead..10 gallons!
I think it’s best to buy ones that come in a kit..that includes filter and hood with light. Or you can just buy the tank and buy everything else separately.
Here is a list of some things you’ll need to be a successful fish keeper on the first try:
-filter: extremely important- helps make sure your water doesnt get too dirty too fast. If there’s too much waste in your aquarium, ammonia builds up and pretty soon algae will grow. It’s not a pretty sight.
-heater: water temperatures need to be kept around 76-80F for tropical fish. Keeping a constant temperature is very important- fluctations can stress fish out and even kill them.
-thermometer (optional for now)- just to make sure your heater is doing it’s job. sometimes heaters go haywire and just mess up the temperature
-gravel, decorations, plants: optional but provides a good home for fish and gives them a sense of safety when there are things they can hide in.
-water conditioner: needed to make the water safe for your fish. it neutralizes the harmful metals in tap water.
And finally, water changes! Even with a filter, water changes are extremely important to keeping you fish alive. 20% water changes 3x a week for aquariums 5 gallons. 30% water changes 3x a week for 10 gallons. and 20% water changes for aquariums smaller than 5 gallons 2x a week. Doing this, ensures that algae will not grow and cover your tank. And it’s really annoying to get off.
Good luck!
freshwater tropical is pretty easy bettas are the easiest as they dont need a big tank only 1.5 galons a heater a filter and 1 or 2 live plants for oxygenation
February 5th, 2010 at 9:56 pmReferences :
I think guppies are definately the best or even tetras. (But watch out, guppies breed alot! so only get males or only get females in one tank)
And for a beginning, tank maybe you should try a 5 gallon, or if you’re prepared for the work ahead..10 gallons!
I think it’s best to buy ones that come in a kit..that includes filter and hood with light. Or you can just buy the tank and buy everything else separately.
Here is a list of some things you’ll need to be a successful fish keeper on the first try:
-filter: extremely important- helps make sure your water doesnt get too dirty too fast. If there’s too much waste in your aquarium, ammonia builds up and pretty soon algae will grow. It’s not a pretty sight.
-heater: water temperatures need to be kept around 76-80F for tropical fish. Keeping a constant temperature is very important- fluctations can stress fish out and even kill them.
-thermometer (optional for now)- just to make sure your heater is doing it’s job. sometimes heaters go haywire and just mess up the temperature
-gravel, decorations, plants: optional but provides a good home for fish and gives them a sense of safety when there are things they can hide in.
-water conditioner: needed to make the water safe for your fish. it neutralizes the harmful metals in tap water.
And finally, water changes! Even with a filter, water changes are extremely important to keeping you fish alive. 20% water changes 3x a week for aquariums 5 gallons. 30% water changes 3x a week for 10 gallons. and 20% water changes for aquariums smaller than 5 gallons 2x a week. Doing this, ensures that algae will not grow and cover your tank. And it’s really annoying to get off.
Good luck!
February 5th, 2010 at 10:33 pmReferences :
Fish keeper for years
I’d get the biggest tank you can afford. A 10-30g is a good start. Just to clear up the first answer, the bigger the tank, the EASIER it is to take care of. Small tanks can’t handle too much stress, while the more water you have, the more room there is to mess up.
For example:
You do a water change on a 5 gallon tank. You accidentally forget to add conditioner to tap water and fill up 2 gallons of chlorinated water to the tank. Your fish dies.
On a 30g tank, sure, filling up 5-10g of chlorinated water won’t be good for them, but there’s more of a chance of the fish surviving.
Also, water changes should be once (or more often if you wish) weekly of anywhere between 20-50% regardless of tank size. Small tanks are more maintenance due to toxins building up quickly.
Anyway, get your tank and cycle it. Research the Nitrogen Cycle (an easy how-to guide is in my references) and get that out of the way. It ought to take a month or two, though it won’t take nearly as long if you get filter media from a friend’s tank to speed the process up.
As for fish, the least expensive and least work option would be to get small fish like tetras. Stay away from goldfish, cichlids, and catfish–they’re very messy and you’ll be spending tons on filtration and doing huge water changes. Even those cute little 26 cent feeders get over a foot and need a pond to keep up with their high demands.
Here are some suggestions for a 10g, but they can be placed in bigger tanks, too, as long as you mix and match properly:
http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_fishless.php
February 5th, 2010 at 10:44 pm