[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Fish Tank Newbie (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 8/30/2016 3:42:51 AM EDT
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My son wants fish. I've never had a fish tank so I have no idea what I'm doing.
Any recommendations on tanks/equipment to buy, words of wisdom, etc. ? |
| Buy as big a tank as you possibly can (Craigslist is a gold mine of larger tanks dirt cheap, just remember to leak test them before installing and filling them), you have a much larger margin of error. Cycling is very important, you can't buy the tank and fish on the same trip to the pet store. |
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Welcome to your new money pit.
Bigger tanks have more room for error - although they require more maintenance. Buy fish from a local fish store (LFS) if you can, they usually take better care of the fish than the box stores. LFS will also be better able to answer your questions. The tank will probably be cheaper from a big box store. If you buy one of those package deals (with everything included), the first thing you're going to want to do is buy a bigger, better filter. (Personally I wouldn't go smaller than 55 gallon with a filter or filters rated for at least a 220 gallon tank.) You'll need a test kid to monitor ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, & PH. Don't use the test strips, get a liquid kit with the bottles - API makes a good kit. You need to find out if your water has chlorine or chlormine - if it's chlorine you can let it stand until it evaporates, if it's chloromine then you have to treat the water to remove it. |
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http://www.swisstropicals.com/filtration-shop/cornerfilter-shop/ If you shoot the owner of Swiss Tropicals an email with your specific tank sizes and fish load, he can figure out what size filter and porosity of foam would be appropriate for your needs. Here's a video on how to install one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lYTE1vwX9M I have two of the large cornerfilters in my 150 gallon tank. The whole tank runs on two air pumps. The heaters are hidden inside the filters. The back of my tank is painted black with latex, so the filters sort of disappear. They're pretty quiet, and work very very well. They're giant biological filters.  You could get a 20 gallon tank and put a cornerfilter in, with a single betta or some small gouramis. Bettas are pretty tolerant of shitty water, and are low maintenance. Give them plenty of plants to hide in. Hide the heater inside the filter, and that'll leave the inside of your tank clean and equipment free. I have a 10 with a few tetras and 20 with some kuhli loaches and sunset gouramis. Those tanks have regular mattenfilters, which aren't pretty, but work amazingly well. |
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IMO, 75gal is a good all-around size. I started with a 29gal tank almost immediately wished I went bigger. As stated before, scan CL. I got an excellent condition 75gal tank and oak stand/cabinet for $80. Here are a few of my observations: 1. Sand is cool but really hard/impossible to clean well 2. A lot of small, colorful schooling fish and much more fun to watch, especially for kids, than a few larger fish 3. Live plants are sometimes hard to establish, but generally help maintain tank cleanliness 4. Research filters and buy what's appropriate for the gpm's needed, but also keep filter prices in mind. Read reviews and avoid ones that are said to be noisy. Look at canister filters too because you can often clean them without spilling any water and you can buy/make your own media for less than formed filters. 5. Mollies are cool and cheap but god forbid you bring home 2-3 that are pregnant  6. Try to find a pet store without snails in all of the tanks. All it takes is one snail and you'll have an infestation before too long 7. Make sure you establish the tank well and cycle the water before adding fish. I recommend asking a friend for a gallon of their (clean) tank water and add it to your initial fill to build bacteria colonies. 8. If I could go back, I would have bought either suspended lighting for over thank or free standing LEDs to allow a good vapor transfer. Glass lids like to get slime and calcium buildup on them which adds and extra step and time in cleaning. 9. It's not rocket science, have fun with it! Oddly enough, the only halfway decent pic of my old tank isn't of my tank..  |
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I did the ammonia cycling. I don't trust the bottled cycling; the bacteria dies off really quick without any ammonia and it's not refrigerated... so... what's gonna be in the bottle when you get it?
You might be able to talk the LFS into giving you some filter media to kick off your cycle. If you use ammonia, you don't want surfactants in it. If you shake the bottle and see bubbles, you don't want it. That's hard to find. Ace True Value Hardware has it, as does Rural King. Seriously, don't plan on getting fish for a while. Make sure it's cycled. And then just add a few at a time so the aquarium can balance itself out. Once it is established, it's not that bad to maintain. When it does come time to get fish, research them. If you want an algae eater (pleco), make SURE you get a reasonable subspecies. The common pleco they sell in WalMart, the pet stores, etc can get to 24" long!! |
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Mine didn't live long enough for me to know. 
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Betta, not beta. Bettas are alpha! Mine didn't live long enough for me to know.
We had one, I think it lasted 5 years?? We were impressed. One bit of info we think helped was the advice "keep it hungry." Apparently feeding it every day can shorten its life. We fed it a few times a week, tops. |
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monsterfishkeepers.com Quoted:
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And what would be the ar15.com of aquarium forums? I used to be on there ALL the time when I was into fish. Regardless of the size they all require the same maintenance. Water changes is the main one. On a bigger tank they require slightly more time and possibly purchases of a syphon hose and more chemicals, depending on if your tap water has chemicals in it that need to be neutralized. Like others have said though they are more forgiving when it comes to water quality. Don't overcrowd the tank. Don't buy a channel cat and think it will grow to the size of the tank. Fish don't work like that. Start with few fish and make sure you can keep those alive before just filling up the tank. There is much more but those are some basics for beginners |
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Depends. He wants to learn about keeping fish or he wants a fish to look at? Bigger tanks are great and all, but a lot of work. There is nothing in the world wrong with starting out with a 10 gallon tank, millions of us did. Big enough to provide a safety net, small enough to be easy to maintain. Get a good power filter, skip under gravel or the air pump powered ones. I am a big fan of Marineland. Get a decent hood and stand, buy a brand new tank. For fish it is impossible to go wrong with guppies, mollys and swordtails. There is likely someone in your AO that would gladly give you some. Look into live plants in the aquarium. Java ferns or java moss are easy to grow. Buy half as many fish as you "want" and feed them half as much as you think they need. Read up on the nitrogen cycle and acclimating fish. You will be fine. |
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I had a 10 gallon when I was younger and couldn't keep it clean. I had a 55 gallon about 10 years ago and it was a piece of cake. Change the filter cartridge when dirty, vacuum the gravel and top the water off once a week.
Cichlids are cool looking fish. They don't play nice with other fish or sometimes with each other. I had about 8-10 of them in a 55 and didn't have any territory issues. |
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I decided this same thing once. I bought a 200 gallon established reef aquarium with 150lb of live rock and a dozen fish from the creepiest old man who ever lived. Six months later I was selling it. More work than I had ever dreamed and I just wasn't that interested in it. For the first one, go cheap and easy. Save the reverse osmosis systems and $200 fish for when you know if you really want to spend all your time and money on this. |
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You can score everything you need at Wal-Mart for a decent 20 gallon set up for probably around $150. Then you have the real deal to play with. Start with some cheap tropical fish.
Let the tank run with no fish for 48 hours or more to settle down a little. Then after the fish are in it you have to perform partial water changes almost daily until the tank cycles. Could take a week or more to cycle. The water will no longer stink but will start smelling natural like a lake when it has cycled. |
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Quoted: If you're going to put real plants in it, they will probably take more lighting than you would think. And fertilizer/supplements. You likely won't grow much besides java ferns etc without putting some effort into the plants. |
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What's the kid have in mind ans what are you willing to do?
My first thought was go to Wally world and get a two gallon fish bowl, some water conditioner, and some gold fish food. Take it home, fill it with water add conditioner, and let it sit for a day. Go back to Wally World, a pet store or a local fish shop and buy a gold fish. Change a third of the water every week. |
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Quoted: What's the kid have in mind ans what are you willing to do? My first thought was go to Wally world and get a two gallon fish bowl, some water conditioner, and some gold fish food. Take it home, fill it with water add conditioner, and let it sit for a day. Go back to Wally World, a pet store or a local fish shop and buy a gold fish. Change a third of the water every week. A recipe for dead fish. Gold fish are much more difficult to keep alive, particularly in small bowls. They require cooler than room temp water and higher oxygen content. |
| I used www.aquariumadvice.com for information when I was getting into fish keeping. Lots of good info over there, but beware, those people don't act like Arfcom. |
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A recipe for dead fish. Gold fish are much more difficult to keep alive, particularly in small bowls. They require cooler than room temp water and higher oxygen content. Quoted:
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What's the kid have in mind ans what are you willing to do? My first thought was go to Wally world and get a two gallon fish bowl, some water conditioner, and some gold fish food. Take it home, fill it with water add conditioner, and let it sit for a day. Go back to Wally World, a pet store or a local fish shop and buy a gold fish. Change a third of the water every week. A recipe for dead fish. Gold fish are much more difficult to keep alive, particularly in small bowls. They require cooler than room temp water and higher oxygen content. Yeah, okay. I kept a fish that way for six years. In any event, it's only ten dollars spent to see if somebody is willing and able to do some basic daily fish keeping. |
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The aquarium "industry" is probably the only business on the planet that
Is even more corrupted by urban legend, rumor and ignorance than firearms
If you can find an aquarium club near you it might be a good resource or just to see Which local fish store they recommend, good advise tends to be long winded For a tank to "cycle" it's needs some biology in it aka starter fish That and some Stress zyme will help cut down on the heAd aches to start Don't just ask the store clerk what xyz is better, but why it's better. That'll usually let you know who knows What they're talking about who doesn't Lastly it supposed to be a hobby, so if you aren't haveing fun with it .... Go to the range instead
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Quoted: We had one, I think it lasted 5 years?? We were impressed. One bit of info we think helped was the advice "keep it hungry." Apparently feeding it every day can shorten its life. We fed it a few times a week, tops. Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Betta, not beta. Bettas are alpha! Mine didn't live long enough for me to know. We had one, I think it lasted 5 years?? We were impressed. One bit of info we think helped was the advice "keep it hungry." Apparently feeding it every day can shorten its life. We fed it a few times a week, tops. I feed mine 3 pellets every 2-3 days. The one before the current lived almost 6 years. |
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The aquarium "industry" is probably the only business on the planet that Is even more corrupted by urban legend, rumor and ignorance than firearms
If you can find an aquarium club near you it might be a good resource or just to see Which local fish store they recommend, good advise tends to be long winded For a tank to "cycle" it's needs some biology in it aka starter fish That and some Stress zyme will help cut down on the heAd aches to start Don't just ask the store clerk what xyz is better, but why it's better. That'll usually let you know who knows What they're talking about who doesn't Lastly it supposed to be a hobby, so if you aren't haveing fun with it .... Go to the range instead
The irony in this post.
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Quoted: I feed mine 3 pellets every 2-3 days. The one before the current lived almost 6 years. Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Betta, not beta. Bettas are alpha! Mine didn't live long enough for me to know. We had one, I think it lasted 5 years?? We were impressed. One bit of info we think helped was the advice "keep it hungry." Apparently feeding it every day can shorten its life. We fed it a few times a week, tops. I feed mine 3 pellets every 2-3 days. The one before the current lived almost 6 years. It's not feeding it every day, it's overfeeding it. A fishes stomach is about the size of it's eyeball, it doesn't take much. And it's a Betta, it sits around all day. Extra food pollutes the water. The exception may be clown loaches. They eat like freaking horses, I am pretty sure if you made them wait a couple of days to eat they would start eyeing the dog. |
| After getting rid of my 75, 55h and 26 setups, my wife brought my kid home with a betta in a bowl. Now we have a 5g betta tank. Cost about $75 to get all set up. Much happier than I was with my big ones. They are a commitment and when you start slacking it will show. |
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The irony in this post.
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The aquarium "industry" is probably the only business on the planet that Is even more corrupted by urban legend, rumor and ignorance than firearms
If you can find an aquarium club near you it might be a good resource or just to see Which local fish store they recommend, good advise tends to be long winded For a tank to "cycle" it's needs some biology in it aka starter fish That and some Stress zyme will help cut down on the heAd aches to start Don't just ask the store clerk what xyz is better, but why it's better. That'll usually let you know who knows What they're talking about who doesn't Lastly it supposed to be a hobby, so if you aren't haveing fun with it .... Go to the range instead
The irony in this post.
Yeah... you definitely don't need starter fish. That's the crueler way to do it and you can do it perfectly well with nothing more than a proper aquarium setup, a decent test kit and a little ammonia. Save the fish torture for those who deserve it. |
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Quoted: Yeah, okay. I kept a fish that way for six years. In any event, it's only ten dollars spent to see if somebody is willing and able to do some basic daily fish keeping. Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: What's the kid have in mind ans what are you willing to do? My first thought was go to Wally world and get a two gallon fish bowl, some water conditioner, and some gold fish food. Take it home, fill it with water add conditioner, and let it sit for a day. Go back to Wally World, a pet store or a local fish shop and buy a gold fish. Change a third of the water every week. A recipe for dead fish. Gold fish are much more difficult to keep alive, particularly in small bowls. They require cooler than room temp water and higher oxygen content. Yeah, okay. I kept a fish that way for six years. In any event, it's only ten dollars spent to see if somebody is willing and able to do some basic daily fish keeping. Some people have shot USPSA with Hipoints too. |
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Some people have shot USPSA with Hipoints too.
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What's the kid have in mind ans what are you willing to do? My first thought was go to Wally world and get a two gallon fish bowl, some water conditioner, and some gold fish food. Take it home, fill it with water add conditioner, and let it sit for a day. Go back to Wally World, a pet store or a local fish shop and buy a gold fish. Change a third of the water every week. A recipe for dead fish. Gold fish are much more difficult to keep alive, particularly in small bowls. They require cooler than room temp water and higher oxygen content. Yeah, okay. I kept a fish that way for six years. In any event, it's only ten dollars spent to see if somebody is willing and able to do some basic daily fish keeping. Some people have shot USPSA with Hipoints too.
That's a terrible analogy. My point is that OP doesn't have to go full bore right of the gate. I mean, there's people in here talking about planted tanks for fuck's sake. Keeping a single goldfish in a little fish bowl is child's play, you just have to stay on top of the water changes, which happens to be wildly easy when you're talking about less than a gallon of water. Here's a better gun analogy for you: Some people learned how to shoot well with a bolt action 22. |
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Quoted: That's a terrible analogy. My point is that OP doesn't have to go full bore right of the gate. I mean, there's people in here talking about planted tanks for fuck's sake. Keeping a single goldfish in a little fish bowl is child's play, you just have to stay on top of the water changes, which happens to be wildly easy when you're talking about less than a gallon of water. Here's a better gun analogy for you: Some people learned how to shoot well with a bolt action 22. Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: What's the kid have in mind ans what are you willing to do? My first thought was go to Wally world and get a two gallon fish bowl, some water conditioner, and some gold fish food. Take it home, fill it with water add conditioner, and let it sit for a day. Go back to Wally World, a pet store or a local fish shop and buy a gold fish. Change a third of the water every week. A recipe for dead fish. Gold fish are much more difficult to keep alive, particularly in small bowls. They require cooler than room temp water and higher oxygen content. Yeah, okay. I kept a fish that way for six years. In any event, it's only ten dollars spent to see if somebody is willing and able to do some basic daily fish keeping. Some people have shot USPSA with Hipoints too. That's a terrible analogy. My point is that OP doesn't have to go full bore right of the gate. I mean, there's people in here talking about planted tanks for fuck's sake. Keeping a single goldfish in a little fish bowl is child's play, you just have to stay on top of the water changes, which happens to be wildly easy when you're talking about less than a gallon of water. Here's a better gun analogy for you: Some people learned how to shoot well with a bolt action 22. No, it ia the perfect analogy. Would you suggest someone get a hipoint, Glock or Nighthawk for a first gun? The setup I suggested is less than $50 and proven to work. $10 in plants isn't a planted tank and will provide a nice buffer for sloppy tank keeping. |
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No, it ia the perfect analogy. Would you suggest someone get a hipoint, Glock or Nighthawk for a first gun? The setup I suggested is less than $50 and proven to work. $10 in plants isn't a planted tank and will provide a nice buffer for sloppy tank keeping. Quoted:
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Some people have shot USPSA with Hipoints too.
That's a terrible analogy. My point is that OP doesn't have to go full bore right of the gate. I mean, there's people in here talking about planted tanks for fuck's sake. Keeping a single goldfish in a little fish bowl is child's play, you just have to stay on top of the water changes, which happens to be wildly easy when you're talking about less than a gallon of water. Here's a better gun analogy for you: Some people learned how to shoot well with a bolt action 22. No, it ia the perfect analogy. Would you suggest someone get a hipoint, Glock or Nighthawk for a first gun? The setup I suggested is less than $50 and proven to work. $10 in plants isn't a planted tank and will provide a nice buffer for sloppy tank keeping.  I didn't even realize you're the one suggesting a planted tank.
Absolutely ridiculous. |
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2 basic rules for beginners:
1) Don't overcrowd the tank. The generality "one inch of fish per gallon of water" is a good place to start for a beginner. Less than that is even better. 2) Buy plenty of pump/filtration. Buy at least twice the size the filter says it's rated for (i.e., for a 10 gallon tank buy a minimum 20 gallon pump/filter). If it's rated by a range, pick a range that starts at least twice your tank capacity. Beyond that, find a local fish store and ask questions about what is compatible with what, etc. Buy some cheap fish and start from there. My 9 year olds manage a 10 gallon tank I set up, that has less than $30 of fish in it. They're alive a year later, and the kids like it. Don't overthink it. |
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My son wants fish. I've never had a fish tank so I have no idea what I'm doing. Any recommendations on tanks/equipment to buy, words of wisdom, etc. ? Don't buy fish. I was that kid about 10 years ago and it got to be such an expensive pain in the ass that I got rid of everything. Get your kid a dog. |
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http://www.swisstropicals.com/filtration-shop/cornerfilter-shop/ If you shoot the owner of Swiss Tropicals an email with your specific tank sizes and fish load, he can figure out what size filter and porosity of foam would be appropriate for your needs. Here's a video on how to install one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lYTE1vwX9M I have two of the large cornerfilters in my 150 gallon tank. The whole tank runs on two air pumps. The heaters are hidden inside the filters. The back of my tank is painted black with latex, so the filters sort of disappear. They're pretty quiet, and work very very well. They're giant biological filters. http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u317/DoubleARon_2007/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_0186_zpsa8d8c7af.jpg You could get a 20 gallon tank and put a cornerfilter in, with a single betta or some small gouramis. Bettas are pretty tolerant of shitty water, and are low maintenance. Give them plenty of plants to hide in. Hide the heater inside the filter, and that'll leave the inside of your tank clean and equipment free. I have a 10 with a few tetras and 20 with some kuhli loaches and sunset gouramis. Those tanks have regular mattenfilters, which aren't pretty, but work amazingly well. If you get a betta make sure all the plants are silk. Plastic plants will tear their fins. |
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Seriously, get one of the 1 gallon Beta fish tanks. My daughter wanted a fish and this was the cheapest way to go Plus she can help with the upkeep. Change water, feeding, water conditioning tablets. Etc. After the novelty wears off you aren't into much money Please don't do this, 1 gallon tanks are awful for bettas (they are awful for any fish but bettas and goldfish seem to be the only kinds people think are "ok" in those tiny tanks). |