Setting up a fish tank...new to aquariums

This is one of those topics that I could post a ton on. I'm gonna assume you're doing fresh water.

1. Leave it a week to ten days. Not gonna hurt you to let the water sit in the tank, filter running for a while. Also allows you to get a feel for the heater, and get the tank temperature right. Buy a thermometer to put in the tank, don't trust the thermostat on the heater.

2. Rule of thumb is 1" of fish per gallon of water. SO, if you have a 10 gallon tank, you should put ten inches worth of fish in the tank.

3. Under gravel filter isn't necessary as long as you use a good tank filter.

4. Change 20% of the water out every month.

5. Use stress coat in the tank. Get it at the aquarium supply store.

6. Don't fuss with the water a lot. Ph is less critical than you think. Get the tank balanced, use a little (1/4 teaspoon) of sea salt when you change out the water, and a de-chlorinator if your water has a lot of chlorine in it.

7. Start with easy fish. Guppies, mollies, some tertras and/or a small catfish or two. DO NOT START WITH ANGEL FISH OR THE LIKE.

8. Make sure the fish are compatible. Do not put aggressive fish in with ones that are docile. Ask at the aquarium store which fish work well together, although the mix in 7 will work.

9. Get a vacuum tank cleaner. Clean the crud out of the gravel occasionally when you swap out the water once a month or so.

10. NO LIVE PLANTS, NO SNAILS. You don't want either unless you are prepared to spend a lot of time keeping the tank up.

12. DON'T OVERFEED. Feed 2X a day, no more than the fish can eat in about 2 minutes each time.

13. IF you're gonna have guppies, etc., remember they are live breeders, and will make more guppies. IF you want more guppies, provide some ground cover in the tank for them. PLASTIC PLANTS WORK FINE!!!

14. How you add the fish is also quite important. Take the bag the fish come home in. Place it in the tank, floating, for about 20 minutes so the water temp can equalize. Then open the bag. Add a little tank water to the bag. Do this maybe three times (over 10-15 minutes) until the bag is more or less full. Then, when you're ready to put the fish in the tank, net them out of the bag. Don't put the bag water in the tank. If there were any contaminates in that water, they need to stay in the bag. ADD STRESS COAT when you add fish.

15. Buy one or two good books on tropical fish. I'll dig around and find some titles for you.

That's a start.

I'll think of more later.

Dave

 

Make sure there is a plecosthemus in there!

 

Dave great info---my girl and I had wanted to set up a salt water tank but heard it is a real pain in the butt, so have decided to go fresh water.. This will help get us started.

 

Salt water is a bigger maintenance issue, but the fish are prettier, and way more expensive.

I've been doing the fish tank thing almost continuosly since I was 9 or 10. Don't ask me how many decades of experience that is.

My tank right now has a few fish that are more than ten years old. And a catfish that might just out live me.

DM

 

DARTH~~!

Plecos get a little big, especially for a ten gallon tank, and are nocturnal.

Other algae eaters will cause less trouble, and stay a lot more manageable in size, doncha think?

DM

 

I started to write and yours was much more detailed. Great response and pretty much 100%.

 

Read up about cycling--the starting of the bacteria cycle in the tank. If you can-start the tank with something that might already have bacteria in it i.e. a friends used filter, used gravel, or even cycled tank water. This is the most important aspect of starting a new tank.

I would recomend zebra danios for starting, really hardy but look cool as well.

It is also said that the bigger tank you can get the easier it is to maintain the waters levels, chemicals levels etc, because you have more water equalling a more stable enviroment.

All for now, will probably add more later.

 

I currently have 4 tanks. 3 salt and one fresh. I have a 135 in my office which is one of the 4. I have have tanks since I was 9 or 10 as well. We just had a puffer die that was maybe 9 years old. I still feel the loss.

 

good point. Pm me your address and I'll UPS you a lump of wet gravel.

But, can be a little aggresive/hungry for other fish.

30 gallons I think is probably an optimal size, not so big as to be annoying, not so small to require constant attention to details to keep it balanced.

Have to say though that the only chemicals I add to my tank are a little sea salt and stress coat. I've never had to mess with PH, chlorine, etc. Regular changes help with that, I think.

 

I have a pleco in with my kid's cichlids. (12 gal). He eats like a little pig!

 

who? your kid?

 

Will do I was talking like from the pet store..etc

Havent had any problems yet...but they do hog food a little, yes.

Agreed, that is what I heard/what I bought. Good size for a good variety but not a chore to clean etc

 

HA! Yeah, him too!

 

aww darth, he has your eyes....
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I think you want a light that does not create too much heat. but what the hell do i know, every single fish that i had committed suicide. they swam into the filter and got chopped up into chum.... i also had a frog that jumped out of its tank and it went through the heating system in my house. about 6 months later, all the way across the house and down a floor, i thought my dads wallet was on the ground behind the couch, turned out mr.hoppy made it downstairs. I also had an anorexic turtle. no matter what, it would not eat. and i had a lizard that was eaten by crickets! come on, the lizard's food ate it's predator. so i do not have that much luck with pets...surprised my little brother has lasted this long....

 

Im using about a 26(?) for my 30 gal so I think that should be good. What wattage?

 

I always refused to use plastic. Other than cover, they provide no benefit. Certainly not to herbivores!

Let's put it this way - were someone to build a self-sustaining environment - whereby human intervention would no longer be needed, live plants would be a prerequisite.

Live plants, live plants, live plants.

If you're gonna play God, do it right, man!

 

I had a marine tank with an octopus for a long time. Unfortunately a guest left the lid open and the next morning we found the octopus dried out on the carpet .

 

I think Lamour might argue with you here!!!

And live plants are ok, but they bring snails with them, and don'tr last forever. A mix of plastic and live might be advisable.

Also, plastic eventually gets a nice patina of algae, look live, same as the real thing.

And, with live bearing fish, COVER IS CRITICAL. AS is one on the tank itself. Full cover. I use two lights on my 30 gal tank, flourescent.

DM

 

I started with the saltwater tanks about 8 moths ago. They are a daily maintenance type operation, but very nice to look at. I would recommend the fresh water if you do not have a good local source for saltwater stuff. It is defintely a relaxing addition to the room. Hope you enjoy!
BT

 

Some other points to consider:

Get as big an aquarium as possible up front. The reasons are as follows:

1.) Once you start-you are going to want to expand and add fish. The amount of fish you can have per tank is controlled by the exposed surface area at the top of the tank, between the water and air. You can't put a lot of fish in a small tank. And you are going to want to get more fish as time goes on! (Trust me on this-everyone who gets in this hobby winds up wanting more/bigger fish and tanks.)

2.) A big tank, relative to a small tank, is actually a more stable environment. They are just less sensitive to screw ups. Think about it-you are trying to replicate the "world" so the bigger the better. A big tank is less sensitive to environmental changes than a small tank. Add a little too much PH adjuster to a 10 gallon tank and the PH will change pretty drastically. Add a little too much to a 100 gallon tank-no big change. And it is the quick change in the environment, not the specific quality of the environment that kills the fish. A big tank means you can have a good layering of fish, bottom fish, top fish and middle layer fish, without stessing the fish out.

3.) A big tank stays cleaner, in general, than a small tank.

4.) Yes, they are more expensive but in the end go as big as you can afford.

I have a couple of tanks right now. A 120 gallon fresh water, a 2.5 gallon micro-reef (saltwater) tank and I am putting in a 350 gallon saltwater reef soon. I also use to have a 220 gallon salt tank in the past.

The most sensitive tank, and the one that requires the most attention and care is my 2.5 gallon micro reef.

And I only use fresh plants-no plastic. I have never had problems with fresh plants, other than cutting and trimming then as they can grow so fast and well in a good, balanced aquarium.