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Anonymous
sup /an I had a wierd dream where I really wanted an aqaurium for myself. So I woke up and wondered to myself why the hell not.

So help me here, for a complete novice what are the essentials for an aquarium. I don't want to start with feeder gold fish though.

Please give me some tips for picking fish and not getting ripped off by the fish salesmen.
>> Anonymous
do you want freshwatef fish. freshwater planted, saltwater fish, saltwater reef etc...A noob can enter into and become succesful at any of these.

How much money are you looking to spend?
>> Anonymous !DlQLyppdkQ
>>293076
Blue Tang!? ARRRGH! GODDAMN FISH I CAN'T GET A PROPER PHOTOGRAPH OF!

But yeah, expect to pay a fuckload if you want a quality Saltwater Reef
>> Anonymous
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/beginner.htm
>> Anonymous
Get piranha.
>> Anonymous
>>293076
do not go for anything under 30 gallons!!!

bacteria/ph/hardness levels get very unstable the smaller the tank!
>> Anonymous
>>293280
untrue assuming you keep your biomass to water ration the same as you would in a larger tank...which is easy and inherent in keeping a small tank anyway...unless you have 3 pounds of goldfish in your 10g amidoinitrite?
>> AnonymousPrime !/RDa1B/y1o
MAKE SURE YOU DO RESEARCH ON THE FISH BEFORE YOU PURCHASE IT. I can't stress that enough. A lot of people make that mistake and end up hurting or even killing the fish because they did not meet the needs the fish required. Also you end up wasting a lot of money.

ALSO!

Plan your aquarium out first before you get anything. Stick with a couple of fish and see how things go.

A lot of people who get into this hobby get "The Addiction" and end up purchasing "cool" looking fish left and right. Try to avoid it.

If I were to recommend a tank size to start off with, try a long 20 gallon, they cost around 40 bucks.

Get an Aquaclear filter for it, those are the cheapest and best filters for small tanks on the market. Try and get a filter that's made for your tank, and then a quarter extra of your tank's size, this will ensure that your filter will be able to handle any mess-ups with overfeeding.
>> Anonymous
When you get your tank, make SURE you let the tank cycle before overloading the tank. Unless you want massive fish death. Google "aquarium cycling" or "aquarium nitrate cycle". What happens when you add too many fish is that the ammonia levels spike, because beneficial bacteria that converts ammonia->nitrite->nitrate has not had time to grow yet.

Some good starter fish are corydoras (any kind, especially pygmaeus), small tetras (neons, pristellas, not anything like silver dollars--watch out for the bastard tetras that get like 5inches+), rasboras.

Do not get any fish you have not researched thoroughly.. ie, buying the adorable baby chinese algae eater will probably lead to mishap later when it grows to 8" and kills off the rest of your fish. Or iridescent sharks that eventually to 3 feet long, or a pacu which can shatter your aquarium glass.

Another huge thing to keep in mind is that schooling fish NEED to school to feel safe. If you don't want to have 5 of the same fish, don't buy only one, find another species.

And, for a starter tank, I'd reccomend about 20G. Cheaper than the larger tanks so if you decide you don't like the hobby, it's not that big of a drawback, but also has enough space to allow for expansion/proper schooling. Just remember that water weighs like 8 pounds per gallon, so get a stand/a table that will support your tank sufficiently. Check out craigslist, because you can find VERY cheap full tank setups on there (for instance, there's a 20G on mine for 50$ that comes with a stand, light, filter, etc).
>> Anonymous
>>293777
That's all assuming you want a freshwater tank. I don't recommend jumping into the hobby with a reef tank, unless you are prepared to put down a LOT of money. For reef tanks to work properly, you must have coral, crabs/snails, a proper substrate, perfect lighting, a good balance between everything, perfect temperature (heater/cooler depending)... not to mention the filtration system, which requires additional substrate/coral and pumps moving through another secondary tank. That's all before adding fish, as well, then you enter another realm of controlling the levels more strictly than a freshwater tank (water hardness and the nitrate levels are MUCH more important).

If you have your heart set on a saltwater tank, prepare for a huge investment and maybe look up nanoreefs (saltwater tanks can be as small as 10g if you do them correctly, but can only really house one fish, and are more delicate than the larger 55g setups).
>> Anonymous
>>293782
As with anything, the internet is a playground of information, especially with this hobby. There's a variety of forums all over the place with information on probably everything you need to know. If it's not on the internet, it's probably an unknown.
>> AnonymousPrime !/RDa1B/y1o
>>293782
Just thought I'd add to this post that if you do Saltwater, you can get by without the reef and it'll be about the same as maintaining a freshwater tank, just a couple extra parameters but it really isn't a headache.

I'd still stick with freshwater though, the fish and the overall investment, especially for someone new, will be a lot less with freshwater.
>> Anonymous
Any fishanons know about keeping native fish and/or any good forums for native-caught fish? I've got a 30 gallon tank running fine for the last two weeks, but I spotted a 29 gallon on Craigslist and I wanted to do something different. So far the only forums that mention native fish is Fish Geeks, and even then there are only a few posters who know anything, ;_;
>> Imani
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>>293855

Can you clarify? I had a friend who was crazy about saltwater tanks but it was all really complicated and took all of her time. I have toyed with the idea of getting a saltwater tank myself, but I had always heard that it was the most ginormous pain ever.
>> Anonymous
Two questions;
What would be the cost of setting up a 20 gallon fish tank? Including anything you would need to start it up and put fish in it, minus the cost of the fish. Furthermore, what kind of costs of upkeep can you expect?

Same question, but for a 10 gallon tank. Yes, I know they are harder to keep, but my university doesn't allow tanks larger than that in dorm rooms. Is it even worth it, or should I just wait until college is over and then get fish, in a larger tank?
(not OP)
>> Anonymous
>>294024again, just wondering if those 10 or 20 gallon starter sets are worth anything.
>> Anonymous
>>294024

Best thing to do is to check local for sale ads/craigslist. I browse the locals frequently and there are some real deals on aquariums, usually 1/2 or 1/3 the cost of buying new.
>> Anonymous
>>294024
Minimum realistic cost for 10g freshwater setup would be around $30. $10-15 for a tank with canopy, 2 screw-in fluorescent light, cheap substrate from home improvement store (or even from your local river for free), couple plants, some small equipment - like a fishnet, tubing for water change. Fish would cost another $5-10 if you keep it simple. 20g is pretty much the same price, but I dont remember how much new 20g tanks go for. You dont need CO2, fertilizers, fancy substrate, expensive lightning, very exotic fish and plants. Keep it simple.

But thats freshwater. Saltwater - no idea, never had one, but I suspect you are looking for at least 100-200 for first tank, especialy if you wanna do corrals.
>> Anonymous
If you are starting a salt water aquarium for the first time i would advise getting a biocube. The biocube is offered in 3 different sizes, and has all the lighting and filtration system already set for you. Once you get it make sure to start off with really good synthetic salt mix and RO water and let that cycle for about a month along with some live rock. The only thing about a biocube is that your going to have to change the water either biweekly or monthly in order to maintain your ammonia, nitrite, nitrates, ph all in a safe range. After a month you can start purchasing critters for your tank but it is extremely essential that you do research...specifically on nano reefs.
>> Anonymous
if you are intending on creating a nano reef then i would advise you to purchase The Nano-Reef Handbook by Brightwell...it tells you everything about how to maintain one, what species of fish, invertebrates and corals work well in a nano reef etc.
>> Anonymous
>>294024
New, 20gallon fish tanks are like 30-40$ (I forget, I know my 20 long tank was 40$ brand new), plus a new filter is 30$, heaters are another 30$ (get a heater with a temperature set--cheap heaters with only high/low setting have been known to cook fish to death), light/hood is probably like 30$. More, if you want to buy a stand, plants, decorations, then of course, fish (which are usually the least pricey part). It's an expensive investment if you buy it new, which I wouldn't recommend: again, lurk craigslist for cheap, full setups for like 40$.

10g tanks are a lot less... Tanks are like 10$, so is the filter, heater/hood are again around 20-30$. The guy above was pretty accurate, although I would personally say you should go for a really pretty planted tank. Get low-light plants like java ferns/moss and a little bottle of liquid fertilizer, it'll make your tank look nicer (and help remove nitrates!).

Overall, if you're just starting out, 10g is a really good path to follow. They're not TERRIBLY hard to keep in balance. Just remember to cycle, and do your 20% weekly water changes. And grab a heater, for the winter. 20g is good if you have money to burn, or find a deal on craigslist or wherever.
>> Anonymous
>>294006
The pain about large saltwater tanks (in my opinion) is that you should have a sump/refugium, which is basically another tank, usually underneath the main tank's stand, that holds additional live sand/rock and macro/microalgae, sometimes heaters/protein skimmers/etc. For a 55g tank, a 20g tank is used for the sump. So, more money, and more to maintain.

Also, the water parameters. Nitrate in a saltwater tank is deadly. Copper sulfate, a popular freshwater cure for fungus and parasites, will eliminate huge batches of live rock and coral in small traces. You must maintain a very high general hardness (large amounts of calcium) for your invertebrates to survive.

A beautiful saltwater tank is usually extremely delicate. I heard an awful story about a person who had an old water pump. They used it on their saltwater tank for a while, then, all their hundreds of dollars of coral and anemones and live rock died on them, pretty much killing the entire tank. What happened was there was a component of the pump that was copper, and it had eroded away after time. Sucks.

Nano saltwater tanks, on the other hand, are almost like a freshwater tank, except if you have live rock/coral/etc. and can be as small as 5g. You still risk massive invertebrate die off and whatever, but it's much easier to replace.
>> Anonymous
Intriguing read related to saltwater tanks:

http://www.aquaria.info/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=71607
>> Anonymous
OK, /an/, I've been doing some research. What do you think of this setup:

Top Fin 10 gallon starter set. Apart from the bulbs (will replace shitty bulbs with house-grade fluorescent bulbs, I'm fairly certain the tank kit has standard light bulb sockets), I've heard the kit is pretty good for $40 and comes with everything you need except gravel, water, and fish. However, I've been having trouble finding this on the internet, so I'll look in local pet stores tomorrow, but I want to have a backup, so I'm researching what the tools of the trade are. So far I have tank, lid, lights, heater, filter, aerator (if not waterfall style filter), net, siphon tube, and bucket.

1 male Betta
2 Cory Cats
5 Neon Tetras
2 male Platy

Medium-cover, silk or plastic plants, and a piece of driftwood.
All of this added slowly and after the tank has cycled, of course. I was thinking of starting with the betta, but do you guys think I should start with any of the other ones instead?
>> Anonymous
>>294531
that sounds like a good setup, i'd ditch the platys though. it would look better for consistency (not having like a bunch of random fish thrown together), but whatever you want.

My first setup was a 10gal with a betta, some danios, and a platy.

Your plan sounds good, don't stress about it too much, those are all hardy fish (although neons sometimes die pretty easily but are super cheap).
>> Anonymous
I got sick of my fish so i killed them and got new ones. Am i a bad person?
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>>294531
sounds great
i highly suggest albino cory cats, they are very hyper and cute. heres two of mine
>> Anonymous
>>294559
:(
>> Anonymous
>>293076
fake plants look really bad.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
this is a triop
hes here to fuck up your shit
>> Anonymous
id suggest starting with the smaller fish (the tetras) and then working your way up there say week or so.. because if you put the bigger ones in 1st the become territorial.. and will attack the smaller ones..
( i had to spend like twice the amount on my 2nd angel fish to get a bigger one...)

and becarsful with the platy's.. besause anything with the faned/ feathers fins that is remotely simillar to the betta.. may be attacked.. not always.. but just a precaution.. and make sure the filter isnt over powerful.. as bettas are used to still calm water.. my freind had one in a tank and it got too stressed out and died.. because it had to constantly swim round..

i have a 90L (25gal approx) a 30L (8gal) and a 5L bowl (1.3gal)

the bowl has my betta
the 30L 5 neon tetras 3 black widow (black skirted) tetras and 2 sword tails
the 90L has 2 angels 2 dwarf gourami 2 clown loaches 2 silver dollars and one discus soon to be 2 (they ae like $70 each....)
>> Anonymous
Wow, I went to the fish store today. They had bettas in small jars (poor fish) and most of the other fish I want in tanks.
The kits there were insanely expensive.
Also, arowanas are awesome looking. Shame they get so god damn big, or I'd put one in a 10-20 gallon tank. I saw a nice looking 4-5 incher and thought of replacing a lot of fish with one of them, then I saw a larger one (at least 12-14 inches by itself) and realized the smaller one was just a baby.
>> Anonymous
>>295111
Compare prices of kits to buying individual pieces. It usually ends up cheaper for you.

And yeah. Arowanas do not only get gigantic, but they are notorious for jumping out and dying, as well as smashing tanks.