Completely New At This Game!

[TyC]

Right i been interested in getting a tropical fish tank for a while now but have never had the money to get what i want, i currently have a pond in my garden with koi carpand ghost tench etc in but was looking to bring it inside as i love fish so much . The only problem is i dont know where to start. i am looking at getting a Coffee table tank, its around 275l (60g i think) but i havent a clue what to do. if possible could you guide me in what are the best fish to get to start with, how many, how i need to set the tank out etc etc. all the help i can get would be nice.

thanks ally

 

[Richard James Patrick]

Welcome aboard, you're going to love your tropicals

Check out the pinned article "Beginner Resouce Center - Please Read Here!"
This has loads of really useful info.

 

[mark.w.jones]

Right i been interested in getting a tropical fish tank for a while now but have never had the money to get what i want, i currently have a pond in my garden with koi carpand ghost tench etc in but was looking to bring it inside as i love fish so much . The only problem is i dont know where to start. i am looking at getting a Coffee table tank, its around 275l (60g i think) but i havent a clue what to do. if possible could you guide me in what are the best fish to get to start with, how many, how i need to set the tank out etc etc. all the help i can get would be nice.

thanks ally

Those tanks look great but are crap for keeping fish in properly. Mainly because you will scare your fish every time you put something on them, they are much easier to knock into, under gravel filters are not as efficient as HOB, internal or external ones, you have to lay on the floor to look at your fish properly, you can't fit a background to the back of them to make more skittish fish feel more secure and glass topped tables never lok clean as they are constantly covered in greasy finger prints. I wouldn't touch one with a barge pole and for all the extra money you are paying out for in style you are losing out on having a highly impractical tank. For the same money you could get something like this:

http/www.seapets.co.uk/product-details/s...egory/1203.html

which is far better looking + would have enough money left to replace the crappy Fluval External filter that comes with it with a decent Eheim one.

 

[BigC]

Hi ally,
Sorry but I completely agree with the above comments of jonesy. The coffee table aquaria are gimmics and expensive ones at that, Most of the time you will be viewing the tank from above, and what good is that when it comes to viewing or finding out if something is wrong. Do you or your house guests intend on crawling around the carpet a lot.
I know you want something unusual but think about the practicalities of such a setup. I'd go for conventional especially if your a newcommer to the hobby.

 

[vinylman]

IMO they're a safety hazard. Imagine if something cracked the glass (hoovering, etc) and you had it near a mains socket. Maybe it's just me, but I think they're really impractical. Fish are for looking at; they don't seem to be too visible in the ones I've seen.