Fish Noob Wants To Buy Fish And Fish Tank

[Ladic]

I don't know much about them, only that when I was younger I had a small fish tank and a couple of fish and neither lasted long.

So I wanted to know who here has experience with fish? I'm looking for a simple fish tank, not very expensive, hopefully not over $100.

Where is the best place to buy them? in store? or online?

What about the fish? can u buy those online aswell or instore?

what is the best way to keep fish alive?

what is best water to use for fish tanks?

I would like to have a nice fishbowl, with some fish, snail etc, something that looks quite lively, for example I've seen this nice fishbowl:

http/www.fishtanksdirect.com/index.asp?P...&ProdID=426

anyone that can help, I'll appreciate.

 

[*Fishkies*]

Can you give a general location first for some exact ideas and helping with you finding products?

 

[Ladic]

like where I live?

Pompano beach, florida

 

[rdd1952]

Well welcome to the forum and the hobby.

Most everything is generally cheaper online but you generally can't buy your tank there because of shipping issues. Shipping cost on tanks is high because of the breakage risk. You will probably be better off starting out by getting a starter kit. It would include the tank, cover, light, filter and heater.

You can get fish online but once again, shipping is costly because they must be shipped overnight. Buying them locally is generally better. Just try to find a store that has good, clean tanks and stay away from places that have dead fish in the tanks.

The best way to keep fish alive is to properly cycle the tank before adding fish. It takes 3 to 6 weeks to do but is well worth it in the long run in my opinion. Here is a link to a fishless cycling thread.

Just plain tap water is fine for an aquarium unless you have really bad tap water or fish that need special water. Just add dechlorinator to kill the chlorine and chloramines.

The bowl/orbs like you mentioned are pretty but really aren't good for fish. They are small, expensive and really don't offer enough water surface area for many fish. You would be much better off getting a nice 29 gallon starter kit. It would probably run you about the same price as the orb but would allow you to have more fish and a wider variety too.

 

[Ladic]

Well welcome to the forum and the hobby.

Most everything is generally cheaper online but you generally can't buy your tank there because of shipping issues. Shipping cost on tanks is high because of the breakage risk. You will probably be better off starting out by getting a starter kit. It would include the tank, cover, light, filter and heater.

You can get fish online but once again, shipping is costly because they must be shipped overnight. Buying them locally is generally better. Just try to find a store that has good, clean tanks and stay away from places that have dead fish in the tanks.

The best way to keep fish alive is to properly cycle the tank before adding fish. It takes 3 to 6 weeks to do but is well worth it in the long run in my opinion. Here is a link to a fishless cycling thread.

Just plain tap water is fine for an aquarium unless you have really bad tap water or fish that need special water. Just add dechlorinator to kill the chlorine and chloramines.

The bowl/orbs like you mentioned are pretty but really aren't good for fish. They are small, expensive and really don't offer enough water surface area for many fish. You would be much better off getting a nice 29 gallon starter kit. It would probably run you about the same price as the orb but would allow you to have more fish and a wider variety too.

thanks for the advice, do you have any website where they sell or show pics of the starter kits? so I can have an idea what they look like?

 

[*Fishkies*]

Petsmart.com offers some starter kits.

Also That Pet Place has great prices on supplies.

Petco.com this has some ideas of starter kits too.

 

[rdd1952]

Most of the websites don't show them because they can't ship them to you. If you go in Petsmart to the fish section, you will definitely see the starter sets. The 29 gallon is in a box about 3' long and 2' high. I wouldn't get one that the hood and light are all one piece though. If the light goes out (as in shorts out), you can't simply replace it. You have to replace the entire hood unless you are handy with things like that. Those tanks are pretty but can be problems. I had a 5 gallon hex-front tank that the light shorted out so I had to make a cover and buy a new light.

 

[Ladic]

cool, thanks

and about the fish? should I just ask the guys in the store what is the best combos for the fish?

 

[rdd1952]

I would suggest going to the fish store, looking at the fish they have and writing down the names of the ones you like best. Then post here as to what you would like to have. You will get much better advice here than at the fish store. Unfortunately, a lot of the people that work in the fish stores, especially the chains, don't really have a clue and will give you really bad advice. There are a lot of very knowledgeable and friendly people here that love to help.

 

[piratedninja]

the cheapest place ive found for tanks is walmart
the one thing you should never buy from walmart though is FISH!, you are better off going to a petsmart or petco or any other pet store
since you're in florida there should be lots of local fish stores that you can pick from

its better to get a short and long tank than to get a tall tank so keep that in mind when u chose your tank
go for at least a 15gallon, but if you want something bigger then go for it! bigger is always better for keeping the fish healthy, but also requires a lot of work to clean


as for fish: stay away from salt water because its going to cost you a ton of money and will also require a lot of care and attention
if you go livebearer(ex: guppies, platies, mollies) then you must know that these fish will multiply like crazy and your tank will be quickly overstocked

also, you might want to get a couple of otocinclus which is an algae eating catfish that looks like a pleco but much smaller, these will help keep the algae under control, about 3 or 4 will be perfect for a 29gallon tank
you might want to stay away from plecos unless you are ready for a fish that can get very big and produce tons of waste


remember the general rule of fish its 1 gallon of water for every 1" (1 inch) of fully grown fish, this way you wont overstock your tank from the start
this means that if a fully grown fish is 2in long then you will need at least 2 gallons of water for that fish

 

[Ladic]

is it okay to put the tank in the same room that I sleep? I mean it is not bad for your health or anything? like when u sleep in the same room with plants or dogs/cats?

 

[piratedninja]

yes thats perfectly fine
just dont put the tank in your bed haha

 

[rdd1952]

The only potential problem with having the tank in your bedroom is that if you add an airpump (not really necessary as a general rule), some of them are very noisy. Some filters are alos noisy, especially if the water gets a little low between water changes and the water begins to splash back into the tank from the filter outlet. That really only applies to hang on back filters though.

 

[Ladic]

I went to Pet Supermarket today, which is the biggest pet store near me, and they had alot of fishes and fish tanks.

I saw that they had a 20Gallon Deluxe Kit tank for $84.99, which looked nice.

What I wonder is, aside from the Deluxe kit and the fishes, what else I need to buy?

I saw a machine they had there for tanks that makes bubbles for better oxigenation, is that needed?

how long does the filter that comes with those kits last?

and how do I clean the rocks you put at the bottom? can I buy any type and just put it in the tank?

also if I buy stuff like a sunken pirate ship or any of those type of toys, do any work ok with any fish tank?

what I didnt see were snails? when u clean a tank how do u remove the snails?? and where do u put the fish when u are emptying the tank to change the water and clean it?

 

[Tolak]

What else you need to buy depends on what the kit comes with. An air pump isn't needed, unless you are fond of bubbles. Any air powered decorations will require an air pump. Any of these sold at your local shop will be safe for fish.

The service length of the filter depends on the make, model, and the frequency of maintenance you perform. Your best bet is getting rocks or any other substrate from your local fish shop, they are fish safe, and won't affect your water parameters. A gravel vac is used to clean gravel, and pulls out some water for water changes in the process.

Since the average tank gets around 25% of the water changed weekly, you don't need to remove the fish. If you don't like snails, there are products for removing them, should you happen to get them.