Need Help Setting Up

[te55a]

Hi,

We want to set up a tropical fish tank but have no knowledge whatsoever!
Top budget to set up £150
What is the best size and type of tank?
How many and what sort of fish are best to start with?
Do we need to set up the tank and leave to settle before fish are added?
Any help is appeciated, please bear in mind tank is for 9 year old son (with adult supervision)
Thankyou

 

[BigC]

Hi jam,
Welcome to the world of the aquarist.
I will attempt to answer your questions and supply you with some basic information on how to set up an aquarium from scratch without technical jargon and mind blowing information overload.

We want to set up a tropical fish tank but have no knowledge whatsoever!
Top budget to set up £150

Firstly buy a little inexpensive beginners book.
If you live in the UK then I would opt for one of the Juwel range possibly a Juwel Rekord 70 is an ideal starter set. (you'll get everything for around £100. tank, hood, filter, heater, lighting the works) a complimenting cabinet will be extra. Make sure you site your tank on a sturdy level surface. (these things are extreamly heavy when full)

How many and what sort of fish are best to start with?

Below is a fish list that has worked for me in the past proving a nice peaceful and theraputic environment, that fills all the water layers and remains interesting.
4 Marble Hatchets
6 Black Phantom Tetras
10 Cardinal Tetras
4 Bronze Corydoras catfish

When you get the fish home from your local aquarist shop float the bags in the water for around one hour to eqalise the temperatures.

Above all do not buy fish on impulse without first doing your homework. This small insignificant tip will avoid a lot of heartache for you in the long run.

Do we need to set up the tank and leave to settle before fish are added?

You will hear a lot about cycling and chemical additives on this forum and they are for the most part true but can lead to a lot more problems than they set out to cure.
After washing your substrate (gravel) fill the tank with your tapwater using a 2 gallon bucket. Then plug in all the electrical appratus and set going. Your tank will be cloudy and have bubbles along the inside panes for a few days whereby it will clear. At this point you can do a little aquascaping with rocks plants etc.
Do not add fish for atleast one week to 10 days. Whereby everything should have stabilised and a constant temperature reached.

Every week withdraw 2 gallons of water using you bucket and replenish with fresh from the cold tap (add a little boiled water from the kettle to equalise the temp to nearly the same as the aquarium. Add 1 tablespoon of Stresscoat to the bucket and thats it.

You will also need to buy a stick on thermometer for the front of the tank and of course some staple flake food for the fishes.
I hope I've covered everything as simply as I can for a beginner and I hope both you and you son will get as many years of enjoyment as I have out of this hobby.
Regards
BigC

 

[rdd1952]

Hi jam and welcome to the forum.

It's nice that you are researching first before buying anything. My first suggestion is that you try to find the largest tank you can get for the money you have. Larger tanks are always easier to maintain and more stable plus it allows you to get some bigger fish if you desire. Use the internet to research and find the fish you like and would like to keep. See which ones are compatible with each other and what water parameters they prefer. Buy a liquid master test kit and test your tap water. If your tap water has a realy high or low pH, it could rule out certain fish that prefer one extreme or the other. Consider doing a fishless cycle. It is less stressful (you aren't doing constant water changes to keep the toxins down or worrying whether you are going to lose any more fish) and a lot easier on your fish. And last but not least, read the pinned topics at the beginning of each section here and ask all the questions you want. There are a lot of veryknowledgable people who will gladly help you. Good luck.