A brief overview; My partner and I are brand new to the idea of keeping fish. Not having owned them since being kids. We have gone out and bought a tank which is 54 liters (14 gallons). We are wanting to keep tropical fish. The tank has a heater so fish that need to be housed in a warmer climate is an option and a welcome one. We are curious about what fish are the best for beginners and work well in a community. The other thing we were wanting more information on was what plants would be the best for us. As far as I understand it depends on what fish you are getting. All we are looking for are some general suggestions and tips and tricks for starting out.
New fish keeper needing help
- Thread starter jova909
- Start date
Welcome to the forum!
What are the dimensions of the tank? And what is the PH and GH (hardness) of your water? Is the tank being cycled?
(Sorry for all the questions. It's to help you and to help other members and myself help you)
TNG
Fishaholic
As mentioned by Rocky998, the best place to start is finding out the water parameters, pH and GH (and KH too). This is because some fish are soft water fish, some are hard water (high GH & pH). If we keep the fish in the wrong water, the fish keeping experience will quickly turn into a disappointment. Your local fish store can do the pH and GH (also KH) tests for you, but make sure that your water sample be left to stand at least 24hrs before bringing it to the store for testing.
The tank’s dimensions. Some fish like to swim so they need a long tank to thrive, while other less so. As you mentioned the tank is 54L, I imagine that it’s no longer than 60cm long x 30cm wide.
Once you know the above, it’s a matter of selecting the fish that will thrive in your water. But before getting the fish, the tank will have to be cycled (search this forum for Tank Cycling for an explanation) so that ammonia don’t kill fish in the tank.
Once we have decided on which fish to keep, then we'll know what plants would be best.
Hope this helps.
The tank’s dimensions. Some fish like to swim so they need a long tank to thrive, while other less so. As you mentioned the tank is 54L, I imagine that it’s no longer than 60cm long x 30cm wide.
Once you know the above, it’s a matter of selecting the fish that will thrive in your water. But before getting the fish, the tank will have to be cycled (search this forum for Tank Cycling for an explanation) so that ammonia don’t kill fish in the tank.
Once we have decided on which fish to keep, then we'll know what plants would be best.
Hope this helps.
Are you familiar with the nitrogen cycle? If you are is the tank cycled? This will be a crucial step before adding fish
Also welcome to the hobby and to the forum!
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