new to the whole fish thing etc

[SoundSoSavage]

so my two year loves looking at the fish , when i took him to the pet store and i ended up buying a 55 gallon as i have a built in hutch in the living room it think would fit good & look nice with a little redoing the hutch

first question would be does an old built in hutch have the capability of holding a 55 gallon tank once filled ?

question two what is a good beginner fish would like different ones if possible ??

question 3 is the filter i got ok it's a marine land internal canister filter the one the tank kit came with makes the tank over hang the hutch so couldn't use it

question 4 can i do live plants in gravel ? or as a beginner should i stick with fake just a lot of natural light in the room and have regular plants growing nice ...

ill take any advice or opinions new to all this
thanks in advanced

also if this was posted in wrong spot sorry

 

[Rocky998]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I would read up on Cycling a tank before throwing fish in there as they could very well die. You can use gravel but sand will give you more fish options because it is softer and bottom dwellers can be added.

Sand is also a better option for live plants BUT gravel does work as well. And there are very easy to care for plants that beginners such as amazon ferns, anubias, java ferns, java moss, hornwort, ambulia, ect ect... I dont have time to list all of them lol.

You said this tank was a kit. I personally hate the look of internal canisters. And I have heard the filters and heaters that come with kits are not the best of quality. I would switch the filter out with either an external canister filter like fluval OR do a HOB filter (hang on back) like aquaclear. Both of these filter types work really well! Also be sure that the heater you have is adjustable so that way you can control the temp in the tank for cycling and treating diseases.

 

[outofwater]

first question would be does an old built in hutch have the capability of holding a 55 gallon tank once filled ?

55 gal all loaded up will be upwards of 500 lbs. If your hutch is solid, shouldn't be an issue, but you gotta check that wood and whether it has, or you may have to add, additional vertical support

question two what is a good beginner fish would like different ones if possible ??

Depends on your local water (soft, hard, etc) that's why the forum asks for location, more experienced membwr will chime in once that's established

question 3 is the filter i got ok it's a marine land internal canister filter the one the tank kit came with makes the tank over hang the hutch so couldn't use it

I'd say that's more than enough, but will depend on what fish you stock (some are messier than others)

question 4 can i do live plants in gravel ? or as a beginner should i stick with fake just a lot of natural light in the room and have regular plants growing nice ...

Most can and will, although the issue you might find find is that when cleaning some may come undone, or again depending on the fish you get, the fish will uproot them if they take a liking and start munching on them. The majority of fellow hobbyists will advocate for live plants, they help with keeping the water clean for your fish too. With a nice big tank like that, I'd definitely recommend live plants.

 

[Back in the fold]

That hutch doesn't look stout enough. An aquarium that size has to be equally supported on all four sides. A 55 is about 600 pounds ( give or take ) all set up. For fish, get ones that are cheap and lively. Guppies, swordtails and platies are all nice. They don't fight with each other, they are active and aren't fussy about food . Later, as your interest increases you will have other fish in mind that you want. Start out simple and cheap because there will be highs and lows and a few speed bumps along the way. The nice thing about this hobby is that you can tailor it to suit your tastes and budget very easily. Welcome to Tropical Fish Forums.

 

[Rocky998]

That hutch doesn't look stout enough. An aquarium that size has to be equally supported on all four sides. A 55 is about 600 pounds ( give or take ) all set up. For fish, get ones that are cheap and lively. Guppies, swordtails and platies are all nice. They don't fight with each other, they are active and aren't fussy about food . Later, as your interest increases you will have other fish in mind that you want. Start out simple and cheap because there will be highs and lows and a few speed bumps along the way. The nice thing about this hobby is that you can tailor it to suit your tastes and budget very easily. Welcome to Tropical Fish Forums.

Really? "Start off cheap"... I would agree on that with the tech you use but not fish. I mean obviously dont go out and buy a $200 fish BUT he/she doesnt have to get a particular fish. Guppies and mollies are good beginner fish but they are hardwater fish. We do not know what type.of water he/she has. If its hard water there are some really cool options like cichlids but softwater gets you things like tetras, some gobies/gudgeons, danios, gouramis, ect ect...

I just dont think its right to say to stay cheap fish wise. As long as they do their research on whatever fish and make sure they know what their doing, I wouldn't worry what fish they get... They will probably stick to more common and easy to care for species anyways. But there is always that chance.

People told me AFTER I got my fish "These are hard to keep fish with special requirements"... Well their breeding now in my tank. So I just wouldnt come off like that to a newcomer. It may be offensive

 

[Back in the fold]

@Rocky998 So I should recommend expensive fish that an inexperienced newcomer might croak ? That's a sure path to frustration and a new tank winding up in a garage sale. Guppies, swordtails and platies are not exclusively hard water fish. Most people's water is average enough for them to be perfectly fine in. Oh, and by the way, nobody will have to guess if I'm coming off as offensive. There will be absolutely no doubt whatsoever. Ask around.

 

[outofwater]

A thing to consider with gravel and your tank's location is cleaning. Looks great in the hutch, btw. Any extra food and fish poop trickles down thru the gravel, so you have to siphon real good there. Not that sand doesn't require cleaning, but it's a less intensive process because anything that needs to be cleaned is visible and easily accessible.

 

[Rocky998]

@Rocky998 So I should recommend expensive fish that an inexperienced newcomer might croak ? That's a sure path to frustration and a new tank winding up in a garage sale. Guppies, swordtails and platies are not exclusively hard water fish. Most people's water is average enough for them to be perfectly fine in. Oh, and by the way, nobody will have to guess if I'm coming off as offensive. There will be absolutely no doubt whatsoever. Ask around.

Like I said, obviously someone new shouldnt get a $200 fish but "expensive" is a relative term. To me, spending $30 on a fish is pricey for a fish...

Oh, and by the way, nobody will have to guess if I'm coming off as offensive. There will be absolutely no doubt whatsoever. Ask around.

But a new person to the forum may take it the wrong way. I didnt say I thought you came across offensive I said you "may" have. Because everyone reads things with different tones. It just depends who is reading it

 

[SoundSoSavage]

a lot of great advice so i'm try to answer everything

so location is Massachusetts if that's what you mean for water

the hutch i took the draws out and looked underneath it definitely don't look like it would support it not entirely sure

but ended up reinforcing it with materials i had laying around

i put a piece of 2x6 for base then the leg is a 2x3 on top of that and wedged between that2x6 and the top peice of wood that was already there i did that on all four corners and two in the middle i added a middle 2x3 peice going across underneath sorry if my explanation of that isn't that great

ill take a pic of the underneath when i get home and have a chance

 

[SomethingsFishy24]

@Rocky998 For someone who has no experience with an aquarium, beginner fish species are best, and yes, they are "cheap". The reason is the fish are hardy, with this being set up for the viewing pleasure of not only the parent, but a child. It is best to go with some pretty hardy, easy keepers. Don't want junior seeing all those pretty fish floating belly up because more was bitten off than can be handled.

Cheap fish does not mean boring either. Most of the fish I own were bought for dollars. I have bought schools of fish(12+) for $30. Even some cheap fish can have a learning curve as far as care or take at least moderate skill to keep. Cheap generally means they easily breed in aquariums. So what, nothing wrong with cheap fish.

OP Platies, mollies and guppies are fun. They have live fry, they are very active and come in tons of colors. They typically don't squabble or harm plants. They are a good way to get your feet wet, then as you get more experienced you can branch out. Just a tip, big fish will little what stock you can keep, especially if you get into cichlids. Don't get me wrong, I love cichlids but I have multiple tanks cause I like a lot of other fish too.

 

[Rocky998]

@Rocky998 For someone who has no experience with an aquarium, beginner fish species are best, and yes, they generally are "cheap". The reason is the fish are generally hardy, with this being set up for the viewing pleasure of not only the parent, but a child. It is best to go with some pretty hardy, easy keepers. Don't want junior seeing all those pretty fish floating belly up because more was bitten off than can be handled.

Cheap fish does not mean boring either. Most of the fish I own were bought for dollars. I have bought schools of fish(12+) for $30. Even some cheap fish can have a learning curve as far as care or take at least moderate skill to keep. Cheap generally means they easily breed in aquariums. So what, nothing wrong with cheap fish.

OP Platies, mollies and guppies are fun. They have live fry, they are very active and come in tons of colors. They generally don't squabble or harm plants. They are a good way to get your feet wet, then as you get more experienced you can branch out. Just a tip, big fish will little what stock you can keep, especially if you get into cichlids. Don't get me wrong, I love cichlids but I have multiple tanks cause I like a lot of other fish too.

When I think of "cheap fish" I'm thinking a boat load of guppies and mollies that are just "cheap" so it doesnt matter if they die. Of course you would want a more hardy species of fish as a beginner BUT I guess when I hear "cheap" I'm just thinking about all the super super common species that I've seen so much they don't even intrigue me

 

[SomethingsFishy24]

When I think of "cheap fish" I'm thinking a boat load of guppies and mollies that are just "cheap" so it doesnt matter if they die. Of course you would want a more hardy species of fish as a beginner BUT I guess when I hear "cheap" I'm just thinking about all the super super common species that I've seen so much they don't even intrigue me

Most people are not lucky enough to have a small LFS, not a chain. One may think this way as all that is really seen from the box stores are the same this and that.

When I want something or want to browse I drive an hour to get to my favorite LFS. Sherry always has something different, she'll order whatever she can for me or call me if something she has sounds like I might like. I doubt I have bought a fish for more than $20 from her.

I kept Festivum years ago, you hardly see them at all, but I paid $4.99 a fish. Cheap but very cool cichlids. Again, cheap doesn't need to mean bad, nor should it really.

 

[connorlindeman]

Like I said, obviously someone new shouldnt get a $200 fish but "expensive" is a relative term. To me, spending $30 on a fish is pricey for a fish...


But a new person to the forum may take it the wrong way. I didnt say I thought you came across offensive I said you "may" have. Because everyone reads things with different tones. It just depends who is reading it

Its best to start off with cheaper fish for a newb. What if their interests dies off after 3 months? They lost a bunch of money that they are not getting back

 

[itiwhetu]

I started with swordtails and have always recommended that swordtails are a good first fish. They are hardy, they are live bearers, so you get to see the babies being born, the babies are large and easy to raise, but you don't get hundreds of them. The next fish after them, are Corydoras cats. Please have live plants in your tank.

 

[itiwhetu]

Really? "Start off cheap"... I would agree on that with the tech you use but not fish. I mean obviously dont go out and buy a $200 fish BUT he/she doesnt have to get a particular fish. Guppies and mollies are good beginner fish but they are hardwater fish. We do not know what type.of water he/she has. If its hard water there are some really cool options like cichlids but softwater gets you things like tetras, some gobies/gudgeons, danios, gouramis, ect ect...

I just dont think its right to say to stay cheap fish wise. As long as they do their research on whatever fish and make sure they know what their doing, I wouldn't worry what fish they get... They will probably stick to more common and easy to care for species anyways. But there is always that chance.

People told me AFTER I got my fish "These are hard to keep fish with special requirements"... Well their breeding now in my tank. So I just wouldnt come off like that to a newcomer. It may be offensive

You are keeping two one-inch fish in a 20-gallon tank, and I admire you have managed somehow to get away with it so far. But most people don't want a tank like yours, where you struggle to see anything apart from the plant. Newcomers need fish that they see, please be careful of the advice you give, remember that people see your profile and then think that you are a very experienced fish keeper.