Newbie Needs Advice

[sweet-like-coco]

Hi everyone,

I have been an admirer of tropical fish for many years and have decided to start saving money for a tank and everything else I will need to go with it. when i do something I like to do it properly so I would really like to get a tank with a cabinet. I have no clue about tropical fish other than you need to keep species with the same ph level and that are compatible. Where do i start? How do I know what fish I can keep together? How much is this going to cost? Also I am planning on moving house next year so I need a tank that I will be able to take with me. Will this affect the fish? I would really appreciate any information so I can start researching!

Thanks a lot!

 

[BigIan]

ok where to start, firstly the ph level is much less important than you think for most fish.
Most fish can easily acclimatise to a ph anywhere between 6 to 8 quite happily, just do you research on the fish you want before you buy them.
as for how much this will cost thats all down to you, you can buy a second hand tank with all the equipment for pittence out of the local rag, or you can spend thousands, its entirely down to you.

at bare minimum you will require tank heater and filter,

i would suggest you read some of the pinned threads of cycling as well.

please ask any more questions thats what the forum is here for,

 

[sweet-like-coco]

I really like colour in my tank- blues yellows which is why i adore marine tanks. However I realize that these are much more expensive and require more experience. I also really like angel fish and clown fish, what other fish could i add for variety of size and colour?

 

[BigIan]

Ohhhhh the world is open to you my friend.......

what you can stock depends on the size and shape of your tank. Angels are fin but ideally they teed quite a tall tank 2 foot or so tall.
Various species Rasboras and Tetras are very colorful and generally easy to keep, some of my personal favorite fish are dwarf neon rainbows and apistogrammas.

If this is your first tank i would advise you to stick to some easier species of fish.

 

[sweet-like-coco]

Wow I just looked up the fish you said- they are beautiful! Ok well I have a lot of research to do- do you really need to wait for 6-8 weeks before adding any fish to the tank? I really hope I can master all this it all sounds so scientific!

 

[BigIan]

There are ways to cheat the cycle process, such as getting some mature media from an established tank, getting plants from the lfs that are wrapped in rock wool as the rockwool contains a whole lot of beneficial bacteria.

My last fishless cycle took about a month.

 

[sweet-like-coco]

Great thanks so much for the advice I now need to figure out how much it is going to cost, start saving, and start researching!