Setting Up?

[Sapper]

am new to this as you may already have guessed and need to get some facts and figures if im to do it right so here goes.

what sort of size tank and how much should i be looking to get for my first one? should pick up a cheap setup which come with filters, light heat etc.
or should i look to buy seperate?

could someone give me a few examples as to what sort of fish/numbers of fish i could fit in a resonable size one say 20-30 gallons?

i will be asking in my local aquarium shop but would like advise before i ask as they could be selling to me for the profits and not because its what i need.

thanx in advance for all the help and info.

Sapper

 

[mrV]

What is GH? Do you know hardness of your tap water? It helps alot when thinking about fishes, examples. It's important to know hardness because it affects fish physiology; If hard water fish is kept in soft water, it takes enormous efforts to keep balance and it needs energy. Energy is taken from somewhere else like healthy. That's why usually fishes become sick when they are kept in wrong water.

 

[Sapper]

im unsure what the GH is and the water hardness at the moment i presume i would need a kit to test this before i buy a tank?

EDIT
ok so if we forget the type of fish/number of fish can you advise me on tank size and equipment now or would i need to find out before hand?

 

[mrV]

If you have to choose between 20-30 gal, take 30gal.. The bigger the tank is, the easier is to keep it. Water values don't change so quickly and you have more options when looking fishes.

If your tap water company has homepages, check if they told water values on net.. If not, you can probably call them to ask them. GH = total hardness. You can also test it yourself too.

Probably water is 'medium hard' because english ground is quite hard, contains Ca2+ compound etc...

 

[Sapper]

right ill check with my water company to find out those details

how much am i looking at to set up and maintain my tank?

 

[CFC]

Hi sapper and welcome to the forum The juwel aquariums are probably the best value set ups available,they come complete with stands,hoods,lights,filter and heater you can pick up a Rekord 120 (which is around 30g) for about £170.

As MrV stated it is best to get as large a tank as possible,not only are they easier to keep they also give you room to be able to choose from a wider range of fish,there is nothing worse than seeing a fish that you really like but are unable to have it because your tank is stocked to its limit of is not big enough to house the fish when adult.I would personally go for a bigger tank than 30g,the Rio 180 which holds about 45 gallons of water and is the same length as the 120 but is 6" wider would be my choice.

Going with seperates will give you superior equipment but will cost you at least twice as much.

 

[Sapper]

i take it the prices you have stated are with cabinets?

i was thinking of making 1 it cant be that hard can it and i know a few people who are good at joinery. does the cabinet hold an electrial equipment like pumps or filter or stuff, or are all there arrange above the tank.

 

[Mollymomma]

I have to say that I agree with cat fish crazy... It's best to start with the biggest tank you can both afford & have room for. I wish someone had told me this before I started lol...I jumped into the hobby thinking a little 10 gal (US) will be so nice...then next thing I know I spot a fish that needed to be in a group..well it was off to the petshop and I now have the original 10 & a new 55gal.

The cabinet will house you air pump, filter( if you go with a canister type) and all of your other supplies...nets, towels, meds( wish we never had to buy those), food etc. Helps keep everything handy & hidden.

I applaud you for doing the research first
Good Luck with getting a tank set up. Keep us posted..we love to hear about new tanks...but we all really love talking about our new tanks lol

 

[Jamnog]

the size of the tank defines the type of fish you can keep if you have a little 2 ft tank you can keep allot of things but there are allot of things you cant keep. if you dont know much and just want to get a feel for it (you might not enjoy it) then i would say one of those 2ft setups that come with all the junk you need to measure the water and filter it and of course heat it. i spent allot on my tank cause im not quite right in the head i think ive got to about a months wages so far on the one tank. which for me is 800

check out the different fish and see what size tanks you need for them i thaught oscars where cool but they get too big for normal people's tanks also angels get silly bigif you particularly wanted to keep them then you would have to get a huge 6 foot tank but things like neons betas guppys mollys the usual suspects they would feel happy in a smaller tank

 

[CFC]

i take it the prices you have stated are with cabinets?

Yep thats the price with cabinets,if you can make your own you can knock about £50-£60 off the price but IMO you will spend nearly as much on materials to build one unless you have a friendly carpenter who keeps a good supply of decent sized off cuts.

 

[Sapper]

check out the different fish and see what size tanks you need for them i thaught oscars where cool but they get too big for normal people's tanks also angels get silly bigif you particularly wanted to keep them then you would have to get a huge 6 foot tank but things like neons betas guppys mollys the usual suspects they would feel happy in a smaller tank

have you got any info about sites i could look at?

ill probably buy it with the cabinet because it would look good and take the hassles out of making, also my local fish store does and upgrade kit which includes gravel, backgrounds live plants, foods, thermometers etc. would that be the best option or would it minimise how much i could customize my tank?

Mollymomma i usually buy on impulse aswell not considering my options but with this i think ill take my time and work things out

Sapper

 

[Pufferpack]

Here are a few links to sites I have found informative, but a word of caution, you will find conflicting info about the same fish on different sites ...pick out a few you like and then check back here for peoples personal experiences

Fish or Bust

Notcatfish.com

Planetcatfish

Aquariacentral

Cichlid-forum

Pufferfish.co.uk

 

[mrV]

You'll find reliable information about fishes from http/www.fishbase.org Knowing scientific names helps alot.

 

[Pufferpack]

Mr.V is correct, Fishbase is a great site for accurate scientific information , but it makes no reference to compatability or temperment in the aquarium hobby . When I first found Fishbase I was a little confused about the part at the bottom where it indicates if the fish is dangerous. Most ones I looked up showed "harmless", and I knew some were aggressive. I soon realised that they were referring to whether they were dangerous to humans

 

[mrV]

Yep!

If you want to get good information about fishes, you should buy Aquarium Atlas series (Baensch, Mergus verlagt). It contains PhotoIndex and several books. I only own PhotoIndex but when Im rich enough, I'll buy those others too...