does any one keep a home fish tank?

Question

if so then tell me what type of tank, salt or fresh, and what kind of fish in it. and how big

Answer 1

1) The life expectancy of a captive fish is two weeks. Why?
2)Most fish tanks end up in garage sales. Why?

The answer to both questions is because the would-be fish keeper receives bad advice, or doesn't listen to good advice, or simply doesn't know how to weed out the good advice from the bad.

My advice is to purchase a fishbook for beginners. Read it cover to cover. Next: select a mentor...follow his/her instructions to the letter. If your fish die, find a new mentor.

How to find a good mentor: Hang out in aquarium stores. Listen to people talk. You will quickly discover a successful hobbyist.
Rarely will that person be an employee of the store. A succcessful hobbyist is a person who has bred fish, raised the fry to maturity, and then bred the fry. Some hobbyists show their fish (shows are held all over the world). These people know how to keep fish alive. That, afterall, is your goal.

If anyone tries to sell you a tank & fish at the same time, find a new store.

A good beginner tank is a 20 Long (30" x 12")

Purchase tank, stand, top, aquarium light, lots of decor, & appliances (filters, pump, thermometor, & heater, plus tubing), & 2 test kits ( one for testing your water's PH & one to check for ammonia). You will also need a siphon, which you will use when making water changes, a fish net (4"-6"), & chlorine remover.

I prefer an undergravel filter with a 2" substrate (gravel). The smaller the gravel, the better. I also overload my tanks, so, in addition to the undergravel filter, I attach a power filter on the back of the tank (provides additional aereation & creates a second biological filter). If you don't use an undergravel filter, DO NOT use more than 1/2" gravel!!!

Set your tank on a stand in your chosen location (away from vents, outside doors, windows: ie avoid drafts & hot and cold spots). wash your hands (lotions, colognes, perfumes, hair spray, etc. kill fish). Clean tank inside & out with CLEAR water (NO SOAP!!! NO WINDEX!!! NO FURNITURE WAX!!!) Rinse gravel in a NEW bucket (which you will never use for anything other than when working on your tank) with clear water unil water runs clean. Set up your filters, add rinsed gravel, and then connect the pump(s). (Do not plug any of it in.). Fill tank with water to within an inch from the top. Now you can position the heater. Add decor (plants,etc.).

NOW you can connect pump(s) and heater to electrical outlet.

Add chlorine remover to water. Chlorine is deadly to fish.

If water is cloudy, don't panic. Sediment will gradually settle into gravel.

A good starter fish may be found in the livebearer family: platies, mollies, guppies...platies are the hardiest, fun to watch, & usually nonaggressive &, therefore, the best starter fish. They like a neutral PH (7.0--7.2--7.4) and are happy with a temperature of 78 degrees. Many other fishes will thrive in a like environment.

Adjust the heater until thermomenter holds steady throughout a 24 hour period at 78 degrees.

Test water. If PH is above 7.8 or below 7.0 you will need to adjust the water with chemicals. If any ammonia is in the water, you will need a chemical for that problem also. Fish will die if ammonia is in the water. 0.5ppm is deadly. You want test to read at zero ammonia before the first fish is introduced into the tank.

I aereate a tank, without fish, for at least 72 hours, using that period to adjust water, temperature, and airflow.

Okay! NOW it's time to add a fish.

A 20 gallon tank holds approximately 16 gallons of water. (Equip. & decor displace the rest.) You can safely run 2" of fish per gal of water--ie you can, eventually, have 32" of fish. Sound like a lot? Nope. A neon tetra is a true inch fish: 1"L x 1"H (you have to incl. the fins!).

A small platy is a 2" fish. Now then... You Need 2" of fish to safely cylce 5 gallons of water...ie. start with 3 small platies. Do not be tempted to buy more...chances are, you would lose them all. Those 3 platies will cycle the water through ammonia, nitrite, & nitrate & whoo-hoo! You've got fish water! Usually takes about two weeks. You were eager for more, but you didn't give in to the salesman's pitch or your own temptation & YOU'VE GOT 3 LIVE FISH! (Unless they killed each other off! In which case, you probably don't have enough decor: fish need lots of hiding places). Buy 6" of fish at a time, when the ammonia is again at 0ppm add 6" more, and so on. Eventually, the tank will be full & you'll probably want another.... Fishkeeping is like a desease: One never has enough.

NOTE: you can cylcle a tank much quicker with chemicals. I don't advise it.

Do not let anyone talk you into a catfish or a loach or a plecostomus, or any other bottom feeder or algae eater until the tank is 8 weeks old. You will need them then, not before...there won't be anything for them to eat unless you overfeed the tank, & that will lower the PH & break the cycle.

Bring fish directly home from pet store...make no stops in between. Remove rubber band. Fold top of bag downwards to form a sleeve. Bag will now float. Wait 10 minutes. Water in bag is adjusting to temperature of tank water. Add 1/2 cup tank water to bag. Wait 10 minutes. Fish are now adjusting to tank water. Add another 1/2 cup. Wait a final 10 minutes. Hold wet fish net over fish bucket. Gently pour contents of bag into net; cover net with your hand until fish are safely in the tank. NEVER pour water from bag into tank.

Turn off aquarium light for at least 2 hours while fish adjust to their new home.

If water becomes cloudy...again...don't panic. A biological bloom exploded in the water. It will settle into & attach itself to the gravel. Don't mess with the water...it's doing its thing.

This is the hardest lesson you will ever learn. Feed each inch of fish 1 flake of food per day. REPEAT: 1 flake per inch of fish. No more than that!!! When you have bottom feeders, take their food to the bottom of the tank. Overfeeding will quickly foul a tank.

Water changes should begin at around 8 weeks. Siphon 25% of the water from the bottom, through the gravel (removes nasty debris from the bottom of tank) every 2 to 3 weeks. Replace with an equal amount of pretreated water, which you will add at intervals of 10 minutes.

If, after having read through the above, you are not discouraged by the work & expense involved with maintaining a fish tank, then you really have a shot at keeping fish alive. My motto is that a fish should only die from old age. We can protect them from every other adversary.

GOOD LUCK!

PS: Don't even consider a marine tank (salt) until you really do know what you are doing! Talk about expensive...!

Answer 2

If you have never had a fish tank, start out with a small fresh water tank. I have several two gallon ones in my home. I have guppies in one, a male Betta in another and some neon tetras in another. I also have a 30 gallon tank in my living room. It has several different types of fish in it. But all my tanks are fresh water tanks. Salt water ones are much harder to keep and the fish can be really expensive!! Good luck.

Answer 3

I have three 55 gallon tanks. One has 6 tiger Oscars about 7 inch. one has 12 Marbled Angels about 5 inches. the third tank is a community tank and has about 2 dozen zebra danos (1 1/4 inch's), about 40 neon tetras (1 inch) and 4 albino Cordi cats (3 inch). I also have 2 20 gallon tanks each has a pair of Angels about 71/2 inches). I have 2 20 gallon tanks i use for isolating fish or for when breaking down a tank.

Answer 4

I just started a 10gal tank with one goldfish in it! It is a freshwater tank. If you are thinking about starting one you really should, they are a lot of fun and there are some real neat decorations you can put in them!

I also have a 1 gallon tank with a Betta fish in it. If you are new to fish Betta fish are the easiest to take care of and need the least amount of requirements. They are good for an office desk or a kitchen counter.

Answer 5

I have 3 tanks, all fresh water...

1. a 1.5 gallon tank that is a breeding nursery for guppy fry. none in there now.

2. A 10 gallon that is used for my male guppies I have 5 of them, 1 Pelco, 1 mystery black snail.

3. A 29 gallon that is used for my female guppies I have 6 of them, 1 pelco, 1 mystery blck snail, 1 blue groumia male, 1 blue groumia female, 1 male Bela shark,

I have had fish tanks all my likfe. It was something that my dad was into and I guess I picked up on it and now I do it.

Answer 6

At the moment I have a 10 gallon tank. With 2 swordtails one male one female. Its a fresh water tank. Going to be adding in more soon. And a bigger tank later on.

Answer 7

I have 2 fish tanks. One tropical freshwater tank that is 30 allons. I also have a Gold fish tank that is 10 gallons.

Answer 8

I have a 10 gallon tank, square, fresh water, fancy guppys. I also have a 30 gallon tank. It's empty now but I am going to put convicts in it soon.

Answer 9

For me it's the following

- Aquaclear 30 running on a 10 gallon (i prefer the extra filtering)
- 2 zebra danios & one red eye tetra
- Bred guppies in the tank until i couldn't keep anymore
- Submersible heater
- Using cycle 'n aqua plus dechlorinator
- Going to buy real plants now that the frogs have gone to froggie heaven and don't have to worry bout plants getting killed anymore

Answer 10

I have a 24 gallon tank, fresh water, currently has 6 fish and a catfish. it takes up a big corner of my kitchen. it is a nice wooden one that came on a stand with the plexiglass front attached securely. it has a swing hinge door and everything.

I got it at Petco.. i recommend going there.

Answer 11

I have 3. 12 gallon nano cube saltwater with a leather coral, mushroom coral, yellow watchman goby and a green chromis.

40 gallon saltwater reef tank - flasher wrasses, false percula clownfish, favia coral, plate coral, frogspawn coral

75 gallon saltwater tank - I've had a ton of fish in this tank and they keep outgrowing it. I had a 5" lionfish that over 3 years grew to 14" and I had to donate it to the LFS for their 1700 gallon tan. Right now I just have a queen angelfish, maroon clownfish and undulated trigger in there.