Need advice from fish tank owners?

Question

Hubby wants aquarium for Christmas. We are looking at something large, at least 55gal, or maybe 125 or even 150. Went to 2 pet stores today, got the basic info, some printed stuff, etc. Now we want to hear it from you....what's REALLY involved? Do you change the water weekly, monthly, do you change 10%, 25%, what? How much time do you truly spend in maintainence? We are seriously doing this, just want to know the difference between "salesman lines" and REALITY!!:)) Also, good sites for kinds and compatability of fish. How many, etc. (This is for fresh water tank.) How long did it take to set up? And what is this about "cycling"? Is there anything I should know that the stores or printed info didn't tell me? Also, after the initial purchase, what is the biggest expense? Thanks!!

Answer 1

Atta girl :) You can't trust a pet store clerk! Some petstores are great, but its rare. Mostly, they just sell.

A tank is definitely a lot of maintenance. You should change the water weekly, definitely. You can maybe go to 2 weeks if you understock, but every week is best. I do 30% per week. Sometimes I do 20%, twice a week. And I always vacuum the gravel.

That's the major maintenance. I wipe down the inside of the glass to get any algae or residue off, I rinse the filter cartridges every few weeks (never replace it).
I feed my fish twice a day, and that takes about 5 minutes, but I use frozen foods. Flake and pellet foods obviously takes far less time, but I actually break a piece off a frozen plaque of various worms/shrimp, put it in a small net, run it under warm water and feed to my various tanks as required.

The set up is the longer, most expensive process.
I suggest you get a used tank, Try to find one at a local aquarists' society. They are usually 40-50% of the price they are in stores, and you can get them complete with stands, lids, etc. The transport itself hard. A 55 gal is liftable by two people (even if one of them is a girl ;). A 90 gallon is just barely liftable by two men. Anything bigger than that and you need a group of people and a dolley.

We got out big 90 gal tank with stand, fluorescent light fixture, heater and canopy for 380$ canadian. You could probably find a total kit, 100 gallons with all the stuff - filter, hood lights stand bla bla for 300-400$.
However, I do suggest you look into buying a heater new. DON'T skimp on the heater... And get two heaters that total the total amount of wattage you want. It happens sometimes that heaters don't turn off when they reach the desired temperature and it can totally cook your fish. Having two, half powered heaters at either end of the tank will a) keep the temperature more stable and b) save your fishes' lives should one of them malfunction!

Also, overfilter. If you have a 90 gallon tank, don't get a filter for 90gallons. Get a filter for 110 gallons or more. Anything over 90 gallons should have a canister filter. Less than 90 and you can go Hang off the Back. Aqua Clear is a good brand. Do NOT ever replace your filter cartridge, unless its falling apart. You need the bacteria it contains. If your filter is gunky, just swish it around in a bucket of tank water.

You will need gravel of course... filling a 90 gallon took us about 4, 20$ bags.

You also need decorations. Personally, I like natural decor... so driftwood, rocks, etc. You can also go with castles and other ornaments. Expect to spend at least 50$. Used is good!

You will also need various products like a master testing kit. 35$, and it will be your best friend! It will tell you ammonia, nitrite, etc etc. of course, you'll also need dechlorinator. I do not suggest you bother with aquarium salt unless treating for Ich (something else to read up on!)

I suggest you check the water parameters of your tank water. Many fish can adapt to many water parameters (pH, hardness) but it's best to try and go with fish that fit your tap water params. That way your fish are happy, you don't have to worry about trying to adjust the pH, and you don't have to buy distilled water.

Aaaand of course, you'll need your fish! If you have a pH of around 6.5-7.5, most fish will adapt just fine. I would suggest a community tank. How about a few angelfish, and a couple schools of tetras?
Some nice fish are:
neon tetras http://www.aquariumfish.net/images_01/neon_tetras_001_w320.jpg
cardinal tetra http://filer.case.edu/~jjw2/cardinal.jpg
lemon tetra http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/characins/images/LemonTetraWFCh_C1124.jpg
harlequin rasbora http://tropicalresources.net/phpBB2/templates/BMan1Blue/images/profile_pics/fish_profiles_heteromorpha1.jpg
glowlight tetra http://www.solodvds.com/images/fish/Hemigrammus_erythrozonus_s.jpg
zebra danio http://www.winternet.com/~mchristi/fish/zebradanio.jpg
http://www.aquascape.co.uk/Glass_Cat.jpg

And some fellas for the bottom region:
A school of at least 6 corydoras julii or sterbai is great:
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/People/h-Cory-julii.jpg - you should have at least a 20 gallon tank to get a school of these.
or you can get a school of oto cats: http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/oto_cat.jpg
Get a school of at least 5 of these (tank minimum: 15 gallons). They eat algae.
Or you can get a bushy-nosed pleco:
http://www.azgardens.com/images/Pleco-Bushy-Nose-cover.gif
They hit 5-6", so the minimum tank size would be 30 gallons.

Your angels would be your centrepiece fish, but other nice choice would be pearl gouramis. Nice complimentary fish are apistogramma, rams, kribensis...

This type of tank can be planted. A regular 48" fluorescent fixture is fine for some nice low-light plants. If you want to go higher lighting, you might want to invest in a Coralife Freshwater Compact Fluorescent. I just got one for my 90 gal and I need sunglasses in my living room ;)


If your pH and hardness are higher, malawi cichlids are a great choice. They are gorgeous and colourful. Unfortunately, they dig up plants, and they terrorize and kill any other fish that aren't cichlids. But at the risk of sounding childfish, Peac*ck cichlids are just like... WOW.
http://www.aquariumfish.net/images_01/peacock_yellow.jpg
http://zenandjuice.com/word/images/Aul_eureka_01.jpg
http://cjexotics.com/images/alunarubadmale.jpg
http://www.dainichi.com/cichlid_page/ULTIMA/Blue-neon-peacock-juv.jpg
http://research.yale.edu/peabody/CICHLID/AB/aul-red-shoulder.jpg
You can mix these guys, just make sure that you go with the same type. If you go with malawi cichlids, stick with malawi cichlids. Don't mix tanganyikans and malawis, for example. Malawis and Mbunas are cave dwellers so these tanks should be loaded with rocks and caves.

Tanganyikans make great fish, too. They are smaller, and they have this endearing little trait - they live in shells!
http://cichlidpress.pair.com/photos/alt-calvus.jpg
http://www.britishcichlid.com/graphics/fish1.jpg
http://cichlidpress.pair.com/photos/tro-duboisi.jpg
http://www.aquariumarticles.com/articles/1622081/a060-01.jpg

If you go with a community tank, pet store fish will probably be fine. Cichlids, you will probably want to get from a breeder or dealer. More choice, lower price. Try aquabid.com.

Anyway, while your tank is cycling (I trust you know all about that ;)), that is a good time to walk through some fish stores or even aquarium zoos and write down what you like. Come home and research them. Never ask from advice from a petstore clerk. Well, you can, but take it with a grain of salt and research it.

A quick work on cycling: Bio-Spira is worth its weight in gold! No other cycling products like Cycle work. They are just dead bacteria and are only good at emptying your wallet. Go with Bio-Spira cycling, or fishless cycling (putting an a source of ammonia into the tank like a piece of shrimp, or adding fish food every few days until bacteria accumulates). Don't use a fish to cycle, it's pretty much animal cruelty.

The best resource I can give you is http://www.fishforums.com . join, you won't be disapointed.

Woo! That was a lot of typing, sorry!

Answer 2

Yeah, the bigger the aquarium, the less maintenance you will need. My advice to you would be to do some research on filters, heater, air stones, ph levels, amonia, nitrate, etc. These are very important in maintaining a healthy environment. Knowing the basics about all of this stuff, including fish, and fish food for the fish you will be buying will help you loads in the future. When you are searching for a tank, it is always best to "pretend" that you know what you are talking about, if the salesmen see someone who is new to the system, they will take advantage of you, much like any sales people.

A good site to visit is www.elmersaquarium.com the site has tons of good information not only on fish and fish compatitibility, but it also has some decent information on filters, heaters etc.

Cycling is preparing a tank for fish to live in, people new to the hobby will often dive head first into overstocking their new tank and then wonder why fish start dying off after a week or so.
Basicly a fish gives off Ammonia (NH3,NH4)from fecal matter which is broken down by nitrifying bacteria into Nitrite (NO2) which in turn is broken down to Nitrate(NO3).
Ammonia and Nitrite can be harmfull and more often enough lethal to fish at any level and in a fully cycled tank both should read 0. Nitrate is not as lethal and "some" fish can live in high levels but its best to keep it under 20ppm(parts per million) once the tank is fully cycled.
Once the tank is fully cycled the nitrates can be kept to a safe level with regular weekly water changes. ----So basically, the tank after first purchased isn't prepared yet to support life, although you can also "fish" cycle a tank, the natural way.

The biggest expense after the purchase of the tank is everything you need with it, filters and heaters will be pretty pricey with a tank this size, but make sure you get some that are more than big enough for the size.

This may be scary at first, but it's just alot of words, it is actually a very fun hobby. Keeping fish has been known to lower stress levels and health issues, although not clinicly proven of course. It is a very nice hobby to get in to. Good luck!!

Answer 3

Please start out big. It helps you more than anything, it means less deaths, and stable parameters, less chance of disease as well.

They say do a 10-20% water change weekly, but if you have an established tank(its been through the nitrogen cycle), you should only be able to do the water change 25% monthly.
I recommend getting a python syphon, it helps change the water, and you make less trips to the sink/tub.

I recently transformed the tank into a planted aquarium (it contains plants and fish). I would say before the planted, i spent about just 5-10 mins. maintaining the tank. I made sure to change the filter every year (I found by leaving the filter cartridge in there actually left it cleaner than if I had changed it). The old filter contains beneficial bacteria that helps ammonia and nitrites stay down.

I recommend going to fish forums, my personal fave. are
Badman's
http://www.badmanstropicalfish.com/forum/index.php

Aquarium Advice
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/index.php?sid=f86c72c52a2f49b6d3cdc7470f3f3aaf

Live Aquaria
www.liveaquaria.com

The nitrogen cycle is basically the cycle that establishes the beneficial bacteria that will help you in keeping the ammonia and nitrite levels low. This usually takes a month. Here's a website that will further explain it:
http://www.bluecrayfish.com/cycle.htm

I'll tell you one thing, though, DO NOT believe what pet store employees will tell you. Most of them have NO clue about fish.
Also the biggest expense depends. It could be fish, maintainence supplies, foods, or meds., for me personally, I'd say it was the maintainance supplies (filter, heater, syphon, gravel vac, etc).

If you want more info. and help just e-mail me at [e-mail]

Answer 4

I would go with the largest set up you can afford. I do a partial water change weekly.I do about 25 % change.I use a siphon and bucket.It can be messy. Takes about 20 minutes ( I only have a 30 gallon tank) I use a algae brush daily to clean the scum that builds up on the inner glass. That's a 5 minute job .I do a weekly water test. Not really required but a good habit.That's about 5 -10 minute thing and then waiting for results. I clean and mange my filters about once a week. That takes me about 15 minutes.I have two very simple filters. I take apart one a week to clean it and change media if necessary.
as far as how many fish and what kinds ...see a good fish store (not Petco) They will give the best advice for fish volumes and compatibility.
The set up should take about a week. The cycling is a nessary step ...so follow the stores advice on that too.
The biggest expense would be the tank , stand and filters ( buy a good filter)
May I also kindly suggest getting a gift certificate for the fish ... let hubby select them. May I also suggest that you gift him with a few books on caring for fish and a fish sicknesses and cures book. You may also look on-line for fish message boards.Those type of boards will produce very detailed advice from serious fish people.

Answer 5

the bigger the better... and the less you have to maintain it... once a month do a 25% water change. And scrub off algae but you can get an algae eater of some sort...

Cycling is where you let the tank mature where good bacteria take over and convert harmful chemicals like ammonia, nitrite into things that are safer. Throw in a few snails, live plants, and a few guppies to start with... They'll add the bacteria and chemical that'll start this process.... If you do it right nobody is going to die. This will go on for 2-4 weeks. Then you can add your new fish.

make sure you know what kind of fish you're going to buy. Because this will determine your setup, and decoration, and water PH. You got to do extensive research on that.

Answer 6

Goldfish can grow to be over a foot long, weigh over 5 pounds, and live for over 15 years (with the oldest recorded goldfish living to age 43). A single fancy goldfish gets around 8" long and requires a 20 gallon tank, with an extra 10 gallons for each additional fish. A single common goldfish grows even larger, up to 18", and needs 75 gallons each. Shubunkins are somewhere in the middle at 12" requiring 40g or larger. They also produce an immense amount of waste, the most compared to any other fish the same size, and require a filter rated for double the size of the tank they are in. Living in a bowl or small tank a goldfish's waste will quickly build up to toxic levels unless given water changes every single day. Even so, the goldfish will be severely stunted and, though their body will not appear to grow, their interior organs will continue doing so. Eventually their organs will outgrow their bodies and completely shut down in a very slow and excruciating process. Goldfish are not the simple beginner's bowl fish they are so often portrayed as. They require an immense amount of space and filtration to live healthy lives. In fact, not even the betta, commonly believed able to thrive in a bowl, should not be kept in such an environment. They should be placed in nothing less than a 5 gallon aquarium with a heater and filter. If you're going to get a 10g I would recommend a betta and some shrimp or a small school of pygmy cories. A goldfish cannot live in an environment that small, let alone 2. Shubunkin can get 12" long and will live for over 20 years if cared for properly. They cannot get the proper care they need when put in a tank that is too small for them. Whatever fish you get you will want to cycle your tank for 6 weeks before adding anything to it.

Answer 7

Hon the quesints you have asked will take a small book to answer.

First off you never change more than 1/3 of your water. That means you NEVER empty it and clean it. Each week you take out 1/3 of your water and put in fresh decholrintated water.

YOU will need a biofilter preferably a biowhell type filter. YOu will need to ahve your aquarium up and running for a full week before you put any fish in it. Then depending on the fish you are going to keep you only ad one or tow fish per week. I am not being overly cautious. If you do ont let your aquairum balance you will kill the fish becaue you will get too muc amonnia.

The fish excretions effects the water qulaity as ammonia and nitrte. The fish s**t in the water and it has lots ammonia. Highy toxic to the fish. The good baciteria change the ammonia to nitrite still very toxic to fish then to nitrate which is plant food and not nearly as toxic. The good bacteria will grow on the biowheel. Setting up your aquarium and slwoly adding fish allows the bacteria to grow to meet the needs of the tank. if you get more fish than the bacteris can handle you will have amonnia an nitire in your tank and you rfish will die it is that simple.

Ther is so much more to say on this. I can't write it all righ tnow. If you would like to email me please feel free to. I would be glad to give you some pointers. I raise goldfish. Been doing it for years. Last time I tried it was not easy to find a good book on setting up an aquarium. I am not sure any of them really tell it like it is. An aquariium can be lots of fun and very easy to care for IF it is set up correctly. It it isn't is can be heart breaking, time consuming, and a huge expense.

Answer 8

We have found over our 11 year stretch with aquarium fish , that the hardest part is setting up the tank , as you mention , to cycle. The most expensive part after you set up could be the filters, filter system or your fish-depending on what kind you like! We have also found that the more often you feed them, them more often you will have to change the water, we do about 25% each month. You want to make sure you aren't overfeeding. Keep them a little hungry-ours have always come up to greet us ,act like they are hungry,after only 2 hours. Also, changing the scenery and the environment keeps them from being territorial and bored ! With the water change, make sure you have it at room temperature for a couple hours before putting it in the tank.
We have had a 150 gallon tank before , and it took us most of the day.
From what I know about cycling-Put your tank up at least a few days before you put the fish in. I forget why, but there needs to be some knid of bacteria in there.
Hope this helps! Enjoy your new tank-also-you MUST name all your fish-they will live longer.

Answer 9

Cycling: you need to build up a colony of beneficial nitrifying bacteria to stabilize your aquarium. They convert ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates into forms that aren't harmful for your fish. Most people cycle their aquariums with fish. They add a small amount of the hardiest fish they want to keep (1/4 or 1/5 of the total fish you will be adding). Danios, larger tetras, and livebearers are good for cycling if you plan on keeping any of those. You have to do water changes more often during cycling when you are using fish because you want to keep the ammonia and nitrites from getting high enough to poison your fish. Monitor your ammonia and nitrite levels every other day or so for a while during cycling to make sure your fish are safe. You can buy cheap test kits for that at pet stores.
Some people use a fishless cycle. If you want to use a fishless cycle, you will either have to add an ammonia source or fish food to your aquarium daily (which takes longer than a fish cycle), or add some biospira along with some fish food (which is quicker than other cycling, but you need to make sure you get the biospira from a reliable pet store where you are sure it has be in constant refrigeration so that the bacteria hasn't died - if its on a deep discount, it is probably dead and worthless).
There are a few ways to speed up your cycle. You can add a couple handfuls of gravel from an established aquarium to your own gravel (don't rinse the gravel first). You can rinse the filter media or biowheel from an established aquarium into your aquarium water (using your own aquarium water, not chlorinated water). And/or, you can use filter media in your filter from an established aquarium. If you have a filter that uses multiple biowheels or filter cartridges, you can use one new biowheel or filter cartridge and one used one, or you can put some used filter floss or gravel or some other sort of established filter media in your filter baskets.
You will know when your aquarium is cycled because your ammonia will spike and then drop, then your nitrites will spike and then drop, and then your nitrates will spike and then drop to an acceptable level. After that, you can begin adding fish a few at a time (only a few at a time so that your nitrifying bacteria can keep up with the increase in ammonia waste from the new fish, which prevents a deadly ammonia spike). Cycling times vary depending on the methods you use and the size of your aquarium.

With large aquariums like the ones you are thinking about, the beginner rules on stocking like "one inch of fish per gallon of water" don't apply. You'll need to look up the types of fish you want to keep and see what aquarists recommend for those fish. I'd go to web sites that are specific to the fish species you want to keep. http://www.aquariumfish.net is a resource I sometimes use as a jumping off point for looking at fish compatibility and the space in the aquarium they need, but I would do further research after that website. Whatever you do, don't take the fish store's word for it. They may mean well, but you will be glad you did your own research on fish needs and compatibility on your own before you purchase.

You will need to change the water more often initially than you will as your tank becomes established. I do a 10-20% water change in my aquariums around once a month, but it isn't exact. The amount of water I change and when I change it has a lot to do with how the aquarium is looking (and sometimes smelling) and how the fish are behaving, plus whenever I have time or need to clean off some new algae growth. You'll figure it out. Just make sure you pay attention to your aquarium and your fish.

Live plants help, if you decide to keep fish that are compatible with live plants. They help convert ammonia and nitrates and I have always found they keep my aquariums more stable, and they tend to keep down the algae growth by outcompeting the algae for nutrients. Only keeping aquarium lights on for 8-10 hours per day also keeps down algae growth.

The biggest expenses once things are set up will be if you end up with a fish disease and need to medicate and/or replace fish, or if you live in an area with expensive electricity.

Make sure you have a really good filter. Invest in one that is recommended for an aquarium larger than the one you buy, it will definately pay off in the long run in a more stable and clean aquarium that requires less maintenence.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com is a great all-around resource for fish selection and fish care. Its a little hard to navigate but its good to have on your favorites whenever any questions pop up about your aquarium.

Answer 10

The bigger the aquarium the less often maintenance is required. However it can get expensive. Your aquarium will have to cycle, get a few very inexpensive fish to start, they will probably die, so don't get attached to them. Set up your aquarium for about 2 weeks before you put anything in it. Most pet stores are pretty accurate with compatibility of fish. Good luck

Answer 11

This is coming from my hubby who is a fish fanatic he has had freshwater fish and now does saltwater but we still have one freshwater tank.
Cycling a tank for a freshwater should take about two days, using the proper chemicals to make sure there isn't any harmful contaminates in the water that could kill the fist, you must have the tank's temperature at the proper temperature for the fish you would like, tropical fish need a Warner tank he thinks about 75-82 degrees but where you buy your fish they should be able to tell you what temperature the fish need to be in. A given rule for freshwater fish is one inch of fish per gallon of water, the more fish you have the dirtier your water will get. It is a good idea to invest in getting an algae eater I have always had one and they do a great job at keeping the tank clean but when you first start a tank obviously there isn't going to be algae for the algae eater to feast on so make sure you get algae tabs to feed to your algae eater for the first couple of weeks. Always remember to take into consideration the adult size of the fish so that you don't overcrowd your tank. You can get nitrate and ammonia tests that will tell you how bad your tap water is and it will give you a tolerance at where you should keep your water levels at. we invested in a Britta water purifier for our faucet. In a freshwater it is good to do a 10% water change at first every two weeks and just keep checking your tank and it will tell you where it will land and let you know if you need to do a bigger water change or if what you are doing is good enough. Make sure that when you purchase your fish make sure that you get fish that will get along with each other, the employees should be able to tell you what fish will be able to get along with what but we HIGHLY recommend that you do some research before buying. Here is a good site to reference
www.liveaquaria.com
Enjoy your tank and if you have anymore questions feel free to e-mail me anytime at [e-mail] we will be more than happy to help you out with any further assistance you might need
if you discover that you enjoy the freshwater tanks and would like to venture into something that is more fulfilling but a bit pricey try saltwater the payoff is alot nicer. I hope this helps you out.