What cheap fish do i buy for my tank, what do i buy to put in, do i need a therometer, do i need other stuff??

Question

The tanks a aqua start 320 tropical tank with a light, filter and heater, its 28 L, I dont have much money and I just want a simple, easy mantence, good looking tank. What fish do i buy ( dont want to spend of $15 on fish, what food, do i need chemicals? which ones?, do i need special plants inside, do i need a therometer or other stuff, do i need special rocks ???? plz tell me what I need on a cheap budget!!

Answer 1

Yes you need a thermometer
charcoal for the filter
rock for the bottom
couple of plants plastic is good
Bubbeler to put air in the water

these do not cost much if you get the basic models

The fish try Molly's - neon's and a bottom feeder

Different fish need different water conditions get fish that have the same pH the guy at the pet store can tell you.

and the you need drops to get the chlorine out of the water and to make it the right pH and food

Just make sure that the rock you get rinse well and boil it for five min every thing that you put in your tank that is not alive needs to be boiled.

When you bring your fish home put the bags that they came in directly in the water after ten Min's open them let some water out and put some water from the tank in the bag do this four times this allows the fish to get used to the temp difference slowly and will not put them in shock.

Answer 2

Fish are not cheap to keep! Bettas are probably the most inexpensive and easy to maintain however, as they don't need a lot of room like goldfish, but maintain their size. You can buy a betta for about $5, a betta tank for $20. After that all you will need to do is buy a light (some come with the tank, most are seperate) for about $10, a thermometer for $2, a net for $2 and eventually some fish pellets for $10 and water cleaner for $10 (once the samples have run out).

THe tank you are talking about I believe is equal to about a 10 G. I have a 10 G and it is way expensive to run! Within the first 3 months I had spent $80 on the tank, $40 on accessories, $40 on substrate, $45 on lightbulbs that could grow plant, $100 on chemicals and test kits, $60 on fish and probably another $30 on plants.

I suggest saving up some money, or just going for something smaller!

Answer 3

You need a water de-chlorinator to take chlorine and chloramides out of your tap water when you fill the tank and every time you do a water change, which should be once a week. A siphon tube/gravel vacuum will help pick up any wastes from the bottom of the tank. You need a thermometer to monitor the water temperature and ensure your heater is working properly. You need a water test kit to make sure your ammonia, nitrites, nitrates are not at poisonous levels.

You should have some plants in your tank for the mental health of your fish - plastic is fine, but at least one real plant such as java moss or hornwort (both inexpensive, easy to grow plants) help maintain the quality of the water and provide fish with supplemental microscopic food.

Gravel and other decorations on the bottom of your tank are really at your discretion, unless you choose a fish that likes to burrow into the substrate. The majority of fish don't need it, it's more for people who don't like the look of a bare bottom tank.

Tropical flake is a fine staple food, but you should supplement with freeze-dried blood worms, or frozen brine shrimp, once a week or so, just because all creatures enjoy variety in their diet.

Your tank is small, so get no more than six of a very small fish, such as black neon tetras or danios, or three rasboras...if you want only one fish, I recommend a Betta (Siamese Fighting Fish), they can be purchased quite inexpensively and are easy to maintain. Bettas eat a special food packaged under a variety of names, usually something like "Betta Bites".

If you set up slowly (and your tank will need 3-4 weeks to cycle before you add fish anyway), you should be able to spread out your costs and once the tank is established, your only on-going costs will be filter media, de-chlorinator, and fish food.

Answer 4

Well if you plan to get tropical fish, you have to get a heater and if the heater doesn't have a thermometer, you have to buy one. You have to buy solution that will de-chlorinize your tank and take out the ammonia. If you don't plan on getting real plants, then you can get solution that does all I said above and neutralizes the water to 7.0. If you have real plants, the phosphates they use to neutralize the water to 7.0 will kill your plants. At this point, if you want cheap tropical fish, I say to get tetras, guppies, barbs and platies. They come in a variety of colors. Betta and platies fish prolly one of the more hardy fish but you can't put bettas and guppies in the same tank. If you want to spend a little more money, $3-$6 per fish depending on the breed, you can get cory catfish. They'll eat all the left over food from the bottom of the tank and keep your gravel clean of food. Cories are schoaling fish so you need to have at least 2-3.

If you don't want to buy a heater, the only fish you can get are goldfish and white cloud mountain minnows. Those fish can survive in cold water.

Answer 5

i have 155 gallon tank.. the less fish you have the better the maitenance on the tank will be less work.. i have 4 cory cat fish which are botton fedders.. i only started out with two but they had babies. which are egg layers.. which are hard to have babies from them.. i have one pleco.... which is an alage feeder.. you dont have to worry about about buying a big one buy the cheapest pleco.. it will grow up... the cheapest fish that i have bought and are low maitenance are platties, mollies they are live bearers.. which i only ever start out with two of each.. cuz they have live babies as long as you keep plastic plants in the bottom they have somewhere to hide. as for the food tropical fish food is the cheapest .. to use.. i also have one male beta in the tank too.
so for the cory cats i have shrip pellets for them and the platties and mollies i have tropical fish flakes. and for the pleco you should drop a alage wafer in once a week. i dont always do that. also for the beta i use beta food
but you dont really have to buy the shrimp pellets .. tropical fish food would be enough for all. and dont over feed most people over feed fish .. and that is what makes you have to clean the tank.. i never have to clean the tank i only have to top it off with water when it evaporates. i have on the two out side the tank whisper pumps the bigger the tank i would use more pumps.. good luck hope i helped any more questions feel free to email me at [e-mail] and yes you do need a termometer.. you need to keep the temp in the green on the thermometer++++++++++++++++++++++

Answer 6

Here is some info on freshwater fish, I do not have any info on saltwater fish. This answer was originally given to an individual whom inquired about his fish swiiming on its side, but you too can learn from this information.

If you have fresh water fish it could be a number of problems with the water. Fish are extremely sensitive to chlorine in the water. You can purchase "Start Right" from your local pet supply or store. This product removes the chlorine from the water and makes it healthy for the fish to swim in.

Also the PH of your water is important, usually fresh water fish like the pH to be about neutral or about a 7 on the pH scale.

There is a product out called Correct pH for community tanks or tank buddies, and comes in a white tablet form just follow the directions on the packaging

These two products are essential for having healthy fish.

Also, if you do not have a filter or something to circulate the water the fish can be deprived of oxygen, so you need a filter.

When a fish swims on its side it will die because water conditions are not favorable.

If all the above conditions are met and your fish is still on its side it could be dieing from old age, or a lethal dose of ammonia from the fish going to the bathroom. you can find ammonia removal at your local pet supply too.

The best system for ammonia removal is to buy a filter with a water wheel attached to it as this will remove the ammonia from the water by dissipation or evaporation.

And of course change the water in your tank, but don't forget to remove the chlorine.

Sand is the best to use for the bottom of your fish tank and not the little colored stones.

I like algea eaters and red sharks for my freshwater 5 gallon tank.

Rick
http://dogwoodsquotes.blogspot.com

Answer 7

Aquariums are not a cheap hobby.