first time fish owner what can I do?

Question

I would like to get a tropical fish tank, but that sounds like alot of care, Im always "on the go" so I rarely have time for myself, But I want that commitment plus it would be something beutiful to look at once I get home, just sit back and look at my fish tank.

I know it will be hard at first but with your help I can go in with an educated state of mind and know somewhat to look for.

thank you for your time

Answer 1

once you cycle your tank here are some fish try you can skip a few water changes, red/rainbow sharks, guppies, gouramis, cichilds, danios,

Answer 2

I would greatly suggest an aquarium for anyone with a stressful and busy life, IF they can manage to scrape A) enough funds together(freshwater isn't that bad) and B) the necessary time to create a succesfull tank. Here is a list in order of what to buy and what to do:

1 Buy a large tank, like a 55 gallon first, the bigger the easier it gets.
2 Buy all the accesories for this tank:
- A filter that is made for that tank size and larger
- A suitable sized under-water heater
- A master test kit, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, levels, etc
- Gravel or sand, enough to fill the bottom and some
- Gravel vacuum ( 10 bucks at most)
- Fish net, food, etc.
- Buy some de-chlorinizer, i suggest Chlor-X
3 Put everything together and put all of the water in the tank, let it all sit for 2-3 weeks while putting bits of food into the tank now and then to create a sense of ammonia. You CAN also do fish cycling, make sure you pick a very hardy species such as a betta at first.

4 Do heavy research during this time on what inhabitants you want in your tank, look at the maturity size of the fish, not youth size.

5 Test your tank after a few weeks for everything, make sure it is stable, then you can add the fish you desire.

NOTE : If you are always on the run as you said, I would suggest an automatic feeder, which is a very simple device that feeds your fish a specific amount at a specific time(s) during the day.
Here is a site that may help you with all your problems if you have any, you can contact me on that site with any problems at [e-mail] or [e-mail].
Good luck, and enjoy the hobby!

Answer 3

start with a 10 gallon tank, filter, and bubbler, and one, YES, ONE goldfish. they are hardy fish, and will withstand a lot. they also grow pretty big, and one is plenty for a 10 gallon tank. (too much ammonia from more than one fish,,,,, it's a bad combo) don't go any smaller than a 10 with a goldfish.

i'm not home a lot either, and my fish gets weekend feeders or a babysitter. they also make automatic feeders too, you just have to be careful of how you've set it up.

if you want tropical fish, they are just a little bit different to care for, you need a good filtration system, bubbler, and heater at the bare minimum... and you have to monitor the water very closely, or you'll end up with dead fish. go to www.drsfostersmith.com and read some of the articles that they have. it's a very informative site, and it's run by vets.

good luck,and have fun with ur fishies!!

Answer 4

A mistake that a lot of people make is that they think that as soon as their tank is set up they can toss a whole school o' fish in there. You need to start small, only a few fish at a time, to keep the sensitive balance of ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates controlled.

Answer 5

It's not nearly as hard as it sounds. To start you need to set up your tank and start the nitrogen cycle. To get it started you need to introduce some sort of ammonia. I reccommend the fishless cycle where you add ammoinia from a bottle, as this method does not harm any fish. But the choice of whether you cycle with fish or without fish is yours. Below is an article on cycling.

That article explains everything you need to start the cycle and how to do it using different methods.

Answer 6

well you could get a 15 ,20, 35, 40, or 50 gallon tank and if you would like some colorfull fish you should go to the pet store or fish store and buy 1 of each fish that has neon in their name or you could buy a couple of the same one its your pick but the reason i say neon is because when you put a light over their tank they light up so beautifully.

Answer 7

A quick and easy guide to getting started can be found at this site:
http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/index.html

While stuff can be covered in more detail by going to the FishGeeks website @ http://www.aquaria.info

However, an easy fish to get started with are guppies........ generally as long as you've got the tank conditions right they'll breed worse than rabbits, and you'll not likely have to buy more fish for years, they're that easy.

Answer 8

Fishtanks are one of the most relaxing of hobbies. Once your tank is up and running you'll get countless hours of relaxation simply watching the fish.

The key to sucess is to research everything first. Figure out how the nitrogen cycle works, what type of filtration you want to use and above all research the fish you want to get BEFORE you get them.

FishGeeks offers a forum dedicated to people just starting out in the hobby. I encourage you to stop by and introduce yourself there.

Answer 9

Make sure you have time to care for a tank or it will be a head ache. They do need constant maintenence.

Answer 10

just set up a 5 gallon you can set 1 up for under 60bucks and get a couple of commu nity tank fishes in it