I am looking at these aquariums, what do you think? Need major advice on what I need, what kind of fish, etc..

Question

I am looking at these aquariums:
http://www.tropicalfishstore.com/Aquarium-BiUbe.htm
What do you think?
What kind of fish would do best in each size?
What other extra kind of equipment would I need for them?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Well, first off, don't be misled by the first picture. It's a nine gallon tank and they have three goldfish and five guppies or neons. First off, goldfish are not community fish and should not be combined with any other freshwater fish. Second, goldfish need 10 gallons of water per fish up to only three inches, so this tank is barely acceptable for one small goldfish. So, that said, and allowing for growth, only the 16 gallon would be decent for one goldfish. All the tanks would be okay for community fish, such as neon tetras, barbs, guppies, cory cats, loaches, algae eaters, swordtails, or platys. Mollies are typical starter fish, but they tend to get ick really easily. You allow a miniumum of 1 gallon of water per 1 inch of fish. For community freshwater fish, you need a heater, which these tanks don't come with, so you would have to get one of these. They're beautful tanks, but they're very small.

Answer 2

They're pretty alright! But I'd be worried about quality, too. For the same amount of money you could get a larger standard setup and have more choices in fish. You definitely need a heater for any of those sizes, unless you get minnows or goldfish.

I'm going to list a few stock lists I would consider easy to keep and suitable for tanks this size and shape.

4 gallons: 1 betta OR 3 guppies (1m, 2f).

8 or 9 gallons: 1 betta, 3 cories OR 6 guppies (2m, 4f) OR 3 platies (1m, 2f) OR 6 neon tetras.

16 gallons: 1 fancy -- NOT common or comet -- goldfish w/o heater OR 8 white cloud mountain minnows w/o heater OR 15 neons OR 1 dwarf gourami, 12 neons OR 1 dwarf gourami, 6 neons, 3 cories OR 8 zebra danios OR 6 platies (2m, 4f) OR 12 guppies (4m, 8f).

In order to have a fun and successful aquarium without the all too common frustrations of fish that die for no reason, please read up on cycling your tank before you add fish. If patience is an issue (and I can understand that!) look into BioSpira -- it's the only instant cycling product I've heard that works. I've used it successfully! And always add your fish a few at a time. Adding too many at once causes instability in the water chemicals, which will kill fish, too.

Good luck. :)

Answer 3

We had one of these tanks in my store, and they're garbage. Your view of the fish is skewed and the acrylic is thin and easy to damage. The stand is low quality. The only unique thing about the tank is the biological filtration... which you can acheive with any aquaclear, rena, magnum, or fluval filter. We had to damage ours out. It really is very cheap looking in person, and the lava rock scratches the acrylic easily.

It is possible that the one you are looking at is higher quality, but it is a cold water tank, and you can't safely put any goldfish in it for a long period of time. Tropicals will need a heater and they don't fit well in the biubes and biorbs.

if you have a petsmart and still want one, last know price was $100 for tank and stand...but they are discontinued so they may not have any left.

Answer 4

If you want to use tropical fish, you will need to purchase a heater. Also you will need to treat the water with de-clor. It takes the chlorene out of the water, which can kill fish. With a 9 gallon aquarium the best kind of fish to get are: guppies, black mollies(tropical), male betas,(tropical) but only one male beta as they will kill each other if you get more than one. Also algae eaters to keep the sides clean. But don't get more than 5-6 fish as it will be to much for the size of the tank.

Answer 5

The best advice I can give you is to get some of that tank conditioner before you even think of putting fish in the tank. It will make the tank balanced so you wont get a spike in amonnia. Also remember that you put one inch of fish (not counting the tail) for every gallon of water. Goldfish are not good for tanks without powerful filter pumps. They produce a LOT of waste!

Answer 6

Being only 9 gallons you are pretty limited. Not to the kind of fish, but to just how many you've got room for. The unit looks self contained, so I don't think you need to much for equipment.
As for fish try some of the live bearing kind ( guppies, swordtails, platies, mollies ).Or maybe something more exotic like a pair of Red discus, a few rare catfish of the smaller type and a small school of Hatchet fish for the top of the tank.

Answer 7

Head over to thatfishplace.com It's one of the best resources I've found. They have people on staff you can ask questions to and online information.

Answer 8

Go to Drs.foster and smith. com