i am a beginner in working my first fish tank i dont know what kind (fresh or salt) or what size?

Question

which is the best fish for each

Answer 1

Welcome to the hobby!

Freshwater would be the easiest and least expensive for you. Get some experience with that, then you can move on to saltwater in a few years if you are still interested. Generally, the larger the tank, the more stable the conditions (not to mention, you'll be able to keep more and more kinds of fish!). I'd say look at a 20 long to a 55 gallon if you have the room. Do a little research on keeping fish and different kinds of fish to see what you think you'd like (and what kinds will get along, will do well in the water conditions you can provide). Here are some websites that will help you get started:

http://www.fishlore.com/
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/fishspecies/l/blfishlibrary.htm
http://www.elmersaquarium.com/000tropfishcareguides.htm

Answer 2

Most beginners start with a 10 gallon fresh water tank. I agree with the other guy when he says that salt water is a huge commitment.

There are a few fish that are "beginner friendly." A beta is a nice fish to have. They are beautiful, dont hide, and contrary to popular belief they do really well with community fish. Of course though, dont put 2 betas in the same tank. That's just asking for 2 dead fish. Also beta's dont do well with fish like oscars.

Goldfish are good beginner fish. However, problem with them is that they sometimes have a short life span.

Answer 3

If you're a beginner, I'd recommend a fresh water tank. My brother in law had a salt water tank, and it's a huge time commitment, it's a challenge to keep the tank in balance, plus the fish are really expensive. For a fresh water tank, have someone at the pet store advise the best fish for the size of the tank, then choose the ones you like best. Enjoy!

Answer 4

First time hey?..

Goldfishes in a 15 gallons tank with a plecostomus algae eater fish is the way to begin simply because they are really cheap and easily replaceable should you loose some to diseases.

Goldfishes can pretty much sustain anything you will do to them and the plecostomus will kill/eat those who become sick or die(if it happens, and this, often before you realise that you have sick fishes that may contanimate the others) and will also keep your tank free of algae. As in any micro system, it's always good to have a scavenger and plecostomus are really good at it. Keep only one though for they become territorial when they get larger, and trust me, they can get quite large. Where I worked we had a large tank for display and one of those was almost 2 feet long.

You can basically use any type of filtering system as long as it uses charcoal. Set a small air pump to make bubbles and add some movement to the water.

Once you have this setup running for some times and that all is going well, you can start replacing your goldfish with more "exotic" ones. Some may require a water tank heater to keep the temperature more constant or a bit higher than room temperature. You can also get tips from the pet shop where you get your fishes. If you go there during non busy hours, the clerks are usually quite helpful.

With time and as you get more experienced, you may want to get a larger tank, an external filetring system and natural aquatic plants. Keeping track of the water Ph is also important for more sensitive type of fishes, which are usually more expansive.

Answer 5

Salt is more exotic but also harder to maintain and considerably more exspensive.
Even low end salt fish are about 4 times more expensive than the average fresh. If price is not a problem, I would go with salt though if you have time to do DAILY water tests and give extra care needed.

If budget is lite, go with fresh.

If you are in an environment with a fairly even temp you can go with about any size tank. If you have a high variation (like in a trailer house) you want to go with at lease a 20 gallon tank, otherwise you get too much fluctuation in tank temp. If you can afford it, a 50 or up gallon tank is nice.
Be sure to treat your water BEFORE adding fish.
Tetras, Gromies, Angels, Pigmy frogs, Newts, etc. You want to kind of mix it up. I even seen a fresh water Ray about 6 inches in diameter one but it was about $100 (this was about 30 years ago).

Answer 6

Fresh water, 20 gallon tank is a great starter. It is easily maintained and can support a nice sized community of fish. I started with guppies and mollies. They are easy to keep, and they are beautiful to watch. I had fancy guppies, black mollies sailfin mollies and platies (platy) in a 20 gallon tank.

Check some books on fish out from the library. They are invaluable in helping to set up and populate your tank. Also check wikipedia under fishkeeping topic.

Answer 7

Do freshwater, as large as you can afford and maintain. The larger the tank, the more stable the water parameters will be. Freshwater is the way to go for beginners. Start with some inexpensive, hardy fish.

Answer 8

for a beginner try a 20 gallon freshwater tank. it is a lto easier to care for than a smaller tank. think about tanks like growing plants and smaller tanks are like bonsais -- they need a lot more care and every square inch is significant. you could do small cichlids, goldfish, or a community of small fish like tetras, danios, rasboras, with a couple larger colorful fish like rainbows, angelfish or dwarf gouramies.you could also do a brackish water tank with mollies, platies swordfish and shrimp. i suggest you go to the store and see what you like but don't buy anything. then find out what will go well with what you like the best.

Answer 9

what size tank do u have and if u r a begnr fresh water is ezer 2 lern but salt has briter fish

Answer 10

If you are just a beginner...stay away from salt water aquariums..they are a lot of work and can be very difficult to maintain....start with something simple like freshwater and platys and guppys...they both breed and have young and are easy to care for..