Getting started?

Question

me and two of my friends are about to start a mini aquarium, i was just wondering whats the best and cheapest way to set up a tank for only, 4 or 5 fish. freshwater.
is there anything we should know?
how do we clean the tank.
what size tank should we get. [in litres]
how often do we feed them?

we were thinking just goldfish, since we just want something basic.. were only 16 =D

thanks everyone!

Answer 1

A mini-aquarium is good idea, especially for small budgets and small spaces. Start with no less than 10litres, the bigger the tank, the easier maintenance is, and the more options you have in regards to the type and/or number of fish you can have. And up to 20 +/- litres doesn't change the price a whole lot.

The tank should come with a lighted canopy, and if you get a good deal it might even be kitted up with a filter and heater, too. If not, you will need those two items.

Read up on cycling and the nitrogen cycle.

Consult with your fish store about the fish, or do some research yourselves - you already from previous answers know not to buy goldfish! You most need to know how big they will eventually get, and whether they are schooling fish or can live happily without a group of others.

You will need to change 20-50% of the water in the tank at least once a week, rinse the filter media, and replace the filter media once a month (+/-, use your judgement)

The fish will need to eat daily, some people prefer once a day, some twice. The important thing is to make sure that after 2-4 minutes, there is no food left in the tank (after that time, it begins to break down, altering your water's chemistry).

Setting up is the most difficult and time consuming part of fish-keeping, but the rewards are worth it!

Good luck!

Answer 2

hello! glad that you are starting on this hobby! It requires some work but its fun and fulfilling :-)
Firstly , if you are thinking of have 4 or 5 goldfish , a mini aquarium won't do as common goldfish could grow up to 1 foot and the fancy types from about 5- 12 inchs. Moreover, they are very messy and putting them in a short tank will stunt their growth causing them to die a painful death or the ammonia they let out in the tank may kill them. If you want 4 to 5 goldfish, I suggest you could start off about a 150 litre tank and be prepared to upgrade when they grow big.
http://www.bristol-aquarists.org.uk/goldfish/info/keeping-fs.htm

If you are looking at a smaller aquarium ( about 40 litres) , I suggest guppies, dwarf gouramis, etc. any small fishes that grow up to about 5 cm
When you first buy a tank , don't put fish in immediately , you have to let the tank go through the nitrogen cycle. That will take 2-3 weeks. Or if you can get old filter material from the shop and gravel from an old tank, the tank could be already much sooner.Cycling the tank is essential for the fishes' survival and their future health . Check this website out on how to cycle a tank
http://www.algone.com/fishless_cycling.php
http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/misc/fishlesscycling.html
Also don't add water directly from the tap , let it age for 24 hours or use a dechloriner
Clean the tank using a gravel vaccum , syphon, or a simple hose ( fill up the hose with water, hold both ends and put one end in the tank and the other in a pail , the pail have to be at a lower place then the tank) to suck up the dirt.
Change about 25% of the water every week.
You can feed the fish 2-3 times a day, not more than what it can eat in 1-2 minutes.
I recommend buying or borrowing a book on setting up an aquarium and reading up on the fishes you want , and you are set!
All the best :-)

Answer 3

Goldfish aren't as basic as you think--they are messy and require a large tank. If you want a fairly small, easy tank, you could get a 10 gallon tank (sorry, not sure about liters) and put about 4 or 5 guppies or platies in it. You could also get a 5 gallon tank and keep a betta with a snail or a few african dwarf frogs. Both of these setups would need a heater and a filter.

Be sure to cycle your tank! Google "nitrogen cycle" for more information.

Once your tank is cycled, you should do weekly 50% water changes. This is not that time consuming for a small tank--just get a gravel vac to help you suck out part of the water and the dirt that gets trapped in the gravel, then add back clean water. You don't need to remove your fish or decorations while you do this. Remember to dechlorinate the water with a product such as "Prime" or "Aquasafe" before you add it to the tank.

Feed your fish once or twice a day, only what they can eat in about 30 seconds! Don't overfeed--you can pollute your water!

Good luck! The best thing you can do is research to make sure the fish you want are suitable for the tank you have--don't ever buy fish on an impulse.

Answer 4

For 4 or 5 goldfish you would need a tank no smaller then 40-50 gallons and you would need to upgrade to 80-100 very soon. Unlike what a lot of people think goldfish need a lot of room, they are very messy fish and grow very large, even the smaller fancy types can grow 8-12 inches. You should stick to tropicals if you don't want a large tank. A 10 gallon tank would be great for only 4-5 small tropical fish. There is really too much you need to know if you have never had a tank before so I will just give you a link where you can find out everything you will need to know including cycling, equipment needed, stocking levels and cleaning. http://www.firsttankguide.net/

Answer 5

well get a small tank not to large, like a median. In thesoucres below i have a tank, that i think would be good for you. Also to clean the tank. You should at least a quick clean every month or so. A quick clean is were you take the fish out of the tank, and then take out all the water, and then put in new water. A full clean should be done every 8-13 mounths. A full clean is were you take out the fish, the little tresure chest and other like fun stuff for the fish, and then take out all the rocks. After that you then you take a soap it all down and rise. Then you clean all the gravel. You put every thing back in and you done. Also fish only need to be feed once a day

Answer 6

goldfish need minimum 75 litre tank for ONE fish, 37 litres per fish thereafter. they're not the easiest fish you could get, just the cheapest!

the minimum size tank you should get for beginners i think is about 50 litres, the smaller the tank the harder it is to stock and keep water parameters stable.

whereas if you got about 50something litres (or 15 US gallons) you could get a nice little community of tropicals.

see the first link below for cycling, an ESSENTIAL and definately not optional part of fishkeeping. skip this and you end up with sick and dead fish.

the second link are recommendations for fish for small tanks, specifically a 10 US gallon (40 litres or so).

for cleaning, invest in a syphon and a mag-scraper! the syphon will pull out all the poopy when you do your weekly water change, and the mag scraper will take algae off the glass.

for feeding, it varies a little from fish to fish, but with mine i feed them once in the morning and once in the evening, and skip a day once a week, and the night before their starve day give them bitesize cooked de-shelled pea, this helps them digest pellet type foods, a fishy laxative!

and good luck!