i have no idea what i'm doing, because i've never owned fish before... experienced fish owners help!!!

Question

so my friend is going to give me a tank, filter, rocks, and some other stuff...i need to know if there's more i can buy, what fish eat what, what's easiest to take care of, how to clean the tank and filter, and how OFTEN to do all of this. will my fish be lonely if there's just 1 or 2?? how many is too much?? i need to know EVERYTHING!!! thanks:)

Answer 1

First put the tank on the stand (if you bought one) or on a level, stable, STURDY piece of furniture. ( a ten with deco gravel and water will weigh around 130 pounds.), and make sure it is near an electrical outlet so you don't have to use extension cords.

Rinse your gravel and decorations in clear water (NEVER USE SOAP ON ANYTHING IN ON OR AROUND THE TANK) and place them in the tank where you want them. Now place a small bowl on the gravel to pour water on so as not to disturb the deco, and fill the tank half way.

Now is the time to install the heater, filter, and air stone (according to manufacturers instructions) (Rinsed first of course), after they are in finish filling the tank (remove the bowl), and start the filter and heater. Just make sure to use your water conditioner to get the chlorine out of the water.

You want to let the tank run for at least a day before you try to add fish to make sure the temp is right, and that the filter is running properly.

Now you can get 2 or 3 small fish (no more right now) and put them in the tank.

I suggest a few fancy guppies (1 male for every 2 females)
or a single male betta and 4 or 5 neons. These are all hardy fish that will be a little more forgiving (Not die that is lol) if you make a few mistakes.

Almost any flake food is good for these fish, the betta will also eat fresh and frozen foods that you can get at the pet shop.

YOUR WATER WILL GET CLOUDY BUT DONT WORRY THIS IS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN. their are benificial bacteria that you need in your tank and the water getting cloudy indicates that they are starting to build up. They break down amonia and fish poo in the water and you want them there. It will take them about two weeks to get up and running and after that your tank will clear right up.

MAINTENENCE:

You will need to change 20 to 25% of your water each week. (3 to 4 inches for a ten gallon) this helps limit the amount of amonia and poo in the tank.

You need to change the filter cartridge about once a month, sooner if you get a fishy smell. A healthy tank will have an earthy smell but you will have to be right over the water to smell it. You will learn quickly the diference between a healthy earthy smell and the oh my god something died fishy smell of a dirty tank LMAO...



OK. these are just the basics and I suggest you get a few books on fish keeping, and make friends with the old guy at the local pet shop ( every pet store has at least 1 employee who will know the answers to any questions you may have).

Good luck.
E.

p.s. please forgive the lousy spelling.

p.p.s. Please don't let some of the other answer's make you feel stupid. Keeping fish is a learning process, and you are probibly going to be one of the better pet owners because you are willing to ask for help.

Answer 2

If you're planning on tropical fish (which are usually more brightly colored, and probably what you want), then I'd recommend also buying a heater for your tank. They like the water pretty warm. Most tropical fish eat the generic "tropical fish flakes" you can find in just about any store that carries pet supplies. As for cleaning the tank, DON'T completely empty it out. You want the bacteria that grow in the gravel to stay there: they help keep the tank clean. You should, however, do a 25% water change every week or two. And make sure you change the filter cartridge every couple of weeks. Also, if the filter starts getting gunky, I take it to the sink and scrub it out with a brush.

How big is your tank? The number of fish you can fit in your tank depends on how big they are, and how big the tank is. You want 1" of fish per gallon of water, so if you get small, inch-long fish, you can fit 10 in a 10-gallon tank. Also, make sure you get a corydora or chinese algae-eater to keep the rocks & walls of the tank clean. Which one you want will depend on which kind of fish you get. Some kinds of fish don't mix well with others. When you buy them, you'll want to pick your favorite, then ask the person helping you what other kind of fish can live with that type of fish.

You might also consider plants or some kind of decorative statue in there for your fish to hide in. They like to have a private place to hide.

I hope you enjoy your fish! I've loved having mine.

Answer 3

everything....there are many factors that go into raising fish. pH should be around 7 so you would need to get pH testers and pH raiser and pH decreasers. also the temp need to be from 78-82 so you need to buy a heater and maybe a thermometer. also there are things like nitrates that you need to test the water for(kits at fish store) if you are planning on buying tropical fish then they will eat about anything from flakes to brine shrimp. then how big your tank is depends on which fish to get and how many. if it is a ten gallon then i wouldnt have just one fish in there you can get many different varieties just make sure to check that they are not aggresive fish. also some fish are schooling fish so they would be happier with a freind or two. the most i would put in a ten gallon tank is 10 or a little more. also i reccomend getting a pleco or snails once the tank has started to get algae so it doesnt get to out of controll. you should change the filter about every month but rinse it out every two weeks. do you have a light. you dont need one but you can see the fish better with one. then you weill need to get a timer to so you can set when the light will be on and off.
i hope all goes well
;-]

Answer 4

it depends how much water you have for the amount of fish. it should be 1 gallon per inch of fish. Do NOT buy very expensive fish with long tails. these are much harder to take care of. Ask the person at the pet store about fish food. If you are buying tropical fish, the fish should all eat the same food. No the fish will not be lonely. (no offense to fish, but they are not very intelligent) Make sure to put a few plants in the tank. (its ok if theyre fake, the fish just need some places to hide. it would be nice if there were some big rocks too. yeah, if you need more help you can email me at [e-mail]
I hope this helps and good luck!!!!

Answer 5

you can buy a background for your fish to make sure they seem like they are in their natural environment, you can also buy some decorations and tunnel type decorations for your fist to hide and swim in. They have foods that tell you what kind of food it is for the fish. Like Betta food and goldfish food (shubunkins and many other types of fish eat goldfish food) ask your fish seller too they will tell you what food they eat. I think all fish are easy to take care except maybe the bettas you can only put one betta in your tank and no more because they will fight and one will die.. you take the filter catridge out of the tank spray it out with water till it looks almost new again.. you should clean out your filter every 2 weeks at least. Make sure your filter (not the catridge) doesn't ahve anything in it.. if it does take it out and spray it out... if there is nothing don't worry about it.. when you buy a new filter and catridge spray water in the filter before you plug it in.. it helps it run smoother. You don't need to clean your tank out unless it looks really dirty.. get an algae eater for algae (they live with anything) and put some drops in to make the water safe for your fish ( I think they are called chlorine drops) also if you need to clean out your tank don't empty it all the way.. leave water in there, if you put all new water in some of your fish will die. your fish will be okay if there is only a couple in there they like more room to swim.. It really depends on the size of your tank on how many is too much.. a ten gallon tank you probably shouldn't put more than 10 or 15 in there

I hope this makes sense and helps.. I had fish for a while so I now some stuff about fish

Answer 6

I know this is never a 10 point answer, but if you need to know 'everything' then you are in the wrong place to learn. Try a real fish forum like www.fishforums.net, and go to the library or book store and borrow or buy a book and start reading. Boards like this should be used for specific questions that people can't figure out - one can't expect to learn an entire hobby from it.

To get any correct answers you need to provide the size of tank, type of filter, and types of fish you will be keeping.

Answer 7

First, go to the fish store and look at what they have. Write down the names (scientific names if possible because sometimes the common names aren't accurate) and go home and research them. See what is compatible with what.

Next, find a good fish forum. I would highly recommend the one below. I have been a member there since I got into fish keeping a few years ago and it is the best one I have found. People there are very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. They got me through the hard times.

And last but certainly not least, be patient. Take the time to do a fishless cycle (see link below). It will save you a lot of headaches and labor.

Answer 8

You might consider heading over to your public library and see what books they have available on the ownership and care of fish for first time owners. Another place to look would be your local pet store before you buy any fish. Do some reading about the basics and then you will be able to decide on what species you might like to have, and all of that.

Answer 9

I agree with everybody who has told you to buy or check out a beginner's book. Those books saved my life. They fully prepared me for my first tank, which is doing very well at the time of this writing. Complete Idiot's Guide to Freshwater Aquariums and The Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums are the two I would highly recommend. First of all, you should wait to set everything up until you have everything you need. Here's my checklist that I used when getting all my supplies.

Tank (I believe this is the most important item, but...come people might disagree ;-) )
Stand
Hood (preferrably with built in lighting, if possible)
Filter system
Heater
Thermometer
Gravel
Gravel vacuum (whether you want to get the manual or the hook-up-to-the-sink one, it's up to you)
Food (probably should be at the bottom of the list)
Net (I've got one big and one small, used for herding when trying to catch a fish)
Water conditioner (I don't have this because my tap water is relatively fine straight from the tap)
Test kits (a BIG must, these kits will save your life...and the lives of your fish)
Beginner's book (another BIG must in my book)
Interior decorations (plastic plants, rock formations, driftwood, just about whatever you would like)
Air line, air pump, and aeration (depending on what size tank you have, the filter might not cause enough surface disturbance to aerate the tank enough, so you might need to get some kind of aeration to oxygenate water. I have a 55 gallon tank with a BioWheel filter on the right side and a bubble wand on the left. Between those two I should have enough aeration)
Quaratine tank (this is mostly an option. This is more for if you are going to seriously go into the hobby with multiple tanks and everything. I got a quarantine tank just to be on the safe side, but if I don't end up using it in the next year, I may turn it into a nice little 10 gallon tank with guppies or something)
Algae scrubber
A bucket (you're going to need a bucket at some point, trust me)
Replacement filter materials (you might not need these when you start up your tank, but you will need them eventually)
FISH!!! (another one of the most important items needed for the tank)

A couple of other items that would be optional, a pasta strainer (I've heard it's quite useful when rinsing off your gravel), and towels (everybody spills water).

Depending on the size of your tank, you may not need everything I've listed here. Like I said, I have a 55 gallon tank, so this is my checklist.

First, you want to set everything up and let the tank cycle with NO fish for about a week or two. After the tank has cycled for about a week or two, get some hardy fish. Zebra danios are really good (I have eight cycling my tank right now). Zebras are schooling fish and need at least six to eight in a group to grow healthy and feel comfortable, so again this would depend on the size tank you have. During the cycling period with the fish, you should change about 20% of the water every two to three days. Introduce fish into the tank in small batches so the bio-load will not be overwhelmed.

As for food, each fish has it's preferences, but all of them generally prefer a variety (flake, live, and / or frozen). Read up on the kinds of fish you are interested in to get the specifics.

As for getting fish, I've heard some people say the oneinch per gallon rule is crap. For beginners, I think it's just fine. It gives you leeway. Once you become an expert, then you can chuck that rule out the window.

The fish being lonely? Again, read up on the kinds you want. Some fish are schooling fish and will deteriorate in health if kept in groups smaller then five or six. Other fish are quite aggressive and can only live in solitude or with others of their own kind.

I hope some of this helps you. Try to take advice from Magicman, Zoe, Copperhead, and Danielle (I think she's the other one). They are very good sources of knowledge in regards to fish and the aquarium hobby.

Answer 10

It all depends on what kind of fish you're getting. Some fish do well alone, others do best with a few. Fish food isn't too bad, unless you're getting some rare fish most will eat pellets or flakes you can buy at pet stores.

If you have any more information on what kind of fish you plan on getting, I can help you further. :)