tropical fish?

Question

want to get 5 neon tetras and 2 guppies can anyone tell me what supplies i will need first to get started and what size should the tank be and any helpful instructions from owners of these type of fish would be much appriciated thanks

Answer 1

http://www.hagen.com/pdf/aquatic/bag.pdf
http://www2.tetra.de/tet_internet_import/import_data/The%20fascination%20of%20aquariums_GB_2006_T062048.pdf
Here two good free books.

Answer 2

First you must consider how much you intend to spend or how much you can afford to pay because keeping tropical fish can be a expensive hobby. Neon tetras and most guppies are tropical fish and they need warm water. The basic size tank will be 24"x15"x12" that is 2 feet long 15 inches high and 12 inches wide and will hold 10 gallons of water and should be ample of swimming space for 5 neons and 2 guppies and you can add more fish later on. The next thing is to go to a modest dealer who you can trust and buy your basic tank which should be tested for leakage. If the dealer is kind enough he will carefully deliver the tank to your home without any extra charge but if not you wil have to ask some body to do it for you. The next thing to do is to put the tank somewhere safe and fill it with tap water bar 2" at the top and leave for an hour or two. The next thing is buy a book of tropical fish for beginners and read about other nice fish that you can have. After an hour or two inspect the tank for leaks...if you have found any leaks...phone the dealer and tell him about it but if not proceed to the next stage. The next stage is go to the same dealer and buy the requirements which are aquarium grit..a medium size air pump with two or three feet of plastic piping...a medium size filter box with a box of nylon filter wool ....a regulated thermostat heater....a cable tidy unit for attaching electric cables for heater and air pump...a short lighting tube that willbe attached to a roof or lid. The next stage is to empty the grit a little at a time into a bowl or bucket and rinse in cold water several times and then put it in the tank and the substrate should be at least 2" deep. Move the tank into the room you want it to be in and make sure it's put on a level sturdy table. Fill the tank with water but leave about 2" at the top. Put the filter box with the filter wool inside and switch on and leave to filter the water for about half an hour and the water is absolutely clear. next thing is to plant in dozen valis plants in the grit. Now you can add the heater and switch on. While the water is being heated go to the dealer and buy a thermometer....go back home and test the water temperature and when you get a reading of 75% you can proceed to the next stage. Do not get any neons just yet but you can get some guppies[ordinary guppies] hang the bag of guppies in the water for about 15 minutes then gently tip in. Enjoy watching the guppies for a week or two and when the water will be softer then you can add a few neons. Some will live and some will die and there will be some heartbreak but you will learn more about fishkeeping as you go along.

Answer 3

1. Get the biggest tank you can afford and have room for. I agree with 10 gallons as the smallest worthy aquarium size, but bigger is better. More water means more stable water. More space means more room for your fish to live and thrive, and more room for plants and decor for the fish as well. In addition, if you enjoy keeping them you'll quickly want to get more fish, so it's a good idea to have some room to go or you'll find yourself upgrading anyway. Larger tanks, to a certain point, are actually easier to care for.

2. Filter - power filters like aquaclears and penguins and such are very effective, low cost, and easy to use. It is also easy to clean out the build-up of physical waste from these filters, while the undergravel will continue to build up more and more under the plates, unreachable by a vacuum, and the only way to really clean it is to tear down the whole tank, something you should rarely need to do, if ever. The waterfall action of these power filters aerates the water.

3. Heater - any will do, but don't cheap out, we want this to be reliable. Submersible are easiest to work with.

4. Thermometer, fish net, de-chlorinator, a test for Ammonia, a test for Nitrites (the two poisons we need to watch out for in our tanks), a gravel vacuum, and a sponge to scrub algae off the glass.

5. Gravel - enough to fill about 1-1.5 inches. Decoration - neon's and many other community fish do best with the security of plants (real or fake) and caves for any bottom dwelling fish you will likely end up with.

6. Last, but certainly not least - a book on fish. Aside from the things you need to buy you need to learn about cycling the aquarium and how to maintain it and avoid problems.

Don't buy the fish when you buy tank. First buy the tank, take it home, set it up, and get the aquarium running. Then you are ready to begin cycling the tank.

Also, be weary of the large number of additives available at the store. The only thing a healthy aquarium needs is a water conditioner to neutralize chlorine and other metals. Stores often recommend all sorts of things to add, because once you use them you need to buy more, but only add something if it's to take care of a problem and you know exactly why you are adding it to the water.

Good luck

PS Neons and guppies are a fine mix, the babies would become a healthy treat for all the other fish.

Answer 4

With afew fish like that, tank size will be no problem. Get a fair sized one to suit the space you have. Get an under gravel filter. That goes on the bottom of the tank. Put some tank gravel on the bottom and make sure it goes over the filter base for half an inch or so. Get a heater. Stick it with the sucker on the inside of the tank in the water. Tropical fish like it warm. Have a tank lid light , if you like - the neon tetras will glow under flourescent or black light.
Go to your best local pet shop and they will sort you out ok. Good luck!

Answer 5

I don't have those types of fish but I would start out with at least a 20 gallon tank .I started with a 5 gallon and my fish out grew it really fast. A bigger tank is easier to take care of.You also need a filter and heater,a gravel cleaner,something to remove chlorine from the water,gravel and decorations and a fish net.

Answer 6

For those fish I would suggest you use a 10 gallon tank. It will provide plenty of room for them to swim and grow. You could even include 2-3 other small fish. I would recommend you get a 10 gallon tank kit from one of the large discount stores like Walmart, Petco, PetSmart, places like that. It will have all of the basic equipment you need included. I would also strongly suggest you get a book about aquariums while you are there. Take it all home, read the parts of the book about setting up and maintaining an aquarium, then set up your tank and get ready for your fish. I promise it's worth the extra time and effort in the long run.

MM

Answer 7

here is a problem with the fish you want...guppies are live bearers...who are real pigs about eating their babies. however they breed better then rabbits. but putting them in a tank with ANY other type of fish increases the risk to the babies that manage to survive the parents. so, i would either go for the tetras and include some danios or neon candy fish , or someother types of community egg layers. also, if you were to get fancy tailed fish, the others would destroy the fancy fins quickly. if you want a livebearer...the guppy is very easy and so is the molly. the molly is a larger fish and breeds easily. if eyecatching is what you want...try a pearl sailfin male molly with your choice of 2 different females in a well planted (only use live plants), undergravel filtered, 10 gallon tank. with mollies, they like brackish water so get a little carton of aquarium salt and add according to instructions. the salt also helps prevent diseases. for food, if you can get it, there is a multicolor crisp that our mollies adored, but for some reason we cant get it here any more. otherwise a tropical flake works, treat every other day with blood worms and once a week with a small piece of tubifex worms. twice a week add 2 algea discs to the tank as they love them. despite popular belief, fish should be fed at least once a day, better 2 times a day, as much as they will eat in five minutes...a small pinch works. if you go with the mollies...in one month your tank will be alive with colorful babies.

http://www.petsmart.com/global/articles/article_detail.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673269212&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=9852723696503937&bmUID=1153842280289&N=230
http://ezinearticles.com/?Freshwater-Tropical-Fish-Mollies-and-Guppies&id=432406

Answer 8

aquarium, heater, gravel, hood, filter, net, water testing kit-look for one that comes with the the powders or liquids to adjust the ph of the water, stuff to dechlorify water if you are using water treated with chlorine (such as new jersey drinking water).

you probably could get away with a 10 gallon. i don't recommend anything smaller than a ten ever unless you are keeping one betta.

i recommend heavily asking people who have fish where to go or who they trust in your area and go there. ask questions on proper temperature and ph and food. also, i accidentally left off a gravel vacuum (siphon) which can be used to do a gallon water change regularly and to clean crud out of the gravel.