Thinking about getting a fish..?

Question

but I know absolutely nothing about fish. I've had a few fish here and there throughout my childhood life, but I want an actual tank. Not something too big, under 20 gallons. Can anyone direct me in the right direction as to what kind of fish I should get, what kind of tank, the food I'll need, how to feed it, and any good pet stores. I know of petco and petland discount, but I want to get fish that aren't going to croak after the second week.

Answer 1

my favorite start fish is not really something that comes to mind for most when thinking of starter fish. I like a tank full of female betta. they're hardy, forgiving, and gorgeous.

first, pick your tank size, it's best to give each female a gallon not because of the "inch per gallon rule" (load of crap) but because they can be aggressive if not given proper room. s0 10 gallon up to 10 females, 15 gallon up to 15 females, ect.

food you'll just need betta pellets, I'd pick a quality food with color enhancers. you can also feed them blood worms which come frozen, freeze dried, and live. peas make a good treat once a week to help prevent constipation. soak a frozen pea in hot water until room temp, remove the skin and feed bite sized pieces of the inside.

any pet store that has female bettas around you. if you get a hospital tank you can "rescue" bettas from walmart, treat them, then add them to your tank, but that's time consuming and take some talent. I'd suggest petsmart, the one around me has healthy ones, but some people prefer petco. honestly a smaller pet store or one that specializes in fish would be best no matter what fish you decide on.

with your female bettas I suggest a few cory cats, maybe 3 and or a MYSTERY/APPLE snail, these won't take over your tank because they need two to mate.

if you want your fish to last more than a week cycle you tank FIRST. although bettas are SUPER hardy and almost always survive a cycle.
cycling:
http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/Fishlesscycle.htm

btw, if you think female bettas are boring, dull, gray, brown, ect... check out this:
http://www.petco.com/Shop/petco_ProductList_PC_productlist_Nav_447_N_10872+30+4294957519.aspx?Ns=P_FamilyName%7c0

Answer 2

a twenty gallon tank is a great size for a tank -- smaller tanks require a lot more work and kill fish a lot easier because its hard to build a mini-enviornment in them.

walmart has a 20 gallon for 75 dollars that comes with a filter tank hood and heater. you can't put a tank together that cheaply. a filter is about 20 -- a hood is rediciulous -- 35-45 -- a heater is another 20 easily.

one of the things you will need to do is cycle your tank -- start with a fish or two and do small water changes every three days or so -- there is lots of info on the web about cycling your tank.

its hard to know what kind of fish you might be interested in -- i recommend doing a lot of research for the type of fish you want then going to the stores and seeing what is available and then going back and doing more research before you actaully buy anything. here is a good site to look at pictures and there are links to additional information on lots of them --

http://www.aquahobby.com/e_freshwater_tropical_aquarium_fish.php

i have a 20 gallon tank with small gouramis -- pearl, honey, dwarf and a betta and some leftover guppies thrown in. i like my tank.

there are no perfect tanks -- i suggest avoiding really cheap small fish in big numbers -- the more fish you have the more chance of introducing diseases to your tank.

the most important thing to do is not stress it. take it a little at a time and ease your way in -- there is a huge amount of information and i don't think anyone has come even close to collecting it in one place. the internet is a storehouse of useful information though. i used to keep tanks years ago and since the internet i know how to keep better tanks with happier fish.

Answer 3

Petsmart is a very good store to get fish and info from.
Buy an aquarium with the whole starterkit included.
Set it up as directed.
Also get some testers, that you can test the water
Follow exactly all instructions.
Big thing though, buy reall plants for your aqarium
I have a 30 gallon tank, and most of the fish are my own breed
Good luck.

Answer 4

Start out with something simple. Bettas (Siamese Fighting fish) make good first fish pets. They are easy to keep and very tolerant of poor water quality. Then graduate to an aquarium, learn about a filter, heater and lighting. Do plenty of research and ask allot of questions. Here are some basic tips to get you going...

1: Never clean your filter out with tap water

2: Never change all of the water at once, only 50% max!

3: Feed less then the bottle tells you! 1/2 as directed

4:Keep an aquarium in a cool dark place

5:NEVER USE GLASS CLEANER ON A FISH TANK!!!

Answer 5

Fish aren't as easy to keep as people may think. They require correct water chemistry. I had a gold fish, and I was told I needed a 10 gallon tank with a filter and it required specific water requirements, and mine ended up dying after a few months because it developed a few different diseases. My friend has a goldfish pond in his yard and he said it took him a few different tries to be able to get the element levels in the water correct so that the fish could be healthy and survive. It'd be best for you to go to a Petco or other pet store and ask their opinion. I go to Petco's and find them to be very helpful and they know what they're talking about.

Answer 6

get informed, give yourself a week or two to get "soaked" into the things you might need for your fish, a male betta can live in a 5 gallon tank happily, and 2 dwarf puffers, but dwarf puffers have special needs, a lot of needs. a pair of guppies can live in a 5 gallon tank too, and they reproduce easily. So you might want to get pet shops or friends who might want them. NEVER get gold fish, they can grow big enough to need a 50 gallon tank. this are basic websites, as I said, get informed, money and time are big factors when you are aquiring a fish.

Answer 7

I was told that tropical fish are ment for beginers.. And at least a 12 gallon tank. Get a starter kit. It has everything you need but fish and water!

Answer 8

http://faq.thekrib.com/fish-popular.html
Do NOT get a tank smaller than 20 gallons.

Answer 9

I give this answer to everyone:

Guppies :D only about a inch and half long, beautiful colors. Only get males, though, otherwise your tank will me over-run with babies (they reproduce alot)

View this one: http://www.topzoo-siegen.de/images/guppy01.jpg

Others:
http://www.hojleddet.dk/images/tandkarper/guppy_moscow_halvfiligran_triangel01.jpg
http://www.zoohaussenti.ch/bilder/guppy.JPG
http://willi-kosa.de/images/Jens%20Guppy%20033.jpg
http://www.guppy-fish.com/guppy/img/pic/hb_pastel.jpg

They come in much, much more colors though