I need information on starting an aquarium..?

Question

ok so i want to start a aquarium. i don't know what type of tank i can afford so i am thinking a 10 gallon? the fish i want to put in is 1 angelfish, 1 discus (maybe 2? i need help to know if this fish will be ok alone..) 2 blue coral platies, and i want 1 kuhli loach. this is what i need help with... first off, will 1 discus be ok in the aquarium? same question with the kuhli loach, will it be ok being the only species of its kind in the aquarium? my last question is; is there is enough room in the 10 gallon tank for all the fish i might have to be happy and healthy? which would be 5 fish if i do not need 2 discus' and loaches, and 7 if i did need 2 discus' and loaches. is that enough room? ty for your answers and best answer gets the points :)

from the answers i have so far i greatly disappointed. i guess 10 gallon is very small, what about 20 gallon? enough or not much better? i dont know about only the blue platies and loaches i want my aquarium to be colorful.. anyone have suggestions of colorful fish to add to the aquarium maybe that you have or have seen?

Answer 1

In my opinion, start out with a 20 gallon, it is easier to keep clean and healthy

First of all you need to cycle your tank though before you even think about buying any fish, here is a link on how to
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article14.html
http://www.firsttankguide.net/

As for the fish questions, here are some links about keeping each one of them, what they need, how big they get,etc.

http://www.peteducation.com/category_summary.cfm?cls=16&cat=1942 (angelfish)

http://www.discuspro.com/basics4.htm
http://indianabuy.com/BasicDiscusFishCare.html (discus)

http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/freshwater/loaches/kuhliloach.html (kuhli loach)

http://www.svsu.edu/~jastotte/fish/bluecoralplatys.html (blue coral platy fish)

As you can see on the links any kind of angel needs a 30 gallon tank, also a discus needs at least a 55 gallon tank

Here is a setup you could try for a 20 gallon
1 kuhli loach
3 blue coral platy fish ( 1 m & 2 f )
2 cory catfish (like a pepper cory)
3 balloon mollies (1 m & 2 f)
1 Betta male or female
3 zebra danios (1m & 2 f )
4 - 6 neons (they are schooling fish)


Oh yeah, and don't forget to add real plants in your tanks
Your temperature should be anywhere between 76-82
Leave the light on your tank on for 10-12 hours during the day and turn it off for at least 12-14 hours during the night hours
And don't put your tank in Sunlight, but a dark corner


Hope that helps you out
Any other questions feel free to email me
Good luck


EB

Answer 2

If you want pretty fish, you could go to craigslist.org and find a used tank for cheap, say a 55 gallon setup for 75$

If you got that, then assorted african cichlids are very colorful, the only problem with discus is that they are brackish fish.

And 10 gallon is very small.

Answer 3

id say 5 would be ok...7 would be too much. angel fish can get very large if u keep them alive, i have 6 angel fish all about 3 inches wide and hvaing just one of those fishs u want is fine. even if u got to the pet store if the tanks say sold in pairs then u will need to for that reason but if it doesnt 1 alone is good.

Answer 4

angel grows too big 4 a ten gallon
,discus are $40 each here and they are huge for a 10 gallon way too big
if u put the platies and a few khuli loachies u should be fine

Answer 5

Most of the fish you listed would get to big.

For a ten gallon tank with colourful fish you could get neon or glow lite tetras,guppies,platies are probably alright,a group of female betta,male betta(not with other bettas in the tank).

There would be lots of others,go to your fish store see what fish you like then go home and research their needs and how big they get before you buy.

Answer 6

if you`re a beginner DO NOT BUY DISCUS ... they`re VERY , but VERY sensitive fish. i bet they`ll not survive the first day in the aquarium. DO NOT go to a petshop and ask the person there,because he`ll sell you crap just to sell his fish. find specialised sites and join its forums, there are aquarium pros who will tell you step by step what you have to do

Answer 7

Honey...you really need to buy a book before you start buying things! A favorite of mine is the simple guide to Freshwater AQUARUMS by David E. Boruchowitz.

Answer 8

I don't know much about fish, but I do know that you should definitely have plenty of real plants in there. It helps stabilize the chemical levels in the water so you don't have to clean it as much.