tropical fish set up?

Question

I want to get tropical fish for my boyfroend for christmas. I cant spend more than £60 and dont want anything too big.

What advice can you give for places to get set ups eg shops web to keep prices low but be best for the little guys when they arrive. I dont know anything about tropicals but he does

i do need a proper tropical tank...heater, light, filter

Answer 1

are you in britan I got my 2 tanks off of free cycle and heaters stones and everything so could get a tank off of there.post it as a wanted thing on the local freecycle site to you should get one before christmas with 60 quid to spend on fish then should be able to get him some nice fish and food ect hope that helps also in the wanted and freebies section of gumtree.com hope that helps.

Answer 2

Your question suggests you're starting from scratch (you mention 'set ups'). Tropical fresh water is best. Tropical marine fish are for experts only as they require a lot of care in keeping the water spotlessly clean and at the right salinity. It's very important you calculate the number of fish you can accommodate in whatever tank you get (and they're not cheap). Get a tropical fish book as part of your 'kit'. There is a ratio between the surface area of the water (NOT the volume) and the 'fish-inches/centimetres' it can support. The next important thing to remember is that you CANNOT put fish in the tank straight away - you must leave it with just water and plants with the pump and water heater on for about 10 days before adding any fish. This 'primes' the water. Then you have to add fish GRADUALLY so that the good bacteria in the water that break-down the fishes' waste can develop. If you put too many fish in at once they will be poisoned by their own waste products. They will die. Start off with 2 or 3 fish, then the next week 2 or 3 more until you slowly reach the capacity of the tank. Once the tank is 'mature' things will get easier.

When maintaining the tank NEVER, EVER wash the pump filter in anything else but water you have syphoned off from the tank otherwise the chlorine in any tap water you might use will kill the friendly bacteria you need for a healthy tank. Only put in as much food as the fish will eat in a few minutes. You can't over-feed fish but if you put-in too much food, it can sink to the bottom of the tank and rot, therefore adding toxins to the water.

Tetras are a good bet for fish. Attractive, not too big and reasonably robust. If you get guppies, remember they breed like there's no tomorrow and you could land up with more fish than the tank will support. You should also get some bottom and side feeders to help keep the tank clean (catfish and plecos). The ones with suckers for mouths will save you having to clean off the algae from the inside side glass of the tank. A decent aquarium supplier will give you advice (but make some enquiries in your area to make sure they ARE decent as there are plenty of unscrupulous dealers out there who will just take your money for fish that are unsuitable for your set up. Make sure you get compatible fish. Some are happy in small numbers but some are shoaling fish and need the company of their own kind. Some fish will bully certain other species and, of course, some will EAT some of their tankmates if you mix the wrong kinds of fish. It sounds far more complicated than it is, I promise and it can be a lot of fun.

Make sure you get a decent aquarium book to guide you on your way as well as what I've just written.

Answer 3

You can buy small plastic tanks for around £40 that come with a under gravel filter and light but. without knowing which area you live in i cannot recommend any shops.Guppies are a good starting fish as they are very colourful,easy to keep,and breed like know ones business.
I would say that he would have to get a bigger tank,filter,uv lighting and an air pump if he wanted to keep a number of different fish in the end and this will cost alot more than £60
My set up cost me £800 although this is a the higher end for fish keeping as i have 160litter tank and alot of fish.neons are ok but most other if see them as dinner.
GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY FISH KEEPING

Answer 4

Look in the Free ads or your local papers to buy a second hand tank and equipment if money is tight ,
Your library will have books on setting up your tank or you can Google it and it will take you to good websites ,
The guide to setting up a fish tank is patience.
Not putting the fish in too soon or to many at one time ,
If you follow the rules the tank will then be low maintenance and you will have loads of pleasure just watching your fish .

Answer 5

I had some tropical fish. The fish and the tank heater etc and stuff to put in the water cost me well over £500..and they are VERY hard to keep alive..

Answer 6

I'm guessing he already has a tank. I had tropical fish whilst growing up and found my favourite to be angel fish, gouramis, and tiger barbs. Cat fish are also nice. They aren't very expensive but make sure the tank isn't already infected with a disease. Clean out the tank thoroughly to avoid killing them. They have to be climatised to the water also so keep them in the bag for a night before you release them. Hope this kinda helps. Good luck. Fish are very soothing!!!

Answer 7

pets at home are the best people to go to they can sort your tank out and tell you all the info that you need about it and all...the only problem is that you can't really get a good enough tank and fish for £60 but you can still get a small one.

Answer 8

well as that is a small amount to spend i would look on the ebay or newspapers for a second hand tank, i brought one and it looked brand new.

you have to set the water up running for 2 weeks,
i was told to buy small cheap fish to get their bacteria in the tank,THESE WILL DIE as clean water is no good, but it is these fish that set the tank up ready for the expensive fish.

you need to talk to an aquatic , you can take a small sample of water to them and most test it for free.

BUT i would buy a 2nd hand tank x x x

Answer 9

go to your nearest pet store and buy a gtropical aquarium starter set that way youl have everything you need in one box for one price but the fish of course

Answer 10

well it all depends on how many fish you could start off by going to petco or petsmart and seeing the tanks or you could order it online