Keeping fish at home?

Question

I have decided that I want to buy an aquarium and have some fish. I know nothing about keeping them. Can anyone tell me the basics and/or give any advice?

Answer 1

i would ask google, not yahoo answers.

Answer 2

PeeTee is right - if you are new then a book is what you need, and considering the cost involved in experimenting and replacing many fish, the investment is well worth it.

Things any beginner should know:

1. Do your own research - books, internet forums... but don't rely on the fish store employees since their advise tends to be questionable, and often outright wrong.

2. Do not buy an aquarium at the same time as the fish. Buy everything you need and take it home and set it up. Run it for 24 hours, then go buy fish. Do not impulse shop or you will end up with unsuitable or incompatible fish - do research and pre-plan the tank, at least an idea of it.

3. Research cycling - very important. Just google "Aquarium cycling" and you will get many results. You will learn about beneficial bacteria in the process.

4. Before you buy them make sure you understand the costs and maintenance involved. You should be prepared to devote half an hour every week for water changes, gravel vacuuming, and algae control. A well maintained tank never needs to be emptied and 'overhauled', which is a lot of work and dangerous to the fish.

5. Bigger is better. Keep the aquarium size above 10 gallon or it becomes too small to do much with. 20-30 gallons is a nice starter size.

6. Buy a book

Answer 3

Gosh I've had fish for years and here is the advice I can give you on the basics.....

-Freshwater or Saltwater?
-What fish are you going to put in it? What size tank do they need? What do they eat?
-You really want to buy the largest aquarium you can afford...trust me.
-Make a list of everything you'll need to startup an aquarium and price it out.
-How are you going to cycle your aquarium. You MUST cycle. You can cycle using fish (very cruel to the fish, highly don't recomend) or you can use fishless cycle (many varieties of fishless cycle)
-Buy the aquarium, gravel, lights, filter, heater and decorations.
-Rinse gravel and decorations with water only. Always water only.
-Leave the heater in the water for 24 hours before you turn it on.
-Setup the aquarium (check for leaks) and turn everything on.
-Leave the aquarium running for 24 hours.
-Cycle the aquarium (this will take weeks, be patient, it is worth it)
-Now you can add some fish. Don't add all at once or you'll get an ammonia spike.
-Do a 25% water change once a week and add only water conditioner to your aquarium. I use Prime and love it.
-Never add anything to your water no matter what amazing thing people say it'll do. Really just water conditioner. If the tank needs medicines then research before you add them. Some medicines can be very harsh and are not right for every type of fish.

GENERAL list of things you'll need (freshwater):

Aquarium
Hood
Lights
Heater
Filter
Gravel (pound per gallon)
Decorations
Water Conditioner
Food
Water Testing Kit
Thermometer
siphon to clean your tank
Net
Eventually some fishies

Answer 4

Make sure you buy a good tank. You'll see lots of tiny 2.5 or 5 gallon tanks, but these aren't appropriate for 90% of fish out there.

The minimum size tank to start out with is a 10 gallon tank. I'd reccomend taking a trip to the petstore and making a list of the fish you see that interest you, then go home and research their requirements online. Most pet stores won't give you very good information about fish.

You will want to let your tank "Cycle" before you put all your fish in. A tank needs to have an established bacteria colony to break down the waste produced by fish (ammonia) and turn it into non-harmful substances. The best way to do this is to get 1 or 2 very hardy types of fish (not goldfish, unless you want a goldfish tank). Monitor your water quality during this process and wait for the spike and things to go to normal levels. Then, slowly ad in the rest of your fish. The biggest mistake newbies make tends to be buying a tank and 15 fish to put in it all in one day. You can read more about cycling at these links http://www.bestfish.com/breakin.html and the nitrogen cycle here http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin-cycling.html

Also, be sure you get fish that are compatible. This goes back to doing research about types that interest you. Although you may thing pineapple swordtails and oscars are the fish you want, they aren't going to do well together. Make sure you don't get a fish thats going to get too big for your tank or that will be hostile and kill everything else.

Be sure to test your water on a regular basis to measure the ammonia, pH, nitrate and nitrite levels of your tank. Most of the times, fish die because of water quality problems.

If you follow all this, I'm sure you'll have no problems getting a tank set up.

Answer 5

the best advice somebody could give you is go to aquarium shop.is look at tank you think you can look after.and how much space you got to keep one. and ask how much full set up first.then if you are still want one buy a book for keeping fish for beginners.that will help you to set up your tank the right way.hope this helps you.good luck on your new hobby.

Answer 6

First,get a good book or two,no-one will be able to give you all the information that you need in a forum like this. There are lots of things you need to know before making any purchases. One important item is that larger tanks are easier to maintain. Fish keeping is a rewarding pastime,but it requires a lot of learning,FIRST.
Good luck,and enjoy your fish.

Answer 7

Peetee and Ghapy are on the money, despite me accidentally giving one a thumbs down.

Buying a book, researching fish requirements, and most importantly the nitrogen cycle, are the first things you should become well-knowledged in.

Answer 8

http://www.firsttankguide.net/

this is a good site and you can ask any questions, it tells you about almost everything you need too know

Answer 9

http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/food.html

Answer 10

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.