Little Guppie
New Member
Right to keep this short im looking to have my own aquarium. And im looking for begginers stuff etc. I have no idea where to look or what to buy (fish etc) So any links or advice would help LOTS thanks 
A Newcomer!
- Thread starter Little Guppie
- Start date
First of, you need to be patient because buying fish needs to be carefully thought out
Secondly I would highly advise reading through the beginners section. Some might be a little confusing but will make sense soon enough.
I'd also advise looking through journals/logs to get an idea of what sort of tank layout you want and what fish you want. When you're a beginner you are so eager to get stuff you can sometimes pay for it when you realise you preferred something else and often you can't go back on the decision.
Secondly I would highly advise reading through the beginners section. Some might be a little confusing but will make sense soon enough.
I'd also advise looking through journals/logs to get an idea of what sort of tank layout you want and what fish you want. When you're a beginner you are so eager to get stuff you can sometimes pay for it when you realise you preferred something else and often you can't go back on the decision.
OP
OP
Little Guppie
New Member
Im looking to keep guppies . I gathered a heater, water pump and a tank .
. I gathered a heater, water pump and a tank .
OP
OP
Little Guppie
New Member
I gatherd i need*
waterdrop
Enthusiastic "Re-Beginner"
Hi Little Guppie and Welcome to TFF! 
In my opinion its a great stroke of luck to have stumbled across this forum prior to having actually bought equipment or started "doing" the hobby! The members here are lots of fun and always willing to lend a hand and talk with you - in my own case I've really enjoyed it. There are lots of beginners who are in the same boat, which makes it nice and there are also some folks here who have lots and lots of experience in the hobby and can offer great tips!
As Si says, have a read in our Beginners Resource Center. In particular, your first assignment should be "The Nitrogen Cycle", The Fishless Cycle and the Fish-In Cycling situation. Those lay the groundwork for the core of the hobby. Then there should be a great article somewhere by Miss Wiggle on general startup topics and of course lots of other great articles. Meanwhile, as Si also mentioned, take a look at various other beginner threads and join in the discussion if you want to! Follow the fishless cycling threads of others can be a great way to get a feel for the range of things happening.
In truth, every little topic can lead to a huge bunch of detailed discussion, tank size, filter type, lighting, substrate, all sorts of stuff.. but its also good to know that its OK to be a beginner and just make some decisions and move forward without getting too stuck!
I hope you enjoy your stay at TFF!
~~waterdrop~~
In my opinion its a great stroke of luck to have stumbled across this forum prior to having actually bought equipment or started "doing" the hobby! The members here are lots of fun and always willing to lend a hand and talk with you - in my own case I've really enjoyed it. There are lots of beginners who are in the same boat, which makes it nice and there are also some folks here who have lots and lots of experience in the hobby and can offer great tips!
As Si says, have a read in our Beginners Resource Center. In particular, your first assignment should be "The Nitrogen Cycle", The Fishless Cycle and the Fish-In Cycling situation. Those lay the groundwork for the core of the hobby. Then there should be a great article somewhere by Miss Wiggle on general startup topics and of course lots of other great articles. Meanwhile, as Si also mentioned, take a look at various other beginner threads and join in the discussion if you want to! Follow the fishless cycling threads of others can be a great way to get a feel for the range of things happening.
In truth, every little topic can lead to a huge bunch of detailed discussion, tank size, filter type, lighting, substrate, all sorts of stuff.. but its also good to know that its OK to be a beginner and just make some decisions and move forward without getting too stuck!
I hope you enjoy your stay at TFF!
~~waterdrop~~
Awesome! I would have a read about cycling on the beginners section and decide whether you want to do a fishless cycle or a fish-in cycle. I have just completed a fishless cycle and it allows you to add fish to the tank with out the risk of them being poisoned.
You also need:
A liquid test kit (preferably API liquid test kit)
a substrate - I used argos play sand in my tank, only 3-4 pound a bag.
looks like this:
Also on the list would be:
water conditioner if you don't have it already
some buckets...
probably some more stuff but I can't quite remember right now!
You also need:
A liquid test kit (preferably API liquid test kit)
a substrate - I used argos play sand in my tank, only 3-4 pound a bag.
looks like this:
Also on the list would be:
water conditioner if you don't have it already
some buckets...
probably some more stuff but I can't quite remember right now!
OP
OP
Little Guppie
New Member
Yeahh i have heard about the 'fishless cycle' At the moment im just trying to raise the money to be able to to buy these things!
waterdrop
Enthusiastic "Re-Beginner"
Key to getting the fishless cycle up and going, as said, will be the correct test kit. Many of us like and use the API Freshwater Master Test Kit. Many of us also use Seachem Prime as our "conditioner" to remove chlorine and chloramine from the tap water. These two items may not appear at first to be the cheapest or easiest to find but the trouble is worth it, many of us feel. The heater (you already have) is important to help the bacteria grow faster. (you are in the bacteria growing business quite a while sometimes before thinking about fish 
) Then another issue early on is the adventure of finding the "right ammonia" which is an individual story for each of us and we always enjoy hearing about how -that- went!
~~waterdrop~~
) Then another issue early on is the adventure of finding the "right ammonia" which is an individual story for each of us and we always enjoy hearing about how -that- went!~~waterdrop~~
You need to read about it then!
A lot of people think ahh I just want fish, then they put fish in and realise they have to do large waterchanges everyday which is hard work unless you have a tiny tiny tank.
Unfortunately it isn't the cheapest of hobbies but if you're careful, you could get some amazing deals... ebay and the classified section of this website would be great to start looking at for research. There are some plants/fish and other stuff you can get really cheap, sometimes even free...! You might be lucky that there is someone in your area looking to re-home fish.
One thing people complain about are buying the test kits, brand new they're about 20-30 pound. So they go away and buy test strips which giving inaccurate and unreliable readings, then because of that, we can't help them and everything goes wrong. So I think one of the most important things, whether your doing fishless or fish in is to get a good test kit
edit: Waterdrop, stop typing faster than me
A lot of people think ahh I just want fish, then they put fish in and realise they have to do large waterchanges everyday which is hard work unless you have a tiny tiny tank.
Unfortunately it isn't the cheapest of hobbies but if you're careful, you could get some amazing deals... ebay and the classified section of this website would be great to start looking at for research. There are some plants/fish and other stuff you can get really cheap, sometimes even free...! You might be lucky that there is someone in your area looking to re-home fish.
One thing people complain about are buying the test kits, brand new they're about 20-30 pound. So they go away and buy test strips which giving inaccurate and unreliable readings, then because of that, we can't help them and everything goes wrong. So I think one of the most important things, whether your doing fishless or fish in is to get a good test kit
edit: Waterdrop, stop typing faster than me
http
/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/329867-best-conditions-for-guppies/
Probably not the best info for a beginner because it seems quite detailed from first glance but may be of use
/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/329867-best-conditions-for-guppies/Probably not the best info for a beginner because it seems quite detailed from first glance but may be of use
OP
OP
Little Guppie
New Member
Thanks guys ill let you no how it goes!
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