If You Could Offer Just One Piece Of Advice..

[saz326]

...to a starter fishkeeper, what would it be?

Can be something that saved you time or money. It could even be advice from a discovery you made about you fish and fishkeeping as a hobby.

My advice to get the ball rolling:


Always research what you are going to buy before you start to spend money. Otherwise you get to the shop, and buy something you dont really need or want.

 

[Jazzzz]

buy, cycle and maintain a filter properly

 

[jimmyringo]

If in doubt....ask on this forum.The best place for answers.

 

[JustKia]

Besides the obvious about cycling and maintenance...

Plan your aquascaping - looks at as many tanks as possible, looks at different substrates, etc, etc
I knew I wanted a natural(ish) look and went for 2-3mm brown and white gravel - knowing then what I know now, I'd have gone for sand in the first place - saving some money and loads of time!
Also just saw today a tank that used small (fake) bamboo "fences" to create a tiered effect in the substrate... So there could well be more editing of our aquascape going on in the not too distant future.

 

[Declan]

Mine would have to be,

DONT START!

D.

 

[drobbyb]

My advice would be....Reasearch your hobby. Learn as much as possible so that you understand why things happen and how they work.

 

[tibby25731]

Buy a quarantine tank and always keep some extra filter media in an existing filter so you can set it up immediately if a problem arises. And ALWAYS quarantine new fish!

 

[malakye]

Research would be my advice too. You can never read too much.

 

[Behold]

As said Cycle. Saves money on dead fish and saves fish from being dead.

Next is to make sure fish are compatable so there are no losses or mysterious dissapearing.

 

[Honeythorn]

Mine would be Research the ADULT SIZE and SCHOOLING REQUIREMENTS of the fish you like the look of.
Will it fit in your tank when fully grown and have the space to swim and live a comfortable life? And how many to a group? Should they be kept singly as most oscars are? Or in groups of 6 or more like cories and tetras ect. Do you have the space and filtration for such a group?

 

[Syphoniera]

To the excellent advice already given I'd add, get the biggest tank you can afford, so it'll be a more stable environment, do NOT get a tall tank, because they're a pain to work in, and plan space for at least a dozen more, because we all know what happens next...

Edit: and further, proofread short entries so you fix typos without having to bless 'edit' capacity every second post.

 

[doresy]

Stretch your finances to the limit and buy the biggest tank set-up you can

If you settle for a little one then you WILL want to upgrade and tanks devalue quicker than a Skoda

(don't believe me? check out eBay!)

 

[backtotropical]

Simple............

www.fishforums.net

 

[pippoodle]

make sure you have more than enough filtration

 

[Tolak]

Join a local club; http/fins.actwin.com/dir/clubs.php

There are an amazing amount of people out there who have decades of aquatics knowledge. Breeding, competing, setting up fishrooms with all the bells & whistles, you name it. Everything from setting up your first tank, to procuring the equipment cheaply to run a successful efficient breeding program with dozens of tanks.

Unfortunately many of these folks are older, just answering their e-mail is a major chore, it really tries their brain. They would attempt roofing their own house before trying to join & post on a forum such as this. They are the ones I contact with problems, questions, or concerns.

Among them I'm considered one of the younger new guys.