New Arrival Without A Clue

[slimseydy]

hello everyone
just signed up to forum as my 12 year old son, soon to be 13 wants a tropical fishtank for his birthday,so instead of going to pet world (what ever they are called )and getting some 16 year old with no idea giving me advice,thought I would do some research so I dont end up getting ripped off,buying the wrong fish,having them all die of disease within a month,and of course trying to keep the tank clean,I aim to do loads of searches for info anyway,but any new advice were to start most welcome,thanks

 

[jacko32]

the first thing i would say is buy a tank cheap off ebay and get the biggest 1 that is practical for you as it is easier to maintain the water quality in bigger tanks
secondly read up on fishless cycling and cycling in general this is very important as it will save you a lot of fish deaths caused by high ammonia and nitrites so getting a basic idea of the nitrogen cycle is important

 

[raptorrex]

hello everyone
just signed up to forum as my 12 year old son, soon to be 13 wants a tropical fishtank for his birthday,so instead of going to pet world (what ever they are called )and getting some 16 year old with no idea giving me advice,thought I would do some research so I dont end up getting ripped off,buying the wrong fish,having them all die of disease within a month,and of course trying to keep the tank clean,I aim to do loads of searches for info anyway,but any new advice were to start most welcome,thanks

to me,the best place to start is, what type of fish your son is interested in. this will, to a large extent, govern what you need to buy.

first thing to realise is, any tank will not be ready to take its fish, until it is cycled. this can take from 3-8 weeks, sometimes more.
second is, that many Tropical fish, grow way bigger than you expect. so, care in research, is a must.

 

[waterdrop]

Incredibly lucky you've stumbled on to this forum. The beginners freshwater section (new tank or whatever its called now) will be the place for you. I was in the exact same position a couple years ago and came here, although I had been a long-time fishkeeper years before but this place is special! Definately goes much better if you research all aspects with the members here.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[slimseydy]

i asked him the what type of fish do you want question & he said any,so what in your opinions are the best starter fish ?

 

[jacko32]

you need to know the pH of your tap water really and also the kH if possible before you can really choose fish some fish like soft acidic water and some like hard alkaline water
if your defo going to buy a tank it would be a good idea to buy a water testing kit either from your local fish store or from ebay and test your tap water then you know what your choices are also a really good fish book will be no end of use to you i know mine is like a bible now
forgot to ask before are you from liverpool

 

[Shelby]

you need to know the pH of your tap water really and also the kH if possible before you can really choose fish some fish like soft acidic water and some like hard alkaline water
if your defo going to buy a tank it would be a good idea to buy a water testing kit either from your local fish store or from ebay and test your tap water then you know what your choices are also a really good fish book will be no end of use to you i know mine is like a bible now
forgot to ask before are you from liverpool

Users of this forum suggest buying the liquid API master test kit for testing your water. The strips they sell are very inaccurate and basically worthless.