Please help me I don't know where to start

[juliehodson]

Hi everyone. I’m a very new beginner and was wondering if the experienced fish keepers could help me. I want to start a tropical tank but don’t really know where to start. I have money saved up and time on my hands so hopefully I’ll be able to give some little fishies a good home. Basically I need to know pretty much everything.
What size tank do I need?
Do I need a filter?
What heater should I get?
What are ammonium, nitrate and nitrite and how do I check the levels? Have read about them on the site but don’t have a clue where to start
Should I get plants or rock?
And last of all what fishes would be best?

Also just out of curiosity how do you make a saltwater tank? Do you need a special filter or something?

Please help me. I will be so grateful!!

Thanks,
Julie (Glasgow, Scotland)

 

[MAM]

the best place to start is to just do research. find out the average costs of a sw vs a fw tank (fw is cheaper to start......). look at fish, find some you really like, then research them to find out tank sizes, compatible tankmates, substrate requirements, and water requirements. find out if the fish you like are easy or too difficult for a beginner. i literally went to my local fish stores and just walked up down the isles of tanks and wrote down names of fish i liked. then i did my research. i priced tanks and found out what sizes of filters and heater and what not i'd need, then priced some more.
since youre a newbie, freshwater is probably the best route to go. livebearers (mollies, guppies, platies,swordtails) are quite easy to care for, so are most tetra varieties.
i know youre looking for more specific info, but really, your possiblities are endless if you have timeand money, you just need to figure out a few things yourself first.
things to keep in mind, the bigger the tank, the easier it is to keep the water conditions stable.

 

[White Whale]

What size tank do I need?

The largest you can afford and have space for

Do I need a filter?

Absolutely

What heater should I get?

Depends on the size of your tank

What are ammonium, nitrate and nitrite and how do I check the levels?

Those are poisonous buildups, but good for the useful bacteria that thrive on wastes.

Should I get plants or rock?

Depends on your taste

And last of all what fishes would be best?

Like MAM said - mollies, guppies, platies, swordtails (get the green ones!), and the small tetras