I have been wanting to start my very first aquarium for a long time. I keep putting it off thinking I am going to screw it up.
Any tips for starting my very first aquarium would be greatly appreciated. So far the only thing I am sure of is that I want a fresh water aquarium and not a salt water one.
The questions that keep going through my mind are what size tank? Live or fake plants? What type of fish? etc...
All tips will be greatly appreciated.
Drew
Size of tank: Don't go too small. Advice on this varies a lot, but from my experience with tanks from 5 to 50 gallons, I've found smaller tanks to be more work, even when they're not as heavily stocked. Bigger tanks are actually a bit easier to stabilize, and problems develop slower. A small tank can go wrong very quickly. On the other hand, a bigger tank does take more elbow grease than a small one when things are going well. My first tank was a 29 gallon, and I recommend it as a good beginner tank - nice balance of size. It's got room for a nice community of fish, and it's tall enough for angelfish if you're interested in them.
Generally, there's no downside to live plants. They help with water quality, and over time they tend to outcompete algae, making the tank clean. However, you can't keep them with some fish - goldfish and some cichlids will uproot plants, silver dollars will eat them, etc. You don't always need special equipment for them, unless you have a very large number of plants.
For fish, there's a LOT of options. My first tank was a tropical community. It's fairly easy to make a diverse community if you follow some pretty simple guidelines. Cichlids have a good deal of personality - a 29 would be suitable for a pair of convicts, which are easy to keep and even breed, and have all the personality of their big cousins.
Here's a good few links to get started and make sure you don't screw things up:
Setting up a new tank (includes a rough shopping list of what to get and what to save your money on):
http
/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...Up-An-Aquarium/
Fishless cycling:
http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...shless-Cycling/
This is probably the most important article on the whole site. Pet store advice on cycling is notoriously bad, and usually leaves people in fish-in cycles, which are stressful for them and potentially dangerous for their fish. Fishless cycling is a good way to make sure you get a good start, and it gives you a few weeks to get used to many of the basics when you don't have any fish to worry about harming.
