hey there guys im new here
looking to start a tropical tank
just a few questions:
can the fish that say they are fine in a peaceful community all live together?
and what are good fish to start with?
best place to get a tank??
thanks guys
Welcome! You have taken your first step on a highly addictive but fortunately legal hobby! I'm a bit of a newb myself but I'll give you what little advice I can.
Yes, if fish say they're good in a peaceful community tank they should be ok all in a tank together. Check multiple sources though, some places will post conflicting information. This site is a great resource when that happens!
As for beginning fish, I lived
this site but please avoid the Glofish. From what I understand those fish are genetically engineered and sometimes inserted with dye and that just seems cruel.
When you say fish to start with do you mean a fish-in-cycle? Which leads to my next suggestion, make sure you've read up on cycling your tank. There's a great
resource center on this site which has links about cycling.
The best place to get a tank varies. For me I was given one and my second I bought at a garage sale. I'm all for being green and reusing so I highly suggest adopting an unwanted tank! Just make sure you clean it well (using vinegar and maybe baking soda and then rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse) and check for leaks. Craigslist has some good ones. There's a guy in my area selling a 55gal for $60 with a stand, sooo tempted! Alternatively, pet stores often sell kits. What size were you looking for? Whatever you wind up getting if you want to keep a freshwater tank you will need
-a proper test kit (one of the liquid ones that checks for Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates, the paper strip tests aren't really worth it - invest in a good kit)
-a hood with a light
-filter for your tank size (or even slightly bigger)
-heater (I like the fully submersible ones)
-submersible thermometer (those sticky ones on the side of the tank are useless)
And you'll have to decide if you want to go with gravel or sand on the bottom. If you ever want to keep bottom feeding fish like loaches you'll want to have sand as gravel tears up their little feelers. Plus I looove the look of it. As someone who recently switched an already set up tank from gravel to sand it's really better to do it from the get go!
So I hope that answered some of your questions and gave you a direction to start investigating.
any ideas on what tank to get?
Buy the biggest tank you can afford. Seriously. For one a larger tank 20gal+ is easier to keep clean and stable than a smaller tank. Plus, once you start learning about fish you'll want more. Trust me, it happens to ALL of us
to the forum.
