Beginner aquarium

[talldutchie]

to that!!

[Taurus]

to that!!

Is it your goal to scare individuals that are new to fish keeping off? If so, congratulation! Job well done!

[moghedan]

Well, the guy said he was stressed out. Sounds like he is in a dorm, and it is finals time before spring break. Getting a discourse on the fishless cycle and a bill of goods detailed enough to list the wattage of the light might have sent him over the brink.

Or he is studying and hasn't had time to return to the forum.



On the off chance he will return...

Check craigslist in your area for a decent deal on an aquarium. Since you are in a dorm, space is a premium, I know. However, the larger the tank, the easier it is to maintain the tank. In this, we will assume a 10 gallon tank, with the possibility of going up to a 29 gallon... they can be fairly small. You should be able to get the tank for roughly $1 a gallon of size... the tank is used. Petco/Petsmart sell the NEW for that several times a year.

Now, you want to watch the fish as you go to sleep. The issue becomes if the tank is right next to your head on a table, or across the room. If close, you want small fish; if further away, you want large fish you can see.

Let us assume cost is a factor here...

Acquire a rock or rocks of size equal to about your fist up to about the size of your head. Crystalline metamorphic rocks are good... dull sedimentary rocks are good... avoid igneous or metallic. Flat sides are good. If rocks aren't your thing, the clearance isle of the pet store should have something. Wash well.

Northern Tool and Die Black Diamond sandblasting abrasive, size 20/40. You can get it online for a few bucks for way more than you will ever need. Rinse the sand in a bucket to float out the smaller particles, then lay it in the aquarium. Form a slope with the highest point in the back, about 2 inches deep, and slope it to the front to about 1 inch deep.

Place in a larger rock and ensure it will not move on the slope. Place another rock or two elsewhere in the tank.

Visit the store. You need a filter... the kind that hangs on the back of the tank is fine. Get one rated for twice the size of your tank.

Find a bottle of dechlorinator. You cannot skip this.

If the tank did not come with a light, you will need one. These can be a little pricey. If the one that came with it works, we can make do. Expect to research and invest in a light in the future.

Grab two or three Java Ferns... the store should have a live plant section, and they will have this plant.

Get 6-8 Buenos Aries Tetras. They usually cost about $2 each. The store should be willing to give you a handful of Trumpet Snails for free.

At home, rubber band the Java Ferns to a rock or feature, or barring that, lightly plant in the sand.

Add water to the aquarium by pouring it over the the large rock to avoid disturbing the sand. Try to get the water fairly close to room temperature... t should feel cool to the hand, but not COLD, and definitely not warm.

Hang the filter on back.

Add dechlorinator. Follow directions on bottle.

Float bag in tank for 30 minutes, then release fish and snails into aquarium.



Note, not much of this is the BEST way to go about it... and most people would consider some of it to be pretty bad. However, the fish, snails, and plants are "hardy", meaning nearly impossible to kill. They will survive the stress of doing things this way when most would not.

This tank does not require a heater... these animals survive a very large range of temperatures.

The fish are large enough to be seen across the room. They are active enough to send you to sleep.

The light is less than ideal, but it will be enough for a Java Fern to survive.

Most of the extra food will be eaten by the snails, as will light algae, and the snails burrow the sand... keeping it from forming bubbles.

Leftover food and poop will collect along the front wall of the tank and can be easily siphoned out with a small plastic tube. Such tube should be used once a week to remove at least 20 percent of the water. Replace with similar temp water and dechlorinate each time.

The brown Algae that covers the entire tank will clear up in two weeks all by itself.




If you decide you want to keep the hobby once your time frees up some, or want to keep fish with more color... be prepared for a lot of research and big changes in habit from what is described above. This is simply coming as close as I can to making a tank into... furniture.


For everyone else busily typing their hate mail, I have answered a question tailored to a specific individual in a specific situation, of which you are neither. It is not up to you to decide who may and who may not join the hobby, so save your elitism for someone who cares. I have made mention that there are better ways, of which you are free to post. Just tailor such posts to this specific person in this specific situation.

[~firefly~]

I've kept Buenos Aires tetra and they will not do well in a 10 gallon tank. They are large for tetra and are VERY active and VERY fast - they need space, at least four feet of tank in my opinion.

Fully stocking a tank without cycling is not acceptable - please don't take this as hate mail, it is not intended as such.

Mandy's initial advice should be followed. Get a tank that fits your furnishing requirements, buy test kits, ammonia, and start the fishless cycle, then come back and tell us the tank size you have and, if you know, your water hardness and pH.

[moghedan]

I never said they would do well. I think I said the opposite.

I said they will survive. At least, most of them will.

[~firefly~]

Well, I'd like to encourage new fish-keepers to strive for thriving fish.

[fishmommie]

Is it your goal to scare individuals that are new to fish keeping off? If so, congratulation! Job well done!

++. Well said, Taurus.

[MandyK]

+ Firefly -- Thriving fish should be the goal of anyone who wants to keep fish. I mean if you aren't going to do it right, why are you doing it?

I don't think anybody was trying to scare anyone off... That would be why I kept my info to a minimum, intending to lead this person in the correct direction. Seemed like a good place to start.

Moghedan: Lots of good info in your post, but the bit at the end kinda makes you look like a butt. Then of course you've said you don't really care, so that bit is just for my satisfaction I suppose.

It'll be interesting if he comes back to find us goofballs bickering won't it?? Haha!

[talldutchie]

++. Well said, Taurus.

Because I gave a cheer to mandy's suggestion that she and I were having fun with this thread? Or because I don't believe some of the fish suggestions were a good idea?

Ah well, I seem to have offended two people unintentionally, my apologies for that.

[Aiden123]

Thanks for all the replies everyone the advice has been quite helpful.
At the moment I am thinking about getting a 10gallon tank with a a group of neon tetras with snails and shrimp to help with cleaning, along with a java fern and moss.
However I have done some research into the water in my area and have found it to be slightly hard ( 13.00 clark) and slightly alkaline (7.64) with a small amount of copper (0.05 mgCu) so I am wondering if this will cause a problem as I have read neons prefer slightly soft and slightly acidic conditions and that invertebrates cannot tolerate copper.
I want the inhabitants of my tanks to be as healthy and stress free as possible so will these readings cause problems or will I have to find alternatives?
Once again thanks for all the replies.
Also sorry for my late reply, I live in the uk and I am currently on night shifts at work so have been a bit busy