My best advice for anyone!

[jdheff1982]

I have learned this not jst on my own but from surfing the board a noticing that their are some people who have a lot of problems with their tanks and their are some people who don't. My best advice comes in 4 steps...

1> Set up: find the tank that meets you finacially (sp?). Then buy the substrate, decor, and equipment. Set it up to your liking and leave it.

2> Cycle: Begin tank cycling process here. I won't go into details, but I would say let tank cycle for at least a month.

3> Stock: Keep in mind what kind of theme you want for the fish you get. Also note the limitations of the fish. If you are looking for a well stocked tank; get smaller fish. Maybe you want to raise a prized fish you always wanted. Whatever the case, know all you can about the species and stick with what you have in mind.

4> Leave it alone: I think a lot of people (including myself) sometimes have problems keeping their hands out of the water. I have been fish keeping for a year now and have only lost 5 fish. 3 Black phantom tetras to ich and the other 2 were blue rams (species speaks for itself). But I have learned that by leaving the tank, fish, and equipment (except for cleaning and maintenance) alone, you have a less likely chance of something going wrong.

I think a lot of people will agree with me. It doesn't take a genius to keep fish. Just need to be well informed.

Peace out!

[wetmanNY]

Excellent focused advice!

Having a theme in mind and building a set up and community around one species (your No. 3) is the hardest for a newbie.

But your No. 4 is good advice I rarely hear.

[kveeti]

I agree it’s not the place to get into the finer details with your great general advice but I have a little problem with the wording of #2. I dislike seeing a timeframe mentioned along with the word cycle because sometimes there’s a misconception among newbies that cycling is the same as letting your tank run empty (without an ammonia source).

[OrionGirl]

I agree. #2 Should read "Let tank cycle until ammonia and nitrites test 0 24 hours after the addition of ammonia." The term cycle is widely used, but seldom well-defined. Cycling should refer to the process of developing biological filtration capable of processing the waste load of the intended stocking level.

[jdheff1982]

Sorry for the delay in response, I only get to surf the net once a week; but, you are right, I should have left out time frame for #2. Even though I have been keeping fish for just a year, I have not had any major problems with keeping the whole tank in great working order. I pretty much stick by my advice to. Except for keeping a theme. I do like to keep fish too much I think. But once I swithc out fish, I leave them alone. Just feed them really well once a day and they are good.

Chow!

[Slappy*McFish]

Yes..very good general advice...and I agree with you 100%. Especially with regard to learning all you can about the fish and set-up you plan to keep. Knowledge is power; and forums, like this one, are one of the best sources for gaining that knowledge. I've learned more from forums over the years than from any other source out there. You can learn from other aquariasts' experience as well as mistakes. I wish I had access to forums like this when I first got started almost 20yrs ago..it would have saved me a lot of headaches down the road. I can't believe some of the mistakes and bad choices I made that could have been avoided with the proper guidence.

[Hebdizzle]

add #5....

dont buy crappy colored gravel because you will regret it later!


aaron

I know I did :( blue:(

[125gJoe]

This may sound simplistic to some, but Always Keep Your Water Changes At The Same Temperature..!

Simple, yet easily overlooked.

:eek: