I am new at setting up and maintaining aquariums. I purchased my first aquarium about a month ago and have learned quite a bit by trial and error. I now have two 55 gallon tanks, a 5 gallon tank and will be picking up another 55 gallon tank today.
A month ago I knew absolutely nothing about setting up a tank. I had no idea that one should not mix certain fish in the same aquarium. I had no idea about PH, nitrite, nitrate and ammonia levels in the water. I did not know about ammonia build up and it's affect on fish. I had no idea about the build up of beneficial bacteria and it's role in the aquarium. I thought that as long as there was water in the tank and that as long as the aquatic animals were being fed that they would continue to live. Needless to say, that is not the case and I learned this quickly.
I purchased my first 55 gallon tank along with 2 Oscar fish from a family member. I took it home and cleaned the tank and rocks as much as I could. I filled it with fresh water and set everything up. The fish were fine and I was proud of the job that I had done.
Next, someone purchased a 5 gallon tank as a gift to my wife. I cleaned the rocks and tank and set everything up. I purchased an ammonia test kit and tested the water not knowing that it would take 3 - 6 days for the ammonia to start building up. The test kit showed no ammonia so I put in two tiny African Clawed Frogs, an algae eater and a fish until I could get a bigger tank for the frogs. Five days later the fish, algae eater and one of my frogs were dead :swear::mad2:. After this incident, I started asking my brother, who has maintained aquariums for the past 6 years, for :help:. I also started talking to the Pet Store owners and getting online to learn as much as I could about setting up and maintaining aquariums. All of this has led me to Aquaria Central. I have since purchased 2 more frogs, another algae eater and another Oscar and they are all doing fine. :thm:
A month ago I knew absolutely nothing about setting up a tank. I had no idea that one should not mix certain fish in the same aquarium. I had no idea about PH, nitrite, nitrate and ammonia levels in the water. I did not know about ammonia build up and it's affect on fish. I had no idea about the build up of beneficial bacteria and it's role in the aquarium. I thought that as long as there was water in the tank and that as long as the aquatic animals were being fed that they would continue to live. Needless to say, that is not the case and I learned this quickly.
I purchased my first 55 gallon tank along with 2 Oscar fish from a family member. I took it home and cleaned the tank and rocks as much as I could. I filled it with fresh water and set everything up. The fish were fine and I was proud of the job that I had done.
Next, someone purchased a 5 gallon tank as a gift to my wife. I cleaned the rocks and tank and set everything up. I purchased an ammonia test kit and tested the water not knowing that it would take 3 - 6 days for the ammonia to start building up. The test kit showed no ammonia so I put in two tiny African Clawed Frogs, an algae eater and a fish until I could get a bigger tank for the frogs. Five days later the fish, algae eater and one of my frogs were dead :swear::mad2:. After this incident, I started asking my brother, who has maintained aquariums for the past 6 years, for :help:. I also started talking to the Pet Store owners and getting online to learn as much as I could about setting up and maintaining aquariums. All of this has led me to Aquaria Central. I have since purchased 2 more frogs, another algae eater and another Oscar and they are all doing fine. :thm:
