Need suggestions for setting my fish tank

  • Get the NEW AquariaCentral iOS app --> http://itunes.apple.com/app/id1227181058 // Android version will be out soon!

sandradavid

Registered Member
Apr 17, 2024
2
0
1
30
As a beginner, I'm thinking about setting up a fish tank. What fish do you suggest for a beginner like me? Also, which type of tank is easier to handle for beginners: freshwater or saltwater? And what size tank would you recommend? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
 

kiddevo

AC Members
Sep 7, 2010
232
0
16
As a beginner, I'm thinking about setting up a fish tank. What fish do you suggest for a beginner like me? Also, which type of tank is easier to handle for beginners: freshwater or saltwater? And what size tank would you recommend? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Contrary to common belief, the larger the tank the better in terms of changes in water quality. Small tanks require more upkeep to keep the water habitable. Check out the Sticky on cycling tanks before starting.


Also:


Good luck!
 

fishorama

AC Members
Jun 28, 2006
12,738
2,145
200
SF Bay area, CA
It will depend on what fish you'd like to keep. & kiddevo is right, the larger the tank, the easier it is to keep stable...& stable is very important to keeping fish well. kiddevo has linked good articles to help you get started,

Since you're on the AC freshwater section & that's all I've kept, that's the advice I'll give. A 10g is pretty small, you won't be able to keep more than a couple species; many fish like to be in groups of at LEAST 6 & not enough room for more than fish that stay quite small. Keep in mind that most fish in shops are juveniles, some many grow a LOT! A 20g is a nice smaller tank but, again, it depends on the fish you want to try. Plan to commit a n hour or 2 for maintenance weekly or so. Water changes are very important!

You'll need a tank, stand, light, filter, substrate, siphon & bucket just for starters. Tank set ups sold as kits often don't have the best products, just the cheapest.

If money may be an issue, a used tank might be a good way to go. Keep in mind that you don't want to pay for stuff that's old or not to your "style". I prefer a more natural looking tank although early on we did have beautiful blue gravel. Old lights may not be worth anything if not LEDs. I'm just switching out some of mine as my fluorescent, PCs etc die off. As a beginner you don't need fancy plant light or substrate (we can help with easy plants later). Don't use their ancient food or iffy heater. If you want to go used we can help more.

Look at a few shops & online to see what fish attract you. Give us your list & we'll help narrow down choices by compatibility & size. Many of us have kept many different or similar fish over many years. Let us help you avoid mistakes we've made.
 

FishAddict74

AC Members
Dec 8, 2020
761
399
72
49
As a beginner, I'm thinking about setting up a fish tank. What fish do you suggest for a beginner like me? Also, which type of tank is easier to handle for beginners: freshwater or saltwater? And what size tank would you recommend? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
I’m gonna give you a suggestion that goes against common beliefs but is a good suggestion based on my experience .
If you want easy and interesting, do a basic pico reef. You could get a 5-6g tank, add around 10lbs of rock ( if you can buy the rock from an established tank, you won’t even have a cycle), get a nano heater, a cheap reef light like a fluval sea, put an Aqua clear 50 on the tank and fill it with chemipure blue( don’t use the media that comes with it) and when the tank is cycled add some tiny fish like a clown goby ( maybe one green and one yellow. After a few weeks you can add inverts like sexy shrimp and hermits and a couple snails. After about another 2-3 months you could add very easy and fast growing corals like Xenia, green star polyps, and mushrooms.
As far as maintenance, just use a sharpie and mark the water level and keep distilled water on hand and top off to the line when you get up and when you go to bed, you might need to do a one gallon water change every two-four weeks or maybe not at all.
I run this type of reef setup and it’s by far my easiest tank and my most interesting.
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store