newbie question pls help

[spoondc2]

i just both a 40 gallon tank ..now my question before i start putting fish in is wats da difference between fresh water n marine ???? can i put those too in da same water tank i have ??? i also have a water filter and a heater dat i dont even kno how to use !!!

 

[sumthin fishy]

Wow. You have some reaserch to do! It's good that you ask before just bying some fish. You are taking responsibilty for thier care, and should provide the best for them. Make sure to keep asking and find out all you need to know before you get your fish. The only stupid question is the one you don't ask (If you excuse the joke in my signature).

Welcome to the forrum and to the hobby. If you have the patience to stick with it it will be very rewarding. First of all, marine(saltwater) and freshwater are tottaly different and cannot be put in the same aquarium. Hence the different types of aquaria. You will need to decide one or the other. Generally freshwater is easier for a beginner(not that you couldn't start with salt). Look up the manufacturer for the filter for instructions on how to use it. The heater should be straight forward, plug it in and set to a specific temp. You will want to read the sticky at the top of the forrum labled "cycle". It is a bit long but worth the time reading, as it contains some good info. Read up and post any other questions you may have.

 

[randalizm]

well fresh water fish can only go in water with no salt in it. and marine fish can only go in water with salt in it. then there are brakish fish that live in water with a little bit of salt in in it. you cannot put freshwater and saltwater fish together.

 

[jessnherfish]

no u cant, freshwater fish in fresh water, and marine(saltwater) in salt water, I'm not an expert but how many watts is your heater, and what type of filter is it?

 

[Xielos]

Welcome to the forums!

Well, before buying the tank you should really have done more research. If this is your first tank, you came to the right place.

For us to help you we need some more information. Is this tank brand new or did you get it used? What state is it in at the moment? If its completely empty, don't do anything untill you know what you're doing.

Starting off with a 40 gallon tank is actualy a good move, larger tanks are a lot easier to take care of than smaller tanks.

Exactly what type of filter do you have? What type of heater?

As for freshwater vs. marine: you can UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES put a marine fish in freshwater of vice versa. I recomend you start with freshwater rather than marine. Saltwater tanks are exponentialy harder to take care of (seems to me like that anyways :laugh: ).

For starters decide what type of fish you want. Tropical set ups are nice, and there is a wide variety of species to choose from. Goldfish are popular, but they are coldwater, and so can't be mixed with species needing warmer temperatures. Look through the species database on this website for some ideas. But DO NOT buy ANY fish untill you have cycled the tank completely. By "cycle" I'm refering to the nitrogen cycle, if you don't know what it is, theres plenty of info here on the site, just look around :idea2:

Keep us updated! And if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask!

 

[gourami]

my advice would be to go out and get a good book, ask lots of questions, and most importantly reaserch reaserch reaserch. At first everything will seem realy complicated but it will become clearer as you go on.
BTW welcome to aquaria central!

 

[spoondc2]

ok my filter is marine brand takes filter C ..heater is taken care of ..noww i have red belly piranhas on my 40 gallon tank n 1 pond fish dat i caught from fishing .. now wat i want to kno is is this freshwater or marine fishes ?? my temp is on 79 ..da fishstore dude told me piranhas has to be 79 to 80 ..

 

[wataugachicken]

unless you caught it out of the ocean, the wild fish is freshwater. so are the piranhas. if they were marine they'd be dead already. you really shouldn't have gotten any fish yet, and now you're going to have some work ahead of you. first of all, wild fish, depending on where you live, are coldwater, and won't be very healthy in a tropical tank. also, wild fish often carry diseases that pet fish are not immune to, and pet fish have some diseases that wild fish can't deal with. too late now, most places have laws against rereleasing any fish that has been kept in the home. the diseases it catches can spread to other wild fish and cause a lot of problems in the ecosystem.

i don't know if you've read the thread on cycling, but you should have picked up some test kits for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. you'll need to test your water parameters for those three things, and do daily water changes to keep the water safe for your fish. ammonia and nitrite should be below .25 every day.

 

[spoondc2]

so red belly piranhas are freshwater ?? freshwarmwater ?? i have silver goldfish looking fish but not gold ...dey look ok at da moment in da 40 gl tank wid heater on 79 ... now my question is can freshwarmwater fishes mix wid coldwater fishes ?? no right ??? if so wats da fishes cld dat are for warm water so i can start choosing warmwater fishes so i can buy em n start a jungle tank .....also wats up wid da fish desease ?? i thought da water filter cleans da tank ??? den y do i have to change da water in da tank if i have a filter already ???? lmk plsss thnks

 

[spoondc2]

also i use to have a small size tank n it came wid dis blue drink dat yur suppose to put in water wat is dat ??? and do i need to put dat in freshwater tank ??? or do u put anything in da water ??? like water clorine or medicine ??? sumthin dat would get rid of desease in water ?? :shark: