would like tips for beginner

Rainb0wz

Rainb0wz

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Sep 24, 2006
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I had lots of fish before but i was never quite happy with my tank.

Last fish I had was a Betta in a 5 gallon tank, he lived 2 years. He died because I went on vacation and the feeder ( which worked very well before ) just stopped working when I was away, so he died.

I would like to have tips on what kind of fish, size of tank I should buy. I don't want the tank to be to big because I do not have a lot of space (5-10 gallons). And I'd like to have more than one fish. And some fish that are not to high-maintenance if possible :s

Could you help?
 
Try the link in my signature for some good tips on getting started. You will want to get the largest tank you can possibly get so if 10 gallon is the biggest the get a 10 gallon.
 
Do you have any idea of what fish you would like to keep?
 
i would go with the biggest possible tank you can get, and i think they make 15 gallon tanks that have the same foot print as the 10 gallon, but they are taller.

anyway, you'll need to cycle your tank, and the best way is the fishless cycle.
ammoina is made by fish, and it is also toxic to them
bacteria grow in the filter and on the decor and substrate that eat up the ammoina, but they have a byproduct of nitrites, which also is toxic
soon another type of bacteria are going to grow that eat up the nitrite, and their byproduct is nitrate, which isnt toxic if you keep it in check. high levels arent the best thing for the fish, but you cna easily remove nitrates with a partial water change every week

as fish go, the best fish for begginers are zebra danios, platies, mollies, swordtails, black skirt tetras, various corydoras, and a few others.
 
Speaking in general you should get the largest tank that space and money will allow for. A 10g tank will have a footprint of 10"x20" while a 20g tank will be 12"x24". That is to say a 20g tank won't take up much more room than a 10g aquarium and should be a more stable environment.

Where to go from there is really up to you. If you are just wanting a low maintanence aquarium it shouldn't be hard to do. For a 10g tank I would recommend a aquaclear 20 filter and for a 20g I'd recommend the ac 30. I would also recommend getting a aquarium pharmaceuticals freshwater master test kit. For water treatment I like using Prime and for water changes you should have a gravel vac. If you have a sink nearby and don't like carrying water around a python gravel vac would be handy, though there is also a generic python sold under the Lee's brand name. Don't forget that tropical aquariums should have a heater.

Fishwise in a 10g tank you could go with a simple set up of 3 cories and a schooling fish such as harlequin rasborra or a tetra species. If you go with a 20g tank you can probably add a dwarf gourami to the tank.

A lot of people are going to have their opinions, just do your research and try to figure out what is right for you.
 
Options for a 10 Gallon would be one Gourami, Dwarf or Honey, Paradise Fish or Betta Fish. Then a few bottom dwelling fish. Like Cory Catfish or small Loaches.
 
wow, thank you for all the info, I'll look at it better tomorrow because it's very late where I live.

Thank you again!
 
I'd like to have at least a dwarf gourami (can I have two?) and a cory catfish in a 10 gallon tank (maybe I'll take something a tiny bit bigger) what could I put in with these two fish?
 
you should only have one dwarf gourami in a 10 gallon, otherwise the bigger one is going to destroy the smaller one, and if you want corydoras, you are gonig to need at least 3 for their well-being.
along with that you could have a shoal of 6 neons or cardinals
 
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