For beginners, what's the best way to start if...?

Question

... you don't have a lot of space and you are on a very tight budget?

I should soon finally move out in my own apartment (yay!) and I've been wanting an aquarium for years. Now I'm not totally ignorant when it comes to fishes, my mother used to have a big one with many freshwater fishes, so I know better than to get just a fishbowl.

The thing is, I won't have much room for anything big, and will also be on a tight budget. Mind you, I'd still rather pay a little more for a quality set that will last me for some years than something really cheap and crappy that will break within months.

Any advice on the type of equipment I should get? I've looked online and there are so many products at various prices that I wouldn't even know where to start, and I just have no idea how to tell the good from the c**p?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Hey there. I'm a professional goldfish breeder and my largest aquarium set-up cost me just $100 - you could opt for something even cheaper.

You can purchase a 15litre tank for something like $20 - which isn't that bad. I strongly recommend you buy a tank made by a reputable aquarist company (e.g. Hagen, Tetra, FishRFun).

As for the rest of the equipment, I'd recommend to start off with a basic few things, which you can build on later;

- Gravel (quite cheap stuff)

- Cycle treatment (quite pricey)

- Water treatment (various products, a bit pricey)

- Gravel cleaner (priced at around $4 +)

- Algae magnet AND/OR a few Apple Snails

- Goldfish food (a high quality feed is much better than value ones)

- All-round disease treatment (a bit pricey, but lasts forever)

Remember to follow proper cycling techniques. Run your tank for around a week without fishing, dosing with a Cycle treatment.

Once you've cycled, go out and buy your fish! Look closely for signs of infection, fungus, etc. You want to buy a lively fish - I strongly recommend goldfish - they are a great place to start, even if you have a bit of prior knowledge.

And last, but not least...

GOOD LUCK! =)

Answer 2

At WallyWorld (WalMart) tank kits have everything you need to start your buddies off with...just be careful if your buying your buddies there, i would suggest getting your buddies from a Ma & Pa fish store, WallyWorld filtration systems are all entwined into one, all tanks share a filtration system, so if one tank is sick, possibilities is that all are contaminated, at Ma and Pa fish stores ( local owned ) the tanks are on separate filtration systems and tend to be healthier....I would suggest that you start with a 10-20 gallon kit, not too large, buy that first when you can afford it, set it up, then after a month of running the water and having the chemicals and beneficial bacteria put in, buy your buddies, remember to do your research on compatibilities of the fish you want, the temp of the fish and how big they will be as adults. Good luck.

Answer 3

20 gallon is a good size..

gives the fish enough room to swim, nothing looks crowded.

theres enough water to keep system fairly stable so it doesn't need to much maintenance.

Aquaclear filters are the best....very cheap to run, 1 sponge 2 bags of bio-max and add a sack of carbon the odd time if needed. that will cost you 10 bucks every 2 years. just rinse everything in tank water.

dark gravel always brings out the color of fish

i buy all my fake plants from fake flower stores (just the stems) just make sure there simple and silk or plastic with no paint. I replace them yearly usually at a total cost of 5 bucks.

any heater...there all ok.

I like seachem stability to help cycle the tank it really works..

Hagen life glo 2 bulbs are nice aswell, enough light so you won't grow brown algae..and there bright.

good luck!!!

Answer 4

Get a tank, from pet smart or some other place, with a lid. It should be glass or Plexiglas. Put one male and two female guppies of any kind in the tank. Go to a garden center and ask for anacharis (pond weed) and let that float in your tank. The guppies will give birth in about a month and they will hide in the plants. when they grow up you will have some more guppies so you don't have to buy more. I would breed them because it gives you something more to do with your tank than feed them and change there filter... i find that a simple fish life is a boring fish life.

I did this in all under $70.

ALSO I go garage saleing and i find fish tanks all the time at them I have been fortunate that they have all been waterproof and have not leaked a single drop. when you bring the garage sale tank home. make sure you empty its contents if it has any rocks in it and fill it up outside with you hose to the top and let it sit for  2 days to make sure it does not leak. if it doesn't empty it bring it in and make it fishy.

Answer 5

Frankly, I've found it's a lot cheaper to get everything piece by piece seperately rather than to buy a kit.  That way you can shop around and get some better deals on the bits and pieces.  Look at Craigslist, newpaper ads, yard sales and even your local Freecycle group to get your tank.  A 10 gallon is about the minimum you want and doesn't take up that much room.  Do a lot of online research and you'll find that you can do a lot of DIY stuff for your tank rather than buying it all.  DIY sponge filters, backgrounds, ornaments and tank lids can make your aquarium not only cheaper but a lot more personal and feel more like a project you accomplished rather than just a decoration you bought.

Answer 6

The eclipse system is great! I have an eclipse 6 system and in the 5 years it has been running, the filter has broken once. An eclipse 12 would be nice, you chould have school of tetras and a dwarf gourami or some cory cats! I belive the eclipse 12 is abour 75$ and it can have live plants in there. in my eclipse 6, there is a HUGE swordtail in there, my african dwarf fogs love to sit on the leaves. It can sit on a counter top in yout kitchen, or if you ahve a sturdy table that can hold about 100lbs(I have no clue how much you weight, but if you weigh about 100lbs you can test the table by stading on it) All you would need to buy is decorations nd after you cycle it, fish!

Answer 7

Totally depends on what you want.    If you just want a few fish (no more then 4 or 5) I would suggest a 5 or 10 gallon tank.

Just go to wal-mart and get one.   I think they carry top fin brands and thats great for what you are wanting.

They are normally inexpensive and the filter system works great.

If you are wanting more then you would need to go to a spectially shop.

Thats where you will ring up some bucks.   Any way all you need is tank, heter, pump, filter system, and some rocks for the bottom.  Plants add to the viewing pleasure of a tank.  Have fun.

Answer 8

I agree with monkey to an extent.  A 10 gallon tank kit might be cheaper if you have the room.  You are going to have to replace the heater because the heaters that come with kits tend to be pieces of &^%$.  You should probably also check to see what size tank the filter is rated for.  I normally go with a rating of 150-200% of the tank volume I want to filter.  That tends to handle the bioloads I like better.  Hi end acrylic tanks aren't that bad if you have the money.  I once bought a used marineland eclipse 6 on ebay.  I had it for a year, and then had to move so I couldn't keep it.  I gave it to my uncle who gladly added it to his collection of tanks.  He loves it.  As for fish, look at small tetras such as neons, black neons, embers, glowlights, and cardinals.  Also consider the whitecloud mountain minnow, dwarf neon, and threadfin rainbows, and zebra dannios.  I might also look into small freshwater shrimp such as red cherry shrimp, and crystal reds.

Answer 9

A 5 gallon with a filter and heater is the bare minimum for any fish.  I'd stick with your basic glass tank with a hood.  They make all kinds of fancy acrylic and plastic tanks but they are cheap and don't last.  The plastic scratches and looks like c**p and the filters usually are special for those tanks and break.  You can get a kit from Hagen or another reputable company that will have everything you need in it except a heater for reasonable amounts.

The bigger the tank the easier it is to care for.  

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