First time buyer guide

Hi All,

Please can you help me and others with a first time buyers guide. What would you recommend to buy for a tropical set-up? Please list the items in order. Lets start with the important items from the begining.

Thanks

PAT.

 

Cool...

1. The tank - Choose a tank that is suitable for the fish you intend keeping.
2. Filtration - Choose the type of filter you want. Generally aim for 5- 10 times your tank volume per hour.
3 - Heater - for when it get's cold.
4 - Lighting - Research this if you want a planted tank.
5 - Substrate - Once again, research this if you want a planted tank, but most people use fool filter sand.
6 - Decorations. Totally at your own discretion, but please note - shipwrecks are frowned upon! LOL!
7 - Fish. Research the options BEFORE buying them and always give the tank enough time to cycle properly before adding fish.
8 - Fish Food.

Good luck man.

 

• Heater – 1 Watt required per 2 liters (Buy a good quality heater such as the Jager that is reliable)
• Filtration – available from very low tech (corner and sponge filters running of a air pump) to very high tech (canister filter with internal pump and electronic controls). The capacity of the filter will be determined by the volume and the stocking density of the tank.
• Lighting – loads of threads to read about lighting from DIY to very expensive top of the range stuff. The lighting requirements of the plants in your tank and desired effect will help determine what you will require.
• Substrate – this will be determined by the type of tank and fish that you want to setup.
• Plant – if you are going for a planted tank, you will have to use a finer substrate for them to be happy.
• Other decoration – this is up to yourself, as long as it’s not toxic or going to alter your tank water parameters.

 

do not forget the fish net and canopy for the tank but the way the LFS run they will try sell you everything and much more.

Find a suitable place in the house, avoid high traffic areas but close to an outlet.
If you plan on painting the room or some other construction finish that first.
If you have hyper kids running around rather spend more on the tank and get a thicker glass

 

All of the above and all I can add is...

Go for the biggest tank you can afford and fit in the space you have allocated for it.
It is allot easier to work with a big tank than a small one.
The small ones needs more regular water changes and frequent cleaning time.

 

I would add a good reputably aquarium book. A LOT of what I learnt came innitially from the book I read, and then I found TASA!

 

Hi Guys,

Thank you for the info thus far.
Lets say i buy a 4 foot tank and i want to keep show guppies with plants.

a. What is the volume of this tank?
b. What do i now need to purchase before adding fish?

Please give me the best options and solutions. I want to avoid new beginners mistakes and thats why i am asking for professional advise.

Thanks once again.
Chow!!

 

The volume of the tank depends on the dimensions of the tank.

Depending on the type of plants you want to keep. Low light plants are the easiest, such as Java Ferns, Anubia and other such plants. If you want high light plants, you will need Co2 (DIY or a Canister) You'll need a filter. Substrate, the plants. That's about it. Oh, and a heater.

The rest you can add when you add the fish, like Rock, wood, etc... You're going to come around on Saturday, I'll show you everything you'll need.

 

Volume = Length x Width x Height of Water.
Then you can calculate the size of filtration (Liters/hour) and heater (Watts) that would be required.
Substrate would also be one of the first purchases that you would make.

 

Dont go out and buy the first "pretty" fish that you see, and when buying plants first ask the Lfs to give you the scientific name of the plant, eg, anubius nana, so that you can research them and make sure that they are actually genuine AQUATIC plants, many Lfs sell plants that guys have tried to "adapt" to living in an aquatic Enviroment and 98% of the time they die. Make sure your plants dont have any funny Cysts or Nodules on them

 

Hi Guys,

Thank you once again for the great info. It will certainly help me and others. Does anyone here have any items forsale? Guys, I will be stopping at Pet Masters this afternoon. Any thing that i should know when i go there? Slagter hopefully we meet this Saturday.

Chow