What to put in a Fluval Edge?

[JenaiMwahHaHaHaaaaah]

Ds is seeking to expand his menagerie (I posted here about his snake - it wasn't me that started the thread but I got lots of useful info) and has set his heart on one of these for Christmas.

He understands that it's a small aquarium, so we're limited as to species and the number of specimens he could keep. We are also aquatic novices, so really need somehting not too difficult to start off with.

So, what would you choose to keep in a 25lt aquarium? Something vaguely interesting would be good.

Obviously I am Googling, but I trust MN rather more than some of the bizarrely argumentative specialist forums (which is saying something, as an MN-er [hwink] )
Any ideas much appreciated [hsmile]

Nothing at all. Sorry! Those tanks are very badly designed. Yes, they look very cool but I wouldn't put any fish at all in less than a 45 litre- a 60 litre minimum is best, gives you more options and will be slightly more forgiving of inevitable beginner slip-ups.

Smaller tanks are really very hard to keep and unfortunately there are no laws stating what can be sold as a fish tank so companies can sell any old crap and the poor old consumer (not to mention the fish) are the ones that suffer.

Another thing to take into account is surface area- this is very very important for gas exchange and a large surface area means you can keep more fish. A Fluval edge has zero surface area because it's filled right to the top.

For the same price you could get a much more suitable tank (not a biorb, they are just as bad!!) that would be easier to look after and keep fish healthy in. If you need any more advice just ask, I am extremely geeky and more than happy to help

Eau, I had a feeling it was too small. Some of the starter kits I've seen are shocking - even smaller than the Edge. And this from a person who knows precious little about keeping fish!

So, say we got a reasonably sized aquarium. I imagine we could set it up so it looks suitably impressive (suspect ds would like something we could illuminate sometimes).

What kind of creatures should we be looking at? Coldwater I imagine. And fairly robust. Ds is great with his snake, checking temps and so on, but I'd prefer it if we can avoid a species that is too demanding.

Plants grow and thrive in them - apparently you can grow cannabis in them. But bugger all else.

You don't have to start out with coldwater, there aren't many to choose from but if you are happy with minnows (they are sweet little fish) then go for it. There are lots more small tropical fish to choose from that are easy to care for- the tricky bit is choosing the right ones! Unfortunately you can't always trust the staff in aquatic shops so those argumentative specialist forums are usually your best bet or you could just ask me on here but then you'll only get one opinion (which of course will be completely right )

I would go for a plug and play type tank, something like a Juwel which has the filter and lighting unit all set up. The lighting is strong enough for robust live plants like java fern and cryptocrynes. Then once it's all set up you'll need to do a fishless cycle which is very very very important!! So don't let any shop staff talk you out of it, which some of them may try to do.

While the tank is cycling you can test the water for hardness and pH so you can see which fish will be suitable. DOn't worry if you're not a science geek, it's just a matter of writing down what your water is (it'll be between pH6-8 normally) and then googling to see fish caresheets. Some sites might say fish are adaptable but ideally you should choose fish that will suit your water because they will thrive more and are more likely to reach their life expectancy.

I hope I'm not making this sound overly complicated The setting up and choosing the fish part really is the hardest bit but if you get that right then your fish are far less likely to get ill so it's just a matter of basic maintenance.

LMAO @ growing cannabis in them

Well I'd rather ds refrained from growing contraband for now!

Eau, you've really given us something to work with there. Thank you [hsmile]