Beginner fish owner?

[Empusa]

Thinking about getting fish but have very little idea what is best. Have a few questions, but obviously if you think of anything else useful that would be great!

• Coldwater or tropical? From what we've seen so far we think we prefer the look of many of the tropical fish, but wonder if we'd be better off with coldwater ones instead? Is there a really noticeable difference in how hard they are to look after?

• Tank size? We don't have a huge amount of space so can't get a massive aquarium unfortunately, but obviously don't want a tiny tank that can only fit one fish. What size do you recommend and what kinds of fish/size of fish/amount of fish would need what aquarium?

• Feeding? Is there a massive difference in food for different fish?

• Types of fish? Which are best for beginners?

• Maintenance? What will we need to do? How often? And what things will we need to buy (one off or consumables)?

Thankyou in advance!

Hello :)

You're defo going about this the right way, making sure you get the right kit and doing your research- going into a shop and just buying what they tell you is normally a recipe for disaster.

Coldwater or tropical? Tropical fish are not necessarily harder to keep, but there is a lot more choice so it can be harder to get the right fish. Getting the wrong ones can cause all kinds of problems but if you get the right ones then there's no reason why you can't start off with tropical fish.

Tank size. Beginners are often sold piddly little tanks but they are really hard to maintain. Something around 60-80 litres should suit your requirements, you could have a shoal of small tropical fish. If you want more than one species then around 90-120 litres would be better. They won't take ages to clean out but the water parameters should be nice and stable even if you cock up a bit sometimes.

Feeding. Most fish will take flakes/pellets as their staple food but all fish should have a varied diet. Some like live or frozen food (you should be able to get this at an aquatic store), some will happily chomp on veg. Depends on the species.

Types of fish. Largely depends on tank size and water parameters. If you're planning on using tap water then test the pH and hardness. If it's around neutral then that gives you lots of choice. Very hard, alkaline water or very soft, acidic water will give you less choice but you should still be able to find something suitable.

Maintenance. Weekly (or more) water changes and tests are the bare minimum. If you want real plants then trimming off dead leaves etc every few days and just having a general tidy is all you need to do.

Kit. Aside from the tank you'll need a filter and heater; water testing kit (liquid ones work out much cheaper in the long run) that will test ammonia, nitrIte, nitrAte, pH and hardness; dechlorinator; substrate for the tank (playsand is v cheap) and other decor items; lighting and plant fertiliser if you want real plants; syphon tube, gravel vac (you can make one out of a plastic bottle) and bucket for water changes.

An air pump and air stone isn't essential but looks nice and some fish seem to like it.

Don't bother with any chemicals that claim to instantly cycle a tank, or anything called 'general tonic' or similar.

Hope that helps a bit! :)

Right, we've got a 60L tank, we've decided on tropical so we've got a heater.

We've had a look around at some different fish, we really like Leopard Danios and Tuxedo Platys, but also really love Bettas. Do you think it is at all possible to have all 3 species? And how many would we be looking at?

Should point out, we are definitely not getting them all at once, and are waiting a good few weeks for the tank to be ready.

Now the fun begins

I wouldn't mix those species, it would be carnage. Also 60 litres is on the small side for platys and leopard danios. If you like danios then have a look at celestial pearl danios, they are small enough to be happy in a 60 litre.

Alternatively a betta would be fine, maybe with a shoal of dwarf corys if your water isn't too hard or alkaline. Bettas don't mix very well, they are very territorial (hence their common name) and their long fins are tempting to fin nippers.

Are you using fish food or household ammonia to cycle your tank?

We have a 60ltr tank, to begin with we had 5 guppies 5 tetras and a bristle nose plec, sadly the tetra's died (we gave the last one away as he was lonely), we have lost several guppies which have been replaced. We now have 6 male guppies (2 were bought today) and the plec (which we eventualy need a bigger tank). Guppies and tetras seem easy ish to look after and good size fish for a small tank.

We also have a 40ltr tank with 3 female guppies and one baby Molly (which is looking for a new home) and a 30ltr which is the nursery (for the baby guppies).

I would go for Guppies, tetras, endler's or a single Betta.

There are some brilliant little tetras that would be great in a 60 litre. Tetras are a big family though, so make sure you don't get any of the big, mean ones Always check the scientific name to be sure, common names can vary and some shops have been known to make them up entirely.

We've decided we definitely want some danios, and are thinking of teras as well? Will that work?

We had rummy nose tetras, they are a bit different than the normal type.

I'd stick to just one species of shoaling fish in a 60 litre, it can get a bit crowded otherwise and the fish might start acting weird. Aggression can be a problem in overcrowded tanks, as well as water quality issues.

You could have quite a few celestial pearl danios in a 60 litre, 10 would be pretty happy and then you'd get some brilliant shoaling behaviour, males displaying to each other (they do a cool little dance) and maybe even breeding.