So, I have a tank for tropical fish - What now?!

[somersetsoul]

I have decided to start keeping tropical fish. I have researched for a few months and been to a few fish shops. I was going to buy a 40l starter kit but my friend has just offered me a Juwel 60l tank with heater, light etc.

I know I need to treat the water and let it sit for a week before getting the fish but what else do I need to do?

I really want an angel fish and my 2 children want a fish each. Is that too many or not enough for a 60l tank?

Are there any really good websites for beginners?

Thanks

Phew, good thing you got the 60 litre and not the 40 litre! 40 litres is very small. 60 litres will give you lots of options but unfortunately it's too small for angel fish (they get enormous). You could keep a shoal of small tropical fish in there happily.

You need to let it cycle for longer than a week- around 4-6 weeks for a proper fishless cycle. This link explains all about it.

Before you choose any fish, you'll need to know the pH and hardness of your water. That will narrow your choices a bit.

There are lots of good websites, and also lots of rubbish ones. These are some good ones-

Fishkeeping
Practical Fishkeeping
Seriously Fish
Maidenhead Aquatics

Ah, thank you for the angel fish tip. I will look at some other options.

I have very hard water where I live. Can you use bottled water for tropical fish? I wonder if this might make it easier??

I have just found out that I need 4-6 weeks for a cycle. I had better get started this weekend!

Thanks for your help

Depends on the bottled water, you'd have to test for pH and hardness too. There are loads of fish that can live happily in hard water like guppies or endlers. Either of those would be fine in a 60 litre tank if you kept an all-male shoal to prevent breeding.