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Fish tank
so ive been thinking about getting a fish tank for the office for quite some time now. i think it would be relaxing and stuff when my mind is going crazy from studying. and i found one for a good price at wally world so i thought i might ask a few questions to anyone in the know about it.
the one that i found was 10 gallons. approximately how many fish is the maximum for a tank of that size? what kind of fish do you reccommend? what about those cleaner fish? is it better to have a cleaner fish or a cleaner snail? how often does the filter need changing? what else do i need to know?
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also, what about water temperature? i usually keep my house around 68ish degrees how will that effect the fish?
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First of all, will you keep tropical fish or fresh water fish ?
We got a fish tank of about 20 gallons in our living room here, filled with tropical fish. Im no expert or whatever, but from what i've learned over the years you need the following:
- Tank
- Filter
- Bubble maker thing to add oxygen to the water for the fish
- Heater
- Backup heater for when it breaks
- Thermometer
- Food and medicines
- Tubes and stuff for the filter
- Gravel
- Fertilized stuff for the bottom
- Plants
- Water quality tester
- Time clock for the lights in it
- Magnet thingy for keeping the windows clean
I guess that's about it :)
We have about 35-40 small(no more than 5cm) fish in our 20 gal. tank. I guess if you take half i'd be fine..
The filter needs to be changed about once a year, but the water needs to be refreshed about every 3 months (fish excrements). Also the bottom stuff needs to be refreshed every 9 months or so.
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Get a few Oscars and feed them bugs and those little aquatic frogs you can get at pet stores.
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I have a 55 gallon rectangular tank in my family room with 5 fish in it. It all depends on the type of fish. Mine are freshwater (3 Oscars a shark and a cleaner fish) and the bigger the tank the bigger the fish get. Oscars are classified as aggressive fish so they kill just about everything else and dig up plants so I buy plastic ones.
Don't buy fish at Wal-mart. Half the time their PH levels are way off and they don't do well. Usually end up dead.
Find yourself a decent pet store they will get you set up.
You need:
Tank (10 gallons is really small)
Tank lighting system
Filter
Thermometer. They have a green zone. 68* in a house won't be a problem.
Air pump
Air lines
Oxygenation stones (make bubbles)
Gravel, Glass beads, Sand, whatever you decide
PH kit
Heater
Foods
If you get small fish add something for them to hide in. Avoid large seashells because they are a pita to clean.
For the best bet get yourself some non aggressive fresh water fish. There are tons of choices and you can mix and match them easily. Don't buy just one of each get a few or they get lonely.
I buy disposable filters for like $2-3 each and usually change once or twice a week depending on how dirty it is.
Cleaner fish are good and get big relatively fast, but avoid cleaner snails. I once purchased a plant that came with a free cleaner snail because the pet store guy didn't catch it and neither did I. Needless to say it was pregnant or something and they multiplied faster than rabbits. I mean literally exploded and I had millions of snails.
Mine looks like this: We have had it for years.
[IMG]http://www.shaweg.com/images/55.01.jpg[/IMG]
Oh and if you live on a municipal water system please note that your tap water has chlorine in it. Fill the tank, let it sit a day, and go to the pet store to find a bottle of chlorine killer.
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thanks for the advice, i was planning on some pretty easy, cheap, non agressive fish. i was planning on getting one of those all in one kits from wally world will that cut it?
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o and you said the cleaner fish get pretty big...dont they only grow to whatever size their ecosystem will allow? do i need two of those or is one ok?
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sounds like youre going to get a tropical freshwater aquarium, i dunno if anyones sead it but the general rule there is you can comfortably fit one fish per gallon. and if you want a cleaner fish dont get a pleco, those are the ones that grow. also very important: DO NOT place fish in the tank untill about two weeks after youve been running the filter
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how long after filling the tank do i have to wait to put fish in?
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go salt water and get a shark!
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haha I've never ran a filter for 2 weeks before adding fish. That's stupid.
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[QUOTE=roosterjuicer;850396]how long after filling the tank do i have to wait to put fish in?[/QUOTE]
I should think two weeks easily enough for a ten gallon tank, it depends heavily on the filter, weather the tank is new or used, possibly the gravel, where the decor and water comes from
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[QUOTE=baddabang;850401]haha I've never ran a filter for 2 weeks before adding fish. That's stupid.[/QUOTE]
and its not before adding fish. it's a percaution whenever you start a new aquarium, since essentially what youre doing is starting a new habitat, the first thing to happen will be a bacterial boom and you dont want that possibly killing off your new fish, who already have enough of a new environment to adjust to
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How about 15,000 gallons in your living room?