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what are the guidelines for setting up/maintaining a freshwater aquarium?
palm_of_buddha asked:
i have kept goldfish since i was very young but after an bout of illness about a year and a half ago, they all died. now, i am looking to create a freshwater aquarium. i tried with glassfish but they were the painted ones and they all died. how should i set up an aquarium and is there a comprehensive fish compatibility chart?
i have kept goldfish since i was very young but after an bout of illness about a year and a half ago, they all died. now, i am looking to create a freshwater aquarium. i tried with glassfish but they were the painted ones and they all died. how should i set up an aquarium and is there a comprehensive fish compatibility chart?
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22. March 2008 at 4:09 pm :
Go to. Usually the pet store people should know, but I got tired of snot nose kids trying to make the big sell of a fish I didn’t want or could sustain in my system. Biggest thing when starting out, allow the water to cycle and don’t overstock in the beginning! Best of luck to you.
25. March 2008 at 7:08 am :
Fill with water and get a test kit for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Look for an article on fishless cycling and cycle the tank properly before adding fish.
There are no comprehensive charts that work. There are many online which are not specific enough to work. They go by the family, not species. For instance if you were looking for compatibility for angelfish, a chart might say tetras. But only half of the tetra species are compatible, its not specific enough.
For a good idea of compatibility ask on a forum such as aquariumadvice.com
25. March 2008 at 10:15 pm :
Below are some good websites with the info you’re looking for.
setup & maintenence:
fish compatibility:
Good luck with the new tank!
26. March 2008 at 4:37 am :
I would really suggest you go out and buy a decent beginning aquarium book. it will cover how to set up a tank, how to begin adding fish and some help with making proper fish selections. As the above post implies, not every website out there has accurate information and as a beginner it would be very hard for you to know which is right and which is wrong. Not to say all websites are bad, some are certainly excellent and give wonderful information and advice. Those can be a great source for you once you have enough basic information to tell the good one’s from the bad one’s. A book is much more likely to be accurate and reliable.
One note on books. Please don’t go buy a book put out by the manufacturers of aquarium products. They usually nothing but promotional pieces for the products in question and not really accurate unbiased information. A hobbyist based book would be your best bet.
27. March 2008 at 12:22 pm :
get a book about aquarium keeping
30. March 2008 at 9:42 pm :
Make sure you follow the setup for each individual fish. Here is a website that tells you everything about any type of freshwater fish.