building an aquarium

[supa_c 5,000+ posts]

cichlids are the only good fresh water fish

 

[Untouchable11 10+ year member]

No, it has a pump that blows air through a media and the protein bubbles out of a top.The sucker fish are called plecostomus.

Saltwater fish PWN and i mean PWN fresh.

The variety is so vast its amazing.

From eels to lobsters and crabs

x2! If you are going to do it, do it right, and go saltwater. There are soooo many amazing kinds of saltwater fish. My good friend and his dad have a nice 50 gallon saltwater tank, and they have some of the coolest looking fish. Although, from what I've seen, exotic saltwater fish can get pricey. However, if I were going to get a tank like you are talking about, I'd go saltwater. Also, a protein skimmer is a must.

 

[supa_c 5,000+ posts]

You just need to go to the right place for the good deals, just like car audio

 

[yne721 10+ year member]

I'm going to be getting a decent sized aquarium, around 50 gals, I've been told. I just went to the pet store to look at fish, and possibly a turtle.
I know you need a heater. But what else is needed for the aquarium system? water filters? Bubbler things that add air/movement to the water? Are the "homes" and plants required right away?

There's no real pet stores in the immediate area, just pet "walmarts", so asking really didn't help a whole lot.

Also, are there any water-based turtles that can survive in mostly water with a little bit of land? What kind of problems would be present when mixing turtles and fish?

If any of you guys are aquarium guys, I'd greatly appreciate the help. Thanks.

didn't really read all the replies but here's my .02

i had at the most 5 tanks running at one time, so i used to be really big into freshwater fish..

freshwater = WAY LESS work. unless you have huge money to spend on all the top of the line saltwater filters and such... but not really suggested for 'rookies'

you do need a heater, and the best ones are the ones that can be stored in the water, not just hanging over the edge. you can place them in the middle of the tank to get a much more even temperature(although if you have the right stuff in your tank water movment will be enough to take care of this anyway)

you absolutely DO NOT need one of those bubblers lol. those are for little kids. they tell you they add air to the water and circulate it more efficiently, but even though it might be true, it will be such a small difference you won't notice it. If you're worried about the 'air content' of your water, just buy a bigger filter than you need, i always used AquaClear as they were the best for the money available to me then. I usually read the recommended usage for the filter, and found the one double the size of my tank, or put two of the regular sized ones on opposite sides.

the theory behind the bubblers used to be "it keeps the surface tension broken allowing air into the water" so if that was the case having all that extra water from a bigger filter solved that problem. plus aquaclears are pretty maintence free. all you have to do is clean or change the sponge at the bottom once a month.

if you're worried about good water circulation, but an undergravel filter system with a decent sized PowerHead to circulate the water. DO NOT use the filtration system on the ungergravel system. just take out all the charcoal and what not, and just let free water flow through the powerhead. undergravels breed bacteria like crazy if not kept maticulously clean(cleaning every other day if not sooner)

the only reason you'll need the undergravel setup WITH the powerhead, is so a fish doesn't get sucked into the powerhead(if you have fish that small) but that can also be achieved with a makeshift filter over the inlet of the powerhead.

pretty long reply i know, but hopefully it was somewhat informative.

 

[supa_c 5,000+ posts]

Rio3100's ftw !

 

[andy1234 10+ year member]

doo your research go to a lot of fish forums i used to visit p fury all the time even though its for mostly piranas its still has lots of good advice

right now i have a 135 gallon tank

the filtration is actualy mroe than is recomended but i have so much fish in it i need it, for fresh water it is best that you have at least ten times the movement of water in your tank than what it is

like say you want to get a 55 gallon tank get an ac 500 its rated at about 500 gallons per hour, or something equal to bout that

on my 135 gallon i have two ac 500s and i also have a sump(its a type of biological filtration some use bio balls but i use lava rocks in mine) and the pump in the sump is rated at 1300 gallons per hour

and some might say i have to much filtration but i need it as heres whats in it

1 14 inch oscar

1 4 inch oscar

3 3-5 inch texas/convict hybrids

2 2-3 inch convict texas hybrids

1 3 inch convict

1 4 inch yellow lab

1 5 inch orange spotted sunfish

1 6 inch green sunfish

1 6 inch striped rapheal

1 10 inch pleco

just the other day i loast a livinstony due to old age was almost 8 years old

bout a month ago i lost a 16 inch pleco bcuz of the age was 9 years old

oh and if you get cichlids its not recomended to have this many in this small of a tank bcuz they are territorial and hsit like that but it will be fine as long as you have enough places for them to claim as their territory

oh and do not put an oscar in a 55 unless you are planning on getting a 75 gallon tank or bigger down the line, bcuz oscars can get atleast 14 inches long and a 55 is only 12 inches wide on the outside that leaves you with bout 11 and half inches on the inside. and no fish do not grow to the size of the tank like everyone tries to say, it grows buy how well you keep it as in keeping the tank clean i clean mine atleast once a week, how you feed it healthier the stuff, and how much stress it gets from other fish, blah blah blah

oh ya and there is only one turtle( maybe more havent read up on fish or reptiles for a couple years) on the pet market that can be in the water 24/7 and thats the fly river turtle but they are expensive and you have to be a pro with keeping your tank as good as possible

alright im sick of writing for now to stoned, ne more questions just ask

 

[andy1234 10+ year member]

Get like 40 of those

no if you want entertain ment cichlids is the way to go after a while they turn into little underwater dogs always beggin for food fighting over shit, cichlids have the best personality and are also one of the smartest fish groups

 

[justsayk 10+ year member]

i've done some cichlid tanks and some freshwater puffers, but i ended up going back to a community tank with lots of live plants. there are plenty of colorful and interesting freshwater fish out there, just research before you buy. just type in the common name or scientific name of the fish you plan on getting into google and make sure everything is compatable. also plan for the future- most fish get a lot bigger then when you buy them at the store. make sure you have room for their adult size.

 

[pwnt by pat 10+ year member]

Thanks, guys. I've been googling. Some quick first hand experience/advice is always helpful //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

This is something like I was looking to set up:

something simple, elegant, and not "overly done"

 

[davesexplorer 10+ year member]

65 gal here... 4 Rosy Barbs, 6 Black skirt tetras, 5 stupid guppies (freebies), 1 plec, 3 small striped catfish, dojo loach, chinese algae eater. Used to have a freshwater crawfish... but then again I used to have 9 guppies too... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[nVRuckus 5,000+ posts]

Also, are there any water-based turtles that can survive in mostly water with a little bit of land? What kind of problems would be present when mixing turtles and fish?

QUOTE]

for fresh water red ear sliders live in the water you just get a stick on thing that goes to the side of the tank that they sun out on. they like to eat smaller fish though //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif I had a few and when one of my fish was laying eggs one of the turtles went after the fish and ate the egg sack out of her. I only have a 25 gallon tank.

 

[justsayk 10+ year member]

you need a pretty big setup and some serious filtration for the turtles. also need some special lighting, but they can be pretty cool pets. if you are doing fish, i'd recommend a canister filter like a magnum with the biowheel attatchments. doesn't create that much current but kicks anus compared to hang-ons. i currently have a 50 gallon with all gouramis/ labyrinth fish plus a clean up crew of cory's and a pleco. easy to take care of and very colorful fish. as a basic rule of thumb, you can get away with a lot of combinations of fish if there are enough hiding places, but nothing is ever gauranteed to get along perfectly.

 

[WantedIsHere]

dont mix turtles and fish.... turtles carry bad bacterias and disease... not only that they will eat your fish..... also in case you dont know... while fish tanks can smell at times and leave your house humid if you dont know what your doing.... turtles stink all the time no matter what...also if you have small children or older people in the house turtles do tend to carry disease....use caution and always wash your hands after any contact... another reason to keep them away from children is that they tend to commit *******.... many of turtle have been found hanging from the neck after a failed excape attempt...

 

[docutech 10+ year member]

pwnt by pat:

my ex wife just sold a very successful aquarium store and internet business. I would be happy to get in touch with her for you so that she can answer any questions and steer you in the right direction. If you are interested in a saltwater setup, pm me.

 

[pwnt by pat 10+ year member]

cool. You'll get a PM in a little bit