Beginning an aquarium.

Jezzabell · 10-24-2009, 08:38 PM

Hi,

I have a small 700 square ft apartment, and would love to add a fresh water aquarium to my living room. I have four feet of free space in which to put the aquarium and stand, but am confused as to what aquarium to buy, what types of fish would go well together, which filter/bubbler is best ect.

I did see a very cool multi level fish tank in the local fish store and was wondering if that makes any difference to the fish. I'm not opposed to constructing my own tank, I just want the fish to be safe, have enough space and have a fun environment to explore. I do have a cat and realize that will have an impact on the type of cover over the aquarium.

Any suggestions or pointers would be greatly appreciated. I'm just terribly confused by all the options.

Stands, tanks (build your own v.s. buying one), food, filters, cleaner fish, snails, compatible fish, enough room, PH levels, decorations/toys and what not. Ideally I would like it to be visually pleasing and fish friendly. I want to go all out.

- Jezzabell

Judge · 10-25-2009, 07:27 AM

Hello Jezzabell and welcome to FTF, we are pleased you have decided to join our friendly group. WOW, that's a lot of info! I would suggest doing a lot of research so you can narrow down what you really want. Read everything about what you think you might be interested and we can go from there. We have several video tutorials that can help with some basics if this is your first tank. Also, PLEASE remember, your local fish place exists to make money and can be staffed by those who are fairly clueless so do not take what they say as the gospel truth. We here at FTF recommend the fishless cycle, again there is a video and some really good threads about this, especially one by RJRofFl. Let me know if you cannot find what you need. There is also a thread on stocking choices that is helpful.
I spent a couple of months just researching all different kinds of equipment and the benefits of each so please understand that patience in this great hobby is a real plus and if you take your time...the rewards are great! Good luck, keep us posted and get back with specific questions.

ZeroSystem · 10-25-2009, 03:52 PM

Welcome to FTF Jezzabell!

Four feet of space in your living room for a tank eh? Sounds like a good place for a 55 gallon tank or bigger! Generall bigger is better when it comes to fish tanks, as it creates a more stable enviroment, as well as giving you more options as far as fish go. You could fit anything from a standard 55g to a 90 gallon tank in that space if you wanted to. I would recommend buying your tank, as making your own is not an easy task. All-Glass Aquarium and Oceananic are the aquarium manufactures that I'm most familiar with. Get some good glass lids on your tank and I don't think you'll have to worry too much about your cat getting into things.

There is a lot to think about when it comes to fish compatiblity, so if I were you I'd just look around and find fish that you really really like and take it from there. You can sort of build your tank around the fish you like the most. I dunno it's just an idea, there are a lot of different fish out there so you'll have a lot to choose from. When you've got an idea about what you want to do and have more specific questions about the fish you're interested in, post back here and we'll give you more info about 'em!