Pet Fish : How to Set Up a Freshwater Tropical Fish Tank

[rjdg09]

i'm going to raise swordtails, mollies, and platies

[brandonashplant]

@sadm1234 yeh

[TheSaltWaterMaster]

You didn't setup a TROPICAL fish tank!!! No heater!

[Ilikepenguins333]

@TheSaltWaterMaster LOOK at the date it was made. YOU DON'T NEED A HEATER IN THE SUMMER.

[flatroncup]

@Ilikepenguins333 depends if your country gets to 25+dgress than u dont nee it a heater

[Ilikepenguins333]

@flatroncup Exactly my point.

[wotldthe2006]

@TheSaltWaterMaster I still have them my ac has dropped my Temp in my tank in the summer

[playsah]

Rickdalton I'm pretty sure chichlids can only live with other kinds of chichlids

[jlrsmiles]

ok... what doesnt make sense is i have a 50 gallon fish tank and if i fill it with 50 pounds of rock ( gravel) it will be about 7 inches up inside the tank. its just stupid looking -__________-

[THEbeastOF210]

@jlrsmiles your fish tank must be pretty dam skinny then!!!!

[jlrsmiles]

@THEbeastOF210 i am saying if i were to, but i am not currently planning on it

[rickdalton10]

@MrGman0909 I got my fish yesterday. 2 corys, 2 tigerbarbs, 2 pineapple swordtails, and 2 blue ice cichlids. how does the compatibility look to you?

[rickdalton10]

@MrGman0909 thanks again! I'll let you know when I get the things I need, my schedule is preventing me from visiting the pet shop.

[rickdalton10]

@MrGman0909 how do I go about putting the bacteria supplement in my 5 gal. tank?

[MrGman0909]

@rickdalton10 if its a liquid just pour it in according to the amount on the bottle and u can sumtimes buy a tablet which u put in the filter media so what one have u got and il answer ur quiestion

[rickdalton10]

hey everybody!

I recently got a 5 gallon tank and I'm thinking of setting it up, here's my question; do I still need to supply my tank with bacteria supplement? and if it will cause water cycling?

thanks in advance!

[MrGman0909]

@rickdalton10 hay i have a 15 gallon tank and im pretty advanced in the fish hobby and yes if u do add bacterial supplements u still need to cycle it for atleast 2 days so that it can settle in ur filter bio media and in the gravel

hope it helped also u allways need to add a bacterial supplement what every size tank

[rickdalton10]

@MrGman0909 thanks for the much needed info!

[kylesreptiles1]

ohh so i have a 5 foot tank and i have only got a 1 foot heater will that be enough

[fernanda5th]

OH sooo freshwater fish also need salt because im only 12 nd my dwarf platy has 11 babies so wanna make sure its safe for baby fry

[MrGreengiant15]

instead of buy bacteria at the begining just get feeder fish in there...alot cheaper

[MeltWithTheStars]

Should've mentioned fishless cycling, not adding random crap to the water. The bacteria in that bottle are most likely dead and won't do anything beneficial for anything aside from the company's bank balance.

Want to keep fish? Search for fishless cycling, do that, and have happy fish. PLEASE!!!

[nathanpotato]

I've been keeping regular goldfish for 15 years now and would like to move on to tropical fish or even a salt water aquarium, but i just cant bring myself to do it! any tips? my oldest fish turns 9 this year!

[betrekwoman]

@nathanpotato well, if this helps any i've kept a tank with both goldfish and other random tropical fish (even frogs) and they all got along pretty well so i don't think you'll have to get rid of your goldfish to transition to a tropical aquarium.

[ChannelingMatt]

GOURAMIS!!!!

[sk81514]

@sadm1234 yea

[benbutterell]

Thanks Mike

[africancichlidman]

@adityadg7890 gourami

[adityadg7890]

@africancichlidman  u pronounce as gurami

[adityadg7890]

@MyJoker1988 its gourami

[withramya]

Hi, I was wondering if you could tell some more about what plants to use in the tank? Also, if I use Eco-start or any product like that, can I immediately add in new fish? I have a beautiful betta (whom I really LOVE) in a bowl and I just got a fish tank. I already feel terrible that the bowl was not "cycled" or anything. I monitor the pH and its around 7. I am looking to transfer him to the big 15Gallon tank soon.

[ChannelingMatt]

@withramya you dont need live plants in a 15 gallon tank, so stick with plastic plants. if you are going to have betta-goldfish, you dont need a heater. if you use eco start or any aquarium chemicals/bacteria, dont put fish in right away. wait about 1 day for everything to settle in, and to have your water filtrated. go to your local fish/pet (petco) to have them test your water. then you should be ready to add fish. start with a around 6 small fish for at least a month. it helps build a cycle.

[withramya]

@ChannelingMatt Hi, Thanks for the reply. I already moved him to a 15 gallon (check out my video :). I also have had good luck with Amazon sword and Hornwort after that video. And today my betta blew his FIRST bubblenest around the plants!! (i am really excited)

[sspamer]

Lastly, you CAN use salt, but are NOT required to do so in fresh water aquariums. Salt should be considered mainly a general purpose medication because, again, it kills small organisms. Lastly, consider what species of fish you have - I hear scaleless fish are far more susceptible to salt than scaled ones, meaning they are more fragile and have a higher likelihood of being killed. Now you may consider yourself educated about salt!

[sspamer]

Too much salt can kill, regardless of type used. For fresh water aquariums you may safely add "un-iodized salt," this means that the salt contains no iodine. Iodine kills fish in large amounts. Do NOT use "table salt," it contains iodine and will hurt your fish! Marine salt or sea salt can be real sea water that is simply the remains of evaporated ocean water or synthetic man made. In salt or marine aquariums too much "sea salt" will kill your fish - marine fish require a certain salinity

[sspamer]

Such stupid people on here judging by responses. HAHA. So many "Salt worries." There's several kinds of salt: table salt, rock salt, marine salt. "Salt" is used to kill single celled organisms - usually pet stores will add salt to their fresh water aquariums in attempts of keeping fish illnesses at a minimum. Next, salt actually helps fish internally. In humans, salt helps us with muscle contraction; I'd guess similarly with fish. Fish need minerals, including things like salt to live.

[brod30032]

Salt tanked my puffer D:

[wigglezhujun]

anybody hav video of people setting up tank?

[BabyButtLOL]

a tad bit of salt wont hurt freshwater, especially fish that like brackish water. As for chemicals if you dont know what you are doing then yeah use them/follow instructions. .. But most people can do just fine with out them just letting the water sit overnight to remove chlorine. Also you don't really need to add bacteria to your tank. Maybe a little food or one fish for a week or two with filter running and this will allow the tank to develop proper bacteria levels then you are g2g.

[josephbillypowell]

Guys hear never add salt to your fish tank it will kill the fish i have cept fish for 10 years

[INVERTminiPB93]

i add salt, but only about a teaspoon for my tank but when im first setting it up not when there are fish in it

[hatstalker]

my grandpa had kept KOI for over 30 years and he doses his pond with salt and his spawning tanks.

[hatstalker]

and he was discussing aquarium salt, not marine salt.

marine salt is sodium chloride, aquarium salt contains potassium chloride and sodium, in small amounts they are beneficial to fish anyway.

[xxHUNGREExx]

can i use plastic pipe in my freshwater tank

[Tdawg1978]

1 lb or rock per gallon seems alot and adds up money and weight. I'd think 1/2" to 2 in would good for a tank.

[TrueSplash]

how long do u leave the stuff in before u get the fish ?

[TriViAnDiSgUiSe]

i've got a new 30 gallon.

I'll soon be putting guppys and tetras in it, its all cycling but ive only got 20 pounds of gravel for a 30 gallon, its covered the bottom of the tank and is just about enough for ornaments to go into but is this a problem?

[Nix2709]

I'm also curious about adding salt to my freshwater tank...is that for real?

[jasonman1515]

don't worry it won't hurt the fish.

[fuzzman25]

wait so aquarium salt isnt accually salt like marine salt ... its just to help with bacteria or something ?

[jasonman1515]

yep it is.

[ninja3637]

i added aquarium salt to my fresh water aquarium and it seems like my fish are going to the top of the water for air i followed the directions stuff just doesnt look right. Any suggestions?

[eagleskid20]

thank you

[royaltywears]

true that

[Isawayne]

Does any 1 kno what kind of fish those r?

[osvas23]

look like gouramis

[timm157]

great job explaining everything. it made perfect sense to me

[lucashirasawa]

blue goramis or somthing

[animalcrazyfreak]

nice fish