So my roommates and I want to start an aquarium...

[Wes Mantooth]

You might want to make sure that all those species of fish can coexist, both in terms of temperament and also water chemistry.

Puffer fish usually require a bit more care and attention than typical tropical fish. And they have sort of picky diets as well. But they are really cool, and it's worth the effort. If I were you, I'd start with the idea of the puffer and then build the rest of the tank around that as the core.


One other thing I would add is that you should buy your aquarium and all the gear to set up at least a week or two before you plan to add fish. Get everything running nice and have the water totally "cycled" before fish go in there. You can use household ammonia to start the biological cycle manually. There is no need to introduce "sacrificial" goldfish to get the cycle going.

This sounds like a good idea, the Dwarf Puffer actually works because according to the rules of my apartment on campus, tanks can only be 10 gallons, but we are going to do 20 because no one will care enough

[tuffteef]

puffer fish would be pretty pimp to have in a tank

[Caesar]

You might want to make sure that all those species of fish can coexist, both in terms of temperament and also water chemistry.

Puffer fish usually require a bit more care and attention than typical tropical fish. And they have sort of picky diets as well. But they are really cool, and it's worth the effort. If I were you, I'd start with the idea of the puffer and then build the rest of the tank around that as the core.


One other thing I would add is that you should buy your aquarium and all the gear to set up at least a week or two before you plan to add fish. Get everything running nice and have the water totally "cycled" before fish go in there. You can use household ammonia to start the biological cycle manually. There is no need to introduce "sacrificial" goldfish to get the cycle going.

This sounds like a good idea, the Dwarf Puffer actually works because according to the rules of my apartment on campus, tanks can only be 10 gallons, but we are going to do 20 because no one will care enough

The tiger barbs have the propensity for eating the fins off the other fish.

[Wes Mantooth]

The tiger barbs have the propensity for eating the fins off the other fish.

I'll probably avoid those then

Also what's everyone's thoughts on Tetra SafeStart? It's supposed to add the proper bacteria to the aquarium so you don't have to cycle it yourself.
Could I use this or should I just not be lazy/impatient and do it normally?

[McSpunckle]

Get an octopus!

[Rygot]

^^^ THIS.

Anyway... Plecos always help.

*insert advice everyone else already said*

[culturejam]

Also what's everyone's thoughts on Tetra SafeStart? It's supposed to add the proper bacteria to the aquarium so you don't have to cycle it yourself.
Could I use this or should I just not be lazy/impatient and do it normally?

I've never used it, but I keep reading that anything that claims to have bacteria in it and has been sitting on a shelf for months is probably bullshit. And it's not cheap.

The best way to cycle a tank is with common ammonia (make sure it is 100% ammonia and doesnt contain any perfumes or dyes or other cleaning agents). Should cost you $1 or $2. Use an eye dropper (also about $1) to add the ammonia to the water. It works like this: get everything set up in the tank (water added, gravel in, filters running, lights on, heaters, etc). Let it run for half a day to oxygenate the water. Now add about 5 drops of ammonia per 10 gallons on a daily basis. After about 3 days, test for nitrites (you need to have a basic test kit as well). If you don't detect nitrites, keep on adding 5 drops/10 gal daily until you do. Then decrease to 3 drops / 10 gal / day and test daily for both ammonia and nitrites. When both ammonia and nitrites read back down to 0 ppm, the tank is fully cycled and ready for fish. It's not as complicated as it sounds.

Nitrofying bacteria will show up if you add ammonia (which is part of what fish excrete as waste). They convert the ammonia to nitrites. And then another type of bacteria shows up to convert the nitrites to nitrates. Once the culture is up and running, the bacteria will keep the ammonia and nitrites (the most dangerous stuff for fish) at basically zero. But the nitrates you have to remove manually via water changes. Actually, live plants will absorb some of the nitrates, but you still have to do water changes no matter how many plants you have.

Here's a more in-depth description on the nitrogen cycle:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com ... Cycle.html

[Wes Mantooth]

^^^ THIS.

Anyway... Plecos always help.

*insert advice everyone else already said*

I do have an interest in Plecos, pretty cool looking fish.

An Octopus seems like it would be pretty hard to care for but would be so cool to have, they don't live very long though

Right now since I have to scale back the size of the tank a little I might either do a tank with a few Indian Dwarf Puffers with one male and a couple females.

I want some fish that could fit in a smaller aquarium, are somewhat active during the day and don't require a ton of work. I know Puffers certainly aren't the easiest but I've done a bit of reading and think I could handle it.

Thanks everyone for your help so far, I'll probably have a ton more questions

[madmax1012]

malawi cichlids. i ran a tank for about 2 years before i moved to college. they're pretty hardy fish. they don't really get along with a large majority of other species, but i had about 12 cichlids in my tank, along with a Pleco to clean the glass, and a catfish just for kicks. great fish. i miss em. it was about a 39 gallon tank. if you ask aquarium people, they'll usually recommend 1 fish per gallon. the only thing with catfish is they get fucking massive. the only problem with puffers is you really shouldn't mix them with other fish. aggressive little fuckers. but freshwater all the way for easiness and for cheapness