Newbie!

Question
Hi Karen,

I read your reply to someones question, and I figured you would be someone who could probably help me out.

I'm planning on getting a tank for 2 or 3 angelfish, and I have no idea how to start one.  Can you recommend any sites or books I should read before diving into the fish owner world?  I want to be sure I do everything right so I can have healthy, happy fish.  As I said before, I'm a newbie, so any info for beginners would be great!

Thanks!
Karli

Answer
Hi Karli! {I'll try my best to help!}

Keeping fish is very fun and simple. You just have to know what you're doing and make sure to not make the common mistakes many beginners make when you first start out (Like I did!) You are taking the first step in the right path by asking a question here! I highly recommend you try to get some fish books from a bookstore, petstores, or your library. I think the best fishkeeping book for beginners is "The simple guide to freshwater aquariums" by David E. Boruchowitz. It's an excellent book. Keeps everything simple as the title states and it's easy to understand. It will explain everything that you need to know and near the back of the book it gives many stocking suggestions for a 29-55 Gallon aquarium.
If you can't get ahold of the Simple Guide to Freshwater aquariums. Try to get a book or two that has recently been published within a couple of years. Older books often provide advice that is a little-off or not really accurate. So stick to the books that have been recently published and they should be up-to-date with the most accurate information about aquariums and fishkeeping.

Also, you can research through the internet of course. But please beware some websites aren't the best. You can't believe everything you read on the internet about fishkeeping (You can here, at least with me though!!! ;-)
and you just have to be cautious. Usually the info that gets published in fish magazines or books is the most accurate and true. But I'll list some great fishkeeping websites at the bottom of this letter. A great thing to do is to visit reliable fishkeeping forums and ask questions there.

Angelfish are wonderful aquarium fish! I feel that the best tank-size for a couple of Angelfish is at least a 29gallon. You can find 29gallon aquarium "kits" at petstores and sometimes even Wal-mart. Usually the kits come with everything you need to get your tank started but you'll have to buy a stand for it.
A 29 gallon is a great size to start with. You can have 2-3 angelfish along with several other tankmates. It's MUCH better than starting out with the all-too-common 10gal where you can't put more than several small fish.

For an aquarium setup, you'll need-
*A hang-on-the-back type Power filter (of sufficient size for your tank...)
*A Heater (get a good brand. Most 29gal aquarium kits come with a reliable brand called "Visa-therm"}
*Thermometer (sticker-type work well but the floating or suction cup ones tend to be more accurate)
*Water conditioner (most kits come with this also but it's good to get a bottle of it also for water changes..Good brands are Amquel, stresscoat, prime, or aquasafe)
*Fish net
*Florescent hood and cover (most kits come with this too!)
*Fish flakes (of course! Get a high quality tropical fish flake food--later, you'll want to buy different kinds of fish foods to provide your fish with variety in their diet to keep them healthy)
*Gravel (Natural shades look best. But it's your personal choice. Remember that darker or natural shaded gravels show off a fishes colors and makes them feel more relaxed than bright red or orange gravel.)
*Decorations and plants (You can use driftwood, large smooth  stones, petrified wood, or artificial decorations to provide hiding places for your fish. Plants can be live or artificial. Live plants are not that difficult, just stick to the low-light kinds such as Anubia, Java fern and Java Moss.)
*Test kits for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate (all found at your local petstore)
*Medium-size Aquarium gravel vacuum and 5.gal bucket for water changes....
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Well, that's about it for setting up a tank. Most aquarium kits provide you with all the instructions needed to setup your aquarium, which really is no big deal. If you have a good fish book like the simple guide it will tell you everything you need to know.

*~*The most important thing you'll need to remember to do is to cycle your aquarium. Which means allowing special beneficial bacteria to gradually establish in your tank and whom are responsible for removing ammonia from the water which is produced by your fish. Ammonia is very toxic to fish and that's why these bacteria are so important. They convert ammonia into less toxic compounds. But they aren't yet present in sufficient numbers to deal with a lot of ammonia produced by fish and if you set up your tank and immediately put a lot of fish in there, the ammonia will rise to extremely dangerous levels and you may lose all your fish. That's why cycling is needed. During cycling:
*You put 2-3 small hardy fish in the tank.
*Test the water everyday for ammonia and make partial water changes of 30-50% if ammonia goes above safe bounds. {{ALWAYS make sure the replacement water is dechlorinated with a good water conditioner and is equal in temp or just a little warmer than your aquarium's temperature.}}
*Feed the fish very lightly
*Do not add anymore fish until the tank is cycled.
*Continue testing the water everyday and make those vital water changes to keep the "cycling fish" safe.

*Once your ammonia and nitrite levels have dropped to Zero then it is safe to add a few more fish. Slowly stock your aquarium, never forget to do it gradually. Only about 4 small fish every week to every two weeks. Make sure to test the day after each new fish addition(s) just to make sure ammonia hasn't spiked. If it does, a quick water change should help and the bacteria will likely kick in to take care of the extra ammonia.

Most aquariums cycle in about 2-6 wks. Remember, plenty of patience is essential when starting up your aquarium. Rushing into stocking your tank too fast can almost certainly result in failure. You may still have some difficult times, but don't give up.

Plenty of research and reading should help you through your first aquarium. It may all seem like a lot of work and worry at first. But trust me, later it comes very easy and aquariums are simple to maintain once you get past cycling your tank. A basic maintenance schedule would be like this-
Daily:
*Feed and observe your fish to make sure everyone is happy and healthy (It's very important to catch any fish diseases early should they ever show up)
*Do a quick check to make sure your filter is running smoothly and the heater is working (check the tank's temperature)

Weekly:
*Make a 30-50% water change as your regular maintenance a schedule, in a un-cycled tank, you'll need to do much more frequent large water changes. But in a cycled tank a weekly to twice weekly water change is all that is needed
*Clean filter cartridge (rinse it a fish-safe bucket of tank water)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've just briefly covered the important aspects of setting up, cycling and maintaining your tank. It's best of you research and read fish books or browse reliable fish websites to get more info and a better understanding of fish care. A very good word of advice: Do-Not-Always-Believe-The-Petstores-Advice!
I said that carefully because many people get tricked into thinking that their petstore is the best source for fish care information. But the truth is, many of the employees are not trained properly or don't provide accurate info. Not to say -all- petstores are wrong, just that the majority of them -are-.

Excellent fish keeping websites:
*Tropicalresources.net (the best forum there is. Ask any questions and you are guaranteed to get it answered by knowledgeable and kind people!)
*Fishchannel.com (lots of good up-to-date info and beginner advice

I really hope this helps!
Best wishes,
Karen~