First time fish owner needs help!

Question
I have recently purchased a 29 gal startup tank including accessories in hopes of creating a freshwater tropical aquarium for the family to enjoy.  I have NO experience with tropical fish and would appreciate anything you can suggest on how to get started.  I do have a book explaining how to prepare the aquarium, as far as testing the water levels (pH, ammonia, nitrite) and recommended water changes prior to introducing the fish.  I need help with what kind of fish, how many, what kind of food, chemicals, etc. do I need?  I would like a few varieties of fish in all colors, but I don't know which ones are able to live together in a tank that size.  Do I need catfish and/or algae eaters?  Can I have fantails along with some type of small shark?  What do you recommend as far as lighting, water temp., airpumps?  What about live vs. fake plants/coral?  How difficult is it to maintain once the tank is up and running?  How often do you clean the tank, check the levels, change the water/filter?  I would greatly appreciate any advice you have to offer!!!

Answer
Hi Leanne;

It's a pretty tall order but I will give it my best shot! This will be a long email so grab your favorite beverage and read on. You will probably need to ask several followups, but that's okay. It's what I'm here for.

Before you add any fish, please take a few minutes to read my article on new tanks and what steps you should take to help your starter fish survive the whole break-in process. Here is the link;
http://www.xanga.com/Expert_Fish_Help

Choices of fish depends mostly on what you like and what you expect from your fish. Do you like fish that school (swim in groups)? Do you like certain colors? What size fish are you looking for?

One thing for sure you don't want to do is mix tropical fish with coldwater fish. Fantails are actually just a fancy goldfish so they are coldwater. The little "sharks" you see in fish stores are tropical and aren't actual sharks. They just kind of look like them.

There are several tropical "sharks" but most would not be suitable for a 29 gallon community tank. Most get too large and/or are territorial and/or have special requirements. Here is a link to a list of them (click on the pictures to see more);
http://www.fishprofiles.com/profiles/list.aspx?term=shark

It is important to research each fish you like to see if they can live in your tank and then find out if they would be compatible with others you like. I would suggest making a list of some you see in the fish stores and BEFORE you buy anything, go to www.fishprofiles.com for more info. You can then ask me or another expert if they can live together.

Food choices depend on the fish. One thing to remember is to vary their diet to include at least 3 different choices. We will get into that more when you decide on fish.

The lighting that comes with your tank should be just fine. Fluorescent is what most tanks of that size includes. If you decide on live plants you may need extra lighting.

Don't use genuine coral, seashells, limestone, or marble in your tank as decorations. They add minerals to the water, hardening it and making the pH rise too high. Most freshwater fish don't like that. Saltwater and brackish fish do, but they are a serious challenge for beginning fish hobbyists. You are better off 'cutting your teeth' on freshwater. Learn as much as you can and maybe get into something like that with more experience under your belt.

Water temperature should be at 78f for most tropicals. Once you decide on your fish you can decide on a permanent temperature for all of them to be comfy.

You don't need an airpump usually as long as you have a good filter on there. The bubbles look nice though if you like that kind of thing. I have a 12 inch bar in my 55 gallon with a good-sized air pump. It looks good and keeps the water more oxygenated.

When your tank is going through the break-in period it does take more effort because you will be checking toxin levels on almost a daily basis. Be sure to start your tank with just 3 or 4 one-inch fish while it breaks in. This means you can add no more fish until the tank fully balances. It can take 6 weeks or so for it to do that.

As for chemicals to add to the tank, you only need a good all around water conditioner such as "Stress Coat" OR "Prime" OR "NovAqua", etc. They remove chlorine and other tap water toxins and help the fish with stress. Nothing more is needed. Don't be fooled into buying products such as "Cycle" or "Stress-Zyme" to give the tank "enzymes" or bacteria to help get it started in the break-in period. They really don't work. I've used them myself and compared the water test results (testing at least once daily) to other tanks that didn't have them. There was no difference. It's a waste of money.

You may have to change some water during the break-in period to keep the toxins low enough for the fish to handle. Test results will tell you about that. Just keep them in the lower ranges and the fish will be fine. If you need to make water changes during break-in, replace only 25% of the water at a time. It is sometimes necessary to do them daily in certain tanks. Just don't change any more than 25% in any 24 hour period. Don't vacuum the gravel yet though. The beneficial bacteria that is trying to grow in there needs time to do that with minimal disturbance. Also, don't disturb the filter during the break-in. Beneficial bacteria is growing in there too. This bacteria is what will eventually consume the fish waste toxins that will be rising and showing results on the ammonia and nitrite tests.

Once the break-in is over, you should maintain your tank by making a 25% water change every week. Vacuum the gravel at least every 2 or 3 weeks. When you maintain your tank, don't remove the fish. It is safer and less stressful to leave them in the tank and just clean around them.

There are many other general care things to know, so I will give you links to a few websites to read and you can them ask me or other experts more questions from there;

http://www.firsttankguide.net/steps.php
http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin.html
http://www.acicorp.us/cleaning_aquarium.php
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/community.html
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/beginnerinfo/a/fishcalc.htm
http://www.firsttankguide.net/capacity.php
http://www.firsttankguide.net/size.php
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/charts/good_bad.html
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/easyfish.htm
http://www.aquariumpros.com/articles/fishcyclefw.shtml
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/bcycling.htm
http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/aquariumstartup/a/newtankmistakes.htm

Let me know if you have more questions!

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins