hey,
Just got a free fish tank! score!
my son and I wanted fish for a while, and now we got a reason to start!
we will be going fresh water, the tank size is approximately 30 to 50 gal.
we are looking for what we need for a first time setup please.
any recommendations, must haves, own personal experiences.
my son just wants something colorful, upto maybe 3/4 inches. im looking for something mean looking that likes to stick the the holes/walls/decor.
appreciate any help, thanks.
Posted by jakeetaylor420
11 Comments
Shrimp
Rainbow shark (which is really a type of catfish), school of tetras, a dwarf gourami, and a bushynose pleco. The rainbow shark will pick a cave and shoo anyone out of it but it’s harmless.
Rainbow sharks look a lot like red tail sharks, which are mean, so don’t get the wrong one! Rainbow sharks, all their fins are red and body black. Red tail shark, tail is red, everything else is black.
The tank in the picture looks like a 20 gallon.
Read up on the cycling process and do not cut any corners. If you add fish before the tank is fully cycled, you will have dead fish. Buy an API freshwater test kit and test throughout the process.
This looks like a 20 gallon imo. Measure the tank and look up the dimensions. What you can stock in a 20 gallon vs a 50 gallon is a big delta.
Buy a good filter and ensure you have good filter media. The media never gets replaced once the tank is up and running; this is where 95% of the beneficial bacteria lives in a cycled tank.
Research, research, research. There is thing people can be helpful with here but in the end you definitely need to do your research. Once the tank is set up dont think about putting anything in it for a while it needs to cycle. Research your fish you want to make sure they can live in that size tank and make sure fish you get are compatible with one another when it comes to temperament and water parameters. Good luck!
Tip on Decor – Live plants are much better for your tank than plastic ones and actually lower maintenance once setup and actually help with maintaining your tanks water parameters.
That tank is 10-30 Gallons max. Using the shopping cart for scale.
You can Google the dimensions and get a better idea (hxlxw)
It is either a 10, a 20 tall, a 29 tall, or a 30 tall.
Once you know that, you can know what fish you can get.
A 50 gallon is like 48 inches long
You will need for basic setup
Filter
Thermometer
Water conditioner
Water test kit
Air stone/pump
Plants
Decor
And a hood
It is best to know what fish you have and design the tank around then.
Personally
If it is a 20-30 Tall I would buy 4-6 glo skirt tetras for the color, and 2-3 albino Corey cat fish and one red tailed shark for the mean looking. (Red tailed sharks can’t have other red tailed in the tank though or they will kill each other in a month or two. They love to hide and look menacing tho. They also come in glo.)
get a tape measure and put the measurements into a volume calculator online , 50g is very different to 30
Here’s a beginner guide that includes all of the equipment you need and how to set it up: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/how-to-set-up-a-fish-tank?srsltid=AfmBOopPCZTwPggxDvCF8brvLA1Q8bOKFiYILWr4lCrYhuVo9wPEflyG
That same site will also recommendations for fish, plants, and maintenance, and care guides for tons of different species.
Don’t buy a fish and figure it out later. Look in to what kind of fish you can take care of with the equipment you have. Then choose the fish and set the aquarium up however they need it. Research is everything
That’s a 29gal at most. Stick to nano fish- this would be a perfect size for a betta fish community aquarium with some tetras, rasboras, or corydoras. You mentioned you want something “mean” looking that will stick to the glass, bristle nose pleco would be good for that and stay small enough for this tank size.
Please research the nitrogen cycle and purchase a water testing kit before buying any fish. Live plants and driftwood will make the tank look much nicer and provide comfort and hiding spots for your fish. You can use sand only and root tablet fertilizers to simplify things.
Buy a filter for a larger size tank than recommended. I run a 55 gallon hang on back on my 29gal.
Your son might love glo fish, if you meant not 0,75 but 3-4 inches (most will be smaller). Under glo brand there are many different fish: Pristellas and danios are great, corydoras – neat, tetras – okay, other glofish – better not.
If you want something mean-looking, you might have to look for a different tank, because most “dangerous looking” fish are monster fish (huge) and they require skill. If you wanna “stickers” – i offer you hillstream loaches, they are real tun. Also all the loaches are a bit odd and really interesting, so you can focus on them if you want to.
As an alternative, to get both bright colors and some attitude, you can set your target at african cichlids. Note that they are NOT the most beginner-friendly fish, and they have plenty of social dynamics going on, but if you are ready to do whatever it takes to get to the point, you might love the results.
I also can offer you Congo Tetras – they are big enough, personable, curious, have pretty colours shimmer on their scales. Basically almost any tetras can do, to be honest, they have a ton of colours to them, so you can pick as you please.
Please be careful if you buy a pleco (as per your will to get a sticky fish) – you will need to specifically pick smaller species, because common pleco is a fish that grows into a humongous footlong creature that poops like it was hired at ammonia factory.
If anyone offers you ottos (otto catfish) – better wait. They need algae to thrive, and most young tanks lack that, so ottos will basically starve.
I also will recommend Aquarium Store Depot youtube channel, that guy gives info in easy to learn pieces and is fun to listen to, plus there is a lot of data there!