THSCC Forums

Someone wants some office fish for Christmas, I could use some help on picking a nice setup.

I'm a newbie, so any and all help would be appreciated (anyone want to go shopping with me).

Should I shop at the pet stores/Wal-mart, or just skip them and probably pay a little extra for good service at a real fish store?

Scott

Go to a pet store for sure. Better quality fish and a garantee on them. At various times I have had up to 8 tanks going, so I have a little info if you want any pointer.LMK

Adam

I'm not much of an expert, more like a knowledgable amateur when it comes to aquariums. We currently have a 55 gallon tank (thanks Diane!!) and a 20 gallon tank set up. We have the worlds most expensive feeder fish in the 20 gallon tank. 3 x $0.25 for the fish, being maintained by well over $150 of aquarium stuff. The 55 gallon is filling up with Platy's who are breeding like rabbits. We have 5 adults and about 15-20 babies now. None of the fish have died so I must be doing something right

The first questions to answer are; what size tank are you thinking about buying and do you want to do fresh or salt water fish? Oh and after that probably the next question is how much are you willing to spend? Aquariums are like race cars, as in there is an aquarium for just about every budget level.

As far as which store to go to I'd steer clear of Walmart type places. Mega pet stores like Petsmart are usually ok and the people working there have some knowledge but it's hit or miss. For the best advice you have to go to specialist stores. For example here is how our recent inquiries into how to put live plants in an aquarium went.

Walmart: Plants? the garden section is over there.
Petsmart: Plants? We have some here, I think all you need is smaller gravel and they be fine.
Fish world (on Capitol Blvd in Raleigh): Plants? sure we have lots of plants and here is the best gravel to use with them, oh and they grow much better if you use this type of light bulb. We have this 2 page handout with everything you ever wanted to know about keeping live aquarium plants healthy.

Other advice:

1) If it is for an office, they do have services that install and maintain aquariums, if you go that way the cost would probably even be tax deductable as a business expense. It's good to screw the IRS

2) Get the best filter you can afford and also think about how easy it is to service. The 55 gallon tank we got from Diane has a Magnum 350 floor unit (did I mention Thanks Diane!!). It works extremely well, but it is kinda a pain to change the filters out.

3) Don't use city water if you can avoid it. I think even after using the chemicals they have to neutrallize the chemicals in it, it isn't as safe for fishes as natural water out of a well. Good fish stores sell RO (reverse osmosis) water as well but that might be a bit of over kill, but it is probably the best of all options.

4) Be realistic about how much time will be spent in maintaining the tank. Goldfish don't care so much if the water quality or temp varies over a wide range, delicate tropical fish will probably start to croak if you miss a filter change or tank cleaning by too many days.

If you have any other questions let me know.

Shawn

Scott....

I have some experience in aquariums... We have a 75gal. Saltwater reef and a 55 gal Freshwater Ciclid tank... (way back when I was a marine biology major in school before we had to move here...)

Its hard to give some overall advice but if you have any questions let me know... I also have some really good books that are great to reference when starting up!!

As far as wal-mart/pets-mart for fish.... I would stick with petsmart or fish world in Raleigh... Another place that we use is Dr. Fosters and Smiths http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/shop.cfm?N=2004
The reason that we use them is that they offer a great alive policy even on saltwater fish...

Let me know if I can help in any way!!

Malia

Do you want a Fresh, Salt, Ciclid, or Brackish setup?

Some of the Local places I recomend is Fish Pros off of Hillsboro RD or Fish World. Fish Pro's staff is VERY knowledgeable.

They have helped me with my 20+ tanks throught the years.

We're talking low maintainence here...

Fresh water (normal tropical fish, guppies, etc).

Probably 20-30 gallons, with some sort of stand. This will go into a small office (not public space), and will need to take care of itself on weekends, etc.

Scott

Tanks can really be set up for very low maintinence. I have tanks that I have had up for 2 yrs. Have never had to clean them, and only rinse out the filters every 2-3 months.

The fish are very healthy, I have some who's lifespan is supposed to be 2-3yrs that are pushing 6. Its really in the whole "ecosystem" setup, if done right.There are also automatic feeders that can run 24/7.

Gotta Love those automatic feeders!!!!

Exactly. It's all about balance and proper setup. Good Filtration is the key to low maintanence. Just don't do those Feeder Tablets on the weekends. They are horrible. The autofeeders are the way to go in this case.

believe it or not I have had as many as 20 aquariums going at once ranging in size from 2-1/2 to 100 gal. in size.
Some advice for the novice: Stay away from salt water aquariums! Buy the biggest tank you can fit in the space available, but at least 20 gal. It is much easier to keep a larger volume of water in good order than a small volume. There is no appreciable maintance time/cost increase for the larger setup once you make the initial purchase. Buy an external powered filter system, either the hang on the side of the tank or cartridge ones. Contrary to popular belief you don't need to pump any additional air into the tank as long as the filter provides circulation. Make sure to buy a full hood with florescent light (equip with a gro-lux bulb), you won't believe how high some fish can jump! Don't put an aquarium near a natural light source such as in front of a window. Direct sunlight can quickly overheat the water cooking your fish, and you'll be battling a losing battle with algae growth. You want to be able to control the light to ~ 8hrs per day unless you start getting algae growth faster than the fish can control. Buy a full water test kit and use it regularly. Ph and nitrates are killers.
Buy your fish from a specialist shop, and find out when their shipments of fish arrive. Buy your fish on the day they arrive, right out of the shipping bags if possible to get the healthiest fish.
Be sure to check on compatability before purchasing a new fish, some fish are very agressive and won't get along well in a community tank. Angel fish don't live up to their name for example they are notorious fin nippers. Others may be passive to other fish but be herbavores or bottom rooters, and can overnight make it look like a huricane struck or someone brought in a fish sized lawn mower. It's always a good idea to try to become familiar to and buddy up to the salesperson who's most knowlegable and always go to that person when you shop there. Try to buy fish that are of a similar size to the other fish in the tank, and buy several if they are a schooling variety for best display. Don't overpopulate the tank, 1" of fish length per gal of water is a good rule of thumb. Buy at least one "cleaner" fish such as a catfish (the funny looking kind called Corys after their scientific name, not the ones that resemble a baby brother to something you'd catch in a pond) and a plecostamus, the dinosaur of the aquarium, which is also good at keeping the glass and other surfaces clean.
Things to stay away from: Snails, underwater frogs, turtles, floating plants such as elodea, chiclids unless you are going to have a tank of all chiclids.
#1 mistake is overfeeding! use a good flake food and feed 1/2 of what you think they can eat. If much of the food reaches the tank bottom you're overfeeding. Don't worry too much about days off, healthy fish can go several days without feeding. If it's going to be in an office, lock up the food, or you'll have everyone feeding them as soon as your back is turned.
Buy a GOOD aquarium book, ask that knowlegable clerk for a recomendation. Anything by Axlerod(sp?) is good. Read the setup and care sections BEFORE buying any fish, and research each fish before you buy it. DON'T buy one of those thin getting started books!
The fish themselves are low maintainance, but an aquarium is not. If you aren't ready to invest several hours per week into one, then take Shawn's suggestion of contracting with a maintainance service, especially if its in a public place instead of at home, it will be cheaper in the long run.

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I breed guppies, they aren't exactly low maintenance. Guppies produce alot of amonia for the size of the fish. I actually have to siphon out water every week to two weeks to keep them healthy. And need to be fed up to 3 times a day.

Something not mentioned yet was that you need a decent balance of fish. I'd go with smallish less agressive schooling fish. They are the most fun for an office as they are swimming around alot. Larger varieties of Tetras and an Angel Pim(pictus cat) would be fun. Don't get small tetras with a Pictus cat as they are preditory, I feed mine baby guppies a few times a week. Tetras are constantly schooling, and Pictus Cats are somewhat spastic. A petstore person can help you pick out varietys though. Just make sure to get something to clean the bottom, because alot of people neglect that.

If you haven't picked out an aquarium yet i'd advize one that is rectangular and narrow in shape with a deeper column of water. This allows the fish some room to spread out from one another and will take up less space in the office. Get a larger tank if possible say at least 20 to 30 gallons for an office, this will allow you to have more fish varieties and keep them healthy. If a tank is too small and overcrowded the fish will either die, or cause a problem for you having to clean it too often. Never remove and replace all the water in a tank at once. You should never need to change more than half. Water gets bacteria in it that helps keep the fish healthy. Don't add all the fish at once either. Start out with something hearty and tough with a cleaner like a cory on the bottom. Then add more after you get used to the fish and they get used to thier tank. Get fish that eat or can eat similar foods. Don't buy anything that has a bigger mouth than the size of anything else in the tank.

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