Freshwaster Fish Care

[Omniscient]

So I finally went out and purchased an aquarium for some fresh water fish. It's a 20 gallon tank kit with the pump and heater. I've been wanting fish for a couple years but just this week got around to dedicating myself for it. I'm pretty happy so far. I've setup the tank with the water and equipment and we found a nice place in the house for the tank to sit.

We have to wait 3-4 days for the water to fully filter and be ready for the fish. I'm going for fresh water community fish and we plan on about 10-12 fish total but 4-6 to start with. Just to make sure we can maintain them. I'm going to buy a couple bottom feeders to take care of the algae and a couple side eaters too.

I'm going to try real underwater plants to try and maintain a healthier water tank and environment for the fish. The more I read the cooler I think having fish will be. It's simple but there are complexity and a fish is just like any other pet which requires maintenance and care.

So does anyone else have an aquarium? Once I have fish in it I'll take some pics.

[Untouch]

I had a giant one in my last house we haven't set one up in this house yet.
It used to have like 20 fish. It was a fresh water one.
Gave it food everyday, some of the food just looked like powder.
The tank was like 6ft 5" long and when I was younger I used to sit and watch the fish for ages.

[Sam]

I used to keep little minos. However it looks like you've got your work cut out for you with this lot.

Have you thought about fish food, also any castles or buildings in the aquarium.

[Omniscient]

I have some decor already in the tank but going to start off with modest items and focus on keeping the fish alive, the tank clean, and water clean. It's not the largest tank and if in 6 months we're doing well I'll get a 50+ gallon. I just want to make sure we can take care of fish well.

[Sam]

It's not too hard really, just feed them and they're happy.

[Untouch]

We used to take all the fish out and clean the tank every month just to make sure they are clean.

[Zurmi]

Hey Omniscient,

I really do enjoy a good fish tank. It's even cooler that you're adding live plants in it also, that gives it a nice touch.

Any ideas exactly what type of fish you're going to get?

Regards,
Zurmi

[superjoe128]

I used to have one with around 15 fish but we moved out and we had to leave the to the people moving there but I'm sure they took care of them.

[Robbieava]

I had just a small bowl with a beta fish ages ago. I could make him (I chose it was a guy.. travis was the name) jump out of the bowl, nipp my finger, and go back in. One time I almost killed it because it missed the bowl when coming back down from being airborne. I got em' back in the tank quick though :tongue:

The fish lived for 3 years.

[Eve]

I learned that fish require daily feeding according to their appetites, as any excess will rot.

My family had freshwater fish which were killed by a housesitter. We returned from a week's vacation to find the water choked with rotting fish food and all the fish floating belly-up. She thought it would save time to empty a week's worth of fish food into the tank, instead of attending to it daily.