Just Bought a Fish Tank

[Kevin Greene]

driftwood is a good idea...and if you buy fake plants, they will do great in whatever set up you go with and are way fricken cheaper. I'm not a big fan of spending big bucks on real plants unless you have the fish that need them.

Yep, if you do go driftwood you might want to soak it a few days before throwing it in the tank.

[CarolinaAllDay]

and will be installing it tomorrow. 37 Gallons..

Going to be a surprise to the daughter and wifey.

I pretty much know what to do but was wondering if anybody that has owned one for a long time has any tips?

My only advice is dont buy fish from Petsmart or anything similar. Ive bought fish there twice and both times they had ick and killed the rest of the fish in my tank. Small pet shops ftw, plus they usually give you the good deals

[The Saltman]

My only advice is dont buy fish from Petsmart or anything similar. Ive bought fish there twice and both times they had ick and killed the rest of the fish in my tank. Small pet shops ftw, plus they usually give you the good deals

Ya there is a good shop in my area.

[Porn Shop Clerk]

throw a little java moss in there if you can find it. cheap, but most stores won't carry it because it gets so out of control in their tanks. but it looks lush and grows like crazy.

java ferns are great too, slower growing, can anchor to driftwood. neither of these are very difficult and i find the luxurious shades of green mixed in with the natural dark browns of real driftwood to be amazingly serene

i think both do well in either salt or freshwater as well. or they at least tolerate a very high salinity

[Porn Shop Clerk]

java moss:

not mine. i gave mine away when i stopped taking care of it a few years ago.

[Porn Shop Clerk]

java fern:

[Chimera]

I'd go with some hardy fish for now, until you get the hang of it. Red Eye Tetras can survive anything, but they hide if they don't have a school to swim with.

They also help keep the peace in a small tank.

Mollies will interact with you, but they can be very aggressive if you don't have the right mix of males and females. They also reproduce faster than rabbits, so you'd have to be careful there.

[pawsandclaws]

Fake plants are cool. If you get real then you have to upgrade your lighting and like Porn Shop said, CO2 injectors and all that.

[Porn Shop Clerk]

you can make your own co2 injector and mix pretty easily, and grow lights for the plants aren't too bad

also the dormant plant bulbs sold in the aquarium section at wal-mart can do really well, you just have to rip them out and regrow them once a year or so

but most plants sold in pet stores aren't worth the hassle because there are too many variables when it comes to hard vs soft water and ph balance

also if you have city water, water changes/additions become extra hassle

the dormant bulbs at walmart are spectacularly hit and miss. half of them won't even sprout, but if they do they can grow like crazy

i'm of the opinion that if you're gonna get fake plants, might as well get fake rocks and fake driftwood and fake fish

and a bubbling treasure chest and diver that goes up and down all day long until you're ready to ****** him out of the aquarium and break him with a hammer

[Porn Shop Clerk]

My recent setup in the Man Cave. 32" Panny over the 50gal live plant tank.

that is a very low maintenance setup

betas are very interesting fish once you get them into a large environment with nooks and crannies

[Porn Shop Clerk]

oh and don't overcrowd your tank. the rule of thumb is 1 inch per gallon, but you don't want a 10 inch fish in a 10 gallon tank

i'd stay away from goldfish and any carp like koi. very dirty fish that are really just piss and poo machines.

if you want mollies but not the babies, you can put something in the aquarium that preys on small fish :D

the more fish per gallon you have, the more often you'll lose fish or have to perform maintenance

[mmmbeans]

oh and don't overcrowd your tank. the rule of thumb is 1 inch per gallon, but you don't want a 10 inch fish in a 10 gallon tank

i'd stay away from goldfish and any carp like koi. very dirty fish that are really just piss and poo machines.

if you want mollies but not the babies, you can put something in the aquarium that preys on small fish :D

the more fish per gallon you have, the more often you'll lose fish or have to perform maintenance

just realized that one of the guppies i bought the other day is female and preggers... that'll be interesting.

[Hawk]

perv

[pawsandclaws]

oh and don't overcrowd your tank. the rule of thumb is 1 inch per gallon, but you don't want a 10 inch fish in a 10 gallon tank

That's what I tell my wife when she buys me medium underwear.