Tropical Fish Tanks

There's a LOT of information you need to know before stepping into the tropical fish hobby, and it's not always for everyone. With a lot of research, consistency, and understanding of your tank's contained "ecosystem", you'll enjoy every minute of owning a tropical fish tank. I will definitely be adding much more useful information on several hubs, so please check back for important updates!

You don't necessarily need to keep waiting for me to update my blog to get answers on how to set up your own tropical fish tank (although, I'd LOVE for you to subscribe to my RSS feed).

Check out other sub-topics on tropical fish tanks I have created in new Hubpages. You'll find useful info on getting started and types of equipment you can buy. Keep checking back on new topics being added!

Filtration

Depends on how far you want to get *into* tropical fish tanks. You can be a casual "enthusiast" and just have a nice tank to look at, but I can guarantee by week 3, the tank will look like the bottom of your garbage can if you haven't done anything to keep it in shape!

I'll start by telling you what tanks I have currently:

55 gallon freshwater bowfront corner tank w/ african cichlids

20 gallon freshwater "breeder tank" w/ baby african cichlids

60 gallon saltwater reef tank w/ corals and assorted invertebrates

I'll post more about my tropical fish tanks, but here's a video clip of my breeder tank a few weeks ago. I kept a few adults in there, but they've been moved to the 55 gallon tank. My 20 gallon breeder tank is now a full-fledged NURSERY!

Here's a link to a video clip of my recently born Electric Yellow african cichlids. There were twenty newborns, and they are really awesome to watch as they grow. The video has some very good information on tropical fish breeding. Click here to watch the video

Hey gang, I hope you all liked my video of the newborn fry yesterday. It was a surprise to me, because I thought they wouldn't be fully matured yet.

Regardless, for today I wanted to discuss a very important topic: "Walk before you run". One of the biggest mistakes people make when getting into tropical fish tanks is impatiently buying a whole aquarium setup without doing any research, asking questions, or even knowing ANY information about the species of fish they are purchasing (i.e.-- how to feed them, WHAT to feed them, etc.).

Before you even put one foot into the pet store, you should already have decided several things:

• Does your home have enough space to accomodate the size of fish tank you want to buy?

• What is your total budget for what you are planning to buy?

• What equipment have you already done research on and have found competitive pricing?

• Does the species of fish you plan on buying require special conditions or supplements?

• Do you or a member of your family have the *time* or diligence to maintain a fish tank?

The way I look at it, going to the pet store without a single clue as to what you want in a fish tank is like walking into a grocery store without knowing what ingredients you need for a certain recipe (let alone knowing what you're planning on cooking that night!).

If you are able to answer all the questions above after doing some research, then you'll be much better prepared during the process from purchase, to setup, to maintenance. By far, the #1 reason why people give up in this hobby is due to being unable to get the *right* information. I hope my blog will help you answer some of the questions you may have, so you can avoid some of the mistakes I made in the beginning. Trust me, it will save you oodles of headache and $$$$ doing it right the *first* time around!

Another note on the major pet-store chains (such as Petco, Petsmart, etc.). I don't want to "bash" them here, but I just want you to be aware that if you go walking into those stores with questions about tropical fish-- most likely the customer rep there will know just as little as you do about the subject. They are there to *sell* you products, and not to help you in your hobby. Unfortunately, I have only run into a handful of those stores where the person in charge of the tropical fish department is actually knowledgeable about freshwater and saltwater fish. JUST be careful...that's all I ask.

Anyway...no video today, but I will be back tomorrow with more information on one of the major areas to consider when getting your tank started: FILTRATION.

Have a great weekend!