Thinking about buying an all in one 10 or 20 gallon fish tank. It'll be fresh water, not salt and I was wondering how much upkeep are they. How often should I change the water and filter, do I need to clean the fake plastic plants and stones, what are good types of fish to get for a n00b, etc? Thanks all!

 

Freshwater is easy-peasy. If you are a "clean freak" you will be cleaning the tank once a week for "scum" build up after a while. With a proper filter and temperature, really the only maintenance you will need to do is changing the filtration media and 10-20% water changes once a month or so.



Can't go wrong with many of the freshwater fish available at your regular pet store. Try to avoid aggressive cichlids and docile fish or get them both when they are small. I had an african cichlid and a plecostomus (sucker fish) that were best of friends!



If you want to go saltwater, buy mine!

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/fuo/2811548791.html

 

Meh, I liked predatory stuff, other fish are boring. Predators are messier though in general.



I liked fish and salamanders in together.

 

I have a fish tank, but no fish.

 

i'd say do the 20 gal min. you don't want to crowd your fish in there. one or two of the fish that hang on the glass are nice, they keep the algae down. you'll need to look up what fish get along and what don't, otherwise you might have a war on your hands. i used to like the angel fish but that means no betas.



things to consider:

- get a good heater to maintain the water temp. cheap ones don't cut it. look for one where you can set a specific temp.

- a simple filter will do usually for a small tank. you can always go with the undergravel as well if you want to go nuts.

- a little air pump and the air stone isn't a bad idea.

- most importantly, check your pH regularly with a test kit. lost a few fish before i figured that out.

- you'll need to syphon it out every couple weeks. fish tanks are a bit of an ass to clean.