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Aquariums and Tropical Fish
I got started with aquariums when I bought one for my daughter 2 years ago for Christmas. We bought a small 10 gallon starter tank and stocked it with a variety of fish. Since then, this past August I bought a 29 gallon tank, and more recently aqquired a 20 gal tank to our collection. And yes! There are plans for adding more aquariums. The 10 gal is stocked primarily with Molly's, my 29 with barb's, 2 catfish and a pleco. The 20 gal is going to have green terrors.
There are several types of aquariums you can have. It's important to remember that some aquariums, like saltwater for example, require advanced knowledge in setting it up and maintaining the aquarium, not to mention keeping the fish happy (ie: alive and healthy).
For a beginner, I'd say the easiest way to get a aquarium is to visit your local PetsMart and buy a 'starter' setup. These kits come complete with filter, hood and light, dechlorinator solution and sample food packet for example, but typically do not provide gravel, decorations or fish, unless its a special package deal. Now...., if you want to keep costs down, you can shop around at flea markets, thrift stores, etc and find some awesome deals on tanks of all sizes and the parts to outfit your aquarium.
Its easy to get crazy with this hobby. depending on what fish you have in your aquarium(s) you can have breeding, feeder fish and healing tanks to support your main aquariums.
Freshwater Aquariums
The aquariums information provided here is pretty generic. I think you'll find this info useful as you shop around for your fish. Plan on adjusting the info here accordingly to the fish you get.
- Tropical Freshwater Aquarium
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- Brackish-water Aquarium
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- Softwater Aquarium
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- Coldwater Aquarium
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- Rift Lake Aquarium; Lake Malawi
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- Rift Lake Aquarium; Lake Tanganyika
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- South American Aquarium
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Saltwater Aquariums
- Tropical Marine Aquarium
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- Reef Aquarium
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Specialty Aquariums
- ***Breeding Aquarium
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Aquarium Care & Maintenance
Establishing and aquarium takes some work and time. You can always buy a bowl, fill it up with tap water and put in a goldfish or two, but having an aquarium take knowledge and effort.
- Setting Up Your Aquarium
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- ***Common Fish Diseases
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Fish!
Im only going to list fish here that I have in my aquariums. I try to find fish that are not only colorful but also active, interesting & fun to watch. Your aquarium is a canvas so to speak. It should be a blend of vibrant & exciting colors and textures, as well as beautiful & unique fish. When you watch your aquarium, you need to be pleased with your work!
- ***Types Of Fish
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Catfish & Plecostomus
- ***Striped Raphael Catfish (Platydorus Costatus)
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- ***South American Bumblebee Catfish (Microglanis Poecilius)
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- Plecostomus (Hypostomus Plecostomus)
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- ***Gold Nugget Plecostomus () <--- this guy cost me $39 and darned if my snail didnt eat him that very weekend.
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Barb's
- Tiger Barb (Barbus Tetrazona)
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- Green Barb (Barbus Semifasciolatus)
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Sharks
- Red-finned Shark (Labeo Erythrurus)
Molly's
- ***Black Molly
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- ***Dalmation Molly
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Aquarium and Fish Links
- PetsMart
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- Tetra-fish.com
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Recommended Reading
- Exotic Aquarium Fishes; By William Innes; ISBN: 0-87666-090-1
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- Aquarium Owners Guide; By Gina Sandford; ISBN: 0-7894-6023-8
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- The Natural Aquarium Handbook; By Ines Scheurmann; ISBN: 0-7641-1440-9
- The Aquarium Fish Handbook; By Dick Mills & Derek Lambert; ISBN: 0-7641-5713-2
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- A Fish Keepers Guide To The Tropical Aquarium; By Dick Mills; ISBN: 1-56465-140-1
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- The Popular Guide To Tropical Cichlids; By David Sands; ISBN: 1-56465-147-9
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- A Fish Keepers Guide To Fish Breeding; By Chris Andrews; ISBN:3-923880-55-3
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- Aquarium Fish Breeding; By Ines Scheurmann; ISBN: 0-8120-4474-6
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- A Practical Guide To Choosing Your Aquarium Plants; By Peter Hiscock; ISBN: 0-7641-5356-0
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