Fish aquarium tips for beginner

[Shanna66]

potatoooo

Shanna66

Apple snails wont have babies on their own so they are great if you just want one snail

Pond snails are the common ones people end up with that go nuts laying eggs. I keep trying to have some buch charles keeps eating them

I guess those are the ones I got from petco. They gave them to me for free, so I was like, why not just get a lot. I only got 2 at first, then they weren't breeding, so I got more.
and then
they went crazy
gonk

lol if they were giving them away for free then im pretty sure they were pond snails.

[chipbro]

Shanna66

Apple snails wont have babies on their own so they are great if you just want one snail

Pond snails are the common ones people end up with that go nuts laying eggs. I keep trying to have some buch charles keeps eating them

I guess those are the ones I got from petco. They gave them to me for free, so I was like, why not just get a lot. I only got 2 at first, then they weren't breeding, so I got more.
and then
they went crazy
gonk

[chipbro]

earthkai

I read that about the snails. I have no backup plan as of yet for if that happens.

The Petco near my house is a no go. I got a betta from there once and he did not last very long. All the bettas from Petsmart that I've ever gotten lived for almost 2 or 3 years. At one point I had 5 from there but I moved and they all died shortly after.

maybe craigslist? give away free snails, LOL. Freshwater Dwarf puffer is actually another fish that's pretty fun to have. It's the one I had, they eat snails. But with a 5.5 gallon tank you could probably only have one puffer and snails for food. no other fish/animals.

Now that I think about it I think all my petsmart fish lived longer than my petco ones. surprised

[Shanna66]

earthkai

potatoooo

cool! :> They're really fun to feed. make sure you keep their tank warm during winter, they get pale in color when they're cold. I kept mine in the mid 70's.
Beware of the snail tho, I think I read somewhere that some can reproduce by themselves. I had a snail tank to breed snails for my puffer, but boy did I underestimate their breeding speed. I had a ton of tiny specks on my tank walls and when I looked really closely there were like a hundred baby snails. More than my puffer could eat
and then when my puffer died I didn't know what to do with all those snails neutral

I'm super skeptical about the health of Petsmart/Petco aquatic animals. The one near me has tons of sick goldfish just swimming around. I had a local aquarium store that i got fish/my frog from instead.

I read that about the snails. I have no backup plan as of yet for if that happens.

The Petco near my house is a no go. I got a betta from there once and he did not last very long. All the bettas from Petsmart that I've ever gotten lived for almost 2 or 3 years. At one point I had 5 from there but I moved and they all died shortly after.

Apple snails wont have babies on their own so they are great if you just want one snail

Pond snails are the common ones people end up with that go nuts laying eggs. I keep trying to have some buch charles keeps eating them

[earthkai]

potatoooo

cool! :> They're really fun to feed. make sure you keep their tank warm during winter, they get pale in color when they're cold. I kept mine in the mid 70's.
Beware of the snail tho, I think I read somewhere that some can reproduce by themselves. I had a snail tank to breed snails for my puffer, but boy did I underestimate their breeding speed. I had a ton of tiny specks on my tank walls and when I looked really closely there were like a hundred baby snails. More than my puffer could eat
and then when my puffer died I didn't know what to do with all those snails neutral

I'm super skeptical about the health of Petsmart/Petco aquatic animals. The one near me has tons of sick goldfish just swimming around. I had a local aquarium store that i got fish/my frog from instead.

I read that about the snails. I have no backup plan as of yet for if that happens.

The Petco near my house is a no go. I got a betta from there once and he did not last very long. All the bettas from Petsmart that I've ever gotten lived for almost 2 or 3 years. At one point I had 5 from there but I moved and they all died shortly after.

[chipbro]

cool! :> They're really fun to feed. make sure you keep their tank warm during winter, they get pale in color when they're cold. I kept mine in the mid 70's.
Beware of the snail tho, I think I read somewhere that some can reproduce by themselves. I had a snail tank to breed snails for my puffer, but boy did I underestimate their breeding speed. I had a ton of tiny specks on my tank walls and when I looked really closely there were like a hundred baby snails. More than my puffer could eat
and then when my puffer died I didn't know what to do with all those snails neutral

I'm super skeptical about the health of Petsmart/Petco aquatic animals. The one near me has tons of sick goldfish just swimming around. I had a local aquarium store that i got fish/my frog from instead.

[earthkai]

potatoooo

I love african dwarf frogs! I had one before. your 5.5 gallon is fine. They don't need to be dry they are completely aquatic. They swim up to the surface to breathe, so I guess just make sure your water level isn't crazy high (like don't have a super tall tank?).
I know you have to be careful with putting them with fish though. Some fish may bully them and n** at them. They're actually pretty dumb and blind. You just need to give the frog a place to hide from the fish (I had wood and plants). And also because their vision is pretty bad, fish will steal their food. I had frog pellets placed at the bottom of my tank but my guppies would swim down there and eat it instead. I had to feed him by hand with chopsticks, and even then it would take a few minutes for him to realize there was food and be able to strike at and eat the food without missing completely...
I also fed frozen bloodworms. My frog loved those, and I think he could see them better. But I still fed with chopsticks. You wanna get frozen ones and not dried ones. defrost before feeding obviously.
I read that they will bite or eat small shrimp, but I had a few cherry shrimp in there with him and honestly he missed every time he tried to eat one... sweatdrop

Also be careful of your filter, make sure it isn't too strong. I think frogs are poor swimmers, the first one I got got caught in my filter and didn't make it. sad

I keep reading that frogs don't need a huge aquarium. I haven't gotten any yet because I haven't seen any at Petsmart. But I finally decided on two frogs and a mystery snail. I think that will be good for now. biggrin

[chipbro]

I know people say that 5.5 gallon is very small but I think I had a 5.5 gallon tank when I was little. I remember keeping the neon tetras and a transparent fish in there. They lived a couple years.
but definitely bigger is better

[chipbro]

I love african dwarf frogs! I had one before. your 5.5 gallon is fine. They don't need to be dry they are completely aquatic. They swim up to the surface to breathe, so I guess just make sure your water level isn't crazy high (like don't have a super tall tank?).
I know you have to be careful with putting them with fish though. Some fish may bully them and n** at them. They're actually pretty dumb and blind. You just need to give the frog a place to hide from the fish (I had wood and plants). And also because their vision is pretty bad, fish will steal their food. I had frog pellets placed at the bottom of my tank but my guppies would swim down there and eat it instead. I had to feed him by hand with chopsticks, and even then it would take a few minutes for him to realize there was food and be able to strike at and eat the food without missing completely...
I also fed frozen bloodworms. My frog loved those, and I think he could see them better. But I still fed with chopsticks. You wanna get frozen ones and not dried ones. defrost before feeding obviously.
I read that they will bite or eat small shrimp, but I had a few cherry shrimp in there with him and honestly he missed every time he tried to eat one... sweatdrop

Also be careful of your filter, make sure it isn't too strong. I think frogs are poor swimmers, the first one I got got caught in my filter and didn't make it. sad

[Aerobe]

You can do snails.

All I know of is snails, frogs, and beta for a tank that small.

Honestly, watch Petco.
They every like 2-3 months do a $1 per gallon tank sale.
They go up to 40 gallons I believe.

Good tanks for a really good price.
So a 20gallon tank will run you $20 + tax. So no more than $25.
They're Tetra (I think) tanks and I believe each tank you buy - comes with a card. You contact them and they send you a free starter kit? I'm not sure. I never redeemed mine.
sweatdrop

[lividdarkangel800]

there's not much you can do with only 5.5 gallons. my advice would be to get a bigger tank from a yard sale or thrift store. that is where i get most of my tank stuff. or even just a ten gallon start up kit at walmart is like 40 bucks. when or if you get a bigger tank, i would start with some black or white skirt tetras. they are absolutely indestructible.i have only lost 4 to disease in the whole...8-10 years ive been using them to season my tanks. most people say start out with platties or guppies. i cant keep platties alive to say my life (i am trying after 3 years right now but...its not going well...). and you will have to go through a lot of guppies before you find a good hardy fish, much less a good 6 of them for their school.

that being said, a betta, is pretty much your only option. you could do a betta and a frog, but i have had bad experience with that. a few shrimp could be fun. A goldfish would have to be moved into a bigger withing about 6 months.

[Malted Shark]

I know this much: A goldfish will get waaaaayyyy too big for that tank. single-tails normally get to be around 10in long. 75 is a must for single-tailed(usually they're a comet or common, but shibuyukins(SP) fit). Can't give you much info on african drawf frogs though, as I've never had one.

[Shanna66]

Lol a gildfish would get about the suze of your tank

A betta, some neons, a couple guppies, a snail, shrimp, or other small fish that arent super active would do ok in a tank that size

Also you should look into live plants. They look great and keep your water healthy

[11 Cardinal 11]

Goldfish need 30-75 gallon tanks. 30 for a double tailed fancy adn 75 for common/comet/single tailed. wink

As far as fish.. Really on a betta. Some people say a trio of guppies, but I'd say a 5.5 is to small. Larger tanks really give you way many more options and are easier to manage and clean.

Dwarf frogs have decently high die offs and need to be spot fed with a turkey baster since they have very poor vision.

Uhm uhm.. Do research into the nitrogen cycle and purchase a good adjustable heater.

[earthkai]

I have been wanting a tank for a long time and have been researching them on and off for a long time.
Well today I got a 5.5 gallon tank. I have not bought the fish yet because I want to tank to settle. I did not by a big one because I am not ready yet, and I also don't have a lot of money.

I have had fish all my life (kept a few bettas alive for about 4 years) but was one of those "bowl people". Now I feel like its time for me to move on from that.

And now on to my questions
What kind of fish should I get?
I know its not a fish but I began researching African Dwarf Frogs and I read that they can go good in a 5.5 tank. They also look like a lot of fun to have, but I am worried that they need to be dry and don't read that anywhere so I guess its ok...is that?

Is there anything else I can get, besides a goldfish or betta?
What are some tips that you may have for just starting out on a tank?