matthew_p

Hi everybody I just joined and I'm new at fish keeping.
I'm 17 years old and I love fish!
So here's my quick sob story and then I'll get to my question. I had a 20 gallon tank back in September with some of the most amazing fish.
Unfortunately our family planned a month long trip to Portugal.
To make a long story short, before we left, they didn't want to ask family/friends to take care of the tank, so they flushed the fish and gave the tank away.
I saved up for months to buy those fish, decorations, etc.

So now, I'm going to buy a new 30 gallon tropical tank.
I just wanted to know some basic rules for it:
like how many fish I should have, what kind of fish (i.e. i love angel fish and cichlids)
Also, are fresh water fish the same tropical?
and what about nitrogen cycle, and things like that?
I'm sorry to be asking so many questions, but I'm a newbie.
Thank you to all in advance for the help : )

Elodea

Welcome to Fishlore!

Don't be sorry about asking too many questions, the whole point of this site is to ask questions.

I find it very sad that they flushed and killed the innocent fish instead of giving them away to friends or the pet store.

First of all, here's a basic explanation of the nitrogen cycle:

1. Fish eat food.

2. Fish waste and uneaten food in the water create ammonia.

3. Bacteria, Nitrosomonas, consume Ammonia and degrade it into nitrite (note the I: NitrIte)

4. Bacteria, Nitrobacter, consume Nitrite and degrade it into nitrate (note the A: NitrAte)

5. Nitrate sits in your tank until you do a water change.

* Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate are all toxic and dangerous for your fish.

So, before you add any fish, it is essential to cycle your tank.

Here's a basic explanation on cycling:

Cycling is the process in which you grow a colony of the two types of bacteria, Nitrobacter and Nitrosomonas to cope with ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.

Read the link below on the Nitrogen Cycle.

It is essential reading to understand how to cycle a tank and the (hence) nitrogen cycle.

Before you start cycling your tank, buy a test kit to test these things: Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and pH. The API Master test kit is strongly recommended. DO NOT BUY TEST STRIPS! THEY ARE INACCURATE, AND COST MORE PER TEST.

So now let me load you up on reading:

http://www.fishlore.com/FirstTankSetup.htm

http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

http://www.fishlore.com/aquarium-water-test-kit.htm

I know this might be rather boring, but they are absolutely essential to setting up a proper fish tank.

Remember, we all used to be beginners like you, so don't be afraid to ask more questions!

Ah, sounds just like chemistry class, doesn't it?

jdhef

Many freshwater fish are tropical, but not all. goldfish for example are freshwater fish, but not tropical. Basically a fish is tropical if it requires warm water to survive. Whereas usually freshwater fish the do not require warm water are refered to as cold water fish.