First Fish Tank

Hey....I am thinking about a first fish tank. Don't really want to break the bank on my first fish tank so was wondering about used ? do's or dont's ? What would be the best size to start with ?
Thanks for any advise.
Jack

 

I'd say around 30 gallons is a good size to start with. It is large enough for many types of common, small community fish while still being relatively easy to carry out water changes on. Larger tanks allow for more fish however the equipment for them is usually more expensive and water changes become a chore. I would recommend looking into fish before buying a tank though. This way you can decide on stocking and such and decide on a tank size accordingly- you don't want to buy a 30 gallon and then later find out that your dream fish requires a 40 gallon tank.

My only advice on buying a used tank is to make sure it is water tight. You may want to request to see it filled with water before buying it. Once you get the tank home sit it outside or somewhere you don't mind getting wet and fill the tank with water. Leave it for a day or so and check for any leaks.
Also I would generally recommend avoiding buying tanks that come with fish. Or if you do then do lots of research into the fish before buying it. It is not uncommon to see poorly stocked tanks for sale and you would ultimately have to deal with the problems caused by the stocking issues. 5 gallons being sold with sad common plecos are not unusual.

 

If you can a 29 gallon long is an amazing tank to start with, not too big and not too small. I've never got rid of this tank as it is one of my favourites. Many beginning fish keepers start with a 10 gal but a bit larger is so much easier to keep water perimeters right after it's cycled. Enough room for the fish to swim too! Good luck and welcome to Fishlore.

 

20 long or a 40 breeder would make a great 1st tank

 

20 long or a 40 breeder would make a great 1st tank

Just a note of caution when figuring on stocking level. I recently bought a 20 long, but when I measured the interior and did the calculations, I found it will only hold 17.5 gallons, and that's right to the underside of the lip on the rim. Accounting for displacement of substrate and hardscape, I'll probably end up with only 15 gallons of water. If I were to use the typical one inch per gallon rule of thumb and was under the impression I actually had 20 gallons to work with, I could end up at 133% recommended stock level while thinking I was following all the guidelines to the letter.

I don't know if this exaggeration in tank size is typical in the industry or just a peculiarity of the 20 long. It's probably best to take actual measurements of the interior of whatever tank you end up with. There are online calculators that will figure out the capacity for you if you're not good at math.

 

I started with a 20 gallon and it has worked well, but if you are going to get a larger aquarium the stand may also be harder to find. It will also be more expensive and in my case was more expensive than the aquarium starter kit I bought.

 

The one-inch of fish per gallon rule is so generalized it's almost meaningless.

One five-inch fish for a 5-gallon? One 10-inch fish for a 10-gallon? One 20-inch fish for a 20-gallon?

The one-inch per gallon rule only works if you're talking about one-inch fish.

How good the fishkeeper is with maintenance is just as important as how many inches of fish are in the tank.