# Recommended Litterature for Beginners?



## doxman (Feb 21, 2011)

Hi All,
I'm a newbie who wants to start with a fishtank. First, I thought: let's build the aquarium and then I'll see what kind of fishes I will put in. Seems like my first approach was completely wrong. I have two main questions:
- Is there any recommended (beginners) litterature that I can read and that will give me the right approach for starting up?
- I have seen Juwel tanks? Are these good? What should I pay attention to?
Thanks for sharing your experience with me.
/Doxman


----------



## theguppyman (Jan 10, 2010)

I would suggest a 10 gallon, they tell you to get the biggest tank you can, because it take longer for the water chemistry(Ph,kh, hardness, etc) to change. I disagree ! 
One your a beginner and being that you will probably have a tougher time doing maintenance then actually enjoying your tank. So I suggest maybe even a 20 or 30 gallon but no more or your work load becomes too big


----------



## M1ster Stanl3y (Dec 10, 2010)

Agree to start with a 10 simple for cost. If you are successful then you can always upgrade from there. If you find out you hate it and dont wanna do it ne more then for a 10g kit($60 at walmart) your out the equipment and livestock. If you go large you can drop some serious coin. We had a member here that I havent seen for a while, forgive me if you are still posting, who had a decent sized tank and had a terrible time with water changes and wasnt happy after ruining his rug. 

With a ten you can experiment with plants, lights, different fish and then can use what,u learned to go bigger. Plus u can transfer your product to the larger tank.


----------



## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

I like small tanks but they do take extra care and your fish choice is much more limited. I'd recommend 30gallons as a good starting size. You could start by finding out what fish you like and see what conditions/ tank size they need.

When you do set up an aquarium make sure you cycle the tank first. I recommend a fishless cycle.http://www.aquariumforum.com/f2/fishless-cycle-9364.html


----------



## M1ster Stanl3y (Dec 10, 2010)

Weird saying this but..... Go to aquaticcommunity.com they have afree ebook for beginners. Something like 86 pages.


----------



## Dean715 (Feb 3, 2011)

Agree that a 10 gal is a good start as even if you learn to love it you will still keep your 10 even if you upgrade. Maybe just for a Betta or fry tank but believe me, you will find a use for it


----------



## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

My literature ideas for you consist of reading up on the aquarium nitrogen cycle. The links are as follows:

The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle

http://www.aquariumforum.com/f66/fish-poop-you-primer-8310.html

I would suggest getting a tank between 10 and 30 gallons. 30 gets to be a hassle for water changes, however you can have more fish and are less likely to pull bonehead beginner moves which all of us have done. 10 is cheaper to run due to the small sizes of the hardware necessary to run the tank, but you can only have 4-6 fish in there and it's easy to cause a tank crash in a smaller tank.

And don't underestimate the power of Craigslist to help you find a great aquarium setup!


----------



## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

> I would suggest getting a tank between 10 and 30 gallons. 30 gets to be a hassle for water changes,


On the other hand you can probably get away with doing changes a little less often than with a 10.


> 10 is cheaper to run due to the small sizes of the hardware necessary to run the tank


 It doesn't make as much difference as you would think, 30 gallons doesn't cost 3x a 10 gallon to run. Larger filters are often more energy efficient and although heating will cost a little more larger tanks do not loose heat as quickly as small tanks. Lighting is where running costs can get more expensive on a larger tank if you want a higher light planted tank.



> And don't underestimate the power of Craigslist to help you find a great aquarium setup!


Very true!

I'm compiling a list of 10 gallon stocking options on this thread, you might find it interesting:
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f2/stocking-10-gallon-tank-11742.html


----------



## Mac Myers (Oct 12, 2010)

My choice for recommended reading is this site. *old dude


----------



## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

FW: Dianna Waldstad "ecology of the planted aquarium" (or something close to that).

Saltwater: Dr. loveland and Dr. Addey "dyanamic aquaria"

Both of which are subject to extreme spelling and memory errors. LOL


my .02


----------



## mec102778 (Feb 17, 2011)

My recommendation is 20-30 good sized tanks you can take your time with and put quit a few fish in. I started with a water turtle (RES), put him in a 20 took his ten and started a gupy tank for my wife. Now I have a 37 tall (african cichlids) 30 tall (fw community) 40 breeder (turtle) 20 tall (guppy) and 2 10s empty that I've using to play around with a new setup. Start with bigger should help reduce a chance for multiple tank syndrome.


----------



## M1ster Stanl3y (Dec 10, 2010)

but multiple tank syndrome is so much fun.


----------



## mec102778 (Feb 17, 2011)

M1ster Stanl3y said:


> but multiple tank syndrome is so much fun.


HA HA yeah, don't get me wrong I love my tanks they are all interesting in their own ways. But there are lots of times I wish I had just one big tank that I took the time to plan out more throughly.


----------



## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

My suggested reading is for you to find the type of fish you would like to keep and read anything and everything on them.Know the ups and downs,common diseases,territorial behavior,filtration and heat needs as well as tank size.If the supplies are not within budget find another type to house.

I think many people here suffer from MTS.I myself have a 25,29 and three setup,and a ten waiting for spawning,as nine individual betta homes.


----------

