# A collection of questions I have way ahead of time



## timtim366 (Apr 30, 2012)

Hello! im new to the forum. But i love how friendly everyone is (rare for forums nowadays)

So if any of you fish experts want to take a minute to answer my questions i would really appreciate it.

For my graduation from highschool (2 years ago) my parents are buying me an aquarium. we had to wait till i Got my own place.

I think they are just going to give me a gift card to a fish shop. How much should I ask for if i want: A tank (50-120 gal), a few or one fish, the necessary maintenance equipment, etc. (basically everything i need to get started)?

What do you suggest for fish within these parameters?
-REALLY aggressive.
-can live in a tank between 55-120 gal
-can live with other MEAN fish (if not, i can live with one AWESOME fish)
-It would be awesome if i can occasionally feed it a mouse.
-medium difficulty. I have done my homework, i think i can skip the beginner stages. but maybe not, what do you think? (I have taken care of lots of reptiles, and I take care of my outdoor pond with koi's)
-something unique that i can show off to my friends?
-if possible something with a personality
-Im sure not all of these are possible, just wanted to give you an idea of what im looking for

If I want fish that can eat a mouse (occasionally) how big of a tank do i need to get?

What kind of schedule am i looking at? for example: Day one= buy tank and fill day two= treat water? day three= add fish?

Am i subconsciously a murderer if I love watching fish destroy other fish? LOL JK.... but seriously :glasses-wink:

After i have a bit more experience, I want to get a snakehead. I know I know, they are totally illegal, but I want one at some point. I SWEAR TO GOD i will not put it in the river if it gets too big or i don't like it. when that day comes, where should i look?

Would it be wise, as a beginner to have a smaller tank for breeding feeders? or should i just buy them?

how many hours a week will I have to spend on this tank? Im looking for a hobby, so i dont mind the work, im just curious. 

Im pretty sure I want a freshwater tank, however, Im not against saltwater tanks, how many hours a week do they require? are they worth it?

I cant think of anymore. But if you had one piece of advise to give someone who is about to get started, what would it be?

Thank you so much! I apologize if a few of the questions are answered somewhere else on the forum. But you guys seem really friendly, so Im not worried

Cheers!
Tim
Fortcollins Colorado


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## vdanker (Jan 3, 2012)

What do you have against mice? You want to get an illegal snakehead? I have no suggestions for you.


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## timtim366 (Apr 30, 2012)

I have nothing against mice. I just have a thing for watching fish eat live pray. and about the snakehead, im not really interested in getting one. im more curious as to if there really is a "Black market" for fish. does that make sense? Idk. sorry if I offended you.


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## luananeko (Aug 27, 2010)

Yikes. Lots of red flags here. First off, unless you want a dwarf snakehead, any regular snakehead will likely outgrow whatever tank you put it in unless you've got a 300 gallon tank or so. 

Secondly, while the "beginner" steps you read about online sound easy, fish keeping is a surprisingly complex hobby. It's more than simply sticking water, fish and decorations together and then tossing food in. You'll want to do some research around what it means to "cycle" a tank. The Fishless Cycling thread on this forum is a great resource. It will take at least 2 weeks, most likely closer to a month, to fully cycle your tank to get it ready for inhabitants. If you try to shorten this process you'll need to commit to a lot of large water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels at non-toxic levels, and even then will have very stressed and possibly dead fish. 

Thirdly, unless you're sticking with smaller tanks (40 gallons or less), be prepared to plunk down a LOT of money on the initial start up. The cost of the tank is only a fraction of the total cost. You still have to buy substrate, a heater, water test kits, filters, siphons, buckets for water changes (those 5 gallon jugs for office water dispensers work great for larger tanks), decorations, water conditioner, etc. Some things to consider when figuring out a rough total cost:
1. Do you want live plants? Live plants make for happier fish and a more stable system, but often require special lighting, fertilizers, and substrates, depending on the type of plants you want.
2. How messy are the fish that you want to keep? Fish eaters are generally messy and require extra filtration, which means multiple filters.
3. What kinds of special needs do the fish you're aiming for have? Fish eaters need a steady supply of live food, but feeder fish at pet stores often carry nasty diseases that can be transferred to your fish. It's usually best to breed your own food with guppies or some other fast breeding live bearer. That means running a second tank (along with all its equipment) with the sole purpose of breeding your fishes' food.
4. Where will the tank be located in your home? Do you need a special stand for it? Large tanks are HEAVY when full of water, gravel, and decorations, and take up a lot of space. Stands meant for aquariums are best to ensure your expensive tank doesn't end up broken on the floor because the stand gave way. 

When everything gets totalled up, it's very easy to plunk down close to $1000 on a large planted tank when setting it up. 

If you're completely set on predatory fish, you may want to start off with a guppy tank so you can get the hang of tank care on an easy fish while working on getting a healthy breeding stock going for your future predators. A 30-50 gallon guppy breeding tank can be set up much more cheaply and easily than a large predator tank.


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

In non-judgemental terms, I know of no fish that feeds on terrestrial mammals, and that would properly digest a mouse. Get an owl and teach it to swim?
Check the lakes at Disney?

There are lots of predatory fish, aggressive fish and odd fish. All are expensive, as very few people want them and they are in the domain of the special order. If you find someone selling banned snakehead species, report them to fish and wildlife, as that's one law with a good reason behind it.


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## Crazy (Mar 1, 2012)

A good legal big aggressive fish look into oscars. I do not recommend feeding them mice, they are very hard for a fish to digest but they feed live. Everyonce in while I will drop feeder goldfish in for my oscars to feed when we have company over. They are great fish with a ton of personality.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

If you like the look of a snakehead and are willing to go for say,a 20 long,I know of a great fish.They are small though.They are called betta channoides.They are commonly called the snakehead fighter.They stay small,about an inch and a half TL.They appreciate a well planted tank with a tight fitting lid and love live food.Raise up some daphnia,grindal worm and baby brine shrimp to feed every few days.They will attack the food vigorously.

As far as the larger tanks,they can get pretty pricey.Im sure there is a black market for fish but its not worth it to go that route for fish,all kinds of other fish out there.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

You need a fish that won't outgrow whatever tank you get and an Oscar seems the best choice to me. Bass have been known to feed on mice and baby ducks, but doubt you would ever get one to do it in a tank environment. Plus, at that stage they are very large....6+ pounds.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

Maybe a Green Terror Cichlid or Jack Dempsey.

About how much do you hope to spend on a tank? 

I think you are still missing some of the basics, read up on the nitrogen cycle.


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## Jareth (Apr 25, 2012)

I just started also and let me tell you the cost for establishing a 55+ gallon tank is pretty pricey but after that you wont be spending much money. It's a lot of work at the start but trust me it's all worth it in the end. These guys and girls helped me through my struggles and now my Tiger Oscar is loving his home!


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## vdanker (Jan 3, 2012)

I'm not offended, just surprised that anyone would have such disrespect for the aquarium hobby.


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## timtim366 (Apr 30, 2012)

ok what? disrespect? i see people all over youtube feeding their fish mice, crickets, and even a few baby chicks. So i apologize for assuming it was ok.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

No worries Tim.I think what he means more is by the wanting of illegal fish species.

While it can be cool to brag that you have something your not supposed to,you risk alot of fines and stuff by going that route.It seems a bit disrespectful to ask for a fish forum dedicated to the health and well being of fish tanks to help direct you on how to go about illegal activities.

Or thats what I would assume vdanker is referring to.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

What about a fire eel?


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

I think the issue of illegality is like the issue of looking for species on the controlled redlists because they are endangered, etc. For all we know, it may have scared up a black market dealer lurking in the shadows - they probably exist. I doubt very much you'd find them here though, as overall, this is a forum of aquarists with an appreciation of how things should work.
I'm eating meat tonight, so I can't be holy about mice. I don't like the 'watching them get eaten' thing, but if that's your interest, I won't change you. You do have to know that terrestrial mammal fats are very hard for a fish to digest, as terrestrial mammals don't fall in the water enough to be a food source aquatic creatures would have to adapt to. Insects are a natural, well-digested food source for carnivores, as are fish, shellfish and other aquatic creatures.
If you find your big, nasty predator and you want to throw the family cat in, good luck cleaning up afterwards. 
I'm not sure you are looking for one of the less ferocious options being suggested here - you wrote like you wanted bloodsports in your tank.


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## Goby (Mar 21, 2012)

Respectfully, I'm concerned that your interest in this hobby may have been heavily influenced by the excitement you experienced while watching fools exploit predatory fish on YouTube. With that, please revisit your motives for wanting to keep one of these "AWESOME" fish.


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