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Everything you need for you fishies or other aquatic friends~

~ Tank- duh! lol Your tank needs to be the proper size to happily, and comfortably house your fish for its entire life. For instence, Bettas like at least 2.5 gallons, and thats just when they are kept alone. And Goldfish need 20-30 gallons for the 1st fish and 10-20 gallons for every other fish, each.

~ Food- Get a food that meets the needs of your fish. Some fish like a more plant/algea based diet, where others like a protein based one. Pick a food that has everything they need. Then get one or two other kinds of foods, just to keep feeding time fun. Brine Shrimp, Algea Waffers, Blood Worms, ect and all good treats for your fish

~Decorations- Pick decor that your fish will like. Some fish like to hide and will claim territories over they favorite place to hide. Make sure there are several hiding places to prevent fighting. Some fish will like certain kinds of plants also. Some will like stubby, broad leaved plants, while others will like tall plants that reach the surface.

~Substrate- There are a few options when it comes to substrate, and it usually doesn't matter what you choose. There is gravel, sand, and fertalized sustrates. Gravel comes in all different colors and sizes, but the only thing that will matter is the size. A fine gravel is for fish that like to root around or like to shoot from the top to the bottom very quickly, like African Dwarf frogs. The other sized gravels are more for looks. Sand is great for fish such as corries and laoches, that like to dig in to the substrate looking for goodies that may have gotten burried. While gravel and sand are also good for plants, fertalized substrates are perfect for plants, and are pretty simular to sand or a very fine gravel in size.

~Syphon- Syphons are a very important part of fish keeping. They help get left over food and poop out of the substrate, and are also very helpful when fighting disease

~Heater- Heaters keep your tank at a constant temp. Temperature swings can stress your fish and leave their immune system weakened, leaveing them sucepable to diease.

Filter- Filters are one of the most important thinks, in my opinion. They keep the water clean, and your fish healthy. Mosr people recomend Hang On Back (HOB) filters because they are the easiest to maintain and clean. Some recomend Undergravel Filters. While Undergrave filters do a good job at keeping the water clear, they just trap all the left over food and poop under the gravel and pretty much out of reach of the syphon. Undergravel Filters are best with a heavily planted tank, so the roots of the plants can use up all the waste. Choose a filter rated for your tank size, or even a little bit over. If you have a choise of a filter that is rated for up to 20 gallons or a 10-30 gallon filter for a 20 gallon tank, your best bet would be the 10-30

~Net- Nets have a multi-purpous place in the world of fish keeping. Fish catching, removing floating things from the tank, or even to seperate a fish for short term, they are pretty useful litte things. I even use mine to rinse gravel off every now and then! Be careful about netting fish with long fins, spines, or barbles. They can easily get hurt or ruin your net. Plastic cups (I use those Betta cups from petstores or disposable party cups for fish like Bettas, Corries, and spiny catfish like Pleco's)

~Water Conditioner- Choose a water conditioner that does everything you need it to do. All remove Chorine and Cholramines, and some even remove heavy metal, all of which are toxic to your fish, in even the smallest doses. Tetra AquaSafe is a good, cheap brand that is available just about anywhere


I will add more if I think of anything. Its like the middle of the night, so if I forgot something add it in for me lol

Lol We'll see. I may like it and have to steel some of your info <.< >.>

Salt is just one of those things that causes big dispute in the fish keeping world. It is said to be one of the best "medications," and one of the most usless things in fishkeeping. I guess its really just a matter of opinion. Not saying I dont have any, but just throwing that out there