Hi.

I just started this fish hobby shortly after admiring fishes. I hope you can keep in mind that I am only a sophomore in college making minimum wage through a part-time job and is not very financially funded.

I am currently have a 5.5 gallon tank and going to buy a 35 gallon tank. it is a half bow tank that is 1ft10 inches high and about 1 in wide. I was hoping to raise some freshwater tropical fishes. (I am not sure if that made sense, I don't know why I am not fond of saltwater) I was wondering what recommendations you guys would recommend in term of what fishes to get, and how many. I was hoping maybe I could have some different breeds that would fit in the 35 gallon tank that would eat similar and inexpensive food. (college student on low budget)

Thank you all in advance!

Hey cornstar! , I will start by recommending that you go for a 55 gallon , that is if you have that little bit of extra room. and maybe a bit more cash. but it will probably be worth it, and im certain that you will get the 35 and set it up and say to yourself i should have bought the 55. once u start u want to do the best for these guys in there...you almost feel connected (and responsible). your creatures will be happier and so will you... this is just an opinion , of course...

sorry , i began answering without fully reading your post. i just now saw the low budget.. i still reccomend saving a little more and going for the 55.

Try Craigslist... many, many deals there. I got a5, 10 and 20 gallon for free with all accessories. I paid 20 for my 45 and 60 for my 60 gallon hex. I could have went bigger but the hubby said no :( Just puttin it out there that there is great deals!

As far as fish, it depends. Do you want a few big fish or a lot of little ones. I deff reccomend cory catfish. Guppies, mollies and platys have live babies. Angels are nice. I mean it's really pretty endless. Depends on what you want to look at every day. And I second getting the larger tank or you will be like me and feel you don't have enough room and just keep adding tanks!

My best advice is don't go for a fish just because it looks cool! look at some fish in the store and decide what fish you would like to have, remember this is your tank so you must choose the fish that you like. Once you have decided what fish you would potentially like to keep then do some research and make sure the different species of fish are all compatible with each other from a temperamental point of view and from a water chemistry point of view. There are lots of info resources you can draw from, from the LFS stores (make sure you get 2nd opinions though) and the internet, I learned so much just from searching the net and also from reading threads on this forum.

The other important thing is not to be in too much of a hurry, take the time to set the tank up properly. I was in such a hurry when I set my first tank up and I made almost every mistake in the book - and it cost me dearly in time money and frustration. My 2nd tank I took it easy and planned properly and no problem. Being patient will save you time and money in the long run and if you are on a tight budget as you say then you will thank yourself for being patient.

Finally enjoy the hobby, it's really great!

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45g pentagonal
4 Swordtails, 2 dwarf Gouramis, 5 Mollies, 1 Rainbow Shark, 6 Molly fry 6 zebra danios

88 gal Malawi tank
4 Yellow labs, 1 Baenshi, 2 Borleyis, 3 Trewavas, 2 Livingstonis, 1 Venustus, 2 Green Terrors

A 35G is fine I'm not quite sure why everyone is suggesting you get a 50+.

As for what fish to get...it's entirely up to you. Do you like having a lot of small fish, or a handful of larger ones? Do you like energetic fish, or more subdued ones? It's important to know that if you get larger ones you can probably get more breeds as a lot of the larger species are fine being alone, but smaller fish need to be kept in schools of 5+ (and preferably 7 or 8+).

Even though you're on a limited budget you shouldn't buy things simply because they're 'cheap.' What filter you choose will have a significant impact on how easy the tank is to maintain. I'd suggest getting two filters designed for 30+ gallons, and getting filters that you can put multiple media in (I'm partial to the Aquaclear filters because they're super easy, relatively inexpensive, and very reliable filters..also Hagen is a good company from my experience).

The most important thing will be to properly 'cycle' your tank before introducing fish. Look up the thread on cycling/the nitrogen cycle - it seems complicated and daunting at first but it's pretty easy to learn. Establishing and maintaining a colony of beneficial bacteria (which is mainly housed in your filter - another reason to pick a good filter with multiple media) is necessary to keeping your fish in good shape.

Lastly, make sure not to overstock the tank once it's ready to have fish introduced to it. AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor is a great tool to use (tentatively, it's not perfect but pretty damned good) to see how many of certain fish your tank could sustain as well as giving you a general idea of how often you should do partial water changes. It also alerts you to some of the potential problems of mixing certain breeds together, as some breeds are pretty incompatible.

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30G planted aquarium with Aquaclear 50 and two Aquaclear 20s. 7 Cherry Barbs, 12 Cardinal Tetras, 1 Albino Bristlenose Pleco, 1 Golden Honey Gourami, and a handful of Ghost Shrimp.

Thanks to everyone who had responded! I really appreciate it!
I actually looked into many large gallon tanks, but I have two issues with large tanks.
1. The tank is actually for my room, and there is not too much room in my tank.
2. I do not own a car and neither does my parents, so transportation is going to be a huge hassle.
The current tank I am buying comes with a filter (with 4 cartilages inside) I haven't inspected it yet, heater and stand. I am currently paying $60 for it and a $7 transportation (car service) since it was so nearby.

I will definitely continue my research on the fish and see which would I would put in the tank.

Perhaps my parents may be influenced by my tank they will perhaps buy a larger one for the living room

Also, I noticed that many tanks have corals/live rocks/live sand. And I was wondering if someone could explain to me the purpose of those and if they are necessary?

You won't need live sand, or corals if you do freshwater. Just for saltwater. For freshwater it's just getting the good bacteria in your gravel or whatever.

I have a 36g bow front and am in love with it - I'm sure you will love yours too!

I currently have 9 Harlequin Rasboras, 2 Angelfish and 2 Clown Plecos in it.... along with 2 Mystery snails and a butt load of pest snails that came in on the plants. XD

Before I had the Angel fish, I had a male Dwarf Gourami and a few females. It seems I had a super aggressive male, and he killed his harem. I don't NOT recommend dwarf gouramis though - I just happened to get a 'jerk' fish, lol.

Before I had the Clown Plecos, I had 6 Three Line Cory Cats. I loved them to bits, but since I didn't have sand, they weren't doing as well as they should have, so I traded them in.

I'd basically just take some time to think about what kind of fish you want. Then, make sure you research the heck out of them, to make sure you have the room and filtration for them. (I researched each type of fish I have for months before getting them.) I'm super happy with the set up I've got right now - I've got the harlequins for movement and a bit of colour, the Angels as center piece fish, the Mystery snails are clean up and the Plecos.... well... they are just cute! (Clown plecos are wood eaters, and as with any pleco, you do need real drift wood for them.) Many people say not to put Angels in with rasboras, but since the rasboras were there first, and the angels were the size of quarters when I got them, I've been told they can learn as they grow up with the rasboras, that they are friends and not food, lol. The Angels are the size of Oreo cookies now... or bigger, and still haven't shown the smallest bit of aggression to the rasboras!

Just a suggestion, having extra filtration and filling the tank with fast growing, live plants will really help your water quality and also keep the fish happy.

Have fun setting up your tank! We'd LOVE to see pics of it when it's done!

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20g Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981
36g Bow Front Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981

I second the opinion of take it slow. I went the route where I was so excited and jumped in head first. It didnt go so well and is very frustrating, do it slow and take your time and you will have a much better outcome

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"Being ignorant is not so much a Shame, as being unwilling to learn".-- Benjamin Franklin