The Web Wholesaler's Aquarium Hobbyist Series - Part One:

Your First Aquarium and What To Get

 The Basic's

As with any hobby the first thing to do is get set up properly. Once you have the beginning set up in place and learn how it works, the hobby become a lot of fun.

Before you rush out and buy that perfect fish you need to create the right place for them to live in. With the many species of fish there are endless possibilities to display them at their finest. 

What is the right tank for your perfect spot?

Some of the basic tank sizes listed below also include an estimated weight. These weights can vary depending on what type of things are in the tank like gravel (small, medium, or large), decorations (plastic, wood, or rock)

• 10 gal. Tank - 20" x 10" x 12" - 110 lbs ⁺/_- 
• 29 gal. Tank - 30" x 12" x 18" - 330 lbs ⁺/_- 
• 55 gal. Tank - 48" x 13" x 21" - 625  lbs ⁺/_- 
• 75 gal. Tank - 48" x 18" x 21" - 850 lbs ⁺/_- 
• 90 gal. Tank - 48" x 18" x 24" - 1050 lbs ⁺/_- 
• 125 gal. Tank - 72" x 18" x 21" - 1400 lbs ⁺/_- 

The Live Stock

In order to know what tank is right for you; you need to know what kind of fish you want.  Different fish require different size tanks. You certainly want a real large tank (at least 180 gallon) for a single Parachromis dovii, where a group of  Molly's can use a lot smaller tank.

The basic rule of thumb when adding fish is to figure one inch of fish when it is an adult per gallon of what. However; some fish also produce a lot of waist (what goes in must come out) so you may want to consider that keeping those fish in a larger tank will reduce the maintenance needs considerably.

When purchasing fish from larger national pet chains there are in fact several things to remember.  These were lessons which made me write this series of articles. If you keep these things in mind it will save you a great deal of frustration.

1. When they suggest a specific size tank, it may not be large enough for the life of the fish. They make money selling tanks!

2. Many of their employee's have limited levels of knowledge in aquatic livestock. If they were very familiar with a large variety of fish, they would probably work in a specialty fish store.

The Learning Source's

With the vast internet at our finger tips, there are many places to turn to for knowledge. One of the newer places is an email group powered by Yahoo which is called TheAquariumFish provided by the WebWholesaler. This is a great place to ask question's, help other's, and also to find the occasional awesome deal.

• The I U C N Red List of endangered fish.
  This list can be a good source of information when buying fish for breeding purposes.
• The Zip Code Zoo is a way to make sure you are not purchasing fish which may be illegal in your region.
•  If stunning South American, and Central American Cichlids are your thing then visit the Tangled Up In Cichlids website which has my thumbs up!