Please help!!!!?

I just recieved a 2.5 gallon tank as a gift. It came with a bubbler and a filter. How do i go about setting up my new tank? I know using tap water isn't safe, can i use just regular bottled water? How long do i have to have my tank up and running before i can add fish? What types of fish can i get that don't require a heater? Do i need live plants or can i just use fake plants? Any other information would be great. Thanks so much!

Please help!!!!?
You can absolutely use tap water, almost everybody does. Tap water already contains the nutrients and minerals a fish and tank need, so all you need to do is add water conditioner to take care of the chlorine - you can buy this at any fish shop.





You don't need to 'age the water' first - this is a hangover from another era before they invented water conditioners. You don't need to mix distilled water with it - you can, but the more work you make for yourself over the tank, the less enjoyable it will become.





You should use fake plants for now and consider live plants only once you've found you like keeping a tank and want to expand - live plants are more work.





There are very few fish you can actually keep in a tank this small. White cloud minnows are as good because they're small and don't need a heater, but since they're schooling fish the tank becomes a little small for them.





your best bet to start off with is a Betta. A 2 gallon tank is a nice little home for one, and while they can benefit from heating, they do just fine at room temperature. The lower stocking levels will also help keep the tank a little easier to maintain. Because the betta is not a high waste fish they are also a good one to establish the new tank with. After a few weeks, if things look good and stable, you can even add a couple of cory catfish to the tank - these guys are small and generate little waste, and the Betta will ignore them. Now you have a nice 'nano' community.





You only need to run your tank overnight before getting a fish - at this point it is aerated and ready to go. You can wait another day or two, or week, but it makes no difference at this point.





Don't trust the fish store for advice, most especially if it's a big chain type, or even worse, slavemart. Most of those employees have no clue, and the rest just want to sell as much as possible.





Last but not least - read and learn! Buy a book. Borrow a book. Check out some of the better websites:


www.badmanstropicalfish.com


www.thekrib.com
Reply:Its prety nice when you recieve a new fish tank. First of you ca use tap water and all you have to do is add water conditioner that will make your water safe when adding fish. The best way recommendation before adding fish is 2 weeks so your water gets stable. for a basic 2.5 fish tank you can add a betta fish which is housed by itself or you can add also 2 fantail goldfish which both of these fish mention can live without heaters.
Reply:Hopefully there were some instruction with your tank about how to install the filter, if so just follow those for the actually "where everything goes" stuff. Tap water is just fine as long as you use dechlorinator to condition the water first, some probably came with your tank. I would suggest you use plastic plants in your tank at least until you get the hang of keeping a tank with fish. After that, if you want to add keeping plants then there are some that would be fine for your tank.





As far as fist for your tankwith no heater, I would suggest white clouds. They are colorful, active little fish that will be at home in a small group in a 2.5 gallon tank and don;t need a heater at all. Some people will say goldfish, but please don't do that. A goldfish needs far more room than you can give one. Depending on what temperature your tank will normally be, there may be a wide variety of fish that will do well, you'll just have to see what the temperature is like once it's been running a few days. Here's a link to a page that has grreat info that you should read before you even add water to your tank. Be sure to follow to the other pages about cycling your tank and fish selections too. You and your fish will be so glad you took the time to read this, it will help make having an aquarium fun instead or trouble and lots of work. Hope this helps and welcome to the hobby!





http://www.firsttankguide.net/





MM
Reply:do use tap water. but make sure you have the filter running through it for at least at day and i half. it will clean out unnecessary chlorine and minerals. you must have the tank up and running for at least... eh. i would say 2 days. fish that don't require heaters are basically gold fish and they have many pretty and different kinds of them. you should go with fake plants. they are easier to take care of and they look great. umm. other info would beeeeeee.. hmm.. make sure you have some kind of rocks at the bottom. dont use sand. and your gonna wanna put a little rock formation or hut in their for the fish to swim into and out!!
Reply:You can use tap water, but make sure that you have used a conditioner that gets rid of chloramine and chlorine. Let the system run for about a week, and add a flake or two of food every day to help jumpstart the bacteria. You could have a betta in the tank, or about 6-10 white cloud minnows, but most others would need a heater of some sort. Don't get goldfish, although they may be small at the store. They need a much bigger tank. Live plants are great, and you could probably plant a Java Fern or two. Just tie them to a rock or small piece of driftwood. Here's a couple of websites:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Cloud...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_fern


Good luck and happy fishkeeping!!
Reply:You can use tap water, for certain kinds of fish. You can also buy water conditioner to make the water suitable for the fish...When you go to get your fish, or even when you want to get you tank set up, talk to a pet shop guy and make sure you know what fish you are getting so you can adjust the water accordingly. Different fish like different types and temperature of water.
Reply:A)water


1.you can use top water BUT! you must use a water conditioner!


2.or use top water then you must not put anything on it.......... you must overnight the tank's water to evaporate the chlorine...............


B)plant


-real plants are better than fake ones coz it will not damage the fins of those sensitive fishes


-they also complete the cycle of the aquarium....


-real plants also good hiding spots


-they are also good breeding stuff for hiding small fry^^


-they also help in cleaning the water of the aquarium coz the waste of the fish are gud fertilizer for the plant


-o yah i forget about the gravel ur choice but must be small so no waste will be trap...


-and put the plants first before the fish


C)stocking


-here u go putting fish is so called 1 inch per gallon so u will only have 2 small fishes or three.........or get a bigger tank ...hehehe


D)fish


-you can pick


-betta...


-mollies...


-swordtail...


-guppies


-and other small fishes


-------------but i dont like tiger barbs put in small aquarium coz you'll see them so unhappy coz so small space to swim........................
Reply:you can use tape water but it must set for three days befor you can put fish in your tank
Reply:1)Use distilled 3/4 jugged water and 1/4 tap water.


2)Rinse your tank and the objects in it with regular tap water.


3)Keep your tank going for at least 4days before adding fishies.


4)Lots of fish don't require a heater just go to the store and ask for help and find the fish you think look cute!


5)I prefer to use live plants because it is better for the fish and it looks better. If you do get live plants make sure the tank is by some sunlight.





Have Fun and Good Luck!
Reply:i think one week



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