What kind of fish/fish tank??

Actually, the bigger the tank, usually the less work involved. Once you get a big tank established, usually it's easier to take care of than a small tank, which requires frequent water changes.

I would say a 15 or 20 gallon would be a nice starting tank--a 10 gallon is a little small to get all the bacteria nicely established, but I've had a lot of success with my 15 and 20 gal tanks.

Here's what I would suggest buying to have a successful tank:

1) a filter--this is super important to getting your beneficial bacteria from cycling started. I use Whisper in-tank filters and they are amazing and fairly cheap

2) Gravel--I buy the 25 pound bags at Walmart

3) Heater--if you're going to have any type of tropical fish, you're going to need a heater. Don't skimp on this, as you might end up spending a lot of money later if you buy a cheapo heater...try to get a submersible one.

4) Plants, rocks, driftwood, other decorations--you don't have to go overboard on this, but it's a good place for more beneficial bacteria to grow, it allows your fish to hide in case they're being bullied/chased, and it makes the aquarium pleasant to look at

5) a thermometer--a cheapy $2 one from walmart will be great...I use the ones that stick on the outside of the tank

6) Make sure your aquarium has a hood (prevents fish jumping out and evaporation) and a light

7) test kits--I mostly use nitrite (incredibly deadly for fish) and nitrate (deadly in large amounts) test kits--test the water once a week....more when you're cycling. You can also get ammonia and pH test kits--they're helpful but not absolutely necessary.

8) Dechlorinator--tap water has chlorine in it and will kill the fish unless removed.

9) I have five 5-gallon buckets with lids, but you could just get a couple. These are super useful for doing water changes, transporting fish, etc. I use mine at least once a week.

10) Food, obviously. I use TetraColor, but almost any kind that is fitted for your type of fish will work.

11) Air pump and bubbler--really important so you can get oxygen to the fish. Again, I just buy the Whisper ones at Walmart.

12) Some sort of a siphon...I have an expensive Jungle one (I think that's the brand at least....), but you can get a cheap one at Walmart, but they aren't as good as the ones you hook up to the shower (like I have) and use to suck out the stuff in the gravel (helpful so it doesn't take out so much water and it makes water changes A LOT easier and much faster).

Make sure you cycle your tank properly before you add fish (google "cycling an aquarium"). If you take the time to properly cycle the tank, it will require a lot less upkeep later.

Ok, so once you've cycled your tank (I used several zebra danios and it cycled within a month), you can slowly add your fish (you don't want to add them all at the same time).

If you have a 15-20 gallon tank, you have a lot of options of fish you can put in your tank. I would suggest making a cute community tank. You can put in some bottom feeders (corys), a school of tetras (minimum 5), and other small fish. If you decide to get a goldfish, they need 20 gallons per fish and do not need a heater, but they make an incredible amount of mess, so I would suggest sticking to small fish. You could make it a livebearer tank, or strictly a tetra tank. I have a 15 gallon with just a red zebra hybrid cichlid in it, but I also have a 20 gallon long tank with some zebra danios, guppies, swordtails, cory, pristella tetras, female betta, and dwarf gourami (it's kind of my "throw fish you don't know what to do with together" tank...it's fully stocked and I have to monitor it closely for nitrite and nitrate.

Good luck, and if you have any questions, feel free to message me. :)

EDIT: As some people below me have mentioned, no, plastic plants will NOT injure fish...lol. Also, "live bacteria" aren't really that great...there is no substitute for cycling your tank. Test your water every week (more when cycling), not every few weeks. White Clouds are very hardy fish. When you cycle your tank, use cheap fish (I use zebra danios) that you don't care if they die or not, because the ammonia and nitrite that spikes when you start cycling the tank is very taxing on their immune systems.

Actually, a small tank is typically a little more work than a larger one, because the more water you have, the easier it is to maintain good water quality for your fish. So, if you're going for easier, larger would be better. A 20-gallon would probably be a good starter size.

If the temperature in your house is stable year round, you could get away without a heater if you're getting goldfish or a betta (I don't recommend goldfish, though, they're dirty and hard to care for for a beginner. Bettas are really easy, though.). For tropical fish, you'll need a heater rated for the size of the tank you're getting. For all kinds of fish, you need the tank, a filter rated for the size of your tank (or larger, the more filtration the better), something for substrate, like gravel or sand, a hood and light for the tank, a thermometer, test kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH, a siphon/gravel vacuum, a bucket, a net, and an aquarium scrubber. You'll also need a water conditioner like Stress Coat, which removes the chlorine and chloramine from your tap water (it's very poisonous to fish). Plus, get any decorations you'd want, and plants (fake or real...for a beginner, though, I'd recommend getting the hang of fish first, then move on to live plants later.) Do not get fish right away. First, you need to set up the tank and let it run and decide about how you're going to cycle it.

Cycling a tank is the process where you introduce fish slowly in order to allow a colony of beneficial bacteria to grow and consume the ammonia produced by your fish. If you put too many fish in right away, there won't be enough bacteria to eat it, and your fish will get sick and die. Cycling with fish takes about a month, and it's not very fun for the fish.

You can also do fishless cycling, which is better because it can take less time, and there's no risk of harming any fish. Here's a good article about that: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/faustus/nicoldaquaria...

If you choose to cycle with fish, you can read about that here: http://www.aquaria.info/index.php?name=News&file=a...

Good luck!

Fishes can be difficult, depending on the types of fish you have and the size of the tank. I found a site for you that might help you make your decision a lot easier. Best way is to go to the pet store, find the fishes you like and see what size tank best fits them. They also sell set up tanks, which will come with the basics you need like, filter, air, heater, light, food, rocks etc. Good Luck!

Whatever you do, don't get a goldfish! They're filthy things and need a lot of care.

White Cloud Mountain Minnows are very hardy and good for beginners - they can live in either cold or tropical tanks and have no special requirements other than some plants to hide in. Their behaviour is very good and they get along well with other fish.

I don't know anything about tropical fish as I've only ever kept a cold water tank.....hmmm......with filthy goldfish! *LOL*

Don't get anything too big - perhaps about 15 gallons to start off with and buy a good quality filter. Go to a decent petshop in order to buy the equipment and pick the brains of the people there - if they seem vague or stupid then go elsewhere.

Don't choose fish that seem sluggish or have clamped fins or strange spots on them. ALL the fish in the tank that you're buying from should look healthy, not just the one you've chosen to purchase. Never buy fish from a tank that has dead fish remains in.

Buy live plants - not those awful plastic ones - fish can injure themselves on those and don't buy any ornaments that are brightly coloured. Stick to natural gravel on the base of the tank too - the coloured stuff can lose chemicals into the water.

When you set your tank up, leave it for a couple of days. If the water goes foul and cloudy it will be due to ammonia which is highly toxic to fish, but you can buy bottles of live bacteria from the pet store which will handle this.

Do a search on the 'net for information on how your chosen filter works. I also test the water every few weeks to make sure that I don't have any ammonia or nitrites present - these will make fish sick and possibly kill them. It takes a while for the filter to start to handle these substances, so don't go out and buy lots of fish to begin with. Start with about three and get them settled in.

Your main concern with keeping a tank is to make sure that the water quality is good. Fish won't get sick if they're living in clean, fresh, well-oxygenated water.

Fishes can be difficult, depending on the types of fish you have and the size of the tank. I found a site for you that might help you make your decision a lot easier. Best way is to go to the pet store, find the fishes you like and see what size tank best fits them. They also sell set up tanks, which will come with the basics you need like, filter, air, heater, light, food, rocks etc. Good Luck!

I would say a small 10 gallon tank with a high quality filter. Only put something in it like tetras though as they don't get too big. Things like goldfish put out too much ammonia, and oscars and cichlids are dirty and get huge. You will still need to do partial water changes regardless.

get the tank and other hardware such as heater, stand, light, gravel, filter, thermometer, and cleaning supplies like a gravel vac and sponge to clean the glass. Then let him pick his fish i think the best part of setting up a tank is going and getting you new fish so just get him what he needs and let him decide on what to keep in it.

Honestly for my girlfriend going shoe shopping is the equivalent to me going to the fish store! haha

i would buy a 10 gallon tank with a filter. And goldfish or sherbumpkins. This would provide a nice looking tank that's easy to manage.

http://www.squidoo.com/knowcichlids/