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How do I start a freshwater fish aquarium?

I have a 20 gallon tank. I want to know what you need to set it up. Also I want to know what fish get along with each other. I don't want Tropical Fish. I want to have that one fish that you always see on the glass sucking the algae. What fish get along with that? Do you have a 20 gallon aquarium at home and if you do what fish do you have and what equipment do you have.

Public Comments

I would suggest speaking to someone at a pet store. Thats what I did and they helped me out so much!
normally algea eaters are in tropical tanks. but ask around at the bigger pet shops because chance is that they have all kinds of animal and will no what goes with what.
The fish you described as being on the tank sucking at the algae is probably something like an Otocinclus. They are a tropical freshwater fish. If you want one of them, you have to have a tropical fish tank setup. If you have a fish tank already, does it have a heater and filter? If it does you could easily have a tropical tank. I wont say that they are easy! We only have Mollys, Oto's, Shrimp and Platys in ours at the moment but they are wonderful!!
Hmm. We have a freshwater tank at my house (not sure what size) but I don't know exactly what equipment you need. As for the fish compatabilities, your best bet would be to go to a fish store (RMS Aquaculture is where we go) because they will be able to tell you what fish get along with each other. At our fish store, they put little smiley faces on the tanks to let you know if they are nice fish or not. Goldfish are always good, and we have some neon ones too. And silver dollar fish (I don't know the technical name).And the algae eaters are called plecos...beware though, they grow like crazy. Hoep this helps a little!!
The type of fish you refer to is known as a plecostomus. They are pretty neat, but get awefully big! He's also a warm water fish, so make sure that you have a heater and thermometer in your tank to make sure that he is nice and happy! To start your tank, make sure that everything is clean before you put it all in. You're probably using tap water to fill your tank, so make sure to get a chemical to take out the chlorine and other chemicals that might be harmful to your fish. Get your heater and filter running, and run the tank for about a week before getting any fish. This allows the tank to get ready for your fish, and is highly recommended to help keep your fish from dying right away. There are lots of fish that go well with a plecostomus. My favorite are the angelfish! See what your local pet store has, and let them help you figure out what kind of fish they have that would go good with your "scum sucker" However, tropical fish would be best. (Cold water fish such as goldfish live too cold for the water, and saltwater tanks are a whole different story) After you buy a fish, keep it in the bag or container it comes in, and let it float in the tank in it's container for about half an hour to an hour. This will let the fish adjust to your tank. After that, you can open the bag up, and let him flow out on his own.
The "suckingfish" that you described is probubly a plecostomus, "plecos" for short and like many other people said, yes they are tropical but tropical isn't that expensive and if you dont want a tropical tank all you can get is goldfish. the only extra thing you need for a tropical tank is a heater, which only costs around 18 USD. I have a 30 gallon tropical tank with a heater a filter and thats just about it for supplies accept for a light, rocks, plant and fish food. You can get a plecos and guppies platys and tetras to live together. Your tank can hold 1 inch of fish per 1 gallon sooooo... 20 inches of fish.
You need a Heater,filter,gravel ,decorations,gravel cleaner,fish net,something to remove chlorine from the water,fish food.I have two 20 gallon tanks one with cichlids and one with catfish but the cichlids are very aggressive and can't be kept with anything else.
You mean a pleco? You could get them but they are tropical fish. You will need a heater, gravel, plants, a tank that has been cycled and a filtration system.
I have many fish tanks. 2 of which are 20 gallon tanks. but 1 is a saltwater tank. the other is a Tropical Freshwater Tank. I have a Penguin filter with a bio wheel and a heater. The People at the pet store will be able to tell you what to get. In the tank I have 1 rubbernose pleco(suckerfish) 5 different species of gouromis(very beautiful fish) 6 zebra danios, 5 guppies, 12 bloodfin tetras, 5 sharepea tetras, 6 rummy nose tetras(all these fish school and it looks really neat) I did have 3 big gold fish in this tank but they were really big so I put them in our pond. I went and bought a little feeder goldfish to raise. His name is hawk. And I have many snails in this tank. I think that is everything. I don't know if you thought that tropical ment saltwater but most freshwater fish are tropical fish, Also a 20 gallon tank is big to only have a suckerfish in considering they don't count towards the maximum number of fish you may have in a tank. the rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish per gallon of tank. I just quite adding fish once the tank looks like it will be to crowded if I add more. If you have any questions feel free to email me at luckegurl_13@yahoo.com
a lot of the algae eating fish are tropical. Tropical fish basically mean that you will need to keep your tank and a warmer level. For example, goldfish are cold water fish. Guppies are tropical. due to this, gold fish and guppies are not always great together, cause goldfish like temperatures are 75, whereas guppies like temps around 77. if a goldfihs is in temps around 77, it cn cause internal problems and eventually lead to death. Ill come back to the fish in a bit. The tank: you are going to want a good filter. Hagan aqua clear filters are good. I use them. They have these pellets that help to tramp good bacteria that you need to cycle your tank to prevent the build up of ammonia, nitrates and nitrites. these chemcials kill your fish. It also has a sponge, that helps to trap particles in the water, like excess food, as well as the good bacteria. and of course it has carbon You are going to want some form of substrate, such as gravel. all pet sotres offer a wide variety of sizes and colors for the gravel. that is your call on what you like. You may want plants aqnd decorations, and again, these things are a matter of opinion, however algae eaters also like to be hidden sometimes, especially during the day. most algae eaters are nocturnal. Depending on the fish you get will depend on if you want a lot of like little caves and stuff. You are alos going to want a thermometer to measure the temperature, a test kit (though you can bring water samples to pet stores and they can stest for you, however it is easier to test at home), possibly an air bubble maker thing, to put more oxygen in the tank (this is important if your temperature are above 77, as oxygen does not dissolve well in high temps), a gravel siphon (you use this to clean the tank and the gravel) and depending on where you live, a heater for the winter. Now onto chemicals: you may want to use aquarium salt. this help to reduce stress in fish, balances pH, and can help get rid of some parasites if needed. You also want to get some sort of ammnoia, nitrate and nitrite remover, like PRime from seachem, and a starter bacteria for the nitrogounes cycle (biological filter), such as seachem Stability. Depending on the fish, and the pH of the water you will be using, you may want to get something to either lower or raise the pH. I think thats it for tank stuff. now onto fish most algae eaters, can get quite big. I have a chinese algae eater, nad their size varies, but they dont get huge...the best thing is to talk to your fish store and find out how big the one you want will get. Algae eaters are more bottom feeders, because of this they are not too aggressive, and most fish wont bother them,. Most other fish are mid to top dwellers. This means that they dont really hang out at the bottom too much, unless there is something wrong with them. Since they are not at the bottom, they normally wont bug the algae eater too much. Based on that, you can prety much go with any fish you like. a good rule of thumb when youare starting out is allow one gallon per one inch of max. growth of the fish. For example, a guppie can get up to 4 inches, so allow around 3-4 gallons. Tetras are also nice, small fish, but tropical. However since they are small you can have more of them. hope this helps...i dont think i forgot a whole lot. Also your petstore can help you pick out the things you need.
If you are not looking for tropicals, do you mean cold water fish, like gold fish? Gold fish and pleco's (that is the fish you are refering to) go to gether well. here are more cold water fish that all get along: The most common coldwater fish is the goldfish, followed closely by it's larger counterpart, the Koi. However there are many other interesting fish that do not require a heated tank. Many coldwater fish are large enough that are only suitable for ponds. However, can be kept in adaquate aquariums. Barbs - Several readily available species of Barbs are tolerant of temperatures into the mid sixties, or even lower. All are easy to care for, and are suitable for a community aquarium. They include: the Gold Barb (Barbus schuberti), the Green Barb (Barbus semifasciolatus), the Rosy Barb (Barbus conchonius), and the Two Spot Barb (Barbus ticto). Bloodfin Tetra - Both the standard Bloodfin (Aphyocharax anisitsi), and the False Bloodfin (Aphyocharax dentatus) tolerate temperatures as low as the mid sixties. Bloodfins are offered in many pet shops, are easy to care for, and are quite hardy. They are active top dwellers and are best kept in schools. Buenos Aires Tetra (Hemigrammus caudovittatus) - Easily found for sale, they will tolerate temperatures into the mid sixties. Standard varieties, as well as albino variants can be found. Like the Bloodfins, they are undemanding and easy to care for. They are suitable for a community tank, but will eat live plants voraciously. Croaking Tetra (Coelurichthys microlepis) - Not often found for sale, they are an attractive fish that is worth shopping around for. Like other coldwater tetras, they are easy to care for and are suitable for community tanks. Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) - As readily available as any fish, there are many attractive variations of this popular fish. Hillstream Loaches - Although they are not often seen in pet shops, some species can be found for sale from time to time. Not all of them prefer cool temperatures, but most will tolerate temps that fall into the mid to upper sixties. Native Fish - A variety of North American native fish are now being sold in the aquarium trade. Virtually all of them tolerate cool water. Availability varies from state to state, as do laws regarding which species may be legally kept in home aquariums. Keep in mind that some will become too large to keep in a standard aquarium. Pearl Danio (Brachydanio albolineatus) - Like the zebra danio, this fish is very hardy and easy to care for. It will tolerate temperatures into the mid 60's without difficulty, and is easy to find. They are larger than zebras, but need not be kept in schools. Weather Loach (Misgurnus angullicaudatus) - Readily available, this loach is one of the easiest to care for. Couple that with the fact that it will tolerate temperatures into the fifties, and it makes an excellent candidate for a coldwater tank. Wimple (Myxocyprinus asiaticus) - Also known as the Freshwater Batfish. Not commonly found, it is an unusual fish that is worth tracking down if you like to have something unique. It will tolerate temps into the mid sixties. White Cloud Mountain Minnow (Tanichtys albonubes) - One of the easiest fish to care for, a new gold colored variant has become very popular. They do best in cooler temperatures, although very low temps will lessen their attractive coloration. Zebra Danio (Brachydanio rerio) - Outside of goldfish and the guppy, the zebra is the most readily available of all coldwater fish. They tolerate temps that fall into the mid sixties, and are very easy to care for. Long finned species are available, as well as a popular leopard spotted variety. There are many other coldwater species I could cover, but the above list should give you enough options to get started. Good luck with your coldwater aquarium. If you are looking for warm water tropicals, there is a LONG list. I have a few 10's , 30's, 55's 75 175 and a number of outside ponds(with koi, various goldfish and plecos). Some are salt water, some are brackish and some are fresh. the equipment is numerous.