Tropical fish shops & fishkeeping!

Giblets1067

Hey. I'm hoping to get an aquarium (tropical freshwater) in the next few weeks. I've been thinking about it for a while and having been looking at aquariums, types of fish, etc. on the net. I hoping to go for a tank 100-120l. I was just wondering if anyone could tell me where the nearest tropical fish shop to me would be - I'm living near Athlone btw. I've tried Petworld in Athlone - they have some aquariums and stock tiger barbs, danios, mollies and maybe a couple more types of fish (can't remember the names at the minute!) but I would just prefer to go to a specialist shop. Don't get me wrong, the assistants in Petworld are very nice but most of them are teenagers and just don't know how reliable their advice is! So if anyone could recommend any shops close to me I'd really appreciate it. Also I was thinking of going for a cichlid setup - I saw a photo of a cichlid setup on the irishfishkeepers website and I loved it. Would cichlids be too difficult for a beginner though? Also would anyone be able to give me a rough idea how much it would cost to set up a tank of the size? Any help greatly appreciated!!:)

Rory123

Hi Giblets.
Fair play for doing a bit of research! The cost of setting up an 80 to 100L tank with all the bits and bobs will probably cost €200 to €300 depending on what you get and if you want a cabinet. If you are putting money aside I'd say arond €300 to €350 would be a good target. If you are interested in cichlids I believe a good fish for a beginner is Kribensis (Pelvicachromis pulcher), they are quite attractive too so you should research them further. I'm not sure about people in your area but my local shop is Aquarium Solutions in Ashbourne and I cannot recommend it enough. It is run by a guy called Andy Tynan. Andy really knows his stuff and will do you a good deal.

Best of luck,
Rory.

Giblets1067

Thanks Rory, might pay a trip up to Ashbourne at the weekend and have a look around so.

Rory123

No problem. I saw Kribensis there today as it happens so he has them in stock... Although you'll have to wait a couple of weeks before adding fish after your tank is set up. A trip to your local decent library would be a good idea to as you might find some books on tropical fishkeeping! I know there's a petmania in Tullamore and another small petshop there. Not too sure about quality there though.

Limerick Bandit

Loads of info here www.irishfishkeepers.com

ValerieR

AquaPaws in Galway City. They are very knowledgeable, friendly and very helpful.
Good luck with your fish keeping project.

ValerieR
connaught.fishkeeping.society[at]gmail.com