Hi
Probably the first thing is to decide what kind of aquarium. Tropical Fw is probably the easiest and the least expensive. There are sooo many directions to go with the idea depending on what interests you.
. Check the internet for ideas to narrow down your interests brfore shopping for equipment.
Tanks are usually too expensive to ship so check around locally as well as check out "used" tanks. Often get great bargains with them as well as equipment thrown in.
I've kept some type of tank since 1953 lol
Down to a low of 3 tanks and 4 ponds right now though lol.
BTW You can have a tank and a cat. The cat will be VERY interested in fish watching also lol gary

Sure, you can have an aquarium easily. 10 gallons is a great size, but many here will disagree with that. I've kept 5 rasboras and an algae eater successfully since last September. You have to be careful on fish choices and combinations. Learn about your fish before you buy so you'll be sure to get appropriate fish for your tank. Some grow too big, some fight others, etc. You should probably get a book or online resource to get you started. A filter and heater will be needed, so your tank needs to be located near an electrical outlet, but not in direct sunlight. The filter and heater are not tricky or difficult to use. You need to set up the tank way in advance of getting the fish. You don't buy the whole set-up in one day. And you might want to visit a few pet shops and talk to people in the aquarium department to see which place seems to have the most knowledgeable people. Also look at the fish to see if water is clear, fish seem active and healthy.

Let us know what you do.

Thanks for your replies!

I think from your opinions and others this is what I should do:

-go freshwater
-get a 30 to 40 galon tank
-get a filter
-put it close to a sink/water hose
-put it on a sturdy table [I believe they make specialized furniture]
-cycle
-get fish food
-get fish cichlids seem to be a good option

I've heard that I would have to get chemicals, is this true? or will it depend on something like overstocking or understocking or other?

I've visited petco and from i've seen on the web there prices are overall higher and do not have knowledgeable staff, I have not gone to a local aquarium store lately, but for what I recall unless they want to get rid of something their prices ara also higher, they do have fish though... :)

Any recomendations on online stores? I've visited: drsfosters&smith.com, fishpetlove.com, marindepot.com, bigalonline.com... comparing prices of say filters (which seems to ba a must) I found that fispetlove.com has the cheapest:

http://fishpetlove.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=346_57&products_id=5775

Is this a good brand? I aslo would like to buy everything from only one place.

Thanks again!

Hi
You need a lot more advice than is practicle to give in a post lol. One site that is incredibly useful is "Rate my fishtank" Gazillions of pix of all kinds of setups. But get through that and check out the articles . Even have one titled "Why keep an Aquarium?"lol
by Chichlids I'm wondering if you're talking about soft or hard water types?? If you have naturally hard,alkaline water from the tap. by far the easiest to maintain will be fish that prefer this type of water.
Such as "Rift lake" at the other extreme are Discus ,angelfish,and the dwarf cichlids.
Anyway check out that site . Whole area dedicated to rating on line vendors??
be sure to check out the "species profiles" of fish that interest you. Will give you a good idea of tank sizes to choose as well as compatible species.real or fake plants. furnishing the tank and appropriate filtration .
BTW Don't get sucked into those magnificent "Reef tank setups ".) Will not only cost you an arm and a leg but a mortgage on your first born also lol.
Good luck and tell us what direction you decide to go.
gary

Do a Walstad-style Natural Planted Aquarium. You get the fun of doing the work setting it up in the beginning when your enthusiasm is high, picking out the plants and some driftwood and fish and such. There's almost equipment, just decent lights, a small powerhead or internal filter for water circulation and a heater, that's it.

The thing about aquariums is after you've had it a while and your not as enthused when you set it up, maintenance can be a chore. With this method, once it's set up, it is almost completely maintenance free. You might not even need to do water changes more than 25% once a year.

I have a 10g planted tank with 15W of light and a 1 gallon fish bowl with only plants, snails, and shrimp. Both require almost no effort except a few flakes of food and evaporation top off. I haven't done a water change in either in a year and everything is fine.

The one downside is the standard hoods that come with standard aquariums are crap. You want 1.5-2W a gallon and the one standard size you get that with is a 10gal. The larger sizes have less Watts/Gal. But for a about 100 you can get a compact florescent fixture that would be good for a 30-40gallon take.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://theaquariumwiki.com/Walstad_method

When you do get the aquarium set up only get a few small fish maybe a couple on neon tetras, something inexpensive, but not a "feeder" goldfish. They will help start the ecosystem, ie" fish poop and the microbes that will eat it. It will get higher ammonia at first until the microbes set up home. Give it about two weeks before adding anything else. Then add any additional fish slowly, maybe one a week, or two very very small. I think the basic rule of thumb is 1 gallon of water for every inch of fish.