This is for any one who has any ideas about an easy tank to maintain for beginners.
Your suggestion should include tank size, filtration (rate in gallons per hour at least), other equipment, suggested substrate and occupants including plants.

For a small community:
20 gallon long fish tank (30" long, 12" front to back, 12" deep)
30g rated power filter
Black Gravel/sand
Java fern
Java Moss

With this setup, you could go for a large number of fish (Tetras, dwarf cichlids, small catfish, small oddballs, the list goes on) IMO, a 20g long is the ideal tank for a beginner with little space and a liking for medium sized fish ;)

okay here's a good starter tank for cichlids.

tank: 20 gallon long

filtration: could be as simple as a sponge filter with air pump, or a h.o.b. filter rated for 200 g.p.h.

heater: as small as 75 watts depending on your particular climate

substrate: gravel or sand

decor: range from driftwood, to rocks and caves, fake plants, or real plants

livestock: could range from a pair of convicts, a pair of bolivian rams, or a bunch of tang shell dwellers. i would make my livestock decision on what my tap water readings were as far as ph and hardness.

My advice for the begginer would be to go as large as they can...

...a larger tank is more stable, both in temperature and in water quality/chemistry...

a couple of ideas:

Basic "Oscar" tank:
75+ gallon tank
Gravel Substrate
Driftwood and Sandstone for aquascaping
Dual Emporer 400 Hang on Back (HOB) filters and a spongefilter/powerhead combo positioned near the bottom of the tank for flow.
Add an appropriately rated titanium submersable heater (cus Oscars can be hell on glass)
...add 2 "Oscars" ('cus one will probably die) and a common pleco....
Feed anything it will get in it's mouth...trout chow is cheap and effective for getting fast growth out of them....

10 gal peacefull community
HOB rated for 10-15 gal
Heater for 10-15 gal
Gravel or sand substrata
Aponogetin bulbs ( avaliable at Wall-Mart)
Java moss
Any other plants you like, the more the better.
5 pair of Endlers Livebearers
4 Corries
4-6 ghost shrimp
1-2 snails

This is lightly stocked, your Endlers will produce fry enough to finish stocking the tank in a few months.

30 gal long
Under gravel filter
HOB filter rated for 30-50
Gravel
Dual output pump, 3-4 outlet gang valve
12 inch bubble bar
duckweed
Java moss if you want any fry to survive
2 fantail goldfish or Black Moors
3 mollys, or sword tails (2 f 1 m)
2-3 snails

i would say no to the UGF.......think of a cess pool, they are the worst type of filters IMO,go with a H.O.B type.

here's a good saltwater starter tank:

LARGE FOWLR (Fish Only With Live Rock)
Minimum 35 gallon tank

- crushed coral substrate (if you plan on getting sand sifters such as gobies)
or
- shell substrate

- 35+ pounds of live rock (Fiji live rock is the cheapest where I live)
- Red Sea Salt
- De-Chlorinated tap water
or R.O Water ( Reverse Osmosis)

- 100W + submersible heater
- X2 powerheads
- plants/corals aren't recommended right away for a beginner tank until cycled
- a cheap fish (Molly or Damsel) - FISH CYCLING METHOD
or
- a piece of shrimp/ fish from the grocery store (un cooked and RAW) for a more
humane NON FISH cycling method

- protein skimmer
- approx. 35 watts of lightng (1WATT PER GALLON OF WATER
- a fish only tank can get away with a basic fluorescent light
- if you want to promot the corraline algae and basic plant life such as
polyps, an incandescent bulb is the least expensive route to go





Remember... when it comes to saltwater tanks BIGGER IS BETTER

i needed that, i was thinking about getting a SW aquarium, thanks :)

Heres what i started with, and its a good begginner set-up

10 gallon, 20" x 12" x 10"
10 gallon tetra external filter
50w submersible heater and thermometer, kept at 78 degrees farenheit
suitable hood and light for the aquarium, must be flourescent
1.5 inch layer of grevel, black is a good color for fish as it stresses them very little
1 or 2 rock garden sculptures
a piece of bogwood
a smashed piece of clay pot
a medium ( 8-10 inch tall amazon sword plant
a few pieces of small tape grass ( 3-5 inches )
some water sprite to float in the aquarium
some java moss to spread on and around the bogwood and rock garden sculptures

fish:
4 tetra danio minnow like fish I.E. zebra danios, redfin tetras, white cloud minnows
2 dwarf or pearl gouramis
4 livebearers ( platy, swordtail, guppy, or molly. )
3 corydoras

but i'd say the best begginner tank of all times, is one of those begginer tanks at the store, like cascades, with platies, or female bettas or white cloud mountain minnows

I'm backing up the white cloud statment, they school beautifully, and are apsolutly radient inbright light. If kept by themselves they dcon't even need a heater as they are cold water fish, but are hardy enough for temperatures of tropical community fish. I have never lost one white cloud under any cercumstances. Great beginner fish. Good for cycling tanks too.