Advice on new Aquarium

[joan]

Hi,

I'm planning on buying a freshwater aquarium. I have budgeted about £400 and would like a peaceful community tank. What fish would be ideal for the beginner? I've heard guppies are adaptable and danios but would like mid and bottom dwellers too, any suggestions?

 

[rabbitman]

Hi Joan,

I'm new to the forum too

You should get as big as a tank as you can afford (or fit) as the bigger the more stable envroment you provide. There are many "all in" kits on the market which provide the filter, lighting, heating etc. Ensure you stock slowly to avoid new-tank syndrome and allow your filter to mature.

Danios and guppies are hardy and adaptable to most tap water conditions, make sure you de-chlorinate. Corys are a good ground feeder and I like the tetras as a shoaling fish. Good luck!!

 

[dphill3155]

non-aggressive fish

Catfish
Danios
Gouramis
Guppies Hatchetfish
Loaches
Mollies
Platies Plecostomus
Rasbora
Swordtails
Tetras
White Mountain Cloud


What makes a fish semi-aggressive is the reaction to a hostile or negative situation. Something has to aggravate the fish for them to act out or display aggressive behavior, otherwise they will be on their "best behavior." Examples of semi-aggressive or lively fish include, freshwater sharks, angel fish, barbs and gouramis.

Angel Fish
Barbs
Flying Fox
Freshwater Sharks
Gouramis

(its ok to mix non-aggressive and semi-aggressive fish)

If fish are territorial, or are only compatible with their own species, they are classified as aggressive. These fish will protect their own territory and will harrass, chase, and pick on other fish. Fish may only show aggression to those that are smaller. Some of the most common fish that typically show aggressive behavior are cichlids and bettas.

Cichlids
Bettas


Environment
To thrive in aquariums, tropical fish need a certain level of comfort: places to hide, areas to explore, and sites for breeding. Nothing provides this healthy environment like aquarium plants.


Bottom Huggers
These fish are usually scavengers. Some just prefer to stay in caves or among rocks near the bottom of the aquarium.

Examples:
Catfish, Red Tail Shark, Clown Loach, Plecostomus

Middle Schoolers
These fish like to swim in the middle of the tank. Not all mid-range fish are schoolers. Fish that school like to swim in groups of six to twelve of their species.

Examples:
Swordtails, Sunset Variatus, Gouramis, Guppies, Tetras.

Top Lovers
These fish like to swim near the top of the tank, near the surface of the water. Some top lovers are prone to jump out of the tank, so make sure all openings are covered!

Examples:
Siamese Fighting Fish (Betas), White Cloud, Danios, Marble Hatchet, some Gouramis.

All Levels
These fish like to swim in all levels (layers) of the tank. For a dramatic community display aquarium, consider the number of fish you want to see in each level of the tank. A large school of one species of fish will look spectacular!

Examples:
Cichlids, Rasboras, Bleeding Heart Tetra, Barbs, Mollies, Platies.


Source: http/www.diveintofish.com/tank/

Regards
Darren

 

[angel_lover]

hi im looking for some advice on my tank...it's a 55gallon freshwater i've had it running for 10 days now,PH is at 7.0,amonia is at 0 but the nitrite is still very high like 5.0 or so...the tank is for my angels i have them in a 20 gallon now but they are getting pretty big so i wanted to get them a bigger home...but i love them sooo much and don't want them to die,so if anyone has any advice please help...wondering how long i should run it for and what i can do to make their move safer and less stressfull...thanks

 

[baseballfan111]

last post i replayed but for the thread starter

i would get some guppies neons and cories you would have a top, mid, and bottem feeders, i dont know how much your uk money is so bear with me. they are a great combo

 

[Alien Anna]

Hi There!

Just sharing the benefit of my limited experience, but I take issue with a couple of your suggestions:

Gouramis: fine on their own or as a breeding pair, but may have territorial fights if you have two males or two females. Also, may well regard other gouramis and bettas as competition, and the two species may fight. Don't forget to check the adult size (no, they don't grow to the size of the tank). Some gourami species are very large.

Loaches: Most are fine but often Chinese Algae Eaters are sold as "Chinese Loaches" or various other common names. I know CAEs aren't loaches, but so many LFS con newbies into buying them, believing them to be harmless, I thought it was worth mentioning. So be careful to check the Latin names.

My top tip: Don't buy anything called "Chinese Algae Eater" or "Chinese Loaches" because it won't eat algae once it's grown, it isn't a loach and it likes a diet of live fish slime and eyeballs. And it most definitely isn't a Siamese Algae Eater, whatever the LFS says!

Fresh water "sharks": Again, check the adult size. I see too many "Silver sharks" sold to people who have no idea that these are large fish who should be kept in shoals. Guppies or bettas or other fish with long, flowing fins may suffer if a "shark" is in the tank.

Barbs: Not all barbs are created equal and the various species have very different behaviours. Tiger Barbs have a notorious reputation, of course, but cherry barbs are wonderful, gentle fish who cause nobody any trouble, and gold barbs are pretty innocuous.

I'd also mention that shoaling fish should be in shoals (6-8 minimum) and that includes many fish that people don't think of as shoaling fish, such as clown loaches and SAEs.

Some fish are brackish water fish, principally livebearers (mollies, swordtails, platties, guppies...) and many fish are rather intolerant to salt (tetras, corys etc.) so I don't think a beginner should be trying to combine them, personally.

My second top-tip: Adjust the fish to your water, not the water to your fish. Don't try to adjust pH unless you really know what you're doing - fish often survive quite well at the "wrong" pH but a sudden rise or drop will kill them. Most particularly avoid chemical pH adjusters if you're a newbie.