fishyfoo said:
ok this might b a really silllyyyy question but i gotta ask i dont totally understand the meaning of a community in fish terms???
any opinions on an ideal community?? id like some small and a few bigger fish eventually plus i saw this pink one in a shop ages ago that was cute anyone have any ideas its breed - it was pink all over lol god i ask stupid questions!!!
Firstly, those are not stupid questions. Stupid questions are things like "I put 6 pacus in a 6ft tank and they all died. Why?" (Note: pacus are vegetarian piranhas that can get to 5 ft in length). Asking necessary questions because you are a newbie to this hobby is not stupid, it's essential.
A "community" means a group of different species of fish in an aquarium. Usually, people choose fish that like the water surface, fish that like the middle of the tank and bottom feeders. For instance, some White Cloud Mountain Minnows, some tetras and some cory catfish (a school of 6 of each), or a dwarf gourami, some platies and a dwarf plec (suckermouth catfish). It depends on the size of your tank and the "look" you want. The opposite is a "Species tank", which is a specialist tank for one species, often species that won't live with other fish successfully, such as oscars or goldfish, or species you're trying to breed, such as a pair of bettas. A half-way house is a tank for one type of fish, such as livebearers or Lake Malawi cichlids.
Here's my "rules" for a good looking, healthy tank:
1. No more than 1 inch of fish, not including tails, per US gallon of water. This applies to adult size so do your research.
2. Keep the number of species down: "Less is more".
3. Keep the numbers of schooling fish up to at least 6-8. Bigger schools look more spectacular and will show the natural behaviour more readily.
4. Provide "caves" and hide-aways for shy and territorial fish.
5. Buy tough species when you start out and work up to the more difficult ones. This does not necessarily mean dull fish - cardinal tetras, guppies, bettas and pearl gouramis all have spectacular colours, but are good beginner fish (although not necessarily together).
6. Keep like with like. Keep fish that like similar enviroments together and don't try to mix them until you are much more experienced e.g. mollies with tetras.
7. Never buy on impulse. We all do it, at least once, but usually it's a mistake.
8. Consider what fish eat. If you put angels with neons, or clown loaches with fancy snails, expect losses. And if you put an alligator gar with anything, expect a fat alligator gar and no other fish by morning.
Secondly, the pink fish you describe sounds like a blind cavefish. Absolutely fascinating creatures - born with eyes and then lose them as they mature, they navigate by a kind of sonar that makes bats look like amateurs. I saw an amazing "cave" aquarium, 12"x12"x24" (a 2' tank on it's side), complete with stalagtites and stalagmites and lit with a moonlight bulb, in Bristol Zoo.
Otherwise, it could have been a dyed fish. That is a very cruel practice that is going on at the moment, so be suspicious if you see a species that looks unrealistically coloured, and check it out before buying. Cavefish are kind of flesh pink.
Hope this helps. I think your first step is to determine the size of tank (as big as possible) and the type of water you have coming out of your tap (the closer to the ideal for your fish, the easier it will be). Next, start drooling over pictures of fish until you settle on something you fancy. Then get back to us.
