Hello all

[Teddy's Mom]

Hi everyone,
I've been perusing the forum for a couple days and it seems like a really knowledgeable, helpful community, so I thought I'd join up.

I'm new to fish keeping, and holy mackerel, I'm learning that it's a lot more complicated than I imagined. So far I have one male Betta in a 4+ gallon tank that I got about a month ago. He seems to be doing well so far; he has some live plants and driftwood that he swims around in, and he always comes to the side/top of the tank when I approach, which surprised me--I didn't expect him to really interact, so that is very cool. Every 2 or 3 days I do a partial water change and clean debris off the bottom with a turkey baster.

Currently I'm researching fish for a 37 gallon tank I bought used off Craigslist and am in the process of setting up and cycling. It will be a planted community tank. I would welcome suggestions for fairly mellow fish (i.e. not super frenetic swimmers) suitable for a beginner. I'm going for a natural looking tank but I'm really attracted to iridescent, fairly colorful fish. I'm thinking about some of the Tetras and some of the Danios. Also guppies. I really, really love Silver Dollars (my old roommate had one that was just such a gentle, sweet guy), but I'm trying to accept that they would get too big for my other fish.

Also any recommendations for beautiful non-schooling fish that would fit with the group singly or in a pair?

Thanks, and I look forward to learning from y'all (and someday, helping others learn)!

I should add that my local water hardness is listed as 5-7 grains per gallon.

 

[Munroco]

Silver dollars would soon demolish any plants you put in so thats another reason to discount them. I recently bought a school of ember tetras and would definitely recommend them, colourful, peaceable and they glide about rather than dashing madly around the tank. A pair of apistos would fit in well, or another of my favourites, a pair of Anomalochromis Thomasi.

 

[Toney]

Howdy

 

[Teddy's Mom]

Thanks! Actually I was thinking ember tetras look gorgeous, but I wasn't sure whether they were calm, so that's great to know they would be a good choice. Haven't even heard of the other two fish you recommended so I will definitely research those. Too bad about the silver dollars...

 

[luca1980]

Hello and welcome Platys are really hardy, beautiful fish - they come in lots of different colours and in my experience are great for a peaceful community tank. They are also a perfect fish for beginners.

 

[Teddy's Mom]

Thanks, luca1980! I like the look of some platys I saw at a local store--I didn't know there are multiple colors, and hardy is also perfect.

 

[luca1980]

Really good for beginners, and if you're lucky you will get some fry as they breed fairly easily in my experience. Get a group of at 5 or 6, they're great

 

[luca1980]

Make sure you check out this link before you add any fish - very useful information and really easy to follow

http://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/

 

[Teddy's Mom]

I will, thanks!