New Aquarium!

[AundieRae]

Okay so, I have a 10 gallon tank with a betta and some platties, but I love it so much, and I just don't have room to expand. So come April I will be buying myself a new big tank, not sure how many gallons, I am thinking around 40 Gallons.
But my question is.. What fish should I put in it?
I haven't been in the business long enough to know what kinds are better or cooler than others.
I want to hear all the pro's and con's of your favorite fish, and I want to hear personal expiriences too. I have about a 1000 dollar budget for myself including the new tank itself and the gravel and live plants and fish and decorum.
And I also want to hear what kind of tanks you think I should get, and pro's and con's again.
Looking forward to the feedback! Thanks

 

[Lufbramatt]

depends what your water parameters are from the tap- how or low pH? hard or soft? It's much easier in the long run to chose fish that suit the sort of water you have, for example, if you wanted to keep cichlids, if you have soft water, go for central/south american/african riverine types, if you have hard water, go for african rift lake species.

 

[BLUFOX]

it does depend on alot of things.you can do alot with a 40 gallon tho.i had one once (really miss it now).you really need to match the fish you like with your water parameters also.a nice peaceful community would look great.post your parameters and we can help give you some stocking ideas

 

[AundieRae]

The water I have here is REALLY high, like above 7.5ish, that's only as far as my test kit goes to, and it was darker than the key

 

[Lufbramatt]

The pH of my water is 8.2 from the tap! means I can keep some really cool african cichlids, which suits me fine!

 

[BLUFOX]

would you say it was around 7.8??

 

[soybean]

You could do a biotope setup for an area matching roughly matching your ph and water hardness.

 

[AundieRae]

I can't say for sure what it is, it's definitely higher than 7.5, I'm going to say 8 or 7.9 ish, I'll take some water to my bio class and do a screening

 

[soybean]

See if you can measure the gh and kh too.

 

[BLUFOX]

alot of fish have a wide range of ph that they are ok in.what types of fish do you like?? and what setup are you interested in?

would you be interested in an african cichlid setup??
or do you want just a tropical setup??

 

[AundieRae]

It doesn't matter, I just want to hear what your favorites are I have a Betta and platties right now I just want to hear the pros and cons of everything

It doesn't matter, I just want to hear what your favorites are I have a Betta and platties right now I just want to hear the pros and cons of everything

 

[Corrine]

I'm a kinda newbie.. just starting up again so not got any fish in my main 180litre tank yet !

Some of the fish i like are ..

Apistogramma Cacatuoides, double red
Platinum angel fish
Rummy nosed tetras
Some of the stripy or spotty plecos are lovely, leopard frog plecos really catch your eye .. pricey tho £45
the list goes on ...

I also seen some denison barbs that look pretty amazing .. but my 180litre wont be big enough !

 

[soybean]

You want "the pros and cons of everything"? This will be a long thread.

There are so many fish available, too many to list - it will really help if you give an idea of what YOU like. It doesn't have to be a species, it can be colours, shape, behaviour, size. Just try to narrow it down a bit. You must have something in mind.

For example, you have a betta and platys, so you must like colourful fish. Or would you like something more subtle? Etc etc etc.

 

[AundieRae]

I want fish that aren't as coy, I want fish that generally are more friendly though it could depend on personality, I want ones that may be able to breed in my tank, and I do like colors, but I like UNIQUE ness though. I love biology and I want something with an interesting way of life though I think all creatures are interesting . Ones that aren't necissarily common but interesting an fascinating

 

[AundieRae]

Oh and hardy! Can't forget that