ok......I am a complete "noob" when it comes to fish and aquariums. I have been toying with the idea of getting a tank for a while and finally decided to get one. As to what size I am stuck between a 30gal, and a 55 gal. I have found the 30 for $100, and the 55gal for $150. I am leaning towards the 55 gal because in my other hobbies (cars, speakers) its cheaper to get what you want the first time so you won't have to upgrade later......As for the type of fish I am lost.....There's so many different types of everything. What I want is some non aggressive, peaceful, "beautiful" fish...........I think with a 55 gal tank i will have plenty of room for more than enough fish to suit my needs. So what fish would you suggest for a beginner in my situation???I have been reading up on cycling, cleaning etc, so i can handle that area on my own, and will post questions on that topic later.......thanks in advance, all help is greatly appreciated!!!!!!
What would you do?
- Thread starter traksta15
- Start date
bobwumba
Fish Fanatic
I was in the same situation as you. I was debating between a 30 gallon and a 55 gallon and decided to go with the 55. In total I spent about 300 for all the necessary supplies for the 55 instead of 250 on which I would have spent for everything for a 30. 25 gallons only costed me 50 bucks more.
As you said with a larger tank there are many more possibilities for fish types. You just have to look around for fish that you like. Some sites that I found useful were this and this.
one fish that I can think of that fills all the traits you desire are boesemani rainbowfish
hope this helped and welcome to the hobby
As you said with a larger tank there are many more possibilities for fish types. You just have to look around for fish that you like. Some sites that I found useful were this and this.
one fish that I can think of that fills all the traits you desire are boesemani rainbowfish
hope this helped and welcome to the hobby
Here's an idea for a centerpiece that would go with those rainbows.
ok, stupid question coming.........
its perfectly ok to use tap water as long as its pH is safe, and it's been cycled right?is there anything else i have to do to it?Salts, or any other treatments???what other fish would you suggest??
its perfectly ok to use tap water as long as its pH is safe, and it's been cycled right?is there anything else i have to do to it?Salts, or any other treatments???what other fish would you suggest??
oneponygirl
Fishaholic
Yes, you'll want to treat with a product that takes out chlorine AND chloramine. As for salt it depends on your fish. I recently checked out about 8 books on tropical aquarium keeping from the library. "The Complete Fishkeeper" by Joseph Levine was about the best of them as far as completeness of information, suitability for a beginner and lots of information about fish. In particular it gives detailed lists and information about setting up your tanks along with lots of do's and don't's. It has a listing of more than ten example tanks and what should go in them. It's thought about pretty much everything as far as I can tell. Swiming areas, substrate, plants, what to look out for and how many fish of what types will go well together. You might check it out, it has done a lot of the homework for you.
ALWAYS buy as big as possible as long as your wallet can afford it and you have enough space to put it somewhere.traksta15 said:
what would i useany fish suggestions??i was thinking a few little ones and one larger one.....any input?im about to go buy the 55 gal tank........
A larger tank is easier to keep and it opens up more options when it comes to selecting fish.
Fish suggestions:
Start by reading a book and see what fish intrest you. Do you like peacefull and colorfull fish in a planted tank? Fish with intresting behaviour?
Also if the water in your tap has very high or low Ph you should probably start with fish that like the Ph you have.
Some general tips:
* ALWAYS Research first You don't want to come home with a fish only to find out that it hates what your other fish demands. Or that it gets 25 inches when fully grown.
* Don't trust what "the guy in the store" says. Unfortunatley some are ignorant or just plain greedy.
* Don't do any impulse buying. It's probably the hardest thing not to do, especially when you see those really cool fish in the store.
pica_nuttalli
don't be a twit
and tells us your general location (there's a place for it in your profile) so we know what kind of products to recommend.
oneponygirl
Fishaholic
Well, based on what you've said you could stick with a bunch of livebearers. A few pairs each of guppies, swordtails, platies, and a pair or two of mollies (or go with "sets" like 2 females to each male depending on what types you end up getting) and then some corys to hang out at the bottom go add interest down there. If you do this you'll probably want to leave some extra room for babies to grow into and have a baby net or similar device at the ready. You could do some gouramis and tetras and corys. Really there are so many possibilities, just do a TON of research before you buy. You've got some time to make the decision though since you still need to set your tank up and get it cycled.
I use AquaSafe in my water just to be safe (I'm on a well so my water is not treated). For my bettas I also use a bit of aquarium salt (this is different than marine salt for saltwater fish) but I don't in my larger tank because it has tetras and they don't like it.
I use AquaSafe in my water just to be safe (I'm on a well so my water is not treated). For my bettas I also use a bit of aquarium salt (this is different than marine salt for saltwater fish) but I don't in my larger tank because it has tetras and they don't like it.
bobwumba
Fish Fanatic
i wound up paying 300 us dollars for:traksta15 said:
55 gallon packages-160
included:
tank
lighting
heater
filter
dechlorinator
air pump-20
air stone-3
air tubing-1
gravel-25
aquarium salt-1
plants -20
stand-70
all i needed was food and fish
im not sure if there is a petsmart or walmart near you but they usually have this 55 gallon package at either location the only fault to this package that i found was that the filter was very noisy and the tank was in my bedroom so i upgraded a month or so later.
some general information on many types of rainbowfish can be found
here
the boesemani is the third down
the bigger the better
Just wanted to say not to get 'pairs of livebearers'. They should eb kept as trios - 2 females for every male. Also, not all livebearers are peaceful or compatible. Guppies, for example, are often bullied while mollies are often bullies.
In a 55 gallon, I like the boesmani rainbows. Also take a look at the turqoise rainbow (melanotaenia lacustris) which is a lovely bright blue. You could keep both species. They get to 4" and should each be in a group of around 5 minnimum as they are schooling fish.
That would still leave you with a little space which I would fill with a few interesting loaches (try botia striata - zebra loach). Alternatively, a big school of some kind of corydoras catfish (I like c. aenus and c. leukomelas - bronze/albino and blackfin respectively. The peppered cories are also quite hardy cories if that's what you're looking for.). Cories should be in a group of 4 or more. Idealy, choose between the bottom dwellers - either go for the cories or the zebra loaches (with other laoches its ok to mix - I just eprsonaly have had some bad experiences with this particular combination). Another lovely loach is the yoyo which is less aggressive than the zebra towards other bottom dwellers and is actualy quite social with its own kind IME.
Alternatively, you could go for just one of the rainbow species or try the neon/dwarf rainbow (melanotaenia praecox) to leave yourself some extra room for other fish.
Regardless, you may also want to put in some kind of smaller schooling fish or a larger 'centerpiece fish'.
Good small schoolers are harlequin rasboras, rummynose/firehead tetras, black phantom tetras or any of the danios (except giant which tend to be nippy and grow larger). All these should be in a group of 5-6. All of these get from between 1.5" to 2".
Centerpiece fish to look at are rams, I preffer bolivians, as a pair. There's also many countless gourami species that would look fantastic. If you take care to not get anything nippy, a trio of pearl gouramies (trichogaster leeri - to 5") would look amazing (especialy if you plant the tank). Other gouramies you can look at are: moonlights (trichogaster microlepis - 7" - as a trio or singly), three-spots (trichogaster trichopterus - 6" - either keep several females or a single male - don't keep more than one male or other gouramies with him - there's a number of color morphs to choose from such as the opaline, blue, gold or platinum), banded (colisa fasciata - 4"), thick-lipped (colisa labiosa 3.5") and dwarf (colisa lalia - 2" - often confused with the honey gourami which is colisa chuna/sota and stays smaller - the dwarf comes in a multitude of color morphs of which the males are the bright ones. They are unfortunately prone to disease.)
Those are all very colorful, attractive fish.
There are some other fish to take into consideration also such as keyhole cichlids (and other dwarf neotropicals besides rams), small to medium-sized plecostomus catfish, certain other catfish such as upside-down cats, various shark-like species (siamese algae eaters, false siamese algae eaters, oblongus and flying foxes are all quite peaceful and get to about 4-6" some of which should be kept singly but there's also the more aggressive red tailed black shark and rainbow sharks which need to be kept singly, in a large tank and may not be suitable tankmates for certain fish).
The fact is, there's hundreds, if not more, species of fish to choose from... Research whatever you are interested in slowly because I guarantee you'll regret it otherwise. Seriously, take your time, you'llw ant another tank before long...
Oh and here's what I would do in a heavily planted 55 if I wanted to meet your criteria:
7 praecox rainbows
3 opaline gouramies (trio)
3 yoyo loaches
1 flying fox
5 (yellow mickey-mouse) platies (2 males, 3 females)
BTW, there's useful GUIDELINE (it's not a rule) that says that for every gallon of water you can have one inch of fish. The 'inch' is meant to reffer to the adult size of the fish - so a 2" opaline gourami counts for 6" because that's the size it will reach. The guide is not actualy emant to be used for anything over about 4" and only applies to slim-bodied fish like neon tetras but it is still a good guide. The gallons are in US gallons (as opposed to UK gallons).
In a 55 gallon, I like the boesmani rainbows. Also take a look at the turqoise rainbow (melanotaenia lacustris) which is a lovely bright blue. You could keep both species. They get to 4" and should each be in a group of around 5 minnimum as they are schooling fish.
That would still leave you with a little space which I would fill with a few interesting loaches (try botia striata - zebra loach). Alternatively, a big school of some kind of corydoras catfish (I like c. aenus and c. leukomelas - bronze/albino and blackfin respectively. The peppered cories are also quite hardy cories if that's what you're looking for.). Cories should be in a group of 4 or more. Idealy, choose between the bottom dwellers - either go for the cories or the zebra loaches (with other laoches its ok to mix - I just eprsonaly have had some bad experiences with this particular combination). Another lovely loach is the yoyo which is less aggressive than the zebra towards other bottom dwellers and is actualy quite social with its own kind IME.
Alternatively, you could go for just one of the rainbow species or try the neon/dwarf rainbow (melanotaenia praecox) to leave yourself some extra room for other fish.
Regardless, you may also want to put in some kind of smaller schooling fish or a larger 'centerpiece fish'.
Good small schoolers are harlequin rasboras, rummynose/firehead tetras, black phantom tetras or any of the danios (except giant which tend to be nippy and grow larger). All these should be in a group of 5-6. All of these get from between 1.5" to 2".
Centerpiece fish to look at are rams, I preffer bolivians, as a pair. There's also many countless gourami species that would look fantastic. If you take care to not get anything nippy, a trio of pearl gouramies (trichogaster leeri - to 5") would look amazing (especialy if you plant the tank). Other gouramies you can look at are: moonlights (trichogaster microlepis - 7" - as a trio or singly), three-spots (trichogaster trichopterus - 6" - either keep several females or a single male - don't keep more than one male or other gouramies with him - there's a number of color morphs to choose from such as the opaline, blue, gold or platinum), banded (colisa fasciata - 4"), thick-lipped (colisa labiosa 3.5") and dwarf (colisa lalia - 2" - often confused with the honey gourami which is colisa chuna/sota and stays smaller - the dwarf comes in a multitude of color morphs of which the males are the bright ones. They are unfortunately prone to disease.)
Those are all very colorful, attractive fish.
There are some other fish to take into consideration also such as keyhole cichlids (and other dwarf neotropicals besides rams), small to medium-sized plecostomus catfish, certain other catfish such as upside-down cats, various shark-like species (siamese algae eaters, false siamese algae eaters, oblongus and flying foxes are all quite peaceful and get to about 4-6" some of which should be kept singly but there's also the more aggressive red tailed black shark and rainbow sharks which need to be kept singly, in a large tank and may not be suitable tankmates for certain fish).
The fact is, there's hundreds, if not more, species of fish to choose from... Research whatever you are interested in slowly because I guarantee you'll regret it otherwise. Seriously, take your time, you'llw ant another tank before long...
Oh and here's what I would do in a heavily planted 55 if I wanted to meet your criteria:
7 praecox rainbows
3 opaline gouramies (trio)
3 yoyo loaches
1 flying fox
5 (yellow mickey-mouse) platies (2 males, 3 females)
BTW, there's useful GUIDELINE (it's not a rule) that says that for every gallon of water you can have one inch of fish. The 'inch' is meant to reffer to the adult size of the fish - so a 2" opaline gourami counts for 6" because that's the size it will reach. The guide is not actualy emant to be used for anything over about 4" and only applies to slim-bodied fish like neon tetras but it is still a good guide. The gallons are in US gallons (as opposed to UK gallons).
ok i just bought the 30 gallon because after reading all the "basic info for beginners" I decided to go w/the 30 gallon because of space/price (the 55 gallon was 150, but i thought the 30 was a better choice.)i think what i want is some "school fish" then a "centerpiece" fish (this is the biggest, "main focused" fish right) then a few smaller ones.......any suggestions/links??thanks again for all the help, you guys are WAY more informative than the other 2 forums i belong to...........
masterfishes
Fish Fanatic
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2005
- Messages
- 135
- Reaction score
- 0
ok lets see
schooling fish: tetras(neon, glo light, b. neon. i like a mix of each so its like 3 minin schools), danios(zebra, lepored, blue, and long finned varieties of these), white clouds, barbs(i like cherrys and tigers), angels....u need atleast 5 for a schooling fish
"center piece": gourami....cant think of others now
others: corys(eat leftovers) and otos(control algea)....maybe a pleco(i love these)
all of these r pretty easy to take car of(angels idk cuzz ive never had em....tetras r a little tricky: very easily tressed and meds need to be used in lower amounts that uasual)
i would got with these:
5 or so of a type of danio or the white clouds
1-3 gouramys
7+ of your choice of mid tank schoolers(tetras or barbs)
a few corys and ottos
maybe a pleco
and always remeber: only had a few fish at a time to allow ur tank to ajust
schooling fish: tetras(neon, glo light, b. neon. i like a mix of each so its like 3 minin schools), danios(zebra, lepored, blue, and long finned varieties of these), white clouds, barbs(i like cherrys and tigers), angels....u need atleast 5 for a schooling fish
"center piece": gourami....cant think of others now
others: corys(eat leftovers) and otos(control algea)....maybe a pleco(i love these)
all of these r pretty easy to take car of(angels idk cuzz ive never had em....tetras r a little tricky: very easily tressed and meds need to be used in lower amounts that uasual)
i would got with these:
5 or so of a type of danio or the white clouds
1-3 gouramys
7+ of your choice of mid tank schoolers(tetras or barbs)
a few corys and ottos
maybe a pleco
and always remeber: only had a few fish at a time to allow ur tank to ajust
that sounds like a good plan....i wont have any problems with fighting or anything will I?what about the liking of different pH levels/water tempature??thanks again for all the help!!!!!!!!
p.s. its ok to mix the gouramis right?like dwarfs, honey's, and the other ones i can't remember??and aren't barbs aggressive??
Similar threads
Most reactions
-
250 -
230 -
195 -
174 -
165 -
156 -
145 -
129 -
117 -
110 -
102 -
92 -
80 -
80 -
69