Fish so pretty

[SuckerLove86]

Ok, so I got hooked on fish, which in turn got my b/f hooked on fish, who now has his best friend hooked on fish.

Problem is...

His best friend now wants a 55 gallon, which is cool and all, but he wants it to be salt water. His main reasoning behind wanting a salt water tank is that the fish are more colorful and prettier. He'll be living with my b/f, who knows how to take care of a freshwater tank, but no one out of the three of us even knows where to start with salt water.

My question is...

What're some of the more striking, colorful fish of the fresh waters? I'd like to show him that freshwater fish can be perty too so that he doesn't get a bunch of s/w fish and plop them in a big tank of tap water with a spoonful of table salt....

 

[FrAnK3333]

SW tank are very expensive. I plan to turn my 20 gallon into one sometime this year. As for colorful freshwater fish try cichlids. Cockatoo cichlids are very colorful.

 

[Raechal]

Try some Mbuna cichlids. Yellow labs are VERY bright yellow. There are also some cichlids who are very bright blues and yellows.

 

[NeveR]

Can't forget Neon Dwarf Gouramis

 

[yvez9]

if he wants to strat a 55 gallon marine tank

maybe you could bring him to the marine section on this forum or on the reefcentral website

colorful reeftanks with nice corals usually need about 10 watts per gallon of light, that means about 600 watts of lights for him, spread across 4 feet.

He'll also need about 60-70 pounds of live rock, which is about 5-15$ a pound

He'll need to use RO water and a marine mix, which will ring in at about 75¢ per gallon

then he nees the actual tank, a sump, a uv sterilizer, lots of powerheads, a massive clean-up crew (lots of snails, hermits and shrimps) and of course, a few fish...

By the time he's ready to add fish, he'll have spent at least 2 grand, for a rather cheap setup for a 55 gallon tank. Then he'll spend a lot for fish

If he has spare time and he's willing to learn how to properly maintain it then by all means, go ahead!

marine tanks are aweosm,e I'm planning on setting up a nano-tank myself

 

[trevo878]

If he wants a colourful freshwter tank, he can definately do an African mbuna tank. All mbuna's are very colourful. Also, this is way cheaper than saltwater.

 

[SuckerLove86]

Thanks everyone!

I saw him tonight and told him how expensive a beginners salt water tank can get and suggested the cichlid idea. I told him to do some research on em, maybe look at some pictures to see all the variety involved with em. He seemed pretty open to the idea after finding out how much money and work it would be to set up a salt water.

Thanks again for the speedy replies everyone!

 

[DannyBoy17]

Lol. bring him to the store, and let him look at the prices for marine fish. That might change his mind.

DB