Fish Tank Questions + Stocking

[JavaJinx]

Some of you may have seen my last post asking questions about a 10 gallon Betta tank. This is still going on, but my dad also wants a big tank (Meaning somewhere around 40 gallons). I have a couple questions. Or should I say lots of questions. I just don't know what some of them are yet.
 
I want Freshwater. My dad wants a living reef, but we are both total newbies. So, no living reef for us.
 
I was thinking a female betta sorority type tank. What other fish (Or creatures) could I get?
 
My dad's willing to pay $50-$60 for a single fish if he finds one he likes. He wants bright, vibrant fish. (He seemed interested in the big fish like the Plecos)
 
What shape of tank do we go for? My dad is leaning to one of the higher type tanks. Does this limit your fish decisions? I would assume a regular rectangular tank would be better.
 
How often would you do water changes? I have heard 25% once a week and 50% twice a month.
 
There will be more questions, but this is it for now,
JavaJinx

 

[fluttermoth]

There are two ways of doing a new set up, either;
 
decide on a particular fish you want to keep, and then get the tank and set up that will suit it best. or
 
get the tank and set it up, then choose fish that will be happy in there
 
What you cannot do, if you want healthy, happy fish, is get the tank you like, and the fish you like and expect it to work!
 
Taller tanks certainly do limit the fish you can keep. Most fish; even discus and angels, swim horizontally, not vertically, plus the fact that your stocking level is very much determined by the amount of surface area for gas exchange, so deeper tanks can only have the same stocking as a shallower tank of the same width/length.
 
Water changes depend on your stocking. A heavily planted tank, stocked with small fish will need far less water changes than a tank stocked with bigger fish. Around 30 - 50% weekly is what most people recommend.
 
I don't want to recommend any particular species, as I don't know enough about your water; is it hard or soft, and what's the nitrite level like?

 

[Tropical_Dave]

hi there, if you want bright bold colors and dont want a reef tank i would suggest setting up a cichlid tank. i would strongly suggest doing a lot of research on anything you decide to go for. cichlids are very colorful fish, like yellow labs for example, very beautiful fish, but you have to be carefull what you put together as cichlids are an aggressive fish, i myself have a pair of jewel cichlids that are in their own tank as they will kill anything i put in with them (especialy as they now have 200+ fry to look after!).
llok through some of the videos on this youtube channel: http/www.youtube.com/channel/UCKqRH0Ch-4VmddUNUk01-ug
its called African Cichlid Hub, they'll give you  an idea of what you can get and what they need, but as i said earlier do a lot of research and make sure you are prepared for anything you get, that way you'll be rewarded with a beautiful looking tank

 

[JavaJinx]

There are two ways of doing a new set up, either;
 
decide on a particular fish you want to keep, and then get the tank and set up that will suit it best. or
 
get the tank and set it up, then choose fish that will be happy in there
 
What you cannot do, if you want healthy, happy fish, is get the tank you like, and the fish you like and expect it to work!
 
Taller tanks certainly do limit the fish you can keep. Most fish; even discus and angels, swim horizontally, not vertically, plus the fact that your stocking level is very much determined by the amount of surface area for gas exchange, so deeper tanks can only have the same stocking as a shallower tank of the same width/length.
 
Water changes depend on your stocking. A heavily planted tank, stocked with small fish will need far less water changes than a tank stocked with bigger fish. Around 30 - 50% weekly is what most people recommend.
 
I don't want to recommend any particular species, as I don't know enough about your water; is it hard or soft, and what's the nitrite level like?

Thanks so much! We have hard water. I thought I heard about the taller tanks not being as good.Very helpful post!
 
 

hi there, if you want bright bold colors and dont want a reef tank i would suggest setting up a cichlid tank. i would strongly suggest doing a lot of research on anything you decide to go for. cichlids are very colorful fish, like yellow labs for example, very beautiful fish, but you have to be carefull what you put together as cichlids are an aggressive fish, i myself have a pair of jewel cichlids that are in their own tank as they will kill anything i put in with them (especialy as they now have 200+ fry to look after!).
llok through some of the videos on this youtube channel: http/www.youtube.com/channel/UCKqRH0Ch-4VmddUNUk01-ug
its called African Cichlid Hub, they'll give you  an idea of what you can get and what they need, but as i said earlier do a lot of research and make sure you are prepared for anything you get, that way you'll be rewarded with a beautiful looking tank

I will look into Cichlids I came here to be the base of research and to expand greatly off of it. It's so nice to hear lots of opinions from different people! I will look into those videos, but due to our limited internet at home, it will have to wait until I go to my moms office. We should be going later today.
 
~JJ

 

[fluttermoth]

If you have hard water, African cichlids could be a good choice for you. They do need very hard, alkaline water to do well, and are pretty much the nearest thing to a reef tank you can do in freshwater.
 
As with most cichlids, they have a lot of character, even if they're not big in size (although some Africans can get to six or eight inches). You would need to looking at tank that's at least four feet long; you can go deeper with these sorts of tank, as well, as African cichlids have a distinct hierarchy, where the more dominant fish control the lower caves and the less dominant fish occupy the less desirable upper level ones.

 

[JavaJinx]

If you have hard water, African cichlids could be a good choice for you. They do need very hard, alkaline water to do well, and are pretty much the nearest thing to a reef tank you can do in freshwater.
 
As with most cichlids, they have a lot of character, even if they're not big in size (although some Africans can get to six or eight inches). You would need to looking at tank that's at least four feet long; you can go deeper with these sorts of tank, as well, as African cichlids have a distinct hierarchy, where the more dominant fish control the lower caves and the less dominant fish occupy the less desirable upper level ones.

In the current place we are considering for the tank, there is not enough room for a 4ft long tank. I believe the length has to be 38in or less. Depth can vary. But if my mom gets her way, it will be in the basement and then we may be able to consider a 4ft long tank.
Thank you so much,
~JJ

 

[fluttermoth]

I think your best option at the moment is probably to take a trip around all your local fish shops and write a list of everything you ( or your mum or dad!) like the look of.
 
Then you can post them here and people can tell you what will suit your water, what fish are compatible with each other and what sized tank they'd need

 

[JavaJinx]

I think your best option at the moment is probably to take a trip around all your local fish shops and write a list of everything you ( or your mum or dad!) like the look of.
 
Then you can post them here and people can tell you what will suit your water, what fish are compatible with each other and what sized tank they'd need

We went to an awesome shop yesterday, but I think we were all too overwhelmed to do anything but stand in shock. I personally am a big fan of livebearers. Especially guppies. I love Pygmy Cories and Bettas as well. My dad is a huge fan of everything big and colorful.  He was having a lot of fun feeding the Koi yesterday. He acted more like a kid than I did! Of course, Koi is out. He liked the Glofish and the Neon Tetras too. It's going to be tough to agree. Dad's paying, so I cant quite have it all my way. But I'm feeding and cleaning, so he can't have it all his way. I'll hopefully be going to Walmart today, so I'll take a look there. I won't get them there though. I loved the shop we went to yesterday because you didn't see any dead fish. The people there seemed to know more than anyone at any pet store.
Thanks for the advice. It'll probably be me and my mom going out to look, posting here, then showing my dad pictures.
~JJ