Hello! Small Question For A New Fish Enthusiast.

[AriaDragonfly]

Well not completely new, I had a tank for 3 years back when I was 13-15, but back then mom took care of most everything! Now that I am on my own, I decided to go after the hobby again, albeit knowing this time it wouldn't be as easy without mom around to do all the work!
Anyway, my tank, got a very nice 30 gallon, good filter, good heater and all the little bells and whistles, airstone with rena air, decorations all that. I was smart this time through and actually did some research, and found out about cycling and all that, I still was a bit to enthusiastic about getting new fishies, so once 4 weeks of my tank having no new inhabitants in it, I decided to try my luck, since I tested the water and it checked out okay, I bought three fish, two guppies(Tequila and Obsidian) and an upside down catfish(Stealth, who lives up to his name), Unfortunately Obsidian was fast to fall ill to what looked like fin rot, I of course rushed out and bought medicine and so far Stealth and Tequila have lived on for three weeks, then I was feeling sorry for little Tequila all alone(Since Stealth never leaves his hiding place plant except at night) in that huge 30 gallon tank, so I decided to chance it once again and now Lil' Obsidian(Thus named for her resemblance to the original) has joined the tank, it has been three days and those fish are inseparable, it is really cute they just swim along after eachother, exploring and circling each other! Now my Question after this long rant, is, how long should I wait too add more fish with less of a feeling of impending doom, basically how long till I'm not risking it as much, I mean I know there is always a chance of death for any new fish, but when is there less of a chance. Oh and also, what are some really friendly fish that bond well with other fish or even humans?

Thank you for any help you can give me!

 

[loachman]

Well not completely new, I had a tank for 3 years back when I was 13-15, but back then mom took care of most everything! Now that I am on my own, I decided to go after the hobby again, albeit knowing this time it wouldn't be as easy without mom around to do all the work!
Anyway, my tank, got a very nice 30 gallon, good filter, good heater and all the little bells and whistles, airstone with rena air, decorations all that. I was smart this time through and actually did some research, and found out about cycling and all that, I still was a bit to enthusiastic about getting new fishies, so once 4 weeks of my tank having no new inhabitants in it, I decided to try my luck, since I tested the water and it checked out okay, I bought three fish, two guppies(Tequila and Obsidian) and an upside down catfish(Stealth, who lives up to his name), Unfortunately Obsidian was fast to fall ill to what looked like fin rot, I of course rushed out and bought medicine and so far Stealth and Tequila have lived on for three weeks, then I was feeling sorry for little Tequila all alone(Since Stealth never leaves his hiding place plant except at night) in that huge 30 gallon tank, so I decided to chance it once again and now Lil' Obsidian(Thus named for her resemblance to the original) has joined the tank, it has been three days and those fish are inseparable, it is really cute they just swim along after eachother, exploring and circling each other! Now my Question after this long rant, is, how long should I wait too add more fish with less of a feeling of impending doom, basically how long till I'm not risking it as much, I mean I know there is always a chance of death for any new fish, but when is there less of a chance. Oh and also, what are some really friendly fish that bond well with other fish or even humans?

Thank you for any help you can give me!

If you consistantly measure 0 ammonia and nitrites, you can add more fish
and
If it's been about a week since the last fish.

Oscars are good for bonding with owners, but htye're WAY too big for your tank. I've had platies and mollies that will eat from my hand and are good in that size tank.

 

[RANDC]

My Dad had some Oscars that loved his neons and guppys....

 

[rowdyburns21]

Stock up slowly id usually get some fish and leave it at least a couple of weeks when first stocking a tank

 

[AriaDragonfly]

Well thank you all very much! Another quick question, for a 30 gallon tank I know the rule is an inch of fish per gallon, but how big would be the maximum fish I should get for a community tank?

 

[Esfa]

Well thank you all very much! Another quick question, for a 30 gallon tank I know the rule is an inch of fish per gallon, but how big would be the maximum fish I should get for a community tank?

It depends on the fish, really. A 6" bichir would eat your smaller fish, but a 6" gourami would be fine.

 

[RICH07]

Well not completely new, I had a tank for 3 years back when I was 13-15, but back then mom took care of most everything! Now that I am on my own, I decided to go after the hobby again, albeit knowing this time it wouldn't be as easy without mom around to do all the work!
Anyway, my tank, got a very nice 30 gallon, good filter, good heater and all the little bells and whistles, airstone with rena air, decorations all that. I was smart this time through and actually did some research, and found out about cycling and all that, I still was a bit to enthusiastic about getting new fishies, so once 4 weeks of my tank having no new inhabitants in it, I decided to try my luck, since I tested the water and it checked out okay, I bought three fish, two guppies(Tequila and Obsidian) and an upside down catfish(Stealth, who lives up to his name), Unfortunately Obsidian was fast to fall ill to what looked like fin rot, I of course rushed out and bought medicine and so far Stealth and Tequila have lived on for three weeks, then I was feeling sorry for little Tequila all alone(Since Stealth never leaves his hiding place plant except at night) in that huge 30 gallon tank, so I decided to chance it once again and now Lil' Obsidian(Thus named for her resemblance to the original) has joined the tank, it has been three days and those fish are inseparable, it is really cute they just swim along after eachother, exploring and circling each other! Now my Question after this long rant, is, how long should I wait too add more fish with less of a feeling of impending doom, basically how long till I'm not risking it as much, I mean I know there is always a chance of death for any new fish, but when is there less of a chance. Oh and also, what are some really friendly fish that bond well with other fish or even humans?

Thank you for any help you can give me!

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

but how big would be the maximum fish I should get for a community tank?

This really depends on a couple of different factors. Activity level, tank mates, etc. For example a Keyhole Cichlid which grows to be about 4 inches is fine in a pair or by itself in a standard 30 gallon because they aren't very active swimmers, while Rainbow fish which grow to a similar size would require to be in a larger group and should be in a longer tank because they are very active. If you are looking for a "centerpiece" fish I would recommend doing some research on the smaller Gourami species, or Dwarf Cichlid species since these fish do not need to be in large groups.