help me choose which fish to get

[DylFunk]

Hi im new to these forums i just signed up. i need some help choosing what kind of fish i should get for my 60 gallon aquarium. I've never done this before so i'd like some easy fish to care for ( but preferably ones that look nice too ). I'd like to have a little variety as well. if i'm being too picky and its hard to find good easy fish that can co-exist peacefully tell me . i just got the tank from a friend who kept cichlids in it ( although he wasnt very experienced either and they ended up eating eachother until he got rid of them and gave me his tank ). anyway when i got it it was covered in mineral deposites, so i cleaned them off with C L R im not sure if you're familiar with it. i'm also not sure if i need to go through any sterilization process before puting fish in. So, basically my two questions are

1. what kind of fish are easy to care for and will co-exist peacefully together?

2. is there any sterilization process i need to go through before adding fish to my aquarium after having used C L R to clean it?

so if you have any suggestions on either of these topics please tell me

THANKS!

 

[punkserb]

i don't know about fish, but that sounds very cool having a 60 gallon.

as for steralization, i don't know what CLR is but i think you should was it in tap water until there are no more bubbles or foam and such. and even then wash for a few more minutes.

also, don't put fish in right away. read about fishless cycling and although it will take longer, it will be VERY worth it. good luck!

 

[DylFunk]

thanks alot ill try too look into it.

 

[punkserb]

no problem. at first i thought cycling was a crappy and boring idea made by some super PETA-heads, but after reading about all the problems people had when they simply added fish without cycling, i figured it is worth the time and delay in getting new fish.

i promise you it won't be fun. you'll get frustrated and angry, and you'll want to just piss in the damn tank from impatience, but it is, like someone else said, better than watching your favorite fishes die.

read this, i think its the best article on it: http/www.aaquaria.com/aquasource/cycle2.shtml

 

[DylFunk]

thanks for the link. have you tried fishless cycling before? if so how long did it take you?

 

[punkserb]

haha i'm currently cycling a 5 gallon. its my first time. its been about....3 weeks now me thinks. but things are moving along, albeit slowly. i'm hoping to have it ready soon as my nitrites go down....unfortunately that ususally takes the longest...

 

[The-Wolf]

you can do a fish cycle, you need to chose some hardy fish
clod mountain minnows and danios are good both are community fish so you can keep them when the cycle is complete. start with 5 or 6 of either but no both.

 

[punkserb]

yea but its so much stress on the fish...i don't like that.

 

[The-Wolf]

yea but its so much stress on the fish...i don't like that.

I didn't realise that.
That is what I did as a newbie and I still have my minnows.
I did however have my water in the tank for 2 weeks (with airation, but nothing else) and had it tested before putting in any fish.

 

[DylFunk]

thanks for the help guys. good luck with your cycling

 

[DylFunk]

oh yeah one more thing, when you do a water change do you use tap water?

 

[vantgE]

Hey for fish I would always suggets african mbuna heres a great article
Thay can be a little agrisive but are beutiful and hardy and with proper research and stocking it can be minimized, gives you'l have lot's of time to choose specific fish once you start fishless cycleing too that keeps you from beeing to impatient and just setup a very rocky cave filled aquarium

http/cichlid-forum.com/articles/why_african_cichlids.php

And for a water change you have to add water conditioner to it such as aquaplus that removes chlorine and chlorimine if that is in your water
Oh and just give it a really really good rinse for the clr there isn't much else you can do

 

[punkserb]

yes i use tap water but i use insta-chlor to dechlorinate it first. its all i use. if it has ammonia or nitrites or whatever in it, the bacteria that have built up during cycling take care of it! that's teh beauty of cycling.

 

[DylFunk]

OK thanks alot guys

 

[Incitic]

After your done with the cycle, get some Clown Loaches, they're great fish. They also clean gravel.

http/www.users.bigpond.com/rjeb/clown.html

http/www.loaches.com/species_pages/botia_macracanthus.html

Be wary of their potential size though.