Hi

[tom1987]

Hi everyone

ive just joined the forum and thought id intoduce myself

ive just bought an aquarium, my dad kept tropical fish for a few years so i thought id gave a go

i need a bit of help. we have ben told we need some starter fish, but not too sure what to go for?

suggestions will be much appreciated

thanks in advance

Tom

 

[mike455555]

welcome to the forum
have you read about cycling the filter? (look in my sig in beginners resources)

im assuming you havens got mature media?. if not i wouldn't recommend going for starter fish (which im guessing your just using to cycle the tank)

but harder fish would be. live breeders( guppies plattys swordtail's), betta are fairy hardy.

does your dad still has his tank? because you could take some mature media from it to give your cycle a boost

 

[Fishy friend2]

hello and welcome to the forums, if you want ot browse the beginners resource center it is in my signature (just look below my post)

 

[KittyKat]

Welcome to the forum, please fishless cycle! From what I have observed, it is quicker and less stressful than trying to keep the fish alive while the filter bacteria multiply. If you can give us more information about your new set-up, it would help us give you better advice.

Personally, I would not call the average livebearer "hardy".

 

[mike455555]

what are hardier fish then?. (what i was told, probable from my LFS that live-breeders were hardy)

 

[Fishy friend2]

IMO goldfish, danios, and bettas are the hardiest..... that's why so many people treat them badly. because they can survive the worst conditions imaginable

 

[KittyKat]

It depends on the water parameters, set-up and where the fish is coming from. For example, a well bred (i.e. not inbred) livebearer in cool, hard water with a medium flow and a planted set-up without any aggressive fish is what I consider a "hardy fish". So would some South American cichlids in the right conditions… but these are not necessarily fish which would survive a fish-in cycle.

On the other hand, what you want to be recommending to the other person is not "hardy fish", but fish with ability to survive (if the other person cares for the fish) mild or (if the other person does not care for the fish) severe ammonia poisoning.

 

[Mowbz]

I would solve the problem with the Clown Loach you have posted in the Emergency Section about, before thinking about adding any more fish....

We need to know;

1. Water parameters. (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, PH, temp', Hardness etc)
2. A full description of the fishes symptoms, with pictures if possible
3. How often you do water changes and how much.
4. Any chemicals and treatments you add to the water.
5. What tank mates are in the tank.
6. Tank size.
7. Finally Have you recently added any new fish?

and then we can help.


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