Novice

[eazy2remember]

Hey guys, i'm a complete novice i know nothing more than what i like, i do not own a tank yet but will be getting one soon so instead of filling it with all "the pretty ones" and them being completly incompatable i thought i'd sign up here and learn for a month or so before getting my tank.
i've looked at some tanks and stupidly forgot the size's of them. though it'll be nothing fancy for my first tank.

Fish i would like:
bala shark*
red tail shark*
siamese fighting fish(male blue)*
angel fish*
dwarf puffer*
red scissortail
moonlight gourami
tiger barb
neon tetra
Pearl Danios

* i'd like to build my tank around one of these

i realise that the above fish need diffrent enviroments (tall tanks, long tanks etc)
some are fin nippers some will be attacked by fin nippers etc so know its not possiable (other than the fact i'd need a big tank) to have them all in a tank together
like i said i'm a newbie - so the fish i intend to build my tank around would have to be a fairly easy fish to keep
i have no idea of the avaliability of the fish above to me,as i have only looked in one shop so far the rest has been on the net.
any advice on what to go for? what not to go for and genral tips
i have a feeling the shark maybe out of my range with regards to tank sizes as i read they would be looking to be schooled in 3's? i'd prefer just the one so think i've eliminated that one myself.
i love the dwarf puffer but cant stop thinking that it'd be a hard fish to keep for a newbie?

 

[merry78]

hiya!

the easiest fish to build a tank around on your list would definitely be the siamese fighter.
the sharks need a biiiigggg tank and are not as easily mixed as other fish. The betta (siamese fighter) can be mixed with peaceful community fish that do not nip at fins (which means no barbs, and imo no neons) and fish that do not have long flowing fins themseves (like male delta tail guppies).
check out the beginners resource centre- it's a pinned topic at the top of the newbies forum- lots of great start-up advice there.
Also, understand CYCLING before you get your tank......and a long time before you get your fish. most newbie problems revolve around a lack of understanding of cycling, so it's worth reading up on. (info available in the beginners resource section).
good on you for researching before you start, and welcome to the forum!!

merry.

 

[eazy2remember]

Thanks merry. just reading up on cycling just now.
any experience with a dwarf puffer?

 

[Tiger Barb]

Hi there

From what I've read / heard, a dwarf puffer is not really a community fish - better in a smallish tank by himself where he can rule the roost (and not take chunks out of the other fish).

You're right in thinking that you'd need a large tank for some of those fish - but what's wrong with starting off with an 8 foot tank full of balas??

My advice would be to decide where your tank will go, and get the largest one you can! Then you know that, if the size of your tank restricts your choice of fish, there is nothing you can do about it as you couldn't have bought a larger tank anyway!

I second the compliment - well done for researching before you buy. Read up about fishless cycling - get the tank up and running and cycling, then spend the time researching fish!

And enjoy!

 

[eazy2remember]

cheers tiger barb.
so, i think i'm going with the siamese fish or angel fish would they live well with these?
red scissortail
moonlight gourami
tiger barb
neon tetra
Pearl Danios

i presume not the tetra because they can be fin nippers?

what fish would people recomemend to live with them?

 

[littlest]

the siamese fighter fish shouldn't be kept with tiger barbs (because they will nip him), neons (because they will nip him) or gouramis (because they are likely to be aggresive to each other).

Angel fish shouldn't be kept with Tiger barbs (because they will nip the angel) or neons (angels eat neons in the wild and will also eat them in your tank).

Pearl danios are iffy with the siamese fighter fish also as they are fast and can be nippy.

To be honest it can be hard to keep a siamese fighter (betta) in a community tank because a lot of fish will nip at his long flowing tails, and the betta himself will get aggresive towards other fish.

I've never kept angels but from what I've read they are easier to keep in a community. They need a tallish tank though. I'm not sure what the minimum height is, someone else should be able to tell you.

Do you have any idea what size your tank will be yet?

 

[eazy2remember]

the siamese fighter fish shouldn't be kept with tiger barbs (because they will nip him), neons (because they will nip him) or gouramis (because they are likely to be aggresive to each other).

Angel fish shouldn't be kept with Tiger barbs (because they will nip the angel) or neons (angels eat neons in the wild and will also eat them in your tank).

Pearl danios are iffy with the siamese fighter fish also as they are fast and can be nippy.

To be honest it can be hard to keep a siamese fighter (betta) in a community tank because a lot of fish will nip at his long flowing tails, and the betta himself will get aggresive towards other fish.

I've never kept angels but from what I've read they are easier to keep in a community. They need a tallish tank though. I'm not sure what the minimum height is, someone else should be able to tell you.

Do you have any idea what size your tank will be yet?

i'm thinking 60liter's for the tank size,. i'm not 100% sure would have to go back to a few petshops to find out what sort of tank i'd be looking at and what price
i do not know why 60 is poping out in my head though i could be wrong , i'll need to get back to you's on that one - but if i go for angels then it'll be a tall tank.

ok, so putting the fish i like aside, what sort of fish would be good for either the siamese or the angel fish? i think hat'd proberly be a better question

 

[littlest]

Here's a link to a page which talks about suitable betta tanmates click

To be honest you will be very limited if you decide to get a betta (siamese fighter fish). There are comminty tanks with betta that work, but a lot seems to depend on the particular fish. Some are more aggresive than others and you can't really tell which it will be.
If you do want a betta, I would advise you get 2 tanks. Your community tank, and a little tank for a single betta. It only needs to be 2.5-5 gallons and doesn't even need a filter (though a heater is necessary) so it's simple and cheap to set up. If you have a community tank with a betta you should have one of these little tanks ready anyway in case things go wrong (as they often do).

To be honest my knowledge of angels is very limited but I think they are more options that with a betta. Try looking in the New World Cichlids section or asking in a busy section such as New to the hobby.

 

[merry78]

hi again!
If you want to go for a 60L with a fighter, i have a 65L currently with:

1 male siamese fighter
3-4 female guppies (breeders, so i use the fighter to help thin the fry before the fry go into the growout tank)
6 pygmy corys.

This is a reasonably stocked tank for twice weekly 20% water changes, i have lots of plants to slow the filter flow for the fighter (they like calm water) and to provide hiding spots for the fry, and to help with water quality.

The female guppies and fighter provide colour in the tank,
the female guppies and corys provide movement in the tank,
and the corys and fighter provide personality in the tank,

plus their feeding requirements are compatible, which makes life easier.

the main thing to watch with a fighter after you have compatible tankmates worked out, is not to have a strong tank flow

 

[Straydum]

Angel fish shouldn't be kept with Tiger barbs (because they will nip the angel) or neons (angels eat neons in the wild and will also eat them in your tank).

not true. i have and am still keeping angels with tiger barbs with much success. the tiger barb's aggression and fin nipping could be reduced by huge folds if you keep them in groups of five or more.

if you're keen on angels, i'd say go for it. they are quite a hardy fish if you keep the environment right for them, something which is isnt too hard. i currently keep my angels with tiger barbs, a black ghost knife, a senegal bichir, fire eels, silver sharks, and raphael catfishes. they can be kept with almost anything that isnt too small to be eaten, or too large and aggressive to eat them

 

[lilfishie]

if you want a siamses fighter or betta then get a small 2-5 gal tank and keep a male in there, he'll be much happier that way

 

[*Bethie*]

I second that! I think males are much happier by themselves.

*Bethie*