Suggestions For A Begineer

[Alex1110]

Hey everyone

I have just decided I want to start a tropical fish tank. I want different kinds of lively fish, with a variety of bright colours. I am limited to about an 80 cm (32inches) length tank, im thinking it will roughly be about 20 gallons, maby only 15. I know this is small and cant expect many fish, but its a start! I have looked around on the internet (which brought me here!) and ive done a bit of reading.

I quite like the Neon and Cardinal Tetras, Platys and Bettas. I like the look of Paradise Fish and Bumblebee Gobys, and i really like the look of the Yellow Labs. I understand the last three may not be ideal for begineers, but hopefully ive given you an idea of the sort of fish I liked the look of.

I am also wonding about the American Dwarf Frog. I think that could be fun for something slightly different.

Anyway, I am just after some suggestions as to what fish would be good to include in a relativley small tank, so if somebody could suggust an interesting begineers fish community that would be appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[my fat fish]

i like guppies ther nice and colourful tho not the best starter fish mollies can be nicely coloured and are good starterfish

tho dont get rainbow fish i did that and all they doo all the time is hide and are possiable the most boring fish in the world

 

[dthoffsett]

Hey everyone

I have just decided I want to start a tropical fish tank. I want different kinds of lively fish, with a variety of bright colours. I am limited to about an 80 cm (32inches) length tank, im thinking it will roughly be about 20 gallons, maby only 15. I know this is small and cant expect many fish, but its a start! I have looked around on the internet (which brought me here!) and ive done a bit of reading.

I quite like the Neon and Cardinal Tetras, Platys and Bettas. I like the look of Paradise Fish and Bumblebee Gobys, and i really like the look of the Yellow Labs. I understand the last three may not be ideal for begineers, but hopefully ive given you an idea of the sort of fish I liked the look of.

I am also wonding about the American Dwarf Frog. I think that could be fun for something slightly different.

Anyway, I am just after some suggestions as to what fish would be good to include in a relativley small tank, so if somebody could suggust an interesting begineers fish community that would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Welcome to fish keeping. Just some suggestions, at the end of the post I'll add some links I think would be useful.

Cardinal tetras are good hardy fish.

Neons aren't good for new set ups, they need mature tanks w/steady water parameters.

Bettas don't make good community fish, males need to be in their own tanks, and females do best in a species tank of 4 or more.

I believe bumblebee gobies are brackish, and yellow labs are african cichlids that need to be in an african cichlid community tank. They are fantastic fish, I have some myself, but they definately need a tank of 40gal or more.

Not sure about paradise fish.

ADF's or African Dwarf Frogs are a nice addition to a peaceful community tank.

Harlequin rasboras are also a nice schooling fish that do well in smaller tanks, and are colorful. So are several of the tetra species.

Platies are a nice community fish as well, however they do get around 2.5 inches or larger, and are virtual poop machines, so I probably wouldn't put them in a smaller tank.

Ok, onto the links.

I definately recommend fishless cycling. http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861

Here's a good link on "newbie no-nos" a lot of advice on things to avoid that the members here have learned the hard way. http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=13133

Hope I've helped some, and if you have any more questions feel free to ask.

 

[dwarfgourami]

I've never seen a platy over 2.5 inches, or indeed much over 2. They are fine in a 15 gallon tank as long as you don't overstock.

 

[Alex1110]

Thanks heaps for your comments, have been helpful so far.

Anyway, i went to the fish store, im even more excited about this now. I found a tank 3 foot long, 14in wide and 18in tall. Works out to be just over 150 litres, which i think is either 34 or 39 gallons (?). Im from Australia so im used to metric units. I havnt baught it, just expoloring options, going to more places on the weekend.

So i was talking to the fish guy, he told me I could have a couple of fish that grew to 4 inches long in there (he actually suggested a yellow lab...??). When i was there i saw some Gold Gourami fish. Do they get too big? I did see a Coral Blue Dwarf Gourami, im assuming dwarf means they are smaller. I also liked the Keyhole Cichlids and Red Phantom Tetras. He told me to avoid tetras for a begineers tank though. The bettas look even better in real life, so many colours to choose!

The other thing, they didnt stock the ADF's, do you know if you can get them down here in Australia? I told the girlfriend I wanted a frog and she isnt happy.

I was also told that i shouldnt get young fish that are brightly coloured (he made exception to the yellow lab) because they can be aggresive, he said there are dull looking fish that grow to be bright and colourfull, he called them an investment fish.

 

[QuotheRaven]

Paradise fish are primerily cold water fish and are aggressive pugnacious fish. A good beginner fish I say would be Platies they are colourful and hardy.

 

[SPLiSH]

The other thing, they didnt stock the ADF's, do you know if you can get them down here in Australia? I told the girlfriend I wanted a frog and she isnt happy.

Hi Alex. Nope, ADF's aren't available in Oz. I'm from QLD and wondered the same thing for a while then found that they are not allowed to be imported here. Which is dissapointing, they're sweet little things.

I think a few platies would love your tank. Swordtails are similar and grow a bit larger too, if you want something still suitable for a beginner but bigger than platies.

 

[QuotheRaven]

Thank you heaps SPLISH I have been wondering why ADF aren't around my LFS. Im gutted wanted some of those lil gems

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yeah I'd go for a couple of platy's or swordie's then maybe 2 shoals of tetra type fish and a group of cory's.

some tetra's aren't very hardly, liek the neon's, but there are plenty of other's that would be fine. Or look at rasbora's, danio's, small barbs that sort of thing

 

[dwarfgourami]

So i was talking to the fish guy, he told me I could have a couple of fish that grew to 4 inches long in there (he actually suggested a yellow lab...??). When i was there i saw some Gold Gourami fish. Do they get too big? I did see a Coral Blue Dwarf Gourami, im assuming dwarf means they are smaller. I also liked the Keyhole Cichlids and Red Phantom Tetras. He told me to avoid tetras for a begineers tank though. The bettas look even better in real life, so many colours to choose!


I was also told that i shouldnt get young fish that are brightly coloured (he made exception to the yellow lab) because they can be aggresive, he said there are dull looking fish that grow to be bright and colourfull, he called them an investment fish.

I would treat everything this guy says with a BIG pinch of salt. He failed to mention the important thing about yellow labs, that is that they are African cichlids and belong in special Malawi setups, not in general community tanks. You will find a profile in the fish index on this forum. Generally speaking, you can't mix East African cichlids with general community fish.

There is absolutely nothing in his statement that young brightly coloured fish are more aggressive. Platies are bright as they can be right from the start and a lovely community fish, swordtails usually fine as long as the tank is the right size and you get the sex ratios right. And there are loads of others.

There are also lots of tetras hardy enough for a beginner: black widows (aka black skirts), glowlights and red phantoms spring to mind.

Avoid male bettas for a community tank- particularly with nippy tetras. The betta would be happier with a small tank of his own on the side.

You could probably fit a gold gourami in a 33 gallon tank, just remember they are territorial, so don't add anything else that he might mistake for a gourami. You could (instead ) keep a trio of dwarf gouramis (1 male, 2 females) or a single male- but be careful when buying dwarf gouramis as they often have health problems. Check out ALL the fish in the tank- if anyone has difficulty swimming or looks rundown- dont buy from that tank! Honey gouramis are another option- bright and cheerful colour.

If you buy platies or swordtails, make sure you have a ratio of 2-3 females per male (females have a fan-shaped anal fin, males a rod-shaped); and if you get swordtails, only 1 male.

 

[Alex1110]

Cheers for the replies

Okay, so I should avoid the Yellow Labs. I like some of the African Cichlids, but maybe I should look into that after some experience.

What can you tell me about Red Tail Black Sharks (bit big? aggressive?) and Rams (I like the Blue Rams)?

Anyway, the exciting bit - What kind of community would you suggest in a 30 gallon tank? I like the Bettas, Honey Gourami, Cardenals, and Platies and I think its a good idea for some Corydorus Catfish. Dwarfgourami, I can see your a fan of Gouramis, what else could I put in with them?

Thanks again!

 

[dwarfgourami]

Cheers for the replies

Okay, so I should avoid the Yellow Labs. I like some of the African Cichlids, but maybe I should look into that after some experience.

What can you tell me about Red Tail Black Sharks (bit big? aggressive?) and Rams (I like the Blue Rams)?

Anyway, the exciting bit - What kind of community would you suggest in a 30 gallon tank? I like the Bettas, Honey Gourami, Cardenals, and Platies and I think its a good idea for some Corydorus Catfish. Dwarfgourami, I can see your a fan of Gouramis, what else could I put in with them?

Thanks again!

Actually, I haven't kept any kind of gourami for 20 years, probably more like 30. I was going to base one of my tanks around a trio of dwarf gouramis but having spent a year and a half looking at the quality of fish on offer around this way, I have totally gone off the idea. Check out the topic "Most fragile fish" and you will see that the dwarf gourami features frequently, the honeys not at all. Anyway, I'm more of a livebearer fan. If I were you, I would get a school of 6 corydoras, a school of 6-8 cardinals, and either a trio of honey gouramis or 3-4 platies. I would do a fishless cycle, then add the corys and the platies/gouramis, then the cardinals after a period of a few months.

 

[Alex1110]

Hey again. I have seen the snails that I think could be something different. I was cut to hear we dont get ADFs in Australia, so these were my replacement. So if I got a couple of snails, and reduced the number of cories, would that be okay (both cleaning)? How does this sound (148 litre, 39 US gallon):

1 Betta (I know you said I shouldnt have one in a community tank, but ive heard its ok, and they are so cool!)
6-8 Cardinals
3 Honey Gouramis
3-4 Corydoras
1 Red Ranshorn
1 Golden Apple

Are there too many bottom dwellers? or too many fish full stop?

Also, is it okay to mix the types of snails? are they more lively in numbers greater than one? I like the colour of the Red Ramshorn, and the size of the Golden Apple. I want live plants, so thats the reason for chosing the Golden Apple over the Channeled Apple.

 

[dwarfgourami]

About the betta- there are two things which tend to pose problems in community tanks:

the first is that male bettas are extremely territorial. This means they would kill another male betta- or anything they might mistake for a betta. Remember that bettas and honey gouramis are both labyrinth fish, and you see what I'm getting at

the second is that they are easy targets for any fin-nippers because of their long flowing fins. People have had trouble with tetras and danios because of this

So I would still say- get the betta, but get him his own little 2-5 gallon tank

Otherwise, your stocking sounds fine.

 

[Alex1110]

Okay, I understand about the Betta now. Thanks for explaining that.

Im planning to keep the tank in my bedroom, do you think it might be too noisy? what could I do about it?

Sorry about all the questions!