What Are The Best Tropical Fish For Newbie?

[Sweetiepie]

Hi
At last I have finished fishless cycling of my daughters 48 litre fish tank..yipee!!! Despite me saying it looks good with just warm water and plants she is insisting she want fish in it! So I just wondered if you guys could suggest the best fish to get her started. Our water has ph of 7- 8.
Thanks

 

[catfish4ever]

mollies or guppy's. would depend as they breed alot and may overcrowd tank if possible. try a small shoal of pigmy cory cats and some dwarf gourami's

 

[CezzaXV]

Hurrah! I'm fishless cycling right now and it feels like it will never end.

I'd personally stay away from livebearers like guppies, as you'll almost definitely end up inundated with fry. If you've got sand as your substrate, one of the smaller species of cory might be a good start, and/or a shoal of your favourite tetra.

 

[fluttermoth]

Bettas make lovely fish for kids as they're so friendly and interactive. Maybe a shoal of microrasboras and some shrimps as well? All my kids love the shrimps

 

[creeker]

A shoal of White Cloud Mountain Minnows. They're almost indestructible. Comes in a wild type, gold color, long finned, etc.

 

[minnnt]

Congratulations on cycling the tank mate!! Now comes the reward of adding some fish that will give hours of pleasure!

A male Betta as mentioned is a great fish for kids and your tank is a nice size for one. Something like Amano Shrimp for the bottom will add another dimension to the tank too. Micro Rasbora's are great. Very colourful and due to their size you can stock a good sized shoal!

 

[the_lock_man]

mollies or guppy's. would depend as they breed alot and may overcrowd tank if possible. try a small shoal of pigmy cory cats and some dwarf gourami's

Hurrah! I'm fishless cycling right now and it feels like it will never end.

I'd personally stay away from livebearers like guppies, as you'll almost definitely end up inundated with fry. If you've got sand as your substrate, one of the smaller species of cory might be a good start, and/or a shoal of your favourite tetra.

It depends on how much cover there is for the fry to hide in. My first tank setup had very little planting, and I never even saw a platy or a molly fry - they were just being eaten straight away.

 

[Steve GT]

mollies are the way for beginners i believe plus there pretty entertaining they never seem to stop and always come greet you whenever you go near the tank

 

[Louiseness]

I wouldn't try and put mollies in a 48 litre -I assume it's a 2 footer or thereabouts? Betta or guppies sounds good though.

 

[Clarousel]

Shrimps would be a great idea (along with fish of course)! They're really fun to watch as mentioned above and if you stick your hand in long enough, they'll "clean" it for you

 

[Tizer]

mollies are sooooo uggleeeeeeeeeeeee

 

[OldMan47]

I find that kids respond well to bright colors and lots of movement which leads me to suggest some nice guppies. They are tough as nails in a pH between 7 and 8 and will be very active players for the kids. Another benefit is that they will produce fry which will be yet another source of fascination for the little ones. They can pick out fry and watch them grow up to be beautiful young adults. Don't be too surprised if they end up naming a few of the fry as they mature.
If you can get guppies from a fellow hobbyist, they are likely to be even hardier than the ones at the pet shop during the first few weeks. After that, the fish's health will be more a reflection of your own care.