Compatibility advice with aggressive fish

[lyquidphyre]

I think my boyfriend has caught [acronym:1d9e31c944="Malaysian Trumpet Snails or Multiple Tank Syndrome, depending on context"]MTS[/acronym:1d9e31c944] even tho he doesn't own/have any at his apartment! He has been strongly debating getting a 10 or 20 [acronym:1d9e31c944="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:1d9e31c944] aquarium.. and since we just got back from a garage sale and got a really nice desk that would be AWESOME for an aquarium for $4, he is wanting his very aquarium a little more =o)
However, I don't want him making the same mistakes that I made with buying fish. My first purchase was a calico goldfish and now I realize A LOT of things I like aren't compatible with my goldie.

....I digress. Anyways- here are the fish he/we like. What goes with what?

Puffers
Angelfish
Ciclids
Zebra Danios (Sp?)

Now he is saying he has to go and look but those are the 4 he likes at this point. Anyways- what goes with what in this list? and what other fish should I look into while looking at other fish.

Sorry for the long post, thanx in advance!

[Pufferpunk]

Way bad combo! Puffers are serious fin-nippers & need to be kept in species only tanks. Especially bad for long-finned fish like angels. If the goldfish is still in your tank, then the only fish compatible w/it are other goldfiah. A GF larger than 3" needs 20g/fish. They are cold water fish. the other fish you mentioned are tropical/warm water fish. GF are high waste producers. They produce high ammonia that is harmful to other fish. That's why it is best to do 90% weekly water changes w/GF.

[lyquidphyre]

I know that goldfish stuff =o) I was saying I made a bad choice by getting a goldie w/o research but we aren't talking about my tank.

I figured puffers were to be best kept to themselves.. but in general- what goes well with angels, ciclids, zebra danios?

[Fruitbat]

Angelfish, Pterophyllum sp., ARE cichlids from South America. They like soft, acid water and can get aggressive around breeding time. When you ask about 'cichlids'....this spans a HUGE number of fish from the African Rift Valley cichlids which need hard, alkaline water to the dwarf African and South American cichlids to the huge (2 foot) South and Central American cichlids and even the Chromide cichlids Etroplus from Asia.

Nobody can give you an educated opinion about cichlids unless you can be more specific about what kinds you mean. However, in general, most cichlids are aggressive and territorial and pretty much all of them will happily gobble down any fish that they can swallow.

Zebra danios, Brachydanio rerio, are great community fish. Peaceful and active, they won't bother other fish or plants. They prefer to be in small schools and are among the egglayers that are most easy to breed.

What I recommend that you do is go out to your local pet stores and get an idea of which fish appeal to you and your boyfriend...write their names down...and then do some research on the internet or simply ask here. One of the local gurus will undoubtedly be able to help you determine if your choices are appropriate for your tank.

[TankGirl]

If you like angels and zebra danios, I think if you get at least a 20 [acronym:6bd7e652c6="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:6bd7e652c6] you could have 2 angels and a school of danios, as long as you get the angels when they are very small, and they likely won't eat them since they have grown up with them. I have an angel in with white clouds and danios and there is no problem between them.