Ideas for a 30 gal anyone????

[blueeyes]

I just got a 30 gal tank from my uncle (he got a new one for x-mas...what a nice gift! ). Anyways...I was wondering if anyone had some good, creative ideas on what I could do with it. I wanted to keep a freshwater tank, and maybe some hearty fish- at least fish that would be fairly easy for me to keep. Also, since I am still learning I would need help figuring out what fish would be good tank mates. I'm ready to finally have a larger tank!! (I've only had a 7 gal). Any ideas would be appreciated!

 

[BrianNY]

Cool. A 30 gal is a nice size tank to advance into. I like Angelfish. Why not go into your lfs and see what catches your eye? Then you can tell us what interests you and we can be of more help.

 

[mgkaelen]

personally, i love gold gouramis, hillstream loaches, kuhli loaches, and elephant nose fish !!!!!

 

[ScottS]

Congrats! I've always favored tetras since most varieties are easy to keep together. A couple large schools of your favorite tetras, a cool and unusual pleco variety and some cories would be my thought.

That or maybe some peaceful barbs, like cherries and some Harlequins with loaches or a Red tail shark for feeding off the bottom.

Just some ideas to kick around. But first, go have fun window shopping at the LFS.

 

[shawmutt]

Both of the tanks in my gallery are the same 30 gallon. I had a school of tetras, hatchetfish, cories, ottos, and a talking catfish in the black setup. In the blue rocky setup, my current tank, I have 6 Lake Malawi mbuna cichlids.

 

[Enki]

You could have a several shell dwelling cichlids in there, they don't get very big at all, and are very interesting to watch, lots of digging and decorating. A shell dweller setup is MY next tank

 

[blueeyes]

thanks for the great ideas! I havent been to my lfs in a while- I've been soooo busy- but when I get there, I will browse around some more. I do love angels! I might have to get a pair.

 

[Rxblade123]

If you want a breeding pair you might want to get about 6-8 at first. This way you will have a higher chance of getting a female and a male. Also if you are going to breed them, buy them at a younger age. Angels are very hard to sex and the only time you can really tell is when they spawn.

 

[blueeyes]

Another thought-
We I will be using well water. What are some good fish that will tolerate this?

 

[Fruitbat]

blueeyes...

Depends on the chemical parameters of your well water. You might be able to take a sample to your lfs and have it tested for pH and hardness just to get an idea of what you're dealing with. Well water varies dramatically from place to place, depending on what kind of rock/soil the water is coming from.

BrianNY is right on track. The best thing to do is go to your lfs and browse (resisting the temptation to buy fish on the spot). Make a list of the fish that catch your eye. Once you know your water parameters you can get a much better idea of what will do well in your new tank. You can do Google searches on the fish that you want or simply post here. With all the expertise and the wide range of experience on this forum you should be able to get most of the information you need to make your choices.