Type of fish

[newtda]

hello,

I am new here at AA. I have a 30 gallon fresh water tank. I have no fish yet. I am going to be away from my tank during the week, but will back during the weekends. I am looking for a fish that is inexpensive and is easy to take care of. Any advice would be helpful thanks.



Dan

 

[Mark Hewitt]

Fish can normally go without food for about a week, but auto-feeders can help you there.
The problem is going to be if there are issues with the tank, particularly in initial setup where you may need to give it attention more than once per week, to do water changes etc.

 

[StuG]

Got to agree with Mark. Until your tank is fully cycled it's going to be difficult to take care of on a part-time basis.
As for easy to care for fish:
Live bearers, such as Platys, endlers, etc. are probably about the easiest. It's best to have at least a 2 female for every male ratio, preferably more. Keep in mind, however, that they will breed, and you'll quickly have more stock, unless you get all males/all females. All males can have aggressive tendencies.
I believe many of the barbs can be fairly easy to look after too, but again, depending on the type you choose, can be quite aggressive.
Of course, none of them are going to fare well in a tank that has high ammonia or nitrites.

 

[BigJim]

Read up on cycling first. I'd go with a fishless cycle if you're not able to maintain the tank daily.

After the tank is cycled and established, you should be able to let it run by itself if you stock it lightly. I would strongly recommend looking into an automatic feeder of some kind. Fish can survive without food for about five days, but they won't last long if you do this regularly. I lost most of a batch of young cories because I let them go four days without food.