Help, I can't figure out what fish to get!

[saffikeagan]

Where can I find a good "bible" of fish? I've found several good sites that have the more common species kept, but one site will give x information, another will give y information, another z, and yet a forth will contradict the previous three. THEN there's what the fish store people say....
Grrr...I'm trying to plan my tank in my head while it's sitting fishless, but I just can't seem to make heads or tails of what I can put in my tank.
I've got a 14 gallon tank with a hanging filter and an air stone. It's freshwater at the moment, but I don't mind doing the brackish thing.
I've pretty much figured out that some zebras are a good place to start, but I'm looking for advise on what else I can put in. Some sites say not to put mollies in anything under 15 gallons, but other's say less. I'm so confused. Then the fish people will say a third thing (which seems to be that which I want to hear).

Can I do some Mollies (Dalmatian) or some Platys?
Any info/advise on Dwarf Gouramis, Adolfo's Cory, Dwarf Rasboras, Cherry Barbs, Black fin/false spotted cory?

I'm thinking one schooling group of about 8, then a few of this and a few of that, and voila!

Now...for the this and that.

My brain is hurting.

 

[removedastars]

These are probably the two best books I've come across in the years I've spent keeping aquariums:
Barnes & Noble.com - Books: The Everything Aquariums Book, by Frank Indiviglio, Paperback
Barnes & Noble.com - Books: 101 Best Tropical Fishes, by Kathleen Wood, Paperback

I really like the second book cause it's really indepth about over 100 different types of common freshwater fish and at the end of the book it gives you about 35 common fish to avoid which is probably the best part of the whole book!

 

[saffikeagan]

cool, thanks.

Haha...I just now noticed the sticky post right above.

 

[meegosh]

The LFS in my area has an awesome website with some really good information. They have a wide range of fish, with their diets and requirements listed. It is a good starting point if you just want to look at all the fishies that are available.

Zebra danios, if thats what you were talking about, are a good fish to start with, I started with 2 in my 10g. As far as the gourami's I would stick with one dwarf as your 'centerpiece' fish. Add two and sometimes you will have aggression issues. Cories are good, just make sure you don't get ones that grow 3+ inches.

Here is the site:
Elmer's Freshwater Handbook

Hope it helps

 

[saffikeagan]

Oh, thanks! I've finally located some fish only stores around here and have been able to get some better advise (as well as a better testing kit and some refrigerated bacteria that worked!). It is kinda funny though that every single fish store person I have talked to has asked me how I'm cycling my tank without fish. Then they all tell me I can throw a fish or two in my tank to speed up the process. I didn't realize that fishless cycling was such a radical novel idea and not popularly ascribed to. One dude today asked me where I was expecting the bacteria to come from--the implication was that I was thinking 'poof from thin air' said with an internal smirk. Oh well.

I found a fish that I fell in love with: The African Butterfly Fish. I think I will just have to build my tank around that and do fewer-larger fish than more-smaller fish. Off to do more research. I finally managed to locate some Kuli Loaches today too and I think I'm going to go by a bag of sand, turn at least part of my substrate into a sandy bottom and get a few Kulis. I'm not sure what if anything else I could then put in my tank...maybe a mid-level fish that is okay in a group of three (maybe a platy).

thinking...thinking...thinking.........