Your first tank. What fish should you get

[BrianNY]

Many first time aquarium owners set up their tanks without planning what inhabitants it will house. They will wander through the lfs confused about what fish should be kept with what, or worse buy whatever strikes their fancy. This is one of the most common mistakes a newbie will make.

Having a plan to stock your tank will save both you and your fish alot of aggrevation. We can help you plan a trouble free first aquarium if you provide us with the following information:

1. Tank size
2. Current filtration
3. Type of substrate
4. pH of your water
5. What type of fish you like the most.

After deciding on the type of aquarium you want, and what fish you want to keep, begin a new thread in this forum and we'll discuss the needs and compatibility of these fish before you make a purchase.

[QTOFFER]

Great thread, Brian!

You know why you see so many complete aquarium setups in the trash, at garage sales/flea markets, or listed on Craigslist/E-Bay?

The people who previously owned them probably didn't know how to cycle the filter, or keep the water parameters stable, or they simply purchased incompatible species...or species that just require some degree of experience. The result was fish deaths, frustration, replacement fish, more fish deaths, more frustration, and finally...giving up.

Don't let this happen to you! AA can help!

Yay! i actually had a good idea Thanks Brian

[greenmaji]

Originally Posted by AshleyNicole

Yay! i actually had a good idea Thanks Brian

Good show AshleyNicole!!!

[megladonsharky]

[Mananhammer]

Love this idea this gives me a noob some criteria before wasting. Rock on AA rules!!!

[gfink]

Good suggestions for different types of communities with links to info on each fish.

http://www.elmersaquarium.com/c106communityinfo.htm

I also use this site to get info on specific fish. http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/categ.cfm?pcatid=830

[mr86mister]

i took some time to look up some cycling and beginners questions so they can read up as well as getting help from us

The Nitrogen Cycle: http://www.algone.com/cycle.htm

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/cycling2.htm

The Beneficial Bacteria: http://www.algone.com/nitrifiers.htm

Fishless Cycling: http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/Fishlesscycle.htm

http://www.pcpages.com/fish/fishless.html

http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/tom01.html

Info on live plants: http://www.algone.com/plants.htm

Basic info on Tropical Aquarium: http://www.aquariumfish.net/informat..._aquariums.htm

Choosing Fish: http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/Choosing.htm

Some fish to start with after Cycle is complete: http://home.comcast.net/~jpsweb/fish.html


i hope this helps everyone, its for beginners and i know others will have different ideas or views as do i, but this is good for beginners

[RJRofFL]

My Shopping List: Milk, Bread, Eggs, Guppies..... Guppies?

This is just my suggestion offered as "food for thought."

Naturally you should research the fish prior to purchase, and although these suggestions are not "goof-proof", I have tried my best to make them as accurate as I could. All of the fish suggested here are common and inexpensive, and can usually be found in most LFS tanks.

*Please note: These groupings will not resemble the "average" beginner's tank, since that is usually "one-of-those-two-of-those-and-oh-two-of those" which unfortunately are not successful. These groupings are designed to avoid the pitfalls that uninformed impulse buying of fish can create.

To keep the length reasonable, I have set the schemes for a 29-gallon and a 55-gallon tank only. The numbers for the species are given in brackets like this [6/8] indicating the 29gal / 55gal.

Scheme#1: Community Tank. No attention to biotype or habitat, but focus on color, beauty and form.

Platies [3/5] hardy. Danios [8/8] active, Lemon tetras [6/6] beauty, Cory cats [4/6] bottom comical.

Scheme#2: An Asian Accent. Sticking within a region of beautiful and small fish.

Gold barbs [6/8] colors, Rasboras [8/15] iridescence and behavior, Dwarf Gouramis [2/4] smaller group = 2 males, larger group one pair dwarfs & one pair honey dwarfs. Red&Blue of males with SilverGreenishGrey of females for larger group.

Scheme#3: Just a Little Bit Larger. Obviously fewer fish, but nice collection.

Blue Gouramis [1pair/2pairs] either male/females or just females this will keep the tank peaceful, Swordtails [2/4] color, Rosy barbs [5/8] schooling.

Scheme#4: Barbs, Barbs, Barbs. An always lively and interesting display.

Cherry barbs [6/10] color, Black ruby barbs [6/8] school, Tiger barbs [6/10] wild type. You can buy all same color or mix & match.

Scheme#5: A Tetrad of Tetras. Very popular and impressive display.

Black neons [6/10] glowing, Bloodfin tetra [6/10] streamlined, Glowlight tetras [6/10] Serpae tetras [6/10] beautiful red coloration.

HERE's AN IDEA
Some bright colored fish such as Neons and Cardinals sometimes bring out the predatory nature of any fish that sees them. This makes it difficult in a community situation, where they also do not compete well for food against more aggressive fish. The solution?


Scheme#6: Species Tank - Neon Madness. Fluorescent bon-bons of the fish world.
What's the matter, you never thought of a species tank? There is nothing more impressive than a huge school of spectacular color swimming together. While six or eight are beautiful in a community tank, a couple dozen in a tank of their own are magnificent!
Neon tetras [24/40] or Cardinal tetras [24/40]

Note: Although both are same species and will indeed school and get along with each other, my personal reason for not mixing them is purely aesthetic. Although they are breathtaking together, the viewer will be led to focus on their differences. Your tank will succeed either way, but will look better if you stick to one or the other.

Scheme#7: Species Tank - Guppy Extravaganza. The perfect setup and more.
These colorful little livebearers have been around since the beginning of the hobby.
A group of guppies all the same color make a startling display.
Guppies [24/35] These can be pairs but can be all males. Do not try a few females with the idea of not having many fry. They will be harassed, possibly to death, and the males will fight more amongst themselves if females are present. On the other hand a thankful of females with a few males will work well, but soon overrun with young fish.

I did not include Cichlids or Angels, etc, as they require a little more research and can be slightly more difficult, however, can surely be included.
I'm sure there are hundreds of other various combinations that will work, however, as stated, this was simply to offer "food for thought."
Regardless of your choice for stocking, most importantly, enjoy your finned friends.

Bob