Just set up a 50 gallon tank.

[Ryan9528]

I just finished with the water, filter chemicals about 2 days ago I am planning on getting fish tomorrow, I am looking for colorful and interesting fish ( I have a 20 month old and 6 month old, I thought it would be nice for them). Any help would be appreciated, thank you very much.

Ryan

 

[Tetra1990]

Large school of cardinal tetras. Very active and colorful. And welcome to AA!

 

[RussellC]

I just finished with the water, filter chemicals about 2 days ago I am planning on getting fish tomorrow, I am looking for colorful and interesting fish ( I have a 20 month old and 6 month old, I thought it would be nice for them). Any help would be appreciated, thank you very much.

Ryan

Hey Ryan!

The best advice I can give is to learn about cycling a tank. There are a couple of ways to accomplish this, each with its own pros and cons, but it is one of the singularly most important things one can do, in my opinion, to help ensure a healthy tank.

The link below is a great starting point if you haven't stumbled onto it yet.

Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

And of course, if you have questions, just ask!

Good luck!

 

[Ryan9528]

Thank you, I'm reading the article now and those fish look like a nice start to our new aquarium

 

[RussellC]

Thank you, I'm reading the article now and those fish look like a nice start to our new aquarium

I've never kept tetras, but they are nice.

If you go with tetras, you might consider doing the 'fishless' cycle method. Tetras are a bit pickier of water quality than some other fish.

Good luck!

 

[Ryan9528]

What would be a good fish-in cycle fish?

 

[Race37]

I would go with guppies, and only 3-5 of them to start, I don't like using fish to cycle but people do it every day. Guppies are about the most variant in colors and patterns, there are literally hundreds to chose from and every fish store will have a couple different ones.

 

[_skyla_]

I have a 3 year old and had the same thing in mind what i did for my son ( he has a 50litre in his room) it has two female platys, 4 panda corys and today i took him to the store to choose some more. We got two male guppies very pretty and colourful and one black lyretail molly. Id say start with guppies or platys aswell nice and hardy and brightly coloured for the kids. And since there live bearers its always fun to discover little babies in the tank. They breed like crazy so if you dont want babies get all males. If you do its best to follow the 1male to 2 female ratio so as the girls dont get hassled to much. They would pull through a fish in cycle.

Also a group of cardinals would be gorgouse i have the neons in my tank as its not as big as yours and my son loves them, the cardinals after the cycle tho

 

[tamtam]

If you want to do a fish in cycle you really have a lot of options. People always suggest Guppies. They are a great, hardy fish that do well through a cycle that's for sure. The color variations are also vast.

Personally, because you haven't gotten any fish yet, I would suggest you think about what you want in your tank long term. Decide what stock you want with your tank and then see if there are any fish in there that are hardy enough to survive a fish in cycle. While you can start a cycle with guppies it's always best to start with a fish you do plan to keep long term and will fit into your end idea. If none of the fish you want to keep could survive a cycle than I would recommend a fish less cycle. Fish in cycles can be some work too, so be sure you are ready to take that on. Fish less can be a pain because you look at this empty tank for weeks before you get to put something in it but it certainly has it's pros as well.

50 gallon really does give you a lot of options. I'm actually getting one today!

Platys are another hardy live bearer and come in many colors and patterns.

I would also suggest that you go into your pet store to look, just look no buying (it's hard sometimes) and see what they offer and what interests you. Then make a list, bring it home and research these fish to see which suit your tank and if they will be good tank mates. Nothing sucks like seeing a fish online and going to the store to realize they don't sell it, or do but it's far more money than you hoped to spend. Or you have a worker tell you something will work in your tank and it doesnt, which is a common thing, sadly.