# Which fish?



## Kimbo (Jul 9, 2009)

Hi, im thinking about getting a small aquarium sometime in the future to help bring me some comfort and lighten up my room abit. What fish besides goldfish do you suggest? Should i forget about other fish and get a mexican walking fish? (i cant pronounce their proper name)

Should I try salt water/tropical fish instead? If so, which fish?

I would surely love an oscar, but I think they might be abit too hard to manage.


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## chiklet1503 (Jun 12, 2009)

Mollies, Platys, Neons, Tetras, Algae Eaters, Corys, Fancy Guppies, or other freshwater community fish are the easiest to keep. Any type of communal fish for the most part. Tetras can be a little snippy around other smaller fish but all the others are generally very mild tempered.

Salt water tanks are definitely a big hassle to maintain and usually end up costing big $$. I have never had a salt tank so I can't offer much advice in that area except that it's expensive (which is why I havent haha)

You said you were looking to set up a small tank- Oscar's would not be a very good choice for that. They can sometimes be kept with other fish species but are very territorial and will definitely kill smaller fish in the tank. They grow very quickly too and end up being fairly good-sized which will require a bigger tank (55+ gal). I don't find them to be a very 'fun' fish.


If you are looking for 'personality' (yes, some fish have them!), I would definitely reccomend a blood parrot chichlid. I have one in our tank along with a few other smaller communal fish and a rather large pictus catfish. His name is Jacques and he is quite the character. He loves watching people outside the tank and follows you around while you are walking by. As I'm typing this, he is sitting there staring at me lol. WHat a ham he is.

If you are looking for "unique", you could always look into freshwater puffers like a leopard puffer or a figure 8 puffer. They are interesting to keep and require a bit more maintainance than regular commnual fish. They WILL nip at other fish in the tank but their antics alone make them fun and interesting to watch. They love snails as a treat and will crack open the shells with their beak to eat the snail.

Some other less popular 'unique' things to add to a tank would be a newt, crabs, crayfish, or aquatic frogs, just to give you some ideas. Goodluck in whatever you decide! I hope I have been helpful! Once you get things set up and running, you should come back and post pictures!


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## adoraluna (May 9, 2009)

I had guppies. I started with 4, not knowing they were male and female. Within a year I had 3 tanks. 2 20gal and a 10 gal. Guppies and the Zebra Danios can pretty much live in soup. Also a Plecostomus (the algae eater) will grow to the size of the tank. When we got him/her it was about 3 inches long. 4 years later it was about 12 inches long.

So, if you want easy, I suggest guppies/danios. Don't forget the pleco for the algae control.


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## Kimbo (Jul 9, 2009)

I use to keep crayfish, the darn things kept escaping however :/

I use to have Zebra Danios, they are lovely fish but they love to jump and im worried about them hurting themselves or getting stuck on the lid.

Yeah, oscars would need a big cage 

Ill definitely get an algae eater, those things are cute and would be useful.

Ill take a look at the local petshop and peek at the suggestions you gave me. Thanks!


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## elizabethrae. (Dec 24, 2008)

If you are keeping a small tank, goldfish would probably not be suitable. For an average tropical fish the rule of thumb as to how many you can keep is 1inch of fish per gallon(not including tail). So for a 10gall you could have ten 1 inch fish or five 2 inch fish. Make sure you research how big the fish will get because they are not at their full size in pet stores. Goldfish are dirty dirty fish so the rule for them is 1 inch of fish for every 5 gallons. And those 25cent feeder fish can grow upwards of 6-8inchs. I would go with Neon tetras, Danios or Platies (Guppies are great too but I dont really like them ). Just make sure to cycle your tank!

I have a 10 gallon that I converted into a split Betta tank. I went to a glass store and had a plexiglass insert made with small holes drilled to allow water flow. I keep a Betta on either side and they love it. Seeing each other keeps them from becoming depressed which Ive noticed is often a problem. The only trouble I ran into was having good filtration for both sides so you might need to run 2 filters.

This is a really good fish forum 

http://www.fishforums.net/index.php

Good luck!


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## RemRat (Jul 26, 2009)

I second no goldies if we are talking "small". I'd even say 10 gal per goldfish.

Also with "algae eaters".. Be careful not to get fakes (ie chinese algae eaters) as they don't eat algae and watch out for adult sizes (ie common plecos get to be 18" plus, rubbernose plecs over 6-8".) The only small tank algae eaters would be ottos, which need to be in a group and are often difficult to keep alive the first few weeks due to being wild caught and not handling the stress.


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## MissHinasaki (Jul 29, 2009)

I've had a few oscars before and they're lovely fish. You just need to make sure you have a big enough tank for them (they get really big!) and you house them by their self. There upkeep can get a bit pricey since they eat feeder fish, though, and they live a really long time!


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## aquaseafoam (Aug 3, 2009)

What size tank are you getting? I couldn't really suggest anything without knowing how big the tank will be.

A pleco may appear to grow to the size of a tank, but actually their growth is being stunted. Their internal organs however keep growing and they end up with serious problems and will die long before they are supposed to (and before they are able to reach a mature size, so another reason it only appears they grow to the tank size.) A common pleco grows to 18-24" and their adult size should be considered when buying one for a tank. 

The stunting is true for any fish kept in an aquarium that is too small or even not cleaned properly.

As you've noticed gold fish wouldn't work either. One goldfish needs at least a 20 gallon tank, and each gold fish after that needs at least 10 gallons. ie: 2 goldfish would need 30 gallons.

Platies and guppies are good beginner fish, but I would get all males so that a small tank is not overridden with babies.


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## aquaseafoam (Aug 3, 2009)

aquaseafoam said:


> What size tank are you getting? I couldn't really suggest anything without knowing how big the tank will be.
> 
> A pleco may appear to grow to the size of a tank, but actually their growth is being stunted. Their internal organs however keep growing and they end up with serious problems and will die long before they are supposed to (and before they are able to reach a mature size, so another reason it only appears they grow to the tank size.) A common pleco grows to 18-24" and their adult size should be considered when buying one for a tank.
> They are also not going to keep a tank algae free and will need to be fed too. Not to mention the amount of "waste" they contribute to the bioload of the filter. (Read: lots of poop!)
> ...


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## Gabrielle B (Jan 16, 2009)

You could always go with a good ole Betta (Siamese Fighting Fish) I kept mine in a 20L tank, and wouldnt even consider putting one in anything smaller. Optimum temp for tropical fish is 24-26C. You could always go for crustaceans again  I have a tank of cherry shrimp and they are great fun to watch, and really easy to maintain


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## MissHinasaki (Jul 29, 2009)

Gabrielle B said:


> You could always go with a good ole Betta (Siamese Fighting Fish) I kept mine in a 20L tank, and wouldn't even consider putting one in anything smaller. Optimum temp for tropical fish is 24-26C. You could always go for crustaceans again  I have a tank of cherry shrimp and they are great fun to watch, and really easy to maintain


Good on you! I always hate how they sell those tiny little novelty tanks for those poor fish!  Fish need room to swim! The bigger the better! 

We have the same belief for birds as well. My grandmother lets her's fly loose and builds large living room aviaries as well.


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