tropical fish

[watchman 256]

...i'd go go for ruby barbs and guppy's then you'll have the 3 areas of your tank filled...

 

I don't know anything about Fish but I'm thinking of getting some soon. I seen some lovely Guppy's down at a pet shop near me. There was one in particular on it's own that was a lovely Blood red colour but wasn't shiny, It had a big fanned tail and I was stood there watching it swim around for a good few minutes.

 

Very similar to this one it was -

 

 

Are Guppy's easy to keep? And do they last a long time if looked after properly?

very easy to keep and breed readily the males organ is visible and will be seen waving it around in front of any female within range although without a lot of cover in the tank ie plants rocks etc they will soon become live bait for the others lol,general rule of thumb,the larger the fish will grow to the longer life span it will have

[gnasher16 30,422]

[quote name='watchman' date='16 July 2010 - 03:59 PM' timestamp='1279292353' post=

if your just starting out i would go for fish that are relatively easy to keep,you need to decide if you want a species tank or a community tank,this will then give you an idea of what fish you can and cannot keep together.

as a beginer i would advise things like,guppys and,platties,with plenty of weed in the tank these will breed readily and give birth to live young,the list is endless for community fish get out there and see what takes your fancy.

i used to keep a lot of the american cichlids but you do need a large tank as they will become territorial,good luck with what ever you choose but only bye a couple fish to start and introduce more over a period of time to help keep up your water quality and not put to much on your filter system

 

 

Very good advice....your going to make mistakes if your new to fishkeeping so best to have relatively hardy type fish in a community tank,if your having a species tank then why not go for an Oscar or 2,they are more " pet " type fish.....depends really whether you want a tank with " pets " in or a tank as a point of beauty within a room.....as a beginner you will want to be learning about water quality and so the hardier type fish will result in fewer losses.....i keep discus which is more a case of keeping perfect water...with fish in

Best of luck its a fascinating hobby if you get into it.

[watchman 256]

as above,also good advice

[Lab 10,979]

......PIRANHAS..............

[judge2010 196]

......PIRANHAS..............

lol been offered some but turned them down

 

thanks for the advice watchman & gnasher, i'm after fish that are a joy to watch but realy do have my heart set on a red tail shark.

[watchman 256]

......PIRANHAS..............

lol been offered some but turned them down

 

thanks for the advice watchman & gnasher, i'm after fish that are a joy to watch but realy do have my heart set on a red tail shark.

i have seen a small red tail in a community set up which is ok to start but as it grows it will become territorial to a certain area in the tank,slow moving fish will become its target for fin nipping ,one of the ways you can get around this is to frequently move rocks and other ornaments you have in the tank around so that it cannot establish itself in one area,ok for a little while but not fool proof,also having black fish in the tank is good for seeing white spot disease on your fish at an early stage which is very common and easy to remedy,and they will get it at some stage im certain,plenty good books out there to get you going but one thing i would say is get the biggest tank/set up you can afford otherwise within a few months you will want more fish,bigger and batter i mean better lol

[judge2010 196]

......PIRANHAS..............

lol been offered some but turned them down

 

thanks for the advice watchman & gnasher, i'm after fish that are a joy to watch but realy do have my heart set on a red tail shark.

i have seen a small red tail in a community set up which is ok to start but as it grows it will become territorial to a certain area in the tank,slow moving fish will become its target for fin nipping ,one of the ways you can get around this is to frequently move rocks and other ornaments you have in the tank around so that it cannot establish itself in one area,ok for a little while but not fool proof,also having black fish in the tank is good for seeing white spot disease on your fish at an early stage which is very common and easy to remedy,and they will get it at some stage im certain,plenty good books out there to get you going but one thing i would say is get the biggest tank/set up you can afford otherwise within a few months you will want more fish,bigger and batter i mean better lol

lol

 

can you keep a siamese fighting fish in with other i.e. red tail shark? i heard their ok with other fish just not another siamese fighter?

[watchman 256]

......PIRANHAS..............

lol been offered some but turned them down

 

thanks for the advice watchman & gnasher, i'm after fish that are a joy to watch but realy do have my heart set on a red tail shark.

i have seen a small red tail in a community set up which is ok to start but as it grows it will become territorial to a certain area in the tank,slow moving fish will become its target for fin nipping ,one of the ways you can get around this is to frequently move rocks and other ornaments you have in the tank around so that it cannot establish itself in one area,ok for a little while but not fool proof,also having black fish in the tank is good for seeing white spot disease on your fish at an early stage which is very common and easy to remedy,and they will get it at some stage im certain,plenty good books out there to get you going but one thing i would say is get the biggest tank/set up you can afford otherwise within a few months you will want more fish,bigger and batter i mean better lol

lol

 

can you keep a siamese fighting fish in with other i.e. red tail shark? i heard their ok with other fish just not another siamese fighter?

as i say mate,any slow moving or fancy fish ie siamese fighter will become a target at some stage,i kept a few fighters over the years never really thought much of them to be honest,they usually end up skulking around the filter infact quite boring really

[judge2010 196]

......PIRANHAS..............

lol been offered some but turned them down

 

thanks for the advice watchman & gnasher, i'm after fish that are a joy to watch but realy do have my heart set on a red tail shark.

i have seen a small red tail in a community set up which is ok to start but as it grows it will become territorial to a certain area in the tank,slow moving fish will become its target for fin nipping ,one of the ways you can get around this is to frequently move rocks and other ornaments you have in the tank around so that it cannot establish itself in one area,ok for a little while but not fool proof,also having black fish in the tank is good for seeing white spot disease on your fish at an early stage which is very common and easy to remedy,and they will get it at some stage im certain,plenty good books out there to get you going but one thing i would say is get the biggest tank/set up you can afford otherwise within a few months you will want more fish,bigger and batter i mean better lol

lol

 

can you keep a siamese fighting fish in with other i.e. red tail shark? i heard their ok with other fish just not another siamese fighter?

as i say mate,any slow moving or fancy fish ie siamese fighter will become a target at some stage,i kept a few fighters over the years never really thought much of them to be honest,they usually end up skulking around the filter infact quite boring really

 

 

will bear that in mind, cheers pal.

[springer 63]

get a shoal of tiger barbs aggressive little buggers but a joy to watch as they squable and fight with each orther

[gnasher16 30,422]

Its worth keeping in mind most of the popular fish such as Siamese Fighters bought from aquatic centres really are poor specimens these days.The quality of fish available to the retail market today is nowhere near what it was 20 years ago.Its like anything that becomes too popular quality suffers,todays Siamese Fighters are a very long way from true Siamese Fighters,as Watchman says they are actually quite boring fish and are very rarely showed at their best and are a target for fin nippers such as Tiger Barbs etc.

Most important is to cycle a new tank correctly before adding fish.The majority of community fish are only cheap anyway so not like your going to lose a lot of money while learning what works and what you like.

Another thing worth remembering is the bigger the tank the more mistakes you will get away with water quality wise,people tend to think a small tank is best for a beginner but its the exact opposite.Fish that live in a small water space will feel the bad effects of poor water quality far more than fish in a larger water space.......so bigger the better,within reason.

[droid 11]

Don't rush into getting fish once you've set up your tank.

The filter takes out ammonia secreted by the fish, using bacteria. They need time to build up their numbers. Start with a few hardy fish like tetras. tThen after a few WEEKS you can add a few other fish.

 

If you rush it you'll lose fish.

[Guest Lambert&Butler]

a plec to clean the algae off the tank they are brown ugly things that suck to the glass.

 

Pleco's are not ugly, some stunners available but you have to spend big money....

 

http://www.google.co.uk/images?q=pleco&hl=en&prmd=iv&source=lnms&tbs=isch:1&ei=kGJBTPLoD6P60wTFgJ2jDw&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&ved=0CBQQ_AU

 

Plus they can normally live with most other species. If your only going to have small tank, get bristle nose Pleco's as they wont grow as big as others.

 

Another sociable fish i like..... http://www.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&tbs=isch:1&sa=1&q=humbug+catfish&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

 

Remember you will need certain fish for certain jobs within the tank if you want to save yourself some work and prolong the life of the fish.

 

Get some shrimp, they are good for keeping the tank clean.

Pleco's for algae.

Assassin snails and clown loaches if you get a problem with snails. Never ever had a problem with white spot on clowns?

 

Research everything before you buy so you know what you can and cannot mix...for example nearly all shrimp are no bother, but the glass shrimp will catch and eat mall fry if you are planning on breeding. You cannot breed Armano shrimp in tropical tanks, the adults live in them no problem but the babies require brackish water.

Tropical tanks are great but it is not as simple as buying fish sticking them in and cleaning a filter once a week

[Night Hunter 109]

a plec to clean the algae off the tank they are brown ugly things that suck to the glass.

 

Pleco's are not ugly, some stunners available but you have to spend big money....

 

http://www.google.co.uk/images?q=pleco&hl=en&prmd=iv&source=lnms&tbs=isch:1&ei=kGJBTPLoD6P60wTFgJ2jDw&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&ved=0CBQQ_AU

 

Plus they can normally live with most other species. If your only going to have small tank, get bristle nose Pleco's as they wont grow as big as others.

 

Another sociable fish i like..... http://www.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&tbs=isch:1&sa=1&q=humbug+catfish&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

 

Remember you will need certain fish for certain jobs within the tank if you want to save yourself some work and prolong the life of the fish.

 

Get some shrimp, they are good for keeping the tank clean.

Pleco's for algae.

Assassin snails and clown loaches if you get a problem with snails. Never ever had a problem with white spot on clowns?

 

Research everything before you buy so you know what you can and cannot mix...for example nearly all shrimp are no bother, but the glass shrimp will catch and eat mall fry if you are planning on breeding. You cannot breed Armano shrimp in tropical tanks, the adults live in them no problem but the babies require brackish water.

Tropical tanks are great but it is not as simple as buying fish sticking them in and cleaning a filter once a week

 

I used to love my plecs,but always looked at them as not so coulourful and as nice as some of the other fish ,a bit like moths and butterflies.but as you say some are quite expensive I once spent over £50 for one but told my wife it cost £20...lol

[gnasher16 30,422]

Its true most Plecs were always a dull coloured fish but useful in tank hygiene,today though with the introduction of the L number Plecs they are a far more attractive fish,i have a Gold Nugget L 177 of decent size,not a cheap fish but does a good job and a nice looking fish.There are a lot of different variety L number Plecs that are very colourful and interesting fish.