View Full Version : Help a newbie choose fish !
Hi everybody , and thank you for ur time ...
i just wanna buy my very first aquarium , i have a few exprienced friends to help me build and keep the aquarium, but they don seem to be that much familiar to what kinda fishes i can keep together .. so anyway .. here s the fishes i m planin to buy :
a tiger oscar , clown loach , black veil angel , indian dwarf puffer ,Columbian shark, starry night pleco and a betta ! ..
so what do u think ? can i keep'em together ? i most worried about oscar hurtin betta ! i love em both ..
and by the way my aquarium is bout 55 galons .
thanks again .
Welcome to AC !
Nope you can't keep them in that tank, absolutely positively no way, no how, not a chance, no hope.
Do a google search on each of the fish you have named, and check in particular their size when full grown and what tank sizes are required. Consider that larger fish will eat smaller fish. See what you think then :) Also columbian shark is brackish water fish when mature I believe.
You need to rethink tank as being a community tank maybe with some e.g. Angels/Rams/Apistogramma cichlids, or something with a couple of larger South American/Central American Cichlids, or maybe a rift lake cichlid set-up....or rainbow fish...or tons more lol but not what you currently have in mind.
edit : i see msjinkzd is watching...could also be a shrimp/snail tank !
msjinkzd
07-08-2008, 8:28 AM
I agree with Coler, those fish would be a disaster.
edit: why are you watching me Coler :p?
thnx for replies .. i have lotsa searches , and i think the Columbian shark s a fresh water fish : http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=830+888+936&pcatid=936 ...
i know some of them will become so large ( like oscars ) but i m not plannin to keep m in that size tank that long ! i will givem to my friends when they grownin up or buy a very biger tank !
as the matter of fact one of the reason i wanna buy an aquarium is for oscar , i love oscars , and as i searched i think my 55 galons tank s enough for keepin an smal oscar . , i saw my friends tanks , and they keep Columbian shark ,oscar and discus together ! but i never saw a betta in those tanks , so if i buy abit bigger tank (like 70 galons ) can i keep oscar , Columbian shark and betta together ? ( ofcourse with clown loach and black veil angel !)
KarlTh
07-08-2008, 10:08 AM
I wouldn't trust that site. Anywhere advocating "aquarium salt" at all, and for brackish fish in particular, is wallowing in ignorance; you must use marine salt to create brackish conditions.
The columbian shark is indeed brackish to marine when mature. It is a fish which should not be generally offered for sale by responsible vendors.
Sometimes I could spit at the willful ignorance within the industry.
rosita
07-08-2008, 10:13 AM
I'm afraid that a betta will end up as a snack for the larger fish, especially the Oscar as it gets bigger (oh so quickly!)
Eupterus
07-08-2008, 10:20 AM
I think a betta would get bullied to death earlier if the oscar was small. Luckily you can setup a five gal for a single betta if you want.
krytan
07-08-2008, 10:21 AM
An oscar will need a 75g tank all to him self.
petluvr
07-08-2008, 10:44 AM
Listen to Coler rethink TOTALLY what you are going to put into this tank. responsible fish keeping is the main goal here and with this set up and the types of fish that are going to be put in to the tank, IMO responsibility has flown out the window.
Angels and a small pleco would be good. Maybe some tetras too.
Coler
07-08-2008, 12:04 PM
^ would be a nice tank.
Andrew225
07-08-2008, 12:27 PM
liveaquaria.com
Honestly, one of my favorite sites. Search the species, it'll help answer alot of your questions.
((BTW: Indian dwarf puffer..Not a good match for -most- of the fish you've listed))
DAVIDFBT
07-08-2008, 12:40 PM
Oscars- You could get one oscar for you 55 gallon aquarium, but nothing else. Oscars are notorious for beating the daylights out of fish that are smaller than them.
Columbian shark- They will grow to size of over a foot long and will need at least a 100 gallon tank, not to mention that they will eventually need to switch to a brakish water tank.
Betta- With this stock decision, your betta will soon get pummeled to a paste and get eaten by one of the larger fish.
Clown loach- These guys will soon grow to a size of 12 inches and need at least a 40 gallon tank for one of them, but these like to be kept in schools of 6 or more, so for a school of clowns, you would need at least a 175 gallon tank.
Black veil angelfish- You could make a nice Angelfish community with your 55 gallon tank, maybe a group of 5 Angelfish and a couple of tetras. But with your planned stock, no.
Coler
07-08-2008, 12:41 PM
^ good advice !
red_wall
07-08-2008, 2:51 PM
Davidfbt has the right advice, if you're new to aquariums, you need to start a little smaller, get the basics down, you dont want to end up wasting lost of money on angels when they die from a simple little error. I would keep the one Oscar in the 55 for starters. I had one for 2 or 4 years(cant remember when i bought it) And i knew NOTHING about fish like the way I do now... he was put through a lot of abuse. Sold him because i knew he was too small for my little 46 bowfront. The betta would be a good one too, but kinda boring haha. Oscars will eat anything you put in there. Even fish bigger than them sometimes
thank you so so much for ur advises :) ... so i think i ll forget about dwarf puffers , oscar , betta ,and ofcourse columbian shark , i ll buy an pangasius catfish instead of the shark :) so what do you think now ? ...
but i really love to put an small oscar before he grows up in there :(( .. i donno ...
( i already have a very smart betta in a 2g tank )
thank you so so much for ur advises :) ... so i think i ll forget about dwarf puffers , oscar , betta ,and ofcourse columbian shark , i ll buy an pangasius catfish instead of the shark :) so what do you think now ? ...
but i really love to put an small oscar before he grows up in there :(( .. i donno ...
( i already have a very smart betta in a 2g tank )
I think that I am beginning to run out of patience a little bit :) In fact a lot :) But I am an impatient and intolerant person :)
http://www.fishlore.com/profile-iridescentshark.htm
However, I am entirely confident in the bottomless reserves of love, patience, tolerance and other non-flamable personality traits which our members continue to demonstrate without fail, and will leave this thread open...for the moment...
abcdefghi
07-08-2008, 3:37 PM
Angels and a small pleco would be good. Maybe some tetras too.
I have a similar set up in my 55G. 3 x angels, 5 rummynose tetra (which when I can be sure these 5 are healthy will become 10-12 tetra) and 8 peppered corys.
The angels are great watching move around the tank and interact with anything (also amusing to watch them share an algae wafer with the cories) the tetras provide constant movement back and forth across the tank and the cories are always on the move cleaning up the bottom (and in the evenings/early morning can be seen swimming to the top of the tank and back down again).
^ Now that sounds like a great set-up for a 55 !
abcdefghi
07-08-2008, 3:46 PM
^ Now that sounds like a great set-up for a 55 !
Thanks, I attached some pictures........... might help the OP to decide on fish. At some point I want to switch out the fake plants for real, but other than that am really happy with the tank.
wat z wrong Coler ? why are u so angry ? i post my ideas here to know what do u think , i m a newbie and for sure i donno anything bout fishes comaring to u guys , so instead of helping me u just got angry ???? so why do u open this forum ? to bann and laugh at newbies ? ... i donno ...
any way ... i know bout pangasius abit , all my friends have one or two , i like their activities , and they said that they are so nervouse and always movin angry , they said sometimes they gettin angry and trashin all the aquarium docrations , but i never heard they hurt other fishes ! , so i thought it will be cool if i have an small one ! NOT A BIG GROWN ONE ! ... so i ll be so gratefull if anyone help me and say if my ideas are WRONG ... !!!
and if i m not RUDE to ask ! what bout Duboisi Cichlid,Firemouth Cichlid or a discus ?
( thank u so much abcdefghi (http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/member.php?u=73401) for photos , i love angels too , they r certainly beautifullll )
abcdefghi
07-08-2008, 3:55 PM
wat z wrong Coler ? why are u so angry ? i post my ideas here to know what do u think , i m a newbie and for sure i donno anything bout fishes comaring to u guys , so instead of helping me u just got angry ???? so why do u open this forum ? to bann and laugh at newbies ? ... i donno ...
any way ... i know bout pangasius abit , all my friends have one or two , i like their activities , and they said that they are so nervouse and always movin angry , they said sometimes they gettin angry and trashin all the aquarium docrates , but i never heard they hurt other fishes ! , so i though it would be cool if i have an small one ! NOT A BIG GROWN ONE ! ... so i ll be so gratefull if anyone help me and say if my ideas is WRONG ... !!!
and if i m not RUDE to ask ! what bout Duboisi Cichlid,Firemouth Cichlid or a discus ?
The point Coler is trying to make is that the fish will grow to possibly 4' and you should not buy a fish knowing it will outgrow your tank. Even if you buy the fish small, it will still grow, and its unfair to buy the fish in the first place unless you already have a home big enough for it to grow to its potential size in.
thanx again abcdefghi ...
(http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/member.php?u=73401)
SchizotypalVamp
07-08-2008, 4:10 PM
The problem with buying fish that grow to be big is that nobody generally wants to take them afterwards. People have ended up euthanising beloved pets or accidentally stunting and shortening(also severely decreasing the quality of) their lifespan. There are many beautiful, interesting, intelligent fish that can fit in a 55 gallon for their entire lives, so there is no reason to get ones that don't. Check out the "Had to Euthanize Pacus" story in the article section. It is generally very, very hard to get rid of big fish.
That said, thanks for coming on our forum to ask about your stocking :). How are you cycling your tank, btw? I can't really help with the cichlids because I am not too experienced with them, but I have a feeling that they are not appropriate for stocking. What are you looking for in a fish? Personality? Pretty? Certain body shape? Maybe we can suggest some fish like them.
Hey welcome! I'm not all too experienced with Chichlids but as far as I know discus require soft acidic water and there are not alot you can keep with them. If memory served I think bleeding hearts, cardinal and rummy nose tetras can be kept with them. They're pretty hard to keep and most first time fish keepers that want discus keep the more forgiving angel fish.
As i say not much of an experienced cichlid keeper but in my tank I have my breeding pair of angels, German blue rams (which have just laid), bristlenose plec and guppies. Its nice to have a tank with variety before I branch off into specialised breed tanks!
Hope thats a bit of a help!
thank u SchizotypalVamp ... i love smart ones , and ofcourse smart ones have personality too ... i have very beautifull and smart betta he become so exciting when he sees me , wanna playing hide and seek all the time ! gettin nervous and wonder when strangers are around .. lol , in fact i had two , but one of them died , the one that died was so much smarter and more fun , he was just wanted to jump out of tank when he saws me .. any way , thats why i love them , cuz they are smart and have a great personality , and that s why i wanted to have an oscar...
SchizotypalVamp
07-08-2008, 4:33 PM
Awesome:). You can set up your tank as a freshwater puffer tank, with all dwarf puffers, or try a Red-tailed Red-eyed puffer in a community tank. This is a bit of a dicey option because there are two species being sold under that name, and one will kill everything else in sight. You could also get a larger puffer and have it solo. Puffers are one of the most intelligent fish.
Paradise fish are intelligent and aggressive-ish, and also very pretty. Peacock Gudgeons are small, peaceful and intelligent. African Butterfly fish have amazing personalities but are aggressive to other surface dwellers. Dario Dario is another small fish with a clownish personality that's beautiful, though I don't know how intelligent they are.
You could also look into a female betta sorority with something else. There are also smaller cichlid species with a lot of personality.
These fish can't go together in the same tank, but if you pick one or two you can build the tank around it. I'm sure other people will chime in with suggestions.
DAVIDFBT
07-08-2008, 6:15 PM
You could go with my original stocking idea, 1 Oscar in the 55, since you love them so much. And give Coler a break, he's just angry that you haven't researched about the fish first, which is what every responsible fish owner would do before even considering about buying a fish. :)
SchizotypalVamp
07-08-2008, 6:21 PM
David- the problem is that many people post here to find out information about a particular fish, so it's not fair to judge him for that, and he posted up a website he found while doing research...it just didn't have the right information. I do agree that people should do preliminary research before buying or asking about a fish, don't get me wrong.
wat z wrong Coler ? why are u so angry ? i post my ideas here to know what do u think , i m a newbie and for sure i donno anything bout fishes comaring to u guys , so instead of helping me u just got angry ????
There is nothing wrong :) I am not angry :) I am full of smiles :)
You could go with my original stocking idea, 1 Oscar in the 55, since you love them so much. And give Coler a break, he's just angry that you haven't researched about the fish first, which is what every responsible fish owner would do before even considering about buying a fish. :)
But ty for break :) gratefully accepted !
so why do u open this forum ?
I didn't.
to bann
well...lets pretend that I did...
and laugh at newbies ? ... i donno ...
Not laughing.
any way ... i know bout pangasius abit , all my friends have one or two , i like their activities , and they said that they are so nervouse and always movin angry , they said sometimes they gettin angry and trashin all the aquarium docrations ,
Sorry - I thought you said you had lots of searches done on the fish you were looking for so presumed you saw something about their size. It is not the fish for you.
but i never heard they hurt other fishes !
Nor me :) Until I did a google search on them :)
so i thought it will be cool if i have an small one ! NOT A BIG GROWN ONE !
Small ones turn into big grown one - it would not be cool to have a small one unless you have plans to have a fish tank to take a four foot fish. There is no need to shout :)
... so i ll be so gratefull if anyone help me and say if my ideas are WRONG ... !!!
Your ideas are wrong - but you've been given lots of excellent advice :)
and if i m not RUDE to ask !
I would never contemplate suggesting that you are rude to ask :) I'm looking forward to admiring your 55G :)
Duboisi Cichlid,
Try here for more information on those www.cichlidforum.com (http://www.cichlidforum.com).
Firemouth Cichlid or a discus ?
That's a good site up above there for cichlid research generally. I still recommend you try to set up a sensible community tank with perhaps some compatible cichlids. Some great advice has been given above by our fellow members :)
thank u so much
No prob ! :)
abcdefghi (http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/member.php?u=73401) for photos , i love angels too , they r certainly beautifullll )
They certainly are ! You too could have a tank like that ! I look forward to admiring it ! :)
Hey welcome! I'm not all too experienced with Chichlids but as far as I know discus require soft acidic water and there are not alot you can keep with them. If memory served I think bleeding hearts, cardinal and rummy nose tetras can be kept with them. They're pretty hard to keep and most first time fish keepers that want discus keep the more forgiving angel fish.
As i say not much of an experienced cichlid keeper but in my tank I have my breeding pair of angels, German blue rams (which have just laid), bristlenose plec and guppies. Its nice to have a tank with variety before I branch off into specialised breed tanks!
Hope thats a bit of a help!
^ Another great tank & excellent advice !
p.s. AC members are the best :)
I'd rather keep loaches and barbs in that tank.:grinyes:
DAVIDFBT
07-08-2008, 10:37 PM
^Imagine that, a school of 20 Kuhlis and a few yoyo loaches. And maybe some other loaches nobody knows about. :grinyes:
Squeakfish
07-09-2008, 12:21 AM
Botia Angelicus? :D
Ah, I'm the wrong person to ask. If I had a 55, I'd fill it to the brim with the tiniest community fish I could find.
Something about a huge school of albino white clouds or gold neon tetras makes me happy.
Either that or catfish of all sizes.
Upside-Down, Glass, Raphael, Ancistrus, covering all levels in the aquarium.
thank you so much for replies :) ... lemme do some researches ... and then comeback ... thanks again all ...
i think i ll go for maybe 6 angels , two croys , plec , and a german blue ram , i wanted to buy puffers cuz their smart , but first of all they r too small ,, and i think they r too aggressive ,,,
any suggestion ?
i like DAVIDFBT idea to stick with only one oscar in my tank ,, but i afraid my tank be too small for him , ...
krytan
07-09-2008, 2:52 AM
Six angels together will be fine unless they breed then you will have problems. Oscars really need a 75g tank, a 55g is only 12" wide and oscars grow to 14-16".
krytan
07-09-2008, 3:20 AM
I would like to add that if it were my tank i would stock it with a pair of firemouths some dithers and a nice pleco (not common).
^Imagine that, a school of 20 Kuhlis and a few yoyo loaches. And maybe some other loaches nobody knows about. :grinyes:
You can't mix yoyos and kuhlis though as the kuhlis do not like feisty tankmates around.
Botia Angelicus? :D
They're pretty so why not?:D
I just wanted to take a picture of my betta for here and show how beautifull he is , but as he saws the camera he terrified like i never ever seen before , just like he had heart attack ... wow i m shocked , i m sad for him and i donno what to do , seems he s still afraidin ...
thats it , i reallly confused ...
it seems there r countless spcies of fishes out there , and i don even heard most of them ...
i wanted to keep some angels in my tank , but i went to a friend s house and saw his angels , they r not as much fun as i thought ...
i liked puffers but they r really really small :( ...
i searched bout Cichlids but they r so so so many kinds and i really confused ...
i m thinkin bout a pair of Cichlids or Loaches .... ( not small not that big !)
i donno , any ideas will be so wellcome ,.. any suggestion bout what kinda Cichlids or loaches , and any other kind i can keep with them ,,
jpappy789
07-09-2008, 4:19 PM
Yeah thats the problem with a tank your size...there are too many options.
My advice:
Find a nice LFS (local fish store), not a store like petsmart or petco, and just do some browsing. Find what is available for you to purchase and what catches your eye. Bring along a notepad and jot some names down. Come back here and we can help with any questions you might have. :)