Tank and Stock Ideas

[aj2494]

Hey guys. My grandpa who is 83 years old wants to get into aquariums. He has kept an aquarium for his goldfish in his pond during the winter, but got rid of that. Basically what he wants is something with a small footprint, not a ton of upkeep, but able to have active and colorful fish. He is no means frail, but he is actually pretty involved in other things, so he may not have as much time for upkeep as you would expect. I think an all inclusive system would be better. He is pretty set on the Fluval Edge because of how it looks, but I think it's a bad idea. I am helping design this, and will most likely come up with the stock. I really want this tank to be special, seeing as it will most likely last longer than he will. Any help you can give me is very appreciated. Here are the specefics I want:


Tank

1. small footprint
2. easier upkeep
3. not a lot of gallons (max 10)
4. all-inclusive is best
5. quiet
6. glass is always better
7. very aesthetic

Fish

1. active
2. colorful
3. higher numbers
4. little to no aggression is best
5. not particularly expensive
6. readily available

Thanks so much for your help. He and I will really appreciate this.

 

[aj2494]

bump

 

[jpappy789]

Walmart has 10 gallon starter kits...can't tell what they run for or whats included, but I know they have them.

Guppies would probably be a good choice for fish...colorful, readily available, and active. I'd shoot for all males unless you want to deal with fry

 

[snoopy65]

10 gal tank with 6 ember tetra, 6 male endlers, and maybe a school of 6-8 pygmy cory cats.

 

[jpappy789]

I would personally keep stocking light unless you can guarantee weekly maintenance. Especially if no live plants are involved...just a thought.

 

[trigiver01]

I would go for those all-inclusive 10g kits at wal-mart or petsmart, paint the back black. I've found that whisker shrimp have a cool personality and help keep the tank clean (their nitrogen footprint is negative - pretty sweet). For brightness you could get those genetically modified guppies with the really bright colors (not painted, btw). They stay small so you can get a big group of them. Paint the back black or dark blue to add more contrast.

 

[aj2494]

I know he can do water changes and all that stuff. He will never neglect the tank, so I don't need to understock, but a lot of fish such as my cichlids (for example) require a lot of time that he may not have. Not trying to say guppies and all that are boring here, but maybe something a little different from what we usually see in tanks is better. Something unusual, but relatively easy to find. They need to be very interesting.

 

[jm1212]

10 gal tank with 6 ember tetra, 6 male endlers, and maybe a school of 6-8 pygmy cory cats.

thats way too much for a ten gallon.

cut out the endlers and corydoras and thats more along the lines of what should be in a 10.

 

[StripesAndFins]

10 gallon with 5-10 male guppies and some shrimp/snails for clean up. get a black/blue background to bring out colors of the guppies.