What kind of fish to get?

K

kissygoose

AC Members
Jul 24, 2006
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I can't get over all the types of fish. It's wild. So I thought maybe you all could give me ideas about what would be good fish for us if we decide to go ahead and become fish keepers. I think I'd want something pretty for the kids to watch and something that would be lifely enough that the kids could watch them. I've always been kind of partial to neon tetras. I've heard that mollys need more brackish water so I don't know if they would be good for us. I guess being new to this I would want something that were more on the hardy side.

What would you suggest for a first timer who wants to amuse her children?
 
We need to know how big the tank is and do you want just one kind of fish or to have a few different kinds. For example if you have a 30G tank and want a single lively species I am a big fan of tiger barbs for pure amusement to watch (you could probalby have 9 or so ina tank that size). Mine follow my finger back and forth on the side of the tank. If you have a smaller tank you probably want to look at platys or tetras, but I don't know mucyh about those so I will defer to others. The catch with tiger barbs is they can pick on other fish so I recommend keeping them alone or with a hardy bottom dweller (small pleco like bristlenose or catfish in a 30G).
 
Fan tailed guppies are good for kids IMO bc they are livebearers, which means they have babies which is fun for kids and they come in many different colors. Also fun for kids.
 
Jodi....this might be a totally stupid question but I have to ask. Ok so if you have live bearers and they have babies what do you do with them? I mean how do you keep them and all their new babies from over crouding your tank? I remember my nanny having mollies that kept breeding and she just kept putting more and more in the tank till they started dying off. That just seems wrong ot me.
 
buy a seperate tank to house the babies, or just let the other fish in the tank snack on them.
 
you should probly wait a few monthes for the neons... platys are hardy and come in almost any color (they're undyed too), and are great for cycling a tank, and they are active.
later in the tanks life you may want to get a centerpeice fish such as a dwarf gourami or a large swordtail, or maybe even a german blue ram if you are carefull with water quality
 
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