What kind of fish to get?

kissygoose said:
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.
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Im having to seperate my guppies in sexed tanks soon. You can also get a large-ish fish taht will eat the fry, like a betta (might be iffy with some fish) or a gourami (dwarf, probably). Since your kids are young, they wont really care much about the fish other tahn watching them every now and then, and saying good night to them! It'll be you and Dad enjoying them the most, so....what do YOU want? Flashy bright colors? A themed tank? A large school of one kind of fish? Get a few small cories for sure (pandas, pigmy, sometning that stays small), they are great little fish and compatable with most everything.
20 gallons is a GREAT starter size tank!!!
 
They dye fish? You mean like inject them with dye? How terrible. How do you know which ones are dyed and which aren't?
 
Most often, if it looks too bright to be true, it probably is. Its very sad, and cruel. The fish often dont live very long. Glass fish are most commonly abused like this, called Painted Glassfish, but I know there are lots more.
 
kissygoose said:
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.
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You can always ask your LFS if they will take any babies that are produced. Alot of stores don't mind getting free livestock. You could have a fish in there that will eat the babies, but I wouldn't put a betta in with guppies bc they tend to kill them bc of the fancy fins. Maybe a dwarf gourami might be a good bet(not 100% sure they will do well with guppies). Depending on the size of the tank you could put any number of different fish in with them.
 
kissygoose said:
Ok so how do you choose what fish are best
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Check your Ph levels in your water, that can help with your fish research. Platys were suggested. They are a good hardy fish and go well with my barbs. Sunburst platys are very bright orange and red and almost seem to glow when they're very healthy. As your first tank you want fish that are pretty forgiving with beginners. Danios are fun. I don't think the ram would be a good beginner fish. Be careful small tank size & gouramis, you'd definitely need a dwarf in a smaller tank.

kissygoose said:
What size tank is best?
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The bigger the better because it's easier to control chemical levels and heat problems. I started on my 29 gallon and haven't had a problem yet, so I think a 29 gallon startup kit is the best. Also, larger water surface area tanks are better for oxygen exchange, so I'd choose a long & short tank over short & tall one.
 
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