What type of freshwater fish should I start out with?

Question

I'm planning on getting a 10 or 20 gallon fish tank, and I don't know what type of fish or other underwater creatures I should get! Any ideas?

Answer 1

Fancy goldfish are very good to learn of off. They are very good at tolerating temp variations and PH variations. Also white clouds, guppies, bettas (only 1 betta per tank though!) mollies, tetras, and plecos are all hardy and easy fish to care for. If you get a 10 gallon tank I would not get any more than 8 fish that I have listed. If you get a 20 gallon tank you could be ok with about 15 fish. All of these fish stay pretty small. The fancy goldfish will be the ones that will get larger. But they only grow to their surroundings, so they more than likely would not grow to large for your tank. But keep in mind, if you do choose fancy goldfish pairing them with tetras is not a good idea. Goldfish will eat anything that will fit in their mouth and eventually the tetra's would. Also buy your aquarium before you buy your fish, set it up and have it running for at least 24 hours before placing fish. This way the tank will have a chance to establish an ecosystem. If you look at this website that I have provided a link to, you can look at the different types of freshwater fish and read about each of their natures and even use the chart to check their compatibility with other fish. http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/categ.cfm?pcatid=830
I hope this has helped you. Good Luck!

Answer 2

I would NOT recommend goldfish. They do NOT just grow to the size of their tank. They keep growing or die because of improper environment. That is an old wives tale. You can't put goldfish with any tropical fish because goldfish require cold water and tropical fish require warm water. So if you go with goldfish, that's all you can have. In a ten gallon, you could have 2 small ones if you plan to upgrade as they grow.

And please don't choose goldfish because they are cheap and some are gonna die anyways. If you set up a tank properly, it's not a given that some are going to die. Add only 1 or 2 fish at a time a week or two apart, feed sparingly (that's a big one; the number one killer of fish is overfeeding), do weekly 25% water changes, maintain your filter and all should be good.

If you want tropical fish, livebearers (platies, swords, mollies, guppies) are good to start with and you may get babies.

Answer 3

I started my 20 gallon tank last October and I have done very well with Gourami's and Boseman Rainbows. I look for colorful fish and these are some of the prettier freshwater fish. I also have a mating pair of Krebensis Cichlids but they can be a bit rough on the other fish in the tank when they are breeding. Upside down catfish are fun too.

Answer 4

With 10 gallons you trully are limited.

So please do not expect to have a lot of fish in it.

Let me start off by telling you the rule: Every inch of fish needs one gallon of water. SO technically you could have 10 one inch fish in a ten gallon tank. Please also remember to take into account how big they will get.

I reccommend sticking with community tropical fish. They get along and most do not get bigger then 3 inches.

I would start off with 3 Neons Tetras or Zebra Danios. These fish are schooling fish and I believe only get 1 and a half inches big. They are good to start off with.

Other Tropical Community fish I like are:

1) Mickey Mouse Platy : They have a picture of mickey mouse on their tail. (picture: http://www.bayfish.com.au/images/mickey_mouse_platy_sml.jpg )
2) Mollies: They have black, white, orange, Dalmations. These are nice fish. (can get 3 inches) (Pic of dalmation: http://www.aquariumfish.net/images_01/dalmatian_molly_w270.jpg )
3) Male guppies - beautiful lovely long tails and come in a huge variet of colors. And only get 1.5 inches as well.
(Guppy: http://www.totalfishkeeping.com/images/guppies.jpg )

It is also good to have an algea eater. Otocinclus are good for small aquariums. They only get 1.5 inches, but they clean very well. Also a snail (they have lots of colors, blue, yellow, black Ivory) are very neat to look at and also eat algea.

Also one or two cory catfish are nice too because they are bottom feeders. They will eat any food that settles to the bottom.

If you go to Petsmart I know they have each type of fish in its category and they carry all the fish I have mentioned.

Answer 5

Get something cheap. When you start a tank get some gold fish or other cheap fish, as a few of them will probably die. Wait atleast 2 months b4 getting any expensive fish cause the water need to be filtrated atleast that long. Oscars are my favorite, but they are a very aggresive fish and will feast on other fish as they get bigger.

Answer 6

Start witn neon tetras. Theyre cheap and hardy. They will let you know if your water is ok... goldfish are good but messy. you will have to do a lot of cleaning depending on the size of the tank. Try some angelfish, little sharks, catfish, snails. Water plants are good too, they will help keep your tank balanced and they look nice. good luck.

Answer 7

Whatever you do, please do not start out with goldfish. The tanks you're planning to get are too small for even a single one.

I think Danios are a great first fish. They are cheap, hearty, and active and VERY fun to watch.

Answer 8

platy's are nice. They are inexpensive, easy to care for and you can have several. they can also be put in a tank with different breeds such as suckermouth catfish, mollys, betas, and most any other freshwater tropical fish.

Answer 9

Guppies. They are hardy and a good starter fish. They are also inexpensive. I wouldn't recommend goldfish because they are DIRTY. They poop all the time (sorry, but it's true).

Answer 10

Kissing fish are easy to take care of and are amusing to watch. If you get two of them they will kiss no matter what sex they are. Or if you get one they will kiss the glass thinking it is another kissing fish!!