What are some cheap and hearty starter fish for a 55 gallon tank?

Question

We were given a tank but have never had fish before. We don't want to spend too much on the fish yet since we are just starting. Any suggestions?

What about algae eaters or anything else we should consider?

freshwater

Answer 1

why does everyone reccomend the worst fish possible to get for a beginner?????

goldfish-cheap, but you are limited to just goldfish

angelfish-beautiful but very aggressive, will attack any other large finned fish

oscars-aggressive, limited to pretty much just oscars

cichlids-aggressive, limited to pretty much just cichlids

what i have in my 55 gallon

tiger barbs, gold barbs, white clouds, mollies, tetras, pleco, dwarf frogs, guppies, gouramis

Answer 2

Just starting a tank? Do NOT get goldfish. They are nasty and if you put other fish in they will die. I suggest you get an algae eater, preferrably a big one. Mollies and Guppies are good but they have a lot of babies really fast. I would suggest Rasboras, Neon Tetras, or any Tetra should work well. Rosy Reds are good as well. I would also suggest you get Freshwater fish because a Marine (Saltwater) Tank is extremely hard to maintain, especially for a beginner. But make sure you have a filter and all the equipment before you get fish. Otherwise they'll just die.

Answer 3

First decide what kind of tank you want. They look very different. In a fifty five you could keep...

1. 2 or 3 goldfish. They are absolutely striking. If you buy them as babies then you can use them to cycle the tank. They will get to be about 7-12". They are cold water so very few species can be kept with them. Dojo loaches are an exception.

http://www.goldfishconnection.com/index.php
This is a six foot tank
http://web.singnet.com.sg/~leongcy/GF-HK-5.JPG
http://web.singnet.com.sg/~leongcy/GF-HK-5.JPG

2. Community tropical- these are the most common- they are the easiest and most inexpensive. I think they are horribly boring. You could probably get a nice school of danios or tetras. Some gouramis, a school of cory cats.(Live bearers need salt in their water- Mollies, platys and guppies) This is the kind of tank in which you have a lot of small fish. If you go this way cycle with danios.

3. Cichlids- fun, fun! There are Africans and South Americans- no mixing. In a fifty five you could keep 2-5 South Americans and 8-10 Africans- depending on the fish. Like the Goldfish this style of tank is A few large, very beautiful fish. I would recommend convicts for beginners. They are beautiful fish. I would cycle the tank with 6 babies about an inch long. They should be full grown within a couple months. As they grow they will pair off. You might be able to keep 2 pairs the rest will have to go back. They will start spawning at about 2-3". It is fascinating, the fish are great parents. Ours bury the 300 fry in the sand every night to protect them. They keep them together by carrying them in their mouths. They are very rewarding fish.
http://www.aquariumfish.net/information/raising_baby_fish_2.htm

4. A beautiful tank would be live plants, angels, blue rams, cory cats. This is semi-aggressive tank. These fish are a little more delicate but if you do your research you will be fine. I would cycle this tank with the cory cats.
http://www.plantedtank.net/imageh/images/47/SV300008_Large_e-mail_view.jpg
http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_ram.php

About algae eaters- Plecos are aggressive and get to be huge- like over a foot. They will eat anything that can fit in their mouths. These are a bad choice for community fish. Golden or Chinese would be better. You should wait to add one- you dan't have any algae yet they Will starve. They sell wafers that you need to feed them- they normally need more then just what grows in the tank.

Answer 4

Gouramis!!! many different types and colors, very beautiful and peaceful, and very hardy because, like bettas, if the water quality is poor they will breathe air from the top of the water and not use their gills. This was the first fish I ever got as a beginner, and while learning to take care of the tank I killed everything from mollies to tetras to headstanders to catfish, barbs and plecos. But the 1 gourami I had never had any problems. I am much more experienced with tanks now, have 6 large aquariums, and I still have my 1 original gourami, now 5 years old. Also a good algae eater to get is the "Gold Nugget', gorgeous black with gold spots and trim, only gets 6 inches and very peaceful with other fish, even very small ones.

Answer 5

I'm also new to the fish world. Mollies have worked good for me. Gold barbs too, although they are said to be aggressive, I have about 8 and they do well with the other fish. Black shirt tetras were the first fish I got for my tank. Out of a school of 12 I have 10 and they have grown to a nice size. I think they are the best. Try this website I use it alot. Just click on freshwater fish. http://www.fishindex.com/library/

Answer 6

DO NOT GET NEON TETRAS as your first fish, they are mediat to expert leval fish and even some experts have trouble keeping these finiky fish alive.
first i would ask yourself fresh or saltwater. salt waters much more exciting, but expensive. I'm guessing your looking at fresh since your a beginner.
guppy's ,Molly's and sordtails are a fail safe, but two large lionhead goldfish would also be very cool, plus its like owning a little hamster or two sense they get so big (in my opinion).
at first you wont need to have any algae eaters, because theres usually not much algae, unless your using tap water to do water changes. i use RO(reverse osmosis) water you can get at any cub store. tap water has to much nutrients in it the the algae can flourish on and your fish don't even need. i never use tap water, only in an emergency.
before adding fish you ll need to cycle the tank for a couple of months. there are liquids you can buy to quicken the pace of this aging proces but. ive never used them.

for a 55 i would suggest 2 huge sized goldfish, or a couple small ones, be careful not to overstock though as these fish produce large amounts of ammonia. plus you wont need a heater because they are cold water fish.

another option would be the live bearer group, guppy's, Molly's, sword tails, but they reproduce fast, so be careful what females you put it. it you do get algae eaters such as a pleco, clown loaches, upside down catfish, etc you ll need to get them algae pellets. for snails there are Inca,mystery and apple snail.

Answer 7

If you're going tropical, I would suggest gauramis or angels, both are fairly hardy and will grow really big if you change water enough. Algea eaters are ok, but tend to get aggressive as they get bigger, a plecko or two will work just as well. Also barbs and danio's make good starters

Answer 8

i started out with oscars. make sure they are male and female if there is only two. usually if you put two males and a female they will fight. or you can go with breeder guppies, one male two females, mollies, male and female. i have two tree frogs in my tank also. clown loaches are good too. alge eaters, it depends. ask the fish store. make sure tho you get only what is needed at first. you can always add to it. also get live plants, a lava rock or two, and an airater for the bottom, it goes under the rocks

Answer 9

Take it out and take it to the save with you. Or, take it out and degree it with a tape degree....if no tape degree reachable, a dollar bill is 6 inches lengthy. turn the hood over, and also you'll see 2 notches the position both metal prongs slot in on both end of the mild. gently rotate the full bulb until eventually the metal prong shows on the notches and it would come out. If it hasn't been replaced for awhile, it would want to experience form of stuck, merely be delicate yet turn it firmly. once you position a clean one in, do it a similar way.

Answer 10

I would suggest tetras for starting. They are usually never more than 5 dollars, and they're all wonderful to watch. My personal favorites are blackskirt tetras. They're elegant swimmers, fun to watch, and they're pretty cheap. I started out with two, and they were only about $2.50 each.