what fish should I start out with for my 40 Gal. tropical aquarium?

Question

I thought guppies, but the pet-store says that guppies can only be put in an aquairium thats been running for awhile...(can remember why though) Then I thought neon-Tetras? or some other kind of tetra. thanks alot

Answer 1

What the petstore means is that you'll have to cycle your tank. If you don't, ANY fish you buy stands a good chance of dying, not only guppies. In the wild, and in established tanks, there are nitrifying bacteria that break down toxic ammonia from fish waste and excess food into less toxic nitrates. In a brand new tank, these bacteria don't exist, so any fish in the tank will produce ammonia, which, not being broken down by bacteria, will kill or weaken the fish. So, it is vital to cycle your tank.
There are a few methods. Do you have access to an established tank? These bacteria live in the gravel and in the filter cartridge, so if you can get some from another tank, you can put the bacteria right into your tank (don't let the gravel or filter cartridge dry out). If you do this, in a day or two, your tank will beready for fish.
Another way is to get Bio-Spira. It is the actual live bacteria in a little pouch, and your tank will instantly be ready for fish. http://fishstoretn.com/bio_spira.html
The next method called "fishless cycling" takes 2-4 weeks. Basically, you fill the tank and put in some fish food every other day (but no fish) this will produce ammonia. The bacterial populations will respond and grow, and it takes over 2 weeks for them to fully develop. You can also put a piece of shrimp in there and let it rot.
The last option is to use a fish as a source of ammonia. Frankly, that borders on animal cruelty because the fish suffers ammonia and nitrite burns for weeks, and many fish used to cycle tanks will die.
So, try to get some bio-spira or some gravel from an established tank.

As for what fish to get, well, that's up to you :)
In a 40 gallon tank you could have one school of tetras like:
neon tetras http://img225.exs.cx/img225/3290/neontetra6mc.jpg
cardinal tetra http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/Fishpics/cardinals.jpg
lemon tetra http://www.aqua-fish.net/imgs/fish/034.jpg
harlequin rasbora http://tropicalresources.net/phpBB2/templates/BMan1Blue/images/profile_pics/fish_profiles_heteromorpha1.jpg
glowlight tetra http://www.solodvds.com/images/fish/Hemigrammus_erythrozonus_s.jpg
zebra danio http://www.winternet.com/~mchristi/fish/zebradanio.jpg
... the list goes on and on and on. You could get 10-15 of one of those types.

Then you can get a few bigger fish to be your centrepiece fish.
I suggest either a pair of kribensis cichlids:
http://www.cichlids.dk/thumb/28887.jpg

Or a pair of bolivian rams:
http://www.azgardens.com/images/Ram-Bolivian.gif

Or a pair of apistogramma:
http://www.c-u-w.net/jpg/ad_konigs/apistogramma_agassizii_(ad_konigs).jpg

Or ONE dwarf gourami:
http://www.biol.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/users/naibunpi/Image/Gourami-photo-old.jpg

You could even get a couple angelfish.

OR you can go with guppies if you want, and throw in a few platies, mollies, endlers or swordtails. Just make sure you always get at least 2 females for every male, and know that they will produce lots and lots of babies - if you don't want babies, get only females.

And above all, before you buy anything, go to your local fish store, take a look around and write down the various fish you like. Then come home, research them, ask questions about them, before buying them. - Because more often than not, petstore employees have no idea what they're talking about.

Answer 2

Guppies are great starter fish, I'm not sure why they would tell you that. Just make sure that the tank has been running for a few days without the fish in it.

I wouldn't reccomend neon tetras because they have been over bred and are pretty fragile because of it. If you are wanting another tetra, glowlight tetras are very pretty, about the same price and school nicely. Serpae tetras are also good started tetras. Just make sure you get 6 or more tetras of the same kind, so they can school.

Platys are also a good starter fish, they are heaerty and come in so many colours. Just make sure you get at least 3 females to every male. The store can sex them for you. (that rule goes for guppies as well)

In 40 gallon tank you can have a variety of livebearers and other community fish

A set up I would reccomend would be
- 8 glowlight tetras
- 1 male platy, 4 females
- 2 African Dwarf Frogs
- 1 rainbow/red tailed shark

Answer 3

I think that A tetra would do nicely. But if your not careful you can cause them to die quickly because of the ph in the tank. The tetras are very hardy fish, and also the guami's are too. but you dont always have to liten to the pet store. Sometimes they only go by the rule book on what to tell people. I have a 20 gallon tank and I hd it up for about a month and then I put 20 fish in it. Guppies included and they are breeding and doing just fine. Just keep a check on the nitrate levels and the ph and the amonia too. If it gets out of hand you can use the ph neturalizer and the Amquel . Good luck with the fish.

Oh and another thing, If you put stress coat in the tank everytime you use a chemical in the water then it will make it easier on the fish. Thus they will live longer.

Answer 4

Guppies are heartier than neon tetras. Neons are very sensative to ph shifts.

I reccommend guppies. They'll get the cycle going, and they're cheap, so if one dies they're not a problem to replace. They have the added benefit of being small enough for larger fish to eat when you get bored with them.

In any case you need to get something that produces ammonia in the tank otherwise the cycle will never start. Just whatever you do, don't try to stock the whole tank with fish the first day... Add only 1 or 2 fish per week.

Answer 5

make a list of what you want in your tank and then find out which is the hardiest. a couple guppies or a few tetras would be more than fine in a 40 gallon tank.

Answer 6

you should get guppies, mollies, platys, and swordtails. all of these are great starter fish. they will also breed quickly and you wont have to get rid of alot of the fry because you have a big tank. also make sure it is planted densly.
I would recomend getting:
1 male guppy
3 female guppies
1 male platy
3 female platys
1 male molly
3 female mollies
1 male swordtail
3 female swordtails
1 medium sized pleco or
2 small plecos

Answer 7

I would go with some platies, there are many variations and colors. Guppies would be fine too.
Livebearers are so much fun to watch!

Answer 8

-Your tank has to cycle first before you can put any fish in it. With a 40 gallon I would let it run at least one week.

-You want to make sure you have your rocks, filter, heater, decorations and thermomitor all set up.

-Make sure the water temp is between 70*-78*.

-You want to fill the tank up with water and add the proper amount of water condtioner to the tank.

-When you go back to the pet store in a week bring a water sample with you. They will test it and make sure your water is ready for fish.

-If your water is ready for fish when you go. You only want to add 4 to 5 fish at a time. Otherwise your nitrate and ammonia levels will sky rocket and kill the fish.

-Good fish yo start with are Mollies and Platies. Also remember all tropical fish need to be baught in groups of 3 to 4. Also one male fish needs 3 to 4 females.

Answer 9

All fish have that same requirement - up and running for a while. It's called, "cycling a tank" and you must do it before you put any fish in or the water quality will be harmful to your fish and it could kill them. Please read up on cycling a tank before you buy any fish. Oh, and please do the fishless cycling so that you don't need to kill any fish. Thanks! Good luck and have fun!

Answer 10

i have a rainbow shark and i got him a day after my tank was up and running he is beautiful