My youngest son is besotted with fish, but I have never kept a fishtank before. I have bought, and setup, a fifty litre tank with an undergravel filter, light and a castle, treasure chest etc to make it look interesting. It came with a heater, but I would rather use cold water fish since I live in Johannesburg, South Africa, and power outages are not uncommon (so I have oxygen tablets to complement the air pump).
Could people please give me recommendations on good fish breeds to use that are relatively hardy, and what else I need in the tank in terms of plants and complentary species. Any advice on keeping the tank running and the fish alive would be much appreciated. Thanks
2007-06-25 20:48:40 · 15 answers · asked by allonyoav 7 in Pets ➔ Fish
Your tank is a 13 gallon for the US users. That's too small to keep a goldfish, as these will get 10-18 inches (25-14 cm) or more in length as adults.
I would look at species such as danios if you want something hardy and active. These should be kept in schools of 6+. Some other choices would be white clouds, some of the tetras (Buenos Aires, bleeding heart, serape, bloodfins) which should also be kept in groups of 6+, corydoras catfish (groups of 3+), and guppies (will do better with a little salt in the water, about 3 tablespoons for your tank, dissolve in water before adding it). A paradise fish would be another option, but these get territorial, and probably wouldn't work that well with tankmates in a tank your size. This is too many total for the tank, but I would suggest at least 1-2 groups of the schooling fish (danio species and/or tetra species) and a group of corydoras. You can find information on these species in the links at the end, as well as some good basics for keeping an aquarium. I'd strongly suggest reading about cycling your tank (the nitrogen cycle) in the second and third links.
Good luck with your tank!
2007-06-25 21:12:47 · answer #1 · answered by copperhead 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I've found that Fancy Guppies are pretty hardy! Plus they have beautiful tails. I've had bad experiences with goldfish, they die basically, and very quickly at that. But some guppes or even some neon glofish. They come in bright colors that are awesome if you have a light above the tank. Hope all these answers help!
2007-06-26 05:17:32 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Definitely gold fish or bettas (chinese fighting fish). They are both quite hardy and can deal with water temperature variations and power outages.
They can go up for air if there is no oxygen in the water which would make things easier in your case.
2007-06-26 02:02:09 · answer #3 · answered by MissLib-R-T76 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The best fish to put in your tank to start before adding the fish you would like to keep alive are the little tiny fish. I forgot the name, they are always in ditches. When you go to the pet store the tank is packed full of them. Well you buy like 20-40 of them @ .15 cents a piece. As they die your water will be suitable to put your best fish in after a week.
2007-06-26 07:53:42 · answer #4 · answered by WENDY B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The best starter fish is a goldfish. They are very easy to handle (and they are cheap!), and only need a rock, and some pebbles on the bottom, and maybe a castle or two like you have. Its that easy, that is why many people have goldfishes nowadays.
2007-06-26 02:52:23 · answer #5 · answered by oohaylrig 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
bettas are perfect for yur condition there, these hardy fish are strong and doesn't even need much aeration, but you can only keep ONE male only! if you had more males they'll fight to the death...
feed them twice a day in little quantity, they're small, so they don't eat much. and they'll eat almost anything...
then, you'll need LOTS of hiding places! like plants, hollow rocks, etc. fish need to feel safe, so that they don't get stressed...
clean the tank once a month, or just simply change the water, using syphon to take out 2/3 of the water in the tank, then add new water.
keeping fish are very easy once you get the hang of it!
good luck!
2007-06-26 00:26:29 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
One of the hardiest fish is an african ciclid called (in the US) an Oscar. Other african ciclids are also easy to care for and are hardy fish. The drawback is that they are agressive fish and must be paired with other aggresives.
The heater is only necessary if you live somewhere cold enough that the water will dip below 60-65 degrees. Fish that like colder waters are fish such as goldfish or koi, fancy goldfish are a nice choice because they are so varied and colorful. Koi are very hard to care for and I don't recommend them.
2007-06-25 20:55:20 · answer #7 · answered by smartsassysabrina 6 · 0⤊ 4⤋
the first thing you want to do before u buy your fish is keep the fishtank running for 3 days add a liquid called aqua safe which will make your tap water safe for the fish so they wont die
u can buy aqua safe at walmart or at petco or any pet store
2007-06-25 20:58:41 · answer #8 · answered by john l 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The fish my little sister and I started out with were common guppies. They were really hardy and easy to care for. They were beautiful when they grew.
2007-06-25 20:55:46 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
a gold fish or guppies see if your kid is really interested in fish first before you spend hundreds on the really nice fish. best thing is they are cheap and don't last long just work your way up the classes of fish as each die and his intrest grows
2007-06-25 20:53:34 · answer #10 · answered by albert44 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋