What fish would you recommend?

Question

Earlier this year, my 8 year old brother bought a small fish tank at a garage sale - it is about 2-21/2 feet long, 11/2 feet tall, and maybe a foot deep, at most. I am not sure exactly how much it holds, but I know that it isn't much. For Christmas, we are hoping to get him some fish for it, but we aren't sure what to buy. He really wants Oscars, but this tank is just not big enough.

So my question is - what are some small fish that make good "tank buddies", and would be easy for an 8 year old to take care of? We do not want to get goldfish - I think he would be more interested in something a bit more unique. Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated - thank you!

Just to add to this, we would like to get more than just one fish. I am sure he would love some of the smaller ones mentioned, and I'll be looking into those. Honestly, anything will please him. He has ADD and is 8 years old - I really don't think there's anything that wont, lol.

Answer 1

sounds like its probably a 10g

-for a centerpiece fish I suggest a male betta, colorful and majestic so it will definitely stand out against a school.
-for a schooling fish why not take him to a pet store and show him some types of tetras and danios and see what he likes, get 5 or 6.
-then, for a bottom feeder 4 corydora catfish, again, I suggest taking him to the pet store and have him look at a few types. I like albino, but there are many types.

by letting him look around you'll be sure to get something he'll like. just remember add the fish slowly. start cycling the tank now, and when you get the fish add the tetras one week, the cory cats another, and then the betta last. adding them all at once will cause an ammonia spike and you'll probably end up loosing the fish which would be a sad christmas...

Answer 2

Hi atjwct, Depending on actual water level & also the difference between US & UK gallons your tank could be anywhere between 10 & 20 gallons so measure your tank exactly then check that size with the first link below.

The second link has some suggestions for good & bad first fish, you are right to not want Oscars as the need really huge tanks & you will also notice on this link that Goldfish & Plecos are considered a very poor choice for beginners due to their need for huge tanks & specialised care so you're heading in the right direction already!

I don't really have to add that because you are buying these fish for an 8 ear old no mater how responsible he may be you will probably end up doing all the maintenance work after a while!! :) so it might be an idea, once you have decided on what type[s] of fish you are interested in to join a forum dealing with that specific type & ask the experts before you spend any money & another benefit of a specific forum is immediate access to experts in case of emergencies.

Best of luck in whatever you choose & have a Merry Fishmas!!

Answer 3

Easy fish to look after and that come in many varieties are the tetra species, they are a shoaling species so i'm sure he will get the most interest out of these, some tetras are

neon tetra
congo
penguin
x ray
serpae
emperor

i would suggest getting around 10 providing he keeps up with maintenence etc, and1 or 2 corydoras catfish, they don't get too big or messy and they will help keep the bottom clean as they are bottom dwellers, or get 2 golden apple snails (or both) as these lay eggs ABOVE the water so you can gaurantee yoo will get no babys unless you leave the eggs for about 2 wk

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU CYLCE THE TANK FIRST

http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php

email me for more info

Answer 4

You could divide it up with plastic dividers to house some male bettas, they are really cool. You could use it as a tank to breed guppys aswell as your son might find this interesting. All you need is 5 males and 10 females and they'll do the rest really

Danios are really hardy and almost impossible to kill
tetras look nice but arent the strongest of fish

All these fish need a heated tank

Answer 5

you tank sounds like a 20 gallon but without accurate measurments you can be to sure, it might be a 15.
i think of the 'common' fish offered swordtails, harlequin rasboras and serpae tetras are probably some of the coolest, and they are all really easy to care for.
of those you could get about 10 to 15 rasboras or tetras and about 6-10 swordtails. i would get all females if i were you but if you get any males you'll be dumping fry every chance you get, lol.

neons aren't really that hardy and may not thrive in a non established (6mo or older) tank.

Answer 6

Danios are hardy, white clouds are hardy, corys are hardy, you could also get platys though don't get too many fish. 3 corys for the bottom and 5-7 of one of the choices above would make a nice tank. Don't get the giant Danios because they'll get too big for this aquarium though the other Danios like zebra and pearl would work great.

Answer 7

Well some guppies and a snail or two are great because the snails clean the tank but guppies reproduce fast. I also reccomend tropical fish. vIf youre looking for one fish, though, go with a fighting fish. They live really long.

Answer 8

It sounds like it is a 20-gallon tank. I like platies. I have a little school of 5 of them in a tank with 1 female betta. They are a very sweet and adorable fish that comes in a few different visual varities (painted, micky mouse, etc). You would need a tank heater for these fish unless your home stays warm year-round, because they are tropical.

This is a pretty good site for finding fish:

http://www.fishlore.com/TropicalFishProfiles.htm

Answer 9

Zebra Danios, Neons, Platies and Mollys are wonderful first-time fish, are attractive to look at and are very easy to care for. Sounds like you have about a 20 gallon tank and could probably hold about ten to twenty smaller fish.

Answer 10

If he really has his heart set on cichlids, a pair of convicts should do ok in this aquarium. They are quite hardy and I have bread them in aquariums as small as 10gal. Their egg laying and care for their fry is fascinating to watch. They would definitely have to be the only fish in the aquarium as they get extremely aggressive when they start mating.