Thinking of getting some tropical fish...

Tommy123 · 21st November 2008, 06:15 PM

Hi, im looking into getting some tropical fish! Is there anything i should be aware of?:confused: Thanks

Tom · 21st November 2008, 09:59 PM

well there are a few points i might be able to help with mate..

Rule 1: always buy the biggest you can afford!
Rule 2: Always buyy the best products/ filter/ heater etc you can afford.
Rule 3: Never mix cichlids with community fish..

there are many fish out there mate, alot of stuning fis, but always read about them, so in shops seem happy alone, but its not as its shown..
Also, fish like barbs are better in bigger grops, they will nip at flappy fan tails of guppies, and siamise fish, but with enough, they play/ chase/ fight amoungst themselves..
another point is NEVER over crowd a tank..

simple things like 30 tiger barbs can be an awesome display, as can 2 oscar fish!
so maybe look into buying a type/ species of fish, and look into weather you want a mixed community tank, or a type of fish, milawi can be cool, fiesty, and chase around, but not always the best of colours/ variety..

so have a look around, and have a think about what you want.
Tom

jordanlewis100 · 18th December 2008, 01:29 PM

as Tom said there's loads of choice with fish more so nowadays than even 20 years ago,i would advise you to do some reading on the subject first,the most important thing you need is patience in fishkeeping as you can't mature a filter overnight then add fish but a good book will cover this,i would say that community fish are the best bet for a first tank,like small neons,corydoras catfish etc but if you get hooked you will soon want something else,bit like keeping herps or getting tattoos!!!

Steveo · 9th August 2009, 09:35 AM

Some cichlids are ok , like blue rams but the big ones (oscars for example) will end up eating any fish it can fit in it chops :)
ive also had no problems with angels either , even though there supposed to be very nippy (maybe i had a one off calm angel though)
Kribs are cool to in a community tank in my experiece (until there start breeding that is , then they get very protective of there babies)

Fundo · 21st August 2009, 11:20 PM

firstly decide whether you want a nice happy community tank - neons etc, or a more specific, almost species tank eg. malawi cichlids.

Personally, I'd opt for neons, guppys, gouramis, small plecs, barbs, tetra etc. This gives you a broader range of fish to choose from and generally community fish seem to have the bigger mix of bright colours.

However, if you want a bit of a challenge, Malawi's are probably the closest looking thing you can have to a marine tank without forking out the best part of a grand. You just need to bare in mind that they are very teratorial - so precautions need to be taken when introducing new fish - and also they can't eat flake food.

If you have any Qs just ask, I used to work as a 'Koi Carp and Tropical Fish Expert' in a fish shop before taking on my job as a 'Reptile Expert' in another

(oh yes, *blows own trumpet* haha)