# What kind of fish should I get?



## Heather (Jul 25, 2008)

In the next month or so, I'm going to be setting up my fish tank anew - my last endler bit it a couple weeks ago. 

So, I want something hardy, cheap, and pretty. I am mostly planning on doing this because it provides good entertainment for a watchful cat when I am out at work during the day. 

I will get more live plants and it was suggested at the pet store that I get a loach, which eats snails. I had really gotten into the snail breeding by accident and frankly, I don't want that to happen again. 

The other two I liked were (I know, boring!) neon tetras and glowfish. Apparently all three should get along. 

However, I thought I'd see if you guys had any other recommendations? I'd love to hear them! Thanks in advance!


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## SlipperKing (Jul 25, 2008)

I love red snapper! or flounder!


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## Heather (Jul 25, 2008)

*Note - not for human consumption.


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## tocarmar (Jul 25, 2008)

Heather,

Goldfish are cheap!! Especially after the cat eats them!!! 

Tom


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## Heather (Jul 25, 2008)

*Note - not for feline consumption either.


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## Elena (Jul 25, 2008)

When we had the tank our cats found the plecs to be the most fascinating for whatever reason. HTH


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## swamprad (Jul 25, 2008)

I'm in the process of setting up a saltwater tank (just what I need, another hobby, lol). As far as freshwater tanks go, I love to watch a school of neon tetras swimming around, I don't think they're boring at all.


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## NYEric (Jul 25, 2008)

Guppies!


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## Candace (Jul 25, 2008)

I like the litte fresh water froggies. But I really think you need an Oscar.:evil: How big is your tank?


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## practicallyostensible (Jul 25, 2008)

Well, first we should establish what size tank you have. Loaches get to be good sized fish, and reportedly can grow as big as 16 inches (although mine got up to be around 12). By the way, loaches are really detrimental to planted aquariums because they dig constantly and uproot plants. The best thing to do with snails is to dip the plants in a solution before putting them in the tank (I don't remember the name of the product). Neon tetras are awesome but also one of the more delicate tetras, I prefer rummy nose tetras, because they school tightly, are quite hardy, and I like their little racing stripes. Blackskirt tetras are also really neat, they are larger and less elongated than rummynose and neons and not as zippy. I have no experience with glo-fish because they are illegal in California. I've had zebra danios (minus the superfluous DNA) and have loved them in the community tank. Hope this helps.


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## Heather (Jul 25, 2008)

Thanks! 
I have a six gallon tank.


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## goldenrose (Jul 25, 2008)

SlipperKing said:


> I love red snapper! or flounder!





tocarmar said:


> Heather,
> 
> Goldfish are cheap!! Especially after the cat eats them!!! Tom



:rollhappy: :rollhappy: :rollhappy: :clap: :clap: :clap:



Heather said:


> Thanks!
> I have a six gallon tank.



No wonder they croak, they have nowhere to go! Aren't smaller aquariums harder to maintain, less stable in temp & water quality? I would think a bit larger tank might allow the inhabitants to be a bit more secure & could be more entertainment for the cat??? The guppy suggestion would be good if they were all the same sex!


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## likespaphs (Jul 25, 2008)

i don't know if a six gallon would be big enough for a clown loach. i've heard you should establish the tank for several months before getting the loach as they can be pretty sensitive.


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## Heather (Jul 25, 2008)

goldenrose said:


> No wonder they croak, they have nowhere to go!



Um, the fish were about a half inch in size...there is plenty of room for small fish. That was not the issue at all.

The loach the recommended was only about an inch long and black and white - any idea of the particular species? They did not indicate it would get large...

I guess at this point I'm just leaning towards the tetras.


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## Elena (Jul 25, 2008)

How about a betta?


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## practicallyostensible (Jul 25, 2008)

I would say, 1 betta, or a few guppies, or a few tetras, or for the pico tank connoisseur a colony of galaxy rasbora, or Badis bengalensis, or a mated pair of German Rams. The smallest loach I know is the YoYo loach, but I would still say 10 gallon minimum. Can't wait to see pics!


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## practicallyostensible (Jul 25, 2008)

Oh I forgot to mention I have had purely invert tanks too, I have a two gallon tank that houses clams and Caridina gracilirostris or 'Rhino Shrimp'. Here's a good photo of the shrimp, they are too fast for my camera. //www.azgardens.com/images/shrimp_C.%20gracilirostris%2020%20.jpg


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## rdlsreno (Jul 25, 2008)

That is very exciting. I use to have a 50 gallon tank back in the Philippines it had black lace angel, neon tetra, tinfoil, Bronze and Zebra coridoras, algae eater catfish ( can't remember the name) and a fresh water puffer. 

Some loaches has barbs under their eyes (be careful).

Ramon


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## paphioboy (Jul 25, 2008)

Heather, just a few suggestions here... instead of neon tetra, you might want to try cardinal tetra (the one with full red stripe). Danios, barbs and rasboras are supposedly easy too. Rasbora heteromorpha (Harlequin) is a small hardy species. You might wish to get some corydoras too to scavenge the bottom of the aquarium. Bettas are a good suggestion but they have a short lifespan and are only beautiful at their prime.. Good luck..!


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## dave b (Jul 25, 2008)

paphioboy said:


> Heather, just a few suggestions here... instead of neon tetra, you might want to try cardinal tetra (the one with full red stripe). Danios, barbs and rasboras are supposedly easy too. Rasbora heteromorpha (Harlequin) is a small hardy species. You might wish to get some corydoras too to scavenge the bottom of the aquarium. Bettas are a good suggestion but they have a short lifespan and are only beautiful at their prime.. Good luck..!



Good suggestion on the Cardinal Tetra. They are hardier, and much more colorful than regular Neons. Neons really need soft water (not from water softener) and lower pH to thrive, Cardinals are a bit more tolerant. If you water your orchids with RO, rain, or distilled water, use it for the fish.

I think the only real solution is to get a bigger tank, then get a Polypterus (Bichir). One of the neatest fish on the planet. Each week you can put in several cute little guppies, and your cat will be fully entertained watching the Poly eat them.


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## streetmorrisart (Jul 25, 2008)

My brain is bursting with all of this--opinions abound, right? I've been keeping fish for nearly twenty years now, mainly fancy goldfish till about ten years ago. There is nothing remotely boring about a tetra tank. I guess now that Cardinals are being bred in captivity too, they may be as hardy as Neons--that was supposedly not the case before, so much so that I kept putting off the purchase for years. I couldn't stand it after multiple visits to the Amazon Rising section of The Shedd though. So far so good. My only tropical tank is a fifteen gallon, very established, stocked with overgrown live plants and Glowlights / Cardinals. Start slowly as you establish those plants though. I wouldn't add many fish at first, ever in a six gallon. I brought some of my fish with me from Detroit in a cooler three years ago--the sloshing soaked my ass in the U-Haul actually (battery-operated air stones).


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## Ernie (Jul 26, 2008)

I'm a Characin guy too. Catfishes are my first love though (my other life e-mail is [email protected]). For a tiny tank, Bettas are great. If it's not a small tank, a fun setup is an African riverine tank (very different than a rift lake tank!). Congo tetras, African longfin tetras (with the cool name _Brycinnis longipinnis_), African butterflys, and a mix of Synodontis! My current aquarium is Cardinals, blackskirts, golds, silver hatchets, various cats, and bleeding hearts that beat the stuffing out of each other. A challenge: all three species of _Paracheirodon_ (_axelrodi, innesi_, and _simulans_) together! 

-Ernie


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## Heather (Jul 26, 2008)

Okaayy....

This has gotten confusing. Not interested in Bettas.

I think I'm still leaning towards the tetras and/or the glowfish. 

A little history - I initially got the Endler's to eat mosquitos in my rain barrel but there weren't any mosquitos so I bought larvae for them. Come winter, the fish needed a home inside. Hence the 6 gallon tank. 

This isn't a full blown hobby, I don't want a lot of fish, nor a lot of maintenance, I just want a few easy fish. 

Thanks for all of the recommendations - I like the cardinal idea too. Still not sure what to do about the plant/snail issue at this point...


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## cnycharles (Jul 26, 2008)

if you want easy and hardy, I have two dwarf albino cory catfish. they eat off of the bottom, don't get very large at all (maybe two inches at very most, maybe...) and they live in tough conditions. a co-worker gave me some guppies and a DACC about five years or so ago and that catfish and another one I got last year are the only two alive. ... and if anyone knew about my lack of abilities in aquariums (not very good at routine maintenance), for a fish to be alive after five years is testimony in itself! 

a plant that is fairly easy to keep is duckweed, not the kind that grows around here in ponds but likely a tropical variety that has larger leaves. if you get extra food/fertilizer in the tank water they will soak it up and grow. can then just take out and toss the extra plants or give them to someone else. co-worker also gave me some of that and it is also still alive, much tossed out over the years ...also another plant that nyeric could keep alive


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## Heather (Jul 26, 2008)

Yeah, I really don't want catfish. Not so pretty.


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## streetmorrisart (Jul 26, 2008)

Corys are adorable! They're a must for me when I move to a city I think I’m going to stay in and can set up my dream Amazonian tank, which will be huge, and "layered" with the aforementioned, Discus, several kinds of Tetras… 

Anyway. 

One of the nicest small tanks I’ve ever seen had nothing but Corkscrew Val and Black Neons in it. Very simple and graceful. Another easy one is the White Cloud Mountain Minnow—colorful and very hardy. As with plants, you have to go with something you’re really drawn to though, or you won’t care as much. A great no-fuss plant is Anubias nana—wonderful waxy leaves. (My love of them is heightened by the fact that the goldfish don’t eat them!)


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## practicallyostensible (Jul 26, 2008)

paphioboy said:


> Bettas are a good suggestion but they have a short lifespan and are only beautiful at their prime.. Good luck..!



Lloyd, my Betta, lived to be 5 and regardless of if he was as beautiful as he was in his prime or not, he was a good pet. RIP my scaly friend.


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## streetmorrisart (Jul 26, 2008)

practicallyostensible said:


> Lloyd, my Betta, lived to be 5 and regardless of if he was as beautiful as he was in his prime or not, he was a good pet. RIP my scaly friend.



I know just how you feel. They do become friends and you never forget them.


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## paphioboy (Jul 26, 2008)

> a plant that is fairly easy to keep is duckweed, not the kind that grows around here in ponds but likely a tropical variety that has larger leaves.



Charles, I think you mean species of Salvinia and not Lemna.. Salvinia is a true water fern and grows as easily as comon duckweed. 



> Corys are adorable!



Robin, I absolutely agree with that.  Heather, corys are the cutest catfish on the face of this planet. And there are so many to choose from. Including 'alba' varieties.. hehe..


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Jul 26, 2008)

I am not really into freshwater anymore....just saltwater (and I find that I have far more success with the supposedly difficult SW than I ever had with FW...probably because I have to pay more attention to it....). While 6 gal is pretty small...how about a pair of dwarf cichilds? They are pretty, and have interesting behaviors...real personality. Apistogramma's might be good....but there are many other species you can use. Take care, Eric


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## MoreWater (Jul 26, 2008)

:clap::rollhappy::clap::rollhappy::clap:

love this thread  If I ever get interested in fish, I'll know where to look.


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## cnycharles (Jul 26, 2008)

MoreWater said:


> :clap::rollhappy::clap::rollhappy::clap:
> 
> love this thread  If I ever get interested in fish, I'll know where to look.



oh, that reminds me - you should get seahorses!


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## NYEric (Jul 28, 2008)

cnycharles said:


> ...also another plant that nyeric could keep alive


Wow!


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## Jon in SW Ohio (Jul 31, 2008)

Wow I've been away a long time!

Well Heather, I went with GloFish for my 10g moss tank a few months back. They are SUPER easy to care for, since they're just Zebra Danios. I use a 50/50 bulb which has more blue in the spectrum and they GLOW!!







They also look great next to a reef tankoke:





Jon


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## Heather (Jul 31, 2008)

DUDE! Welcome Back!!! I've really missed you! 

Thanks for the fishy advice.  
You'll have to catch (haha, get it? I still crack myself up) :rollhappy: us up on what you've been doing (besides acquiring more critters!)


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## NYEric (Aug 1, 2008)

I can't believe adults really buy those glow-fish! oke:


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## practicallyostensible (Aug 3, 2008)

very nice moss tank... very ADA style.


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## Heather (Aug 3, 2008)

NYEric said:


> I can't believe adults really buy those glow-fish! oke:



I can't believe a lot of things about you, Eric.


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## NYEric (Aug 3, 2008)

Heather said:


> I can't believe a lot of things about you, Eric.



Wow!


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## dave b (Aug 4, 2008)

Jon, I came so close to giving you a hard time about those fish. Glad someone got you. Welcome back, and nice tanks. The reef is incredible.

I really think the moss tank needs one of those little submarines hooked to an air pump. Or maybe the bubbling treasure chest. That would be cool. See you around the club.


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## Jon in SW Ohio (Aug 4, 2008)

LOL

I justified getting them because the gene that makes them fluoresce came from corals. 
I found them fitting...


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## goldenrose (Aug 5, 2008)

So Heather, did you deicide or get any fish yet?


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## Heather (Aug 5, 2008)

dave b said:


> I really think the moss tank needs one of those little submarines hooked to an air pump. Or maybe the bubbling treasure chest. That would be cool. See you around the club.



Dave, you're funny! 
Do keep in mind - fish for me are an entertainment device for my cat more than anything so glowfish are about her more than me! oke:

I'm still leaning towards the glowfish and the fancy guppies.
Haven't done anything yet and likely won't until the end of September. I kinda have a lot going on in August and September. Maybe it will be a birthday present to myself. 

You guys are great - this is such a wonderful forum - I knew you'd have the answer (ad nauseum! LOL!)


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## NYEric (Aug 5, 2008)

NYEric said:


> I can't believe adults really buy those glow-fish! oke:


See, proves my point! :evil:


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## Mrs. Paph (Aug 5, 2008)

I'm a fan of tiger barbs myself, and I think you and your cat might be too! If you get a small school of them (I've even mixed the red, green, and albinos in the past w/o problems) they'll chase eachother around incessantly, and probably stare down the cat if it's peeking into the tank. They don't get along w/ All kinds of fish though if you mix them w/ other kinds, so just keep that in mind and don't put something w/ extra frilly fins in w/ them...they may not 'play' nicely


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## cwt (Aug 5, 2008)

Seeing that there is competition for a fish, why not a pirhanna? Would keep the cat out of the tank?:evil::evil::evil:


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## cnycharles (Aug 5, 2008)

Jon in SW Ohio said:


> LOL
> 
> I justified getting them because the gene that makes them fluoresce came from corals.
> I found them fitting...



actually that seems like a perfectly acceptable rationalization to me!


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## Heather (Aug 6, 2008)

NYEric said:


> See, proves my point! :evil:



Oh, you're just talking to yourself now?


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## NYEric (Aug 6, 2008)

Anyone who ever met me would agree that I'm just a very responsible big child!  (But Glow fish!??!)


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