Need help choosing community fish? I need advise please!

[pupstur]

Hi there,

I'm a new to the world of aquariums and fish! I just want to make sure that I get fish that are compatiable, and that no fish will get harmed. I went to the library today and got 4 books on types of fresh water fish and aquariums. I've been reading this fish forum for about 3 hours. I've also gone to pet store to look at fish I like. I have a 45 gallon tank with stand. I would love to have a colorful tank that is very community friendly! I'm used to snorkeling with the beautiful salt water fish, so I need bright colorful peace loving fish. I did read the post about this question a little while ago. I also do not want large fish.

Fish I liked at the pet shop:
delta guppy, neon sward tail, black molly, gold crescent platy, cobra guppy, black tetra,red way platy, common guppy, red tuxedo platty. It seems that guppies seem to multiply alot(from what I've read). I'm open to suggestions for other types of fish. If anyone could help, I would appreciate it.

1 dog Max 2 hamsters honey ham

[Sorathien]

all the fish you mentioned are very friendly and all get along together. and i'm not sure about the tetra, but all the others are live bearers, and will multiply. tetras, i have no idea if they're live bearers or not, i don't believe they are though. but they would also get along with the others. just be prepared for babies.

[Nell]

Guppies, platies, mollies, and swordtails are all livebearers and can co-exist in an aquarium together very well, and they all multiply quite quickly. I have black tetras in my community aquarium. They're a rambunctious nippy fish, so I would be careful about putting them with guppies. (Guppies are often a target of nippy fish because of their long flowing fins.) They are not livebearers, but egg layers.

Corydoras also make good, easy community fish. They are catfish and like to hang out on the bottom of the tank. They're good at cleaning up food that falls to the bottom, but they will not usually eat algae.

Another fish you might want to look into are gouramis. There are quite a few different kinds, but I would suggest either Pearl Gouramis or Dwarf Gouramis. Pearls get to be about 4", which is not very big, but would be a nice focal point for a tank. They are also the most peaceful and easiest of the gouramis.

For a tank that size, you will definately want to cycle without fish. Doing this requires adding pure ammonia to the tank to simulate the ammonia that would otherwise be produced by fish waste. By doing this, you will build up very large bacteria colonies, and therefor be able to add many fish at once, rather than only a few at a time if you were to cycle with fish. The best part about it is you won't harm any fish during the process.

You can get the tank set up and start it cycling, and in the meantime, continue to do your research. Make sure you have a clear understanding of the nitrogen cycle. Find a local fish store with healthy fish (do not buy fish from chain stores, and especially not places like walmart), but always take any information they give you with a grain of salt.

Always remember, fishkeeping is a hobby that requires time and patience. Hastiness equals disaster. ;)

Here's an online site with good beginner information:
Aquarium Corner (http://www.aquariumcorner.com/basics.htm)

[mr gerbil]

Read up on fishless cycling (I think there's a link to a website in a recent thread).

Corydoras aren't very colourful, but they are great fun.
Also...don't add all the fish at once, not just because of cycling (although with fishless cycling this doesn't matter so much), but it's not a good idea to be suddenly swamped with lots of fish. Get a few, and only get more once you're confident with the others.

A possibility would also be kribensis chichilds (do you spell chichild that way? can never remember...).
But leave them completely out of the balance for some time, eg. months at the least. They're not beginner fish, as I once found to my misfortune. But they're colourful, have great personalities, and are a real joy to have in the tank.

[pupstur]

Thank you all for helping me with my questions, I appreciate it!

[mr gerbil]

Nice to know somebody does for a change, lol.