I have a 55 gallon aquarium that I'd like to put some freshwater fish in. My husband is in the military, so fish that are a little bit more resilient would be good (the fish WILL come with us when we move. If we get stationed over seas, my mother has already volunteered to keep them while we are gone.)

I don't mind having to check water conditions and things like that, but I would prefer to not have to do too much regular cleaning.

Do you have any suggestions as to a type of fish that may be a good fit? I appreciate it!

The best way to not have to spend tons of time cleaning is to stock lightly. But all fish need clean water to live healthy.

Also, try to stick fish in there that can tolerate a wide range of temperatures. Since you may or maynot be there - I'd stay away from using a heater. Your mother may not notice if it goes haywire before everything's belly-up.

Interesting fish that I've found to be some of the toughest: Dinosaur bichirs, Electric Blue Jack Dempseys, Australian Rainbowfish, Cories, Plecos, Mystery snails, Glofish/danios (don't get them if you get the dempseys or bichirs), dojo loaches... And of course the 'good old-fashioned fancy goldfish'.

If this is a first tank for you, I'd go with goldfish, mollies or platys. However, all of these fish will require regular tank maintenance in the form of large regular water changes. Get yourself a Python (or equivalent water changing hose assembly) and it makes life pretty easy.

Do you know what your tap water is like in terms of pH and hardness (KH)? That might make a difference in what you choose.

I don't mind cleaning the tank as often as it needs, I guess I was a little vague. A friend of mine has aquatic turtles and there is nooooooo way I could deal with that kind of maintenance. Those tanks are a pain to keep up with. Love the little guys, but the turt thing just isn't for me.

I was looking at possibly guppies (2 males, 4 females?) and platys (2 males, 6 females?) for my 55 gallon and a Betta for my 10 gallon. Is a 10 gallon going to be enough for a better if i put about 3/4 inch of gravel and a couple live plants in the tank with him or should I rethink that tank?

the rule of thumb with molly/platys/guppys is 1 male per 3 females so you might want to add one or two more female mollys. then just do a 30% water change a week and you should be good. they are really hardy but they do better in warm water so i think you should use a heater.

I think by mollies she meant guppies but either way I have had no problem with 2 females to 1 male in any of the molly/guppy/platy setups. It will work its way out soon enough as they reproduce pretty quickly.

Agree with above, and I think your idea for the betta tank is just great. Live or silk plants work great in betta tanks, since they like to drape themselves across the leaves to rest. Your betta will be in heaven with a nice roomy tank!

Sorry I missed the part about the betta setup. That sounds awesome for your betta. That is alot more room than a lot of people give them.

Yay! I just don't want to crowd the poor guy. 10 gallons seems a bit small to me. But I guess compared to the 1/2 ounce of water in a teeny bowl they are in at the store, 10 gallons would be quite the improvement!

Can I keep a male and female in the same tank without a divider?