Hi there fish people, I'm totally new and have questions...

I have a 30 gal. fish tank that is setup and water running. I can't decide what fish I like... I don't want anything to small, something easy to care b/c I'm new at this. And colorful.. for a freshwater tank. Can you offer any tips or websites. Pictures are great if you want you send me some.
Thanks
Hollie

Do you like Cichlids, tetras, guppys? Ect.. Lot's of options!

Welcome to the site!

swordatils r pretty colorful, my male is orange, so is another female, and my other female is orange and black. easy to care for lol very easy. balloon mollys or any mollys hav different colors and easy to care for.

for my freshwater as thats all i hav, i hav swordtails, balloon mollys, mollys, 13 bettas girls, 1 cory, kuhli loach, horse faced loach and a dojo loach and i havent had a problem with any and very colorful beside the loaches they do character instead of color. but loaches r very sensitive, their scaless.

Welcome and congrates on the new tank.
Do you know of the cycling process? here's a link to a great thread

http://www.usafishbox.org/how-to-guides-f56/article-on-cycling-by-a-wonderful-very-experianced-aquarist-t1729.htm

Welcome

Welcome to the box. No need for other sites as everyone here has lots of experience and advise to give. As for color and care I'd go with cichlids and tetras. Cichlida are awesome when looking for a variety of colors. I dont have any yet but I hope to be getting some soon. I have lemon tetras, danios, angel fish, guppies, dwarf gouramis and plecos. All very easy fish to care for in my opinion. I had neon tetras when i first started and they died within a few hours. I recommend looking for more hardy fish like mines listed above or the cichlids.

Welcome to the fishbox. you've come to the right place to learn and make new friends. I'd say your already on the right path to being successful at your new hobby.

Welcome and thank you for register, i will go with some plattys, mollys or some cichlids also, they are hardy fish and easy to take care of, make sure you have your water in good conditions before adding any fish, show us some pics when your done!!! Good Luck.

Welcome aboard!!

Welcome to a wonderful site!!!!Enjoy!!!

Thank you all for your wonderful thoughts. I'm thinking cichlids and a few others... What do you think on fantail goldfish... I've heard they are nasty and messy... what is your thoughts...
thanks
Hollie

luvnandy wrote:

I've heard they are nasty and messy...
Hollie

You could say it that way but you might hert someones feelings that own a goldfish. But in my opinion they are messy fish and make the water a litte more dirty then it needs to be.

Yes goldfish are one of the messest fish there is plus they can get very big.

Goldfish are messy and require frequent water changes and/or large bodies of water. They fall into the same family (?) as carp with a very small stomach and a single intestine. For this reason, their food, almost literally, goes straight through them, fouling the water quickly.

While I have some goldfish, I would just warn you that they can be labor intensive. I have to do water water changes with them as frequently as I do with those I am trying to get to spawn. Nice fish with good personality, they are worth the effort if you like them, but not a "care-free" tank occupant.

I have to do a water change on my goldfish every two days.... I need to get him a bigger tank, I might just use that 30 gallon I just got for him.....actually that is a splendid idea!

Cherry barbs are pretty hardy and nice starter fish, those and 2 mollys were my first fish back when I was 6. I kept those cherry barbs alive for a few years! 6 of those would fit comfortably in that tank and you could still add a few more tropical community fish down the road....
Be sure you cycle your tank before you add fish! http://www.usafishbox.org/how-to-guides-f56/article-on-cycling-by-a-wonderful-very-experianced-aquarist-t1729.htm That will tell you how its done!

Thank you all for your thoughts... Ok, goldfish are out...lol. I have been cycling my tank without the fish. Its been running for about a week now and the temperature is good. I plan on going slow. I don't know if I should add live plants first or fish or both at the same time. Any thoughts on crabs, frogs, snails or clams? I have two boys 12 and 4. I want something "cool" as my 12 year old would say in the tank.
thanks
Hollie

I would not use clams! When they die they pollute the tank very bad. The benefit of having them is the not worth the risk.

Most crabs can eat fish same with frogs. Clams are for experts only, even they have issues with them!
There are some neat shrimp you could get. Look up corydoras catfish, they are pretty fun and active but they need to be in groups of at least 6 to be happy, the albino or bronze would be your best bet for hardiness. Do a search on 'oddball freshwater fish' see what fits the bill for 'cool' and we can let you know if it will work in that tank and if it will work we can help you with your stocking list to work around that fish!

Add plants whenever you want! Do you have gravel or sand? Plants do best in sand but can be done with gravel. Do you have a plant bulb on the tank?
Oh and just get one each of a few different kinds of plants, if one dies just get a different kind to replace it with. everyone has one plant or another that wont grow for them.... But plants are quite easy!!!

unknown wrote:

Goldfish are messy and require frequent water changes and/or large bodies of water. They fall into the same family (?) as carp with a very small stomach and a single intestine. For this reason, their food, almost literally, goes straight through them, fouling the water quickly.

While I have some goldfish, I would just warn you that they can be labor intensive. I have to do water water changes with them as frequently as I do with those I am trying to get to spawn. Nice fish with good personality, they are worth the effort if you like them, but not a "care-free" tank occupant.

Very Well said.

plants can be as addictive as the fish. How tall is your tank? Plants and lighting will depend on that. I agree with no frogs or crabs (most crabs are not totally aquatic and die quickly). Most shops carry ghost shrimp if you want to try a cheap shrimp to start with. I've seen them as cheap as 3 for $1.00. I think your son would like horned nerite snails. Look at aquabid for ideas and pics of different types of fish and invertibretes.

Welcome Aboard!

Very nice people here, Feel free to post your questions to the forums, and photos to the gallery.

If you decide to go with tetras I'm a personal fan of serpae's. They have beautiful coloring. They are a schooling fish though and I'd recommend at least 6 to keep them from getting nippy. They look amazing alongside lemon tetras and blushing white tetras which also do best in schools. They are also all very active fish. What type of decor do you have? Gravel and background colors can play a huge part in what fish would look best. Most tetras show the best color over natural or dark decor. There are also lots of great cory catfish for the bottom to provide activity. All of these fish would also mix well with dwarf frogs. Make sure they are the true aquatics though and are the dwarfs. African clawed frogs will get big and eat your fish.