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Anonymous
'Sup /an/. I want to get a pet fish, or fishes.

I've never owned fish before, so this is all new to me. What are some good beginner fish? I''m assuming goldfish? And what are the best tank setups? Any other advice in general?

Help me out here people.
>> Anonymous
beta fish are easy.

goldfish aren't difficult...but be sure to get a cheap little filter/bubbler to put in the tank/bowl, else they will die very quickly if you aren't changing the water all the time.

i had some of those little fish that they inject with dye to make fluorescent, i don't remember what they are called. they are just as easy.
>> Anonymous
Guppy
>> Anonymous
>>246140

don't put fish in bowls , a ten gallon tank cost about ten bucks at walmart
nother 10 for a half decent whisper filter and probably a little more for a heater, decor is up to you
a betta, or a male fancy guppy + octcat or apple snail maybe?

goldfish get pretty big so if you want one a tank upgrade will be needed but i think they dont need a heater?
>> Anonymous
I've always loved Mickey Mouse fish.

They're just so damn cute.
>> Anonymous
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>> Anonymous
bettas/guppys = good for starters
make sure to keep it alone and you'll be fine

try to avoid beginners mistakes :
-overpopulating
-buying fishes cause they're pretty/colored without knowing if they're compatible with your setup and the ones you already own (google the main fresh water biotopes)
-keeping alone fishes which need to live in a school
-overfeeding
-trying to keep predator and their preys in the same tank (to kinda imitate nature...)

also : read up a little on fish maintenance to know the basics
>> Anonymous
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get a 10 gallon tank and a bunch of tetras

they're pretty hardy, they're cheap to buy and take care of, and they look cool schooling together.
>> Anonymous
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hardy school fishes
>> Anonymous
also : don't buy into the whole cleaning-fishes stuff
NO fish will do YOUR work
the best they can do is mess with the soil, they don't eat garbage...

betta + snails+ shrimps maybe = win
>> Anonymous
>>246157
Some will eat algae though :D

To OP: make sure you read up on tank cycling. Knowing about the chemical cycles in the tank is vital to keeping them healthy.
>> Anonymous
Goldfish aren't exactly any better a beginner fish than any other standard tropical species...they're just a little hardier and don't need a heater. Otherwise ALL fish need steady weekly (or every 2 weeks) water changes, gravel vacuuming, algea scrubbing, filter changes and water testing.

Here's a tip, do a bit of research before taking the plunge *hyuk hyuk* because while keeping an aquarium isn't exactly the same work as a dog or llama, it's a hobby and takes a fair amount of attention if you wanna keep your fish alive.
>> Anonymous
http://www.firsttankguide.net/
I got a lot of good info from this site when I decided to set up a tank. Probably written by a beardo. Just start out slow with a couple hardy fish and wait for your tank to cycle before you start throwing anything expensive in there.

As stated above, Bettas are great starter fish. Guppies can be fragile due to all the inbreeding, but you couldn't go wrong with Platies. I wouldn't recommend tetras for a small tank, since they do best in schools of 6 or more.

Keep in mind, 1" of fish for every gallon of water in your tank, and the larger the tank.. the easier it will actually be to maintain.
>> Anonymous
I think the general recommendation is to get the biggest tank you can comfortably afford. A bigger tank can be more forgiving - that is, you could have something bad happen in a five gallon (a fish dying, overfeeding, shet like that) and have it impact the entire tank very quickly, whereas a twenty-nine gallon tank would not undergo much of a change because of the volume. Ya dig?

Beginner fish?>>246144and>>246146- platies are pretty good. What's nice about livebearers like that is you can pretty easily sex them and if you can't, the employees at the pet store should be able to. That way you can stick to pretty males and not have to worry about babies. I'd definitely recommend finding community fish like them (or as the other anons above posted, small schooling fish) for your first tank. Goldfish, I don't like - they're dirty and they get big. I know a lot of people will huff and say that a goldfish won't get two feet long in captivity unless you're overfeeding them but it's just.. you know, there are much, much better options.

>>246157
Amen to this Anon. Don't feel compelled to buy a cleaner fish. Please. I can't say this enough! There are so many types of algae and cleaner fish aren't /guaranteed/ to eat any of them. They might, but if they don't, you're still stuck with the cleaning job and now you have another mouth to feed. Not to mention your common pleco can get huge and is basically a big shit machine after they hit like five or six inches. If you're taking proper care of your tank and correctly regulating the light it's getting (along with not setting it up in the sun, which you shouldn't do anyway) you shouldn't be seeing much algae at all. And even if you do, it's not really a bad thing. A little can be good for your fish.