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Anonymous
Can /an/ give me some ideas for my fish thank? I filled it with water a year ago and planned getting an oscar, but that never happened.
I don't know how many gallons it is, I just picked it up on the side of the road one day.
I have some knowledge of taking care of fish, and a roommate who knows a lot about it. But I'd like something that isn't insanely hard to take care of.

pic related. snapple can for reference.
>> Anonymous
It's a good sized tank. Do you have a filter?
Maybe get a betta or a few neons or guppies or goldfish.
>> Anonymous
Considering the tank looks pretty big and I'm guessing about 30-40 gallons, 4 or 5 goldfish could do since in 2 or 3 years they should each be at least 3 inches long. Plus you sort of seem like a neglecting kind of a person and they can do well in different Ph levels so if you wouldn't change the water for a bit it won't effect them as much, just gotta remember to feed them and change the filter slides.
>> Anonymous
DEFINITELY no oscar, tank is way too small. You can't get many fish in there because the surface area isn't big enough, so regardless of gallonage it doesn't have the gas exchange capacity of a tank of the same gallonage which is less tall and more wide.

I'd need to know specific gallonage to give you any fish ideas, but I'm pretty sure you're going to have to go small. Get some tall plants in there to fill up space, because no fish you can get for that tank will.
>> Anonymous
>>164604
Yeah. Its an Elite Stingray Filter.

I thought about the betta, but it'll be my last choice. I grew up around guppies and I was never to fond of them and I heard goldfish are really messy.

I like colorful fish and thought about getting an albino oscar. Big fish are pretty cool but I'm not sure if it would get to big in my tank. And that I can't decorate it if I get an oscar.
>> Anonymous
>>164608
BLARGH YOU DOUCHE I JUST TOLD YOU NO OSCAR
Have you seen how big they get? Dinner plate sized. What about paradise fish or gouramis?
>> Anonymous
>>164606
Nah. I'm not neglecting towards my animals.

>>164607
And alright, thanks. I'll cross out the oscar idea.
>> Anonymous
>>164609
Chill.
I posted before I saw your comment.
>> Anonymous
>>164611
Oh. Okay. Anyway, there's calculators online that you can put your tank's dimensions in to and get an approximation on gallon capacity. I think that'd be a really good idea to look in to, if only because you need to know how many gallons your tank is to dose any kind of water treatment or medication.
>> Anonymous
Try paradise or other gouramis. They're easy to take care of, aren't picky about food, and are okay in both coolish and warmish water.
>> Anonymous
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>>164608
Well goldfish once they get big enough like to suck in gravel, filter out any food particles that might have settled on it, and spit the gravel out again. That's pretty much as messy as they get. They also do get large, I currently have a 6 year old goldfish that is about 7 inches long.

In pic is my goldfish.
>> Anonymous
>>164617
By messy we mean huge amounts of fish poop. A healthy goldfish never seems to stop making it.
>> Anonymous
>>164618
You'd just have to be willing to give your tank a good cleaning at least once a month or two.
>> Anonymous
>>164620
That's the case with any fish.
>> Anonymous
>>164618
Since my goldfish filters the gravel out a lot it usually ends up making the poop float around again, which then gets just sucked into the filter so it's not that big of a problem really.
>> Anonymous
no goldfish. goldfish need horizontal tanks and get 8 inches long, comets going over 12 inches
>> Taboo Fetish !mEXZ86LiuA
>>164601
for your particular type of tank, I'd reccommend one male Betta Splendins, and maybe a group of small neon tetra, as you like colorful fish. Goldfish won't work in that tank, and you need at least a 300 gallon tank for a full-sized oscar, so the Oscar is out. You could also add a few Corydoras with the Betta and Tetras to help clean the gravel, and maybe a Plecostamous too.
>> Anonymous
>>164744

lolwut 300 gallon? You can stick a lungfish happily in a 225-250 gallon tank, and they grow to be about 1m long, even longer. Oscars don't get half that size. An oscar SHOULD be housed in at least a 75g, at the very minimum IMO. I have one (full grown, ~18 inches, little smaller) with a pleco (foot long) and 3 clown loaches (11") in my 150g tank. All of em doin great.
>> Anonymous
>>164744
Pleco? No. Absolutely not, considering the waste these things make, their uselessness in algae eating, and the HUGENORMOUS size.
>> Anonymous
>>164982

Not to mention the older and bigger they get, the less algae they consume.
>> Anonymous
>>164954
"If you are planning on keeping Oscars, then I would suggest that you think about it very carefully. If you've got a tank already, please don't rush out and buy the first Oscar you see. Step back for one minute, take a good look at your tank and ask yourself if it is big enough to house an Oscar. If you have done your research, you will know that Oscars can grow in excess of 12 inches, and they often do in captivity. Big fish require big tanks. There are two very good reasons for keeping your Oscar in a big tank. Firstly, if you house a large fish in a very small tank, you may find that you start having water quality problems. If you continue to expose your Oscar to poor water conditions, it could well have a detrimental affect on your fishes health.
So, exactly what size tank do you need? You won't find anything written in stone that says exactly what is needed. However, many people seem to agree that 55 gallons is the absolute minimum for one Oscar. Personally, I would go for a 75 gallon. As for two Oscars, over 100 gallons is recommended. More than three Oscars and you are looking at an extremely large tanks with filtration to match."
>> Anonymous
Alright, alright.
No oscar. Got it.

I'll go with a betta.
What can I put in there with a betta? I know no fish with long fins, flashy colors or ones that look like a betta. Algae eaters are fine too.
>> Anonymous
>>165095
With my betta, I have some zebra danios and corydoras. For algae, get some algae-eating shrimp (can be expensive), or otocinclus catfish (much cuter alternative). Most fish from the tetra and danio groups should be fine, as well as harlequin rasboras-- very colorful. Avoid barbs and serpae tetras like the plague.
>> Anonymous
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my dream fishtank would be filled with kuhli loaches =3
>> Anonymous
>>166037
you fool! the peta fags will claim you're being cruel by letting nature interact normally!
>> Anonymous
>>166039
wut
>> Anonymous
www.aquahobby.com is a great web site for idea's and stuff check it out
>> Anonymous
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If you're looking for color, let me offer up some names and pictures of some of my favorite community fish.

First: Mollies!

These are sailfins and it's obvious why they're called that. Mollies in general come in a huge range of colors and fin types.
>> Anonymous
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>>166094

Here's a dalmatian lyretail molly.
>> Anonymous
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>>166095

And a gold sailfin molly.
>> Anonymous
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>>166097

Platies are another cool fish, usually a little smaller, but equally colorful.
>> Anonymous
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>>166098

Here's another example of cool platy colors.
>> Anonymous
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>>166099

And this one has a mickey mouse on his tail. Yeah - they breed them for that!

The only danger with mollies/platies and other livebearers is that they will breed like rabbits if you aren't careful. Thankfully..
>> Anonymous
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>>166100

Livebearers are extremely easy to sex, as pictured here. Males will be a little more aggressive, and sometimes females can retain sperm/fertilized eggs/fry inside her body for *quite* a long time so if you went with an all female tank, don't be surprised if you end up with a few little fish wandering around.
>> Anonymous
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>>166101

My favorite community fish, though, is probably the white cloud mountain minnow, a fish best kept in cooler water (though they seem to adjust okay to warmer temps, too). They can be found in a gold color as well, and with long or short fins. But they're schoolers, so having a big group is best.. which might limit your other fish choices. All depends on what you want. :x
>> Anonymous
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>>165123

This anon sounds like they have a great tank setup. Otocinclus are awesome little cleaners, and you can even give them sliced up zucchini if you're low on algae. You can usually find ghost shrimp for pretty cheap, ten cents a piece where I'm from, and they're great scavengers. They also make great fish food, so uh.. if your fish happen to indulge, no problem!
>> Anonymous
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>>166103

Even corydoras catfish come in a pretty unique range of sizes and colors. My favorites have to be panda corys - they stay very small. And since corys usually like to be in groups, they're great for smaller tanks. :>
>> Anonymous
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>>166104

Just remember the rule of thumb:

Two inches of adult fish per gallon.

Don't try to put in all your fish at once, add them slowly. 2-4 a week is what I've heard recommended so you don't throw your tank out of balance. Sorry if I'm sounding patronizing, but I don't know exactly how much you and your friend know. :<

In any case, best of luck with your tank!
>> Anonymous
>>166106
Wait, what? 2 inches of adult fish per gallon?
>> Anonymous
>>166144

holy shit i can't believe i wrote all of that last night, and it's an inch of fish per gallon, what the fuck got into me
uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
>> Anonymous
Er, he's trying to say that for each inch of adult fish you have there should be a gallon of water. So if you have three fish that are one inch each, they should have at least a 3 gallon tank. (Probably more than that, really)
>> Anonymous
SO A 10 INCH FISH IS GOOD FOR A 10 GALLON RIGHT?!

That inch of fish per gallon is crap. It all depends on the kind of fish you have (some create more waste than others; size isn't always the determining factor) and making sure your filter/tank can support the bioload to keep the water and fish healthy. In addition, you have to take the fish's temperment into account.
>> Anonymous
>>166229

That's why it's a RULE OF THUMB, assclown. Thumbrules are not hard and fast, they are just general recommendations, and it should be common knowledge that they do not apply to every situation. But thanks for assuming that everyone else on /an/ is more fucking retarded than you. We appreciate it. Cocksucker.
>> Anonymous
>>166229
It's a good rule of thumb for a minimum. Basically so people don't buy 4 goldfish and stick them in a one-gallon tank just because they "fit".