Aquarium hobbyists seek advice on fish types and setup
Multiple posts indicate aquarium enthusiasts are seeking guidance on selecting appropriate fish species, setting up tanks, and troubleshooting issues. Some are beginners with limited budgets looking for affordable options.
SOURCES (60)
“I've kept fish before, but not in a while. I'm looking to get back into the hobby with my first planted tank. I want to get leopard danios and bumblebee catfish(which are compatible to my knowing) Any advice would be helpful(Treat me like a complete…”
“Ill eventually be getting a 125g and would like to plan out a stocking list. My ideal stocking would be: 1x Male Nicaraguan Cichlid 1x Male Red Shoulder Severum 1x Male Electric Blue Acara Cichlid 1x Male Firemouth Cichlid OR. 1x Male Jack Dempsey Cichlid 5x Pictus Catfish 12-15x Buenos Aires Tetras 1x Bristlenose Pleco How is this? What would you add/take away? And is it possible to do both the Firemouth and the Jack? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! submitted by /u/SplotchT”
“hey all! just thought i'd share my ideas on here before i go through with them. 75L / 20G - 1 Thick Lipped Gourami - 4 Kuhli Loaches - 15 Ember Tetras 130L / 35G - 1 Pearl Gourami? - 2 Female Bristlenose - ~5 Male Platies (or possibly 1m 4f in the future, if i can sort out homes for fry) - 5 Glowlight Tetra (already have 5, might up the group to 8) - 6 Peppered Corydoras I haven't owned a pearl gourami before, if theres another center piece fish that you'd consider for this setup lmk”
“I’ve missed keeping fish. This is the latest build. Currently got 15 haliquins. I’m thinking 8 black skirt tetras some amano shrimp and a trio if I can get 2 females and one male pearl gourmi or just one. This is a 40 breeder submitted by /u/thetenor57903 [link] [comments]”
“Yesterday I built my first aquarium. It is a 30-liter tank, but I am not sure what kind of fish I want to put in it. Do you have any tips for this, or for the aquarium itself? I am open to anything! submitted by /u/Legitimate-Shape-682 [link] [comments]”
“What kind of fish can i put in a setup this small submitted by /u/f_plix_t [link] [comments]”
“I've started adding livestock to my 30 gallon and now have 6 amanos, 10 red neon blue eye rainbow, and 5 otocynclius. I really like the fish since they school pretty tight. Looking for other nano fish that school tight, any recommendations? submitted by /u/john4g63 [link] [comments]”
“Hello, noob here. If I had to start from scratch, what’s an approximation of costs for setting up a basic aquarium? Background: My kids won a goldfish at a fair 18 months ago. We have kept it alive and healthy. It’s currently in a small tank system. My in-laws recently acquired the tank shown in the picture and are trying to get us to install it at home. As you can see it’s a big space for one small goldfish from the fair. Before entering into what I assume would be a new hobby in order keep thi”
“My daughter has shown a lot of interest in fish lately. She loves learning about them and telling me all kind of interesting facts. Naturally she decided she wants a small aquarium so I decided to go ahead and move forward with it after a little research. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed and hoping I don’t get ripped to shreds here.. but I want to make sure I’m doing this right and not wasting a bunch of time. She’s anxious for fish but we are being patient. We set up the tank today and I added sta”
“Hi hope you guys are doing good! I did my research about all the fish i eould like zo put in my 240l tank. But i'm still unsure since i found a lot off different informations. The fishes would be. Black mollys Honey gourami Bristlenose pleco. Would that community tank work? submitted by /u/Suitable-Crazy-8608 [link] [comments]”
“I've got a community tank set up, and I'm looking for suggestions for a fish to fit a niche I want to fill: something that is happy in groups of 4-6, around 2 inches long, and are happy in a general tropical community setup. I currently have a school of Endlers, and a school of Neon Tetras that fill my tank nicely, but I would like something with a bit more presence (Slightly bigger than Neon Tetras in profile) that are happy in smaller groups of 4-6. Harlequin Rasboras would fit, but th”
“Hello everyone, this is my first ever post in here, I still dont know how to use this app properly sorry... I have been planning to buy a fish and setup, and these guys caught my attention. I live in Turkey, and the owner said to me he imported these lovely cichlids from Thailand. Can anyone tell me are they strawberry albino peacocks or another breed? Thank you. :-) ps. I still havent bought them, moving to my new apartment and adjustments are taking my time at the moment. I just wanted to know”
“Soon going to exchange them with parrot fish.my tank can't hold them ! submitted by /u/BORNMAFIA [link] [comments]”
“I’m setting up a 65-gallon bare tank ( PHOTO FOR REFERENCE ONLY ) and I’m trying to decide what fish to put in it. I’m specifically looking for suggestions for dither fish that would work well in a bare setup (No plants, minimal scape, and sand). I won’t be using any plants , since I’ll be running heavy filtration and want to keep the setup fairly simple and open. What dither fish would you recommend for a 65g? I’m open to different species—but mainly looking for something that would be active,”
“I’m getting back to aquariums on a tight budget. I’m aware it’s frowned upon but when I need something asap, I’m usually able to get it thanks to supportive family. I mention the budget because I’m trying to breed endlers to trade with my LFS, and I have had them over a month and a week ish with only two babies. 3 females 2 males. The two that are now gravid are in the plastic floater thing and the babies are in the mesh. This tank is obviously small, 10 gal, as shit and I can’t use my bigger GE”
“Are these Oto’s? Dwarf gourami? ? ? Baby apistogramma? ? Oto’s again? Thank youuu submitted by /u/BuffetAnnouncement [link] [comments]”
“Planning on starting my first solo tanks (helped my parents with their setups, plus helped them take care of their koi pond so I'm not unfamiliar with fish care). My landlord (and apartment size) limits tanks to 20-30 gallons. I was planning on getting a 30 gal long and stocking with 15-20 CPDs, ~6 Sparkling Gouramis and ~8 pygmy Corys/otos (leaning to Corys). Is this a reasonable list? Anything worth adding or cutting back? I'm also not familiar with underwater plants to setup, just sta”
“Hey, my 60L tank is home to a bunch of Kuhli Loaches and Amano shrimp. I thought about some colorful Dario Dario 1 male + 2F and 12 dwarf/chilli rasbora? Maybe a single Dario would work with rosboras? Or instead just some Gardneri killifish? What are your thoughts? Maybe you’d find something better to fit in here? submitted by /u/Loud-Ad-9140 [link] [comments]”
“i would like some recommendations on fish and plants ect im hoping to go for a 20 gallon take maybe 30 gallons submitted by /u/low3552 [link] [comments]”
“so 10 male long tail and short tail rainbow guppies, 10 male Green neon tetras and 3 honey goumais (not sure if spelt right) female? submitted by /u/idontknow62836865 [link] [comments]”
“What is a fish, multiple fish, that you want to have if you had the room or ability to have? Mine are available aba knife fish and red tail catfish. submitted by /u/Mr_Cheese890 [link] [comments]”
“hi everyone! I know this is a little premature but I’m completely clueless on this topic and was wondering if anyone could help… my son and I were looking at fish today and he really, really wants a small tank and some fish from santa this year. we were thinking about a 5 gallon tank with about 6 small fish. he saw ones that petsmart labeled as “glofish”. small, neon in color. but I know zero about any of this stuff. my question is, would these fish (or any small fish) be able to survive about 8”
“I just bought a 36 gallon off of facebook marketplace, and I'm really excited to start my first community tank with it! I really want a small shoal of corys, and a larger group of some other small schooling fish. I'm thinking maybe black neons? But I'm not completely sold on it, and I don't know what else I should put in it. Definitely a centerpiece fish of some kind. Recommendations would be greatly appreciated! I'm still pretty new to fish keeping, so keep that in mind. I p”
“Hey guys, just bought 6 electric yellow cichlids. İ am new to cichlids. Any advices ? İs it possible for me to breed them? I want them live long and happy. Some say remove the plants but I don’t mind if they eat it or not. 51 gal (192 liters) tank. submitted by /u/Outrageous_Sugar6876 [link] [comments]”
“Hello everyone! I’m definitely not new to keeping basic freshwater fish, but I’m looking to start a new 20-gallon tank with honey gourami as the centerpiece, potentially alongside some peaceful tank mates and either snails or shrimp to complement the aesthetics and overall ecosystem. My main question is: how are you all maintaining planted tanks with shrimp and/or snails in Los Angeles/Southern California? I’m familiar with the basics of water parameters and the nitrogen cycle (ammonia → nitrite”
“I’m really leaning toward scarlet or black tiger badis, with a few amano shrimp, and maybe an anchor catfish. Open to ideas I am just looking into the world of nano fish! Tank is a 10G cube by Waterbox. I usually cater tanks to specific species but this build was random impulse. Tank will be cycling for the next month or two before any livestock submitted by /u/Ivy_Bells [link] [comments]”
“I am currently doing research on what I need to properly care for a 10 gallon tank with (what I'm hoping with eventually be) Chili Rasboras and Neocaridina shrimp (skittle shrimp). I was curious about feeding. What should I feed them and how often? I know the shrimp will be focused on the biofilm but I also wanna make sure they don't accidentally eat something bad for them that was meant for the Chili. Also if I do dry food, how do I sink it so the fish are not at the surface getting unn”
“This post came from a facebook group about vietnamese native fish. The caption reads: "Does anyone know what kind of fish this is? My husband had caught it from a stream. It's the first time i've seen anything like it.". The comments underneath vary from people interested and confuse, with some assigning it to a bunch of different species and accuse OP husband of lying of where he caught it. Someone even said that the fish is common to where they live. We now know that this is”
“Hello! Sorry if this is the wrong subreddit. I’ve recently been interested in caring for seahorse and saltwater fish tanks and reefs in general. But I can’t seem to find a good seahorse YouTuber (I’m assuming it’s because seahorses are NOT easy pets) It will be a couple of years before I buy seahorses of course, but I would like to get a research guide down! Any help is useful! Thank you! submitted by /u/Chailyte [link] [comments]”
“so this tank has 2 rice fish, about 4 shrimp (home bred) and 2 ram snail, how many more rice fish can i add do you think ? or what fish would vibe with the 2 rice fish do you think ? submitted by /u/sssarni [link] [comments]”
“Grandma brought the kids home with two feeder goldfish, a plastic critter tank, and goldfish pellets. Obviously a recipe for disaster so got a 10 gallon starter kit. Now I have one live plant, a plecostomus, two small glow fish, two dwarf African frogs, and the two damn goldfish. I know I’m going to have to do something about the goldfish. Before they get too big, am I at my fish limit for the size? submitted by /u/MileHighPeter303 [link] [comments]”
“Hi everyone, I'm planning my first aquarium and I want to do right by the community and especially by the future inhabitants. That's why I'm planning meticulously before starting the setup. I currently have 60L nano cube from Dennerle Dimensions are: 60L (38cm x 38cm x 43cm) Or for my gallon and inch friends: 16 US gallons (15inch x 15inch x 17inch) [hope I converted that right] Now, I'll be using a oase 100 thermo filtersmart canister filter, no CO2, aquasoil and sand as well as”
“What centerpiece fish, that is not a honey gourami, would go well with banded kuhli loaches that are within the same water parameters in a 20g long? submitted by /u/Puzzleheaded-Map5673 [link] [comments]”
“hi! i’ve been a pet store employee at a chain store for about a year now. i’ve never had fish before, so please be understanding with my vocabulary, lack of understanding, or bad describing words. i’m trying my best to learn and do a deep dive for these little guys. i’ve done alot of research on my own time to better the care of the fish we have/sell. upon testing our water parameters with the API test kit, everything it great besides nitrates. i believe they were maxed out, at 140ppm. the binde”
“Hii all, I saw this gorgeous fish today in the pet shop. They said it was a goldfish but I've never seen one with these colours/patterns! I was so tempted to grab it. It was around $24 so i wasnt fully sure if it was worth it? I'm sure its a goldfish, but would love to know if theres a name for these type of colours & patterns!! submitted by /u/New_Cake5269 [link] [comments]”
“Hi all! I’m getting a new fish tank and new fish now that I am officially home from college. I’m looking to get a 10 gallon tank and my dream is to get a corner tank, but I’m struggling to find one! Can anyone help? I used to have a betta and a nerite snail. I’ve decided to get a bigger tank so I can have multiple fish, was thinking of getting a nerite, 6 pygmy cordoras, and 3 endlers livebearers (based on the advice of chatgpt 🫣). Let me know if you have other recommendations, likely shopping”
“Went to Petsmart today and daughter decided that she wanted to try getting fish as a pet. I did a little research on the spot but figured I'd ask the person in charge of the aquariuams/fish/etc. if this was even practical, and to basically explain to me like I was 5 everything that I would need, how to get it set up, etc. I planned on doing additional research once I got home but figured this person would at least point me in the right direction. They said that all I needed was 'API Quic”
“Hello aquarium fanatics! I have gained a fascination in freshwater fish of a particular aesthetic, so now I'm wondering what fish are out there that match this aesthetic. I'm looking for fish that seem subtle, but have a bright iridescent color that shines when the light hits them a certain way. Think of the Sparkling Gourami, for example. If you know about a fish like that, I would love to hear about it! I was considering stocking a tank solely with fish like this in the future - compat”
“For context: I wanna have a single honey gourami (open to other centerpiece fish), around 10 harelquin rasboras, and about 8 albino cory's (also open to other cory's or even shrimp but I haven't done much research into shrimp especially with my set up), and maybe a cute snail. (I do have pest snails but I think I'm gonna keep the little guys to eat dead plant matter) It's a 20 gallon long, with double sponge filter, air stone thing, and air pump, 100 watt heater, the temp rea”
“I watched an MD fish tanks video years ago and he had these in one of his tanks and I've wanted one ever since. I finally saw some in my lfs and immediately bought one (I went in for a siphon lol) and omg im not disappointed. What a beautiful fish submitted by /u/Potential_Nothing230 [link] [comments]”
“Just curious since I see a lot of people talk about having several tanks and it’s almost talked about like an inevitability sometimes when you get into keeping fish. I’m only a few months into my first tank (not counting some bettas I’ve had as a kid). Already I find myself thinking about other tanks I might want to set up in the future, or wanting to upgrade my current tank to something similar but slightly bigger - but I don’t make a lot of money, don’t have a lot of space, and want to make su”
“I have an abundance of kubotai rasbora, some CPDs, and chili rasboras. I’m trying to decide if any of these would be a good choice in here or if I should opt for something else. Pygmy corys were another thought. What would you do? submitted by /u/Nurse_Spooky [link] [comments]”
“I have been debating this for a long time doing all the research I could but in the end experience beats knowledge. I have always been fascinated by saltwater aquariums but Im quite unsure of how big of a responsibility they will be. I have had little to no experience with keeping fish although I have kept a couple of gold fish in the past. Also heard many people say that freshwater is better because it is low maintenance and relatively cheap compared to saltwater Ive also heard that saltwater i”
“I know this question has been asked several times already, but I just wanted to ask it again. I am a newbie and my first aquarium was set up by some shady people who were trying to rip me off. They said they are gonna make an island theme and used half of the river sand I had and some aqua soil they brought. Then they planted lot of plants on both, it looked good the first few days but gradually over time the plants on soils rotted away. I tried root tabs but it didn’t work. Then I installed CO2”
“hey guys i just got a brand new 36g bow front tank and am just brainstorming stocking ideas. please give me your professional opinion and lmk if im able to add any more fish/shrimp, if i should change anything, or if its perfectly stocked :) i want a lively colorful tank, but im not a fan of schooling fish/nano fish. list: - crown tail betta - 9 kuhli loaches - 3 nerite snails - 6 glass catfish - 2 honey gourami - 4 wagtail plattys submitted by /u/cb4hx10ow [link] [comments]”
“Hey guys, title should be pretty self explanatory but im looking to start my first salt water tank. I've been in the fish keeping and aquascaping hobby for maybe going on eight years now. And I feel like i've mastered fresh water and I want to finally take a shot at saltwater. Only thing is i'm a little tight on room, and I think the biggest tank I could do right now would be a twenty long. With that in mind, I was hoping to get some amazing salt water keeping wisdom from you guys, b”
“okay i have these fish 8 neons 6 kuhlis 3 corys 1 honey gourami 6 congos and i want a bolivian ram i have 1 85L and 1 130L which fish do i put in which tank submitted by /u/Candid_Analysis6571 [link] [comments]”
“The store employee said it was Parrot fish, I don't think so.. Can some time of y'all find this species for me? It screams cichlid. submitted by /u/JurassicNeth [link] [comments]”
a little help submitted by /u/TourProfessional3405 [link] [comments]