FISH PEOPLE!!!

[BantyChickMom]

If you like the african cichlids for all the color varieties and you want something different, I suggest going with gouramis. They grow to many different sizes and also have many color varieties.
I have 4 set up currently (20g, 29g, 45g, and 55g) and 1 empty 29g tall hexagon shape.
Between the four, we have african cichlids, angelfish, pearl gouramis, dojo loach(weather loach) and a cooli loach (I hope that's right) and the 55g is a big community tank with mollies, platys, silver dollars, and neons.
Aquariums are much like chickens:

VERY ATTRACTIVE AND VERY SOOTHING TO WATCH!!

 

[Marlinchaser]

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Oh I thought you were gonna say addictive and expensive. I dont have any tanks up but last tank was a 29 with two Oscars, gave them up, too big for that tank and eating $10 worth of goldfish a week(why have them if not to feed little fish to). I think best tank(most eye appeal) was one with about 30 tiger barbs jsut liked the schooling. Had pirahnas as a kid but they never got big like oscars and I feed all my guppies tho them.

 

[hsm5grls]

I have always had at least one aquarium. I had it full of tropical fish for years. But hen had a brain storm and got a water turtle. I regret it. I miss my fish. I want to put a pond outside for the turtle and get fish again. DH has wanted aggressive fish so hopefully in the future. I like the cichlids and that is prob. what we will get.

 

[Marlinchaser]

Quote:
Do you ever see the cooli loach? when we moved from Charleton we broke down tank, and found ours alive and well had been in gravel and not seen for about 2 years, I had just assumed it died and never saw remains.

 

[dragonlili]

If you're looking for a change why not go with some easy saltwater fish? We had Ciclids in our 65 gallon but changed it to salt-- no inplumbing or anything, just used the regular systems. I ran that system for about 6 years til I got my 100 gallon. You can start with damsels which are relatively cheap. Once it's going there is very little maintenence. My son has freshwater and I feel like I'm cleaning his tank all of the time! He has a Jack Dempsey that's 6 years old, when that guy kicks it I'm probably going to go salt.

It's easy to obsess on fish, but right now I'm too busy obsessing on my

s so I only have 2 fish and a star in my tank!

 

[jenichick]

I just had ich take out half of my freshwater fish in my 55 gallon tank. Maybe I was spending too much time with my chickens and horses. Anyway, I like Guouramis too.

I had my tank as a planted tank for years and loved the Jack Dempsey's and non-agressive Cichlids. Now I only have a few mutts a and a huge striped Loach, everything else died.

I would go to the fish stores and look around and see what variety's they have.

Good luck!

 

[Nugget]

I've had fish my whole life. I've had fancy goldies (ryukins, ranchus, pearlscale, lionheads); rainbows (boesmani, reds and blues); tetras and barbs; angels; discus; specialty fish like elephant-noses and bumblebee gobies, and more.

I find the idea of keeping pets for the entertainment of feeding live prey to unnecessary and inhumane. If you go the way of salt water, be sure you pay attention to where the fish came from. There's been a lot of destruction to coral reefs, and a high death rate of marine fish in getting them into pet stores. ID sharks and the like should never be sold at all, since they will grow too large for any person's tank unless they die young.

I have always considered africans, dempsies and oscars among 'semi-aggressive' fish. I personally loved my peaceful discus, but they are a lot of effort to maintain. Rainbows are beautiful, active, hardy and have interesting behaviour. You can put some rams in and a bunch of cardinal tetras and you'll have a stunning community tank, especially with some live plants. I have a 66 gallon with rainbows at the moment and a 1500 gallon pond with comets.

*edited because I felt it came across a bit too 'hot', don't mean to offend anyone!*

 

[yearofthedog]

I'm by no means a fish expert, but I've kept/keep freshwater green puffers and I LOVE them! They are so, so cute and fun to watch. They are aggressive.

I've just recently added a dwarf puffer and from what I've read, the dwarf is the most aggressive of the freshwater puffers and true to form, he's been stalking the snails and making snacks of them since being added to the tank!

 

[bantymum]

Snails yes I want snails so badly but the goldies keep eating them!!!

 

[FutureChickenMan]

and they always will. no real way around that.