# First fish to buy



## wayfarer (Feb 22, 2011)

I've been planning to have my own aquarium in my room but I don't know what's the best and first fish to get. I don't want to spend my money that much. I'm still on a budget. So in this case, I would want to get a fish that is worth my money. I'm planning to buy 3-4 fishes. Help me on this one. I'm still indecisive. :fish-in-a-bag:


----------



## snail_keeper97 (Mar 10, 2011)

Hello,
It basically all depends on what size of tank you have (how many gallons or litres etc.). I think that when i was quite little i started off with a Betta aka, Siamese Fighting Fish. They CAN be in quite small tanks but its not recommended. You can buy quite cheap tanks that have 3-4 slots so if you end up getting them they aren't together so they dont fight. Thats just my opinion though. I also strongly advise you DONT get goldfish, they are the biggest waste makers ive experienced. And if you dont have a filter get ready to do 50% water changed every 3-4 day. I currently own goldfish and 2 Ramshorn snails, i find them quite amusing and stuff but geez they require a lot of attention and maintenance. If you do get goldfish you will pretty much need a filter, and possibly a airstone. Air stones are great at they put oxygen into the water and make your tank look a lot better also. If I were you I would go buy a 2-5 gallon tank and go buy just 1 goldfish. Yes i do realise i just wrote you will NEED a filter etc, but thats my opinion and most people agree. Just watch out because i bought a cheap filter from a store that wasn't even a pet store and the filter didn't even do its job properly. I am currently using a "home made" filter. Like you said your on a budget so you dont want to go out and spend a lot of money you could do this idea witch really works! But you would need to go out and buy a air pump witch is pretty basic, it just blows air through a tube and you plug that tube into air stones and stuff. If you are willing to buy a air pump you would only need a little one depending on your tank size. You can also go out and buy cheap "plastic" tanks, they are really really good as i wouldn't want to pay $50 for a 5 gallon tank made out of glass. I home my breif information has helped you but i thought i would just tell you the fish i have experienced and tell you my experience on them and what i think about them. 

Heres the link to: DIY Sponge filter.

YouTube - DIY Sponge Filter - very simple to make!


----------



## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Your common first buys are guppies mollies,platies and neons.Any of those are good beginner fish.Bettas are good(and my favs )but you must keep males and females seperate(or a sorority tank,but thats alot of work,and not a guarantee success)Neons are great schooloers,should be in a group of six at least.The more the merrier of course.Platies and mollies are livebearers,as are guppies.Guppies are the more colorful of the livebearers, with the flasshy tails.

The main factor,is the tank size and setup.I do not suggest goldfish,they are not really beginner fish.For commons you will need a huge tank or a pond(preferred)For the fantails and fancies,they will still need a pretty good size tank.And a super filter as they are huge waste producers.

I highly suggest a fishless cycle too.This will be easier on you and your fish:http://www.aquariumforum.com/f2/fishless-cycle-9364.html


----------



## snail_keeper97 (Mar 10, 2011)

majerah1 said:


> Your common first buys are guppies mollies,platies and neons.Any of those are good beginner fish.Bettas are good(and my favs )but you must keep males and females seperate(or a sorority tank,but thats alot of work,and not a guarantee success)Neons are great schooloers,should be in a group of six at least.The more the merrier of course.Platies and mollies are livebearers,as are guppies.Guppies are the more colorful of the livebearers, with the flasshy tails.
> 
> The main factor,is the tank size and setup.I do not suggest goldfish,they are not really beginner fish.For commons you will need a huge tank or a pond(preferred)For the fantails and fancies,they will still need a pretty good size tank.And a super filter as they are huge waste producers.
> 
> I highly suggest a fishless cycle too.This will be easier on you and your fish:http://www.aquariumforum.com/f2/fishless-cycle-9364.html







i agree with every thing you said, are those "common" fish tropical? Because when my goldfish die im planning on getting fish like them.


----------



## mec102778 (Feb 17, 2011)

snail_keeper97 said:


> i agree with every thing you said, are those "common" fish tropical? Because when my goldfish die im planning on getting fish like them.


Yup those are all tropical, but don't count you GF out yet they are pretty hardy.

honestly most of the fish sold in pet stores are of a tropical nature, you should look to get community fish with a maximum size of around 1-2 inches for your 4G tank.


----------



## snail_keeper97 (Mar 10, 2011)

yeah the porblem is that my aquarium is plastic so apparently it would ment the plastic :l


----------



## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

Hey there, so as all have pretty much said, it all depends on tank size. Here's what i have for an example. In a 55 gallon, i have an angel, 8 black skirt tetras, a german blue ram, 3 gouramis, 2 red tetras, black ghost knife, and one whose name escapes me. But with so many fish, i have two HOB filters and 2 UGF filters running all the time and i do biweekly 25% water changes. I also have a ton of plants. I also can put so many in there because most of them will not get very large at all.
In a 10 gallon, i have a brackish set up with a green spotted puffer, a gobi, and some snails and crabs. Not a lot of fish but i still have two small HOB filters to help things out. At some point I'll have to trade that puffer in because it will get too big for the 10 gallon.
In a 2.5 gallon tank, i have a pea puffer, 2 bumblebee gobies, a fish with a name i never remember, and some cherry shrimp with plants. None of these fish get bigger than 1/2 inch to 2 inches (at which point i'll transfer it to the larger tank). 
So there are a lot of combinations you can have in different types/sizes of tanks, you just have to research their adult sizes, how long it takes to get there (incase you want to trade it when it gets larger), how much waste it produces, and what kind of water conditions it needs. 
The most expensive fish i have so far has been the black ghost knife, it was on sale for 18 bucks. The second was the german blue ram at 15. Other than that, most of my fish were 1-5 dollars a piece. So really the fish usually arent the costly aspects. I really just looked around to see which ones caught my eye the most and either waited for a sale or bought 1 fish at a time (which you should do anyway). Some fish can be semi-aggressive (even though a lot of places will list them as peaceful) so get the most peaceful and least territorial fish first so when you add the others later, they'll get along easier.


----------



## M1ster Stanl3y (Dec 10, 2010)

Decide on your tank size first then yiu can work on fish. Check your local craiglist yiu can find some good deals there for cheap tanks . 10g is most people starter tank but you will wanna upgrade iut once yiu get it going. I say go 20g tetras n an angel.


----------



## tinman (Nov 3, 2009)

Neons and beginner fish ? Those Are the only fish I never had luck with them 
I think those are some of the very few fish I killed 

Recently like 3 days back I got 6 neons and 2 of them died yesterday  

But again they are some of the very few fish I got from Petsmart 


Try danios or harlequin rasboras they are pretty hardy too


----------

