What fish are good?

-Cardinal Tetra -- 2 inches (5 cm) long; Lifespan: 4 years; Care: Intermediate... -Red Rainbowfish -- 6 inches (15 cm) long; Lifespan; 5 years; Care: Intermediate... -Black-Banded Leporinus -- 12 inches (30 cm) long; Lifespan: 5+ years; Care: Difficult... -Silver Dollar-- 2 inches (5.5 cm) long; Lifespan: 5 years; Care: Easy... -Striped Pike Characin -- 16 inches (40 cm) long; Lifespan: 10+ years; Care: Intermediate to Difficult... I got this information off of http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/fishspecies/l/blfishlibrary.htm there is plenty more information and types of fish and how to take care of them.

Ok, now I want to know what you're talking about a self cleaning tank lol. I don't think there is such a thing, unless you're talking about one with a filter? Even with a filter, if you want the fish to live a long life, and not get diseases and such, you're going to need to clean the tank once a week. I have 7 tanks, and all the ones over 29 gallons have 2 filters on them, and I still clean/do water changes once a week. I've been keeping tanks for about 7 or so years now, have 7 tanks running now, & made lots of mistakes lol, but in my opinion, do not listen to what a pet store employee says. Most, not all though, really don't have a clue. You're best bet is reading online and knowing the basics before buying anything. If you want to add me to your friends, I can send you a whole bunch of links for stuff to read on, and I'd be happy to help walk you through the set up. There's a bit more involved then just filling up a tank with water and throwing in fish. As far as the fish go, it depends on what size tank your getting, but some of the most colorful are cichlids, and the African cichlids are gorgeous. If you want an active tank, with fish swimming around, a community tank would probably be best.

Hi, it's me again! LOL I just wanted to suggest blue tetras as colorful first time fish that are very hardy. My largest blue tetra, Sheridan, has jumped out of the smaller tank on my entertainment center and fallen a good 5 feet to the floor. He's done that 3 or 4 times. And he's fine! Now he's living in my 10 gallon tank with a smaller blue tetra, two tequila sunrise guppies (very pretty), a clown loach, and a royal farlowella (alge eater from the catfish family). Blue tetras are good to use for cycling tanks also because they can survive the nitrite spikes while helping to get the bacteria growing for good fish health. :-)

The "Black Molly" is a tropical species that's supposed to be capable of surviving in Brackish water. happy mylot day.

You probably want to get at least a 55 gal tank. Use an undergravel filter with a bio filter off the back of the tank. This way you will only have to do a water change about every 2-3 weeks of about 25% of the water. When you pick fish, make sure their prefered water tempeture is about the same. Angel fish like 80-84 degrees, other fish may like 74-76 degrees, this would be too large of a range for all fish to be happy and stay healthy. Do not get fish like Mollies, they are prone to the Ick sickness and all your fish will then get sick. You will want fish that eat from the top and fish that are bottom feeders to eat the foods that goes to the bottom. Make sure you do not buy too many fish for the size of the tank, like in people over population will make everyone sick. And don't over feed. This will spoil the water very fast and you will loose fish and have to clean it very often to keep them alive. Best of Luck, having an aquairium for kids (and adults) I believe is great!

Everyone here has good responses to you. one thing to add is to get your fish from a reputable dealer. if you go to any of the large chain pet stores, your fish will likely not last as long as others. the knowledge level of the staff is at the large chain stores will not be as great as that of a fish store owner. make sure to ask all the right questions and bring a sample of your water to be tested. you should set the tank up for 2 days while running the filters and then take the water in for testing. Good luck- my nephew (1-year old) loves his fish tank!

Hi! I just wanted to mention about bettas. While the males are aggressive, it is possible to have one single male betta in a community tank. Check the compatibility, but generally if the other fish are as big or bigger than the betta, there shouldn't be a problem. Also, you can have several female bettas together in a community tank. Females don't get aggressive toward each other like males do. Just wanted to mention that! :-)

I agree that fancy guppies would be excellent. You also want to do research on several of the fish to make sure you can put them together. Tetras are also good fish because they are very bright and range in colors. If you do get a betta be careful. They can stress easily and need enough attention everyday so they don't get bored.

If you don't plan to have a fish tank, you would be better off with a Beta, they don't need an aerator pump, just clean water & food. But a fishtank is awesome, I had several when my kids were younger. We all loved them. You will learn that you need to keep aggressive fish and gentle fish separate. Your best bet is to go to a pet store and talk with them and let them suggest to you the best types for what your needs are. Good luck.

you can always go for gold fish as it is very strong and lives longer too, so golden fish will be an ideal fish for the first timer.

I just got a new fish tank for x-mas and I have got some golden fish and some paradise fish. The Paradise fish are funny to watch as they have attitude and chase each other around the tank. They seem to change colour too when you feed them.