New tank help picking fish??

[Cheart99]

Hi! i just got a new tank and i need help selecting fish to go into it. i finaly caved and bought a 10 gallon fish tank. Just in time my old tank is breaking (stupid plastic) I am so excited to get it ready. Is there anything special i should do with it. Also i am thinking about what fish i should place in it. I originally was thinking about tetras but i dont know how well they work with a betta. I like to create a community tank. Also i was think of getting gupys. I been told only to put males or females in the tank of i will get babies.
Any ideas of what fish are comfortable living with a betta. I have a new .5 gallon tank i could place my betta in if i cant find any other fish to go with him but i think he will be mad at me for moving him from a 3.3 gallon tank to a .5 gallon tank.
I am so excited and will take any help and comments.)

[amanichen]

Hrm...

I'd give you specific recommendations but, then you'd be getting a biased view from me.

I can say that you should do the following:

1. get fish which stay under 2"
2. try to get fish which live in similar parts of the world (or in similar water chemistry)
3. docile fish only...don't think about getting any aggressive ones

Don't go with mroe than about 10 fish.

What I'd do is visit a fish store, get an idea of what you might like, and tell me what your plans are. I'll help you adjust the list as necessary =)

[Cheart99]

Well the only store i can buy from is walmart. I am going to try to go tomorrow to look at what fish they have and price them out. Also I need to buy some plants for my tank. I know i need some kind of alge eater and i love to have one of those african frogs in there. I have never had tropical fish so i have no idea what species can go together.

[amanichen]

I would seriously avoid Wal-mart if you're going to buy fish. Looking, fine, but don't go there to buy.

You don't need an algae eater either =)

[Cheart99]

why do i not need an alge eater? I always thought you needed one. Hum.. Also i wish i did not have to buy at walmart but that is the only store in cape breton that sells fish. We used to have two pet stores but one went out of buisness and the second got shut down for cheeting on taxes.

[amanichen]

Cheart99 said:

why do i not need an alge eater? I always thought you needed one.

Nope, you don't need one. Lots of people new to the hobby think you need one, but you don't. Lots of people new to the hobby have problems with algae because they keep their lights on too long, overfeed, and don't do water changes often enough. Plants are a good idea though, because if you get them they will compete with algae for nutrients, as well as help improve water quality.

Hum.. Also i wish i did not have to buy at walmart but that is the only store in cape breton that sells fish. We used to have two pet stores but one went out of buisness and the second got shut down for cheeting on taxes.

I will warn you to be very careful when picking out fish from Wal Mart. You might end up walking out w/o a healthy fish if you don't know what to look for.

[Flurry]

I have my betta in with 6 Black Neon Tetras, 3 Otos, and 3 Bronze Catfish. That maxes out my 10 gallon.

[amanichen]

Flürrÿ said:

I have my betta in with 6 Black Neon Tetras, 3 Otos, and 3 Bronze Catfish. That maxes out my 10 gallon.

That overstocks your 10 gallon

[Cheart99]

So you have had no problem with tetras and your betta? Im worried that my betta will not get along with them. I will try and see what happenes but i cant get the fish yet b/c i do not have my tank ready yet.

Ok the store has glolight and neon tetras, male guppys, female guppys, pearl white mollies, black molly, serpae tetras, bloodfintetras, blacktetras, african frogs, and assorted swordtails.

Also i found out that my neighbour knows a man who breeds fish. He is going to take me with him when he goes to see the fish. I dont know what types of fish he breeds so i think it be a good idea to know what fish i can put in my tank, hopefully with my betta. so that i can purchase them from him and not walmart.

[Flurry]

amanichen said:

That overstocks your 10 gallon

According to the people at aquahobby.org, and fishgeeks.net... I have the worst luck in the world

[Cheart99]

Ok! i am not going to put my betta in the tank b/c my mom has addopted him. So i think i am going to put tetras and guppies in there. I heard that they are a good group. I like to have a variaety of both. should i have only male or female guppies in there or can i put both without having to worry about babies? and what type of tetras work best (glolights,neons,serpae,
bloodfin,or black).
I know that i can only have about 10 fish in my tank so what do you guys think would be a good balance. Thanks for your input.