Just. Fish.

[Perocore]

To shorten this up. My mom loves betta fish. I love fish in general, mostly the ornamental looking ones like bettas and fancy guppies.

I'm hoping to maybe set up a small aquarium containing the following:
x4 fancy guppies (1 male, 3 female)
x2 corydoras catfish
x2 kuhli loaches
x2 Chinese algae eaters

I have two betta fish named Bonzai (red double tail) and Caeser (crown tail).

[-G-]

I used to have very large goldfish, then one day two of them died. The other two looked confused, they were swimming upside down...they weren't dead, they were moving up and down around the tank.

Then two days later, my other one died. The final one lasted a week...

Bettas are very pretty...I remember that years ago our class built terrariums and aquariums for tiny little guppies and earthworms to live in.

[Shine-Hikaru]

Pero, I think you need to take my fish. D:
It's a goldfish, but it's still a fish. I think it can live with your guppies, right?
I dunno, my fish looks so lonely. I doubt my parents would want to buy more fish or a bigger bowl though. XD
It's not growing for some reason. @_@

[Lonin]

<3333 guppiessss
Lonin loves guppies. XD Haven't even got any fish yet and we want more tanks for guppies. ;o; <3

Pero, I think you need to take my fish. D:
It's a goldfish, but it's still a fish. I think it can live with your guppies, right?
I dunno, my fish looks so lonely. I doubt my parents would want to buy more fish or a bigger bowl though. XD
It's not growing for some reason. @_@

D: Yeah, goldfish (depending on the type) need an absolutely massive tank (36US gallons for 1 fancy goldfish with an extra 10 per extra fish) or a even pond for single tail ones. Guppies also like warmer water than goldfish and shouldn't really be kept together.
It's likely that if your goldfish is in a bowl, it won't be for much longer, especially if it's without a filter :c

[Perocore]

We once had a 10 gallon tank (my sister and I) and we kept one black moor goldfish, one small silver fancy gold fish (that was mine) and one baby koi fish in it...they all did really well for a very long time, but then the koi died, and then my goldfish died, and then so did the one eyes moor. They had a filter and everything ;_;

My mom has helped me decide on the companions for my guppies: 3 corydoras cat fish and 2 kuhli loaches

And I've also decided on the plants: cabomba and salvinia.

I'm not sure when we'll be able to set it up though...we have baby chicks on the way and my mom wants to fix up our downstairs living room first...but I really really really want to set up my aquarium ;_; I've started doing extra cleaning and helping out with more things around the house, so maybe I'll be able to get it set up early...

...anyways at least I know where I'll be able to get all of the fish...Petco sells both the corydoras cat fish and the kuhli loach fish The guppies I'll either order from a breeder (to get super gorgeous guppies ;u;) or just buy at walmart since they have some really healthy, really pretty males in...I do need to try to find a place to buy female guppies, it seems everyone is just selling males!

[ChibiMaestro]

NO.
CAS D:

But yes.
Guppy tank.
Yes.
They breed like crazy though o-o
They're really easy to keep :3, I just fed them fish flakes and kept some live plants- they lived for aggeess <3
They're gravid (pregnant) for around 3 weeks :3 I put them in breeding traps when they look they're about to pop, and I usually find babies 48 hours XD My accuracy is accurate XD

I sold them after 2 years because I became fed up with getting my breeding trap out and dealing with the babies XD

I made a home made breeding trap that worked really really well

[Lonin]

We once had a 10 gallon tank (my sister and I) and we kept one black moor goldfish, one small silver fancy gold fish (that was mine) and one baby koi fish in it...they all did really well for a very long time, but then the koi died, and then my goldfish died, and then so did the one eyes moor. They had a filter and everything ;_;

My mom has helped me decide on the companions for my guppies: 3 corydoras cat fish and 2 kuhli loaches

And I've also decided on the plants: cabomba and salvinia.

I'm not sure when we'll be able to set it up though...we have baby chicks on the way and my mom wants to fix up our downstairs living room first...but I really really really want to set up my aquarium ;_; I've started doing extra cleaning and helping out with more things around the house, so maybe I'll be able to get it set up early...

...anyways at least I know where I'll be able to get all of the fish...Petco sells both the corydoras cat fish and the kuhli loach fish The guppies I'll either order from a breeder (to get super gorgeous guppies ;u;) or just buy at walmart since they have some really healthy, really pretty males in...I do need to try to find a place to buy female guppies, it seems everyone is just selling males!

Goldfish live for 20+ years
Lonin loves goldfish but they serious need massive tanks <3 Going to get some when we have room for a big enough tank. XD
http://forum.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/showthread.php?t=76428 <3 Adorable.

Yeeeeeah corydoras are adorable <3 Pygmaeus or Habrosus or Hastatus only for a 10 gallon. Others get too big c: Lonin has been looking into them, but we haven't been able to find any here. D:
But ideally you'd need 4 corys and 5 loaches, so maybe taking one species out would be best so you're not overstocked, depending on how many guppies you're planning to have.
/loninslearnedstuff

[Perocore]

Chibi, my momma never bothered with a breeding trap for hers. She just made sure there was enough cover for the babies. I do expect some to get eaten, since it's the way of things, but if I ever get over crowded with guppies I can sell to our local pet store I plan on feeding them a mix of two different types of foods, one meat based and one plant based, and more plant based pellets than meat based...plus I've heard they love peas (as do the catfish!) and bits of spinach. Of course I'll also be sure to give them things like tuibfex worms and brine shrimp...and I have sun dried baby shrimp for the kuhli loach fish

Lonin, I don't know the species but I know which ones I have in mind, they're itty bitty and cute <3 I'm basing my numbers on the tank size and how much waste/algae it would produce. I really won't need any more than 3 corydoras, and, heck, I might need to supply algae tablets for them because of the placement of the tank. My mom had a massive tropical fish tank and only ever had one loach in it, plus loaches are hard to find (Petco usually only has about one, maybe two in stock) so I don't see a need to have more than 2. As for the number of guppies I'm not yet sure...I was thinking of getting a breeding trio (one male, two females) since that is recommended when starting out. That way they'll also have plenty of space to expand their family XD

Seeing as guppies are omnivores, I'll be needing to feed them both meats and veggies (so to speak) which means there will be wastes of each...the catfish will eat the plant based left overs and the loaches will eat the meaty left overs...it all works out in my mind XD

/Peroisstubbornandrejectsadvice XD

[Lonin]

It's not for the algae or anything, but those fish are schooling fish (well, corydoras are. Loaches are social c: ) and should be kept in that many for their benefit, to make them feel safer and keep them healthier and displaying natural behaviours. c:
At a complete minimum you need 3 loaches, 3 corys would probably be just about ok if you had to. But both of those with 3 guppies (+ eventually babies) will overstock your tank so you'd need a really strong filter and extra water changes or whatever if you must have them all. c: Going with the guppies and either corys or loaches in the numbers they should be kept in would keep everyone happier.
Corys and kuhli loaches also don't even really eat algae. :B If you want algae cleaners then go for shrimp, or snails or something. If you want fish that eat algae we think the only option for a 10 gallon would be oto catfish maybe? Not sure how much space etc they need c:
http://www.loaches.com/species-index/pangio-kuhlii
http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/caresheets/caresheet.php?caresheetID=190
http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/loaches/p/Pangio-kuhlii.htm

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/corydoras-pygmaeus/
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f29/pygmy-corydora-profile-203413.html
http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/Corydoras_pygmaeus

Check out http://aqadvisor.com/ if you don't already

[Perocore]

Ugh. Lonin you are ruining my hopes and dreams.

I think I'm just going to go with guppies then :/

I'll probably get 1 male and 3 females.

[Lonin]

;o; Lonin's sorry.
We'll be quite and just wait for pretty guppy pictures c:

[Perocore]

Meh. Or I might just ignore the advice of the wiser and more experienced fish owners and get two kuhli loaches, three guppies, two corydoras cat fish, and two Chinese algae eaters anyways. If the fish end up really seeming that unhappy then I will sell them and likely never try to set up a fish tank again

Anyways, now that my mom's new betta, now named Talos, is in a nice, clean 3 gallon tank with plenty of plants he seems very happy. I'll try to snap a picture of him if he stops moving for a moment.

[Lonin]

;o; Sorry >:
Are you sure it's Chinese algae eaters and not Siamese ones? Chinese ones grow to 11 inches, stop eating algae and get really aggressive as adults and attach themselves to other fish and attack, kill and eat anything smaller than it. >:
Ignore Lonin on everything else if you like, they'll be your fish to treat how you want. But do not get Chinese algae eaters and put them in a 10 gallon tank (or anything smaller than a 40 gallon) with those other fish. Even Siamese ones grow to 6 inches and are too big for a 10 gallon, but they're slightly less aggressive. Slightly.
Look into oto catfish (would be ideal, really, as long as you could give them the care they needed (that is, get at least 3) and were willing to give up the loaches and/or corys) or maybe even a small type of pleco (clown plecos get up to 4 inches and need driftwood but won't attack your other fish and they're fine alone) if you don't want shrimp or snails to clean algae, but you'd be even more overstocked than your current tank (minus CAE) and you'd have to really be on top of things with an extra powerful filter to avoid build-ups of ammonia and nitrite that would kill your fish.
Otherwise keep your current stocking list but get a 20 gallon. Then at least everything but the CAE will have enough room and the water quality will be more stable. c:
You could try talking to the people here: http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=1431676 if you don't want to listen to Lonin c:

[Perocore]

Mm, it's not that I don't want to listen to you Lonin, it's just that I keep finding so many conflicting articles and such...I did read that the CAE get aggressive, so that's not a good idea...I wish I could afford a massive tank to keep a big pleco in XD

I have a 30 gallon tank that my scorpion is in, but we used to have fish in it and they ended up with TB eventually (we didn't know then how to identify it) so I don't want to risk that...plus 30 gal. would be so hard to maintain.

I really want to stick with a simple little 10 gallon tank...so the more I think on it the better I think it'd be to stick with guppies (and of course live plants to take care of the nitrate in the water as well as help filter and oxygenate it) but there is still the problem of algae build up...the tank will not be in direct sunlight really at all...but it will still be warm and wet...but I can't get snails because they reproduce too much and have been known to somehow climb out of tanks...and shrimp can't reach the higher parts of the tank glass...maybe I'll just find some sort of small algae eating fishie...I wish I could remember what the ones I really like are called!

[Shine-Hikaru]

What I don't get is that how this goldfish has already survived a year without dying from its tiny bowl and meager oxygen thingy. XD The others kinda died. For some reason this one is still alive. And not growing any bigger. ._.
I wasn't exactly planning on keeping a goldfish, I have to admit. We just happened to have a Science project about them and then when it was done, the group dumped the goldfish on me. T_T

I kind of want to get an aquatic plant for him since he looks so bored in there. Any suggestions? The cheaper the better...and smaller. That bowl is tiny. ._.
And if something about that was mentioned somewhere above, sorry, didn't really read through it. XD

[Lonin]

There might not even be much algae. c: If you have plants in, especially, they'll suck up all the nutrients before much can grow. Otherwise have the lights on for less time and see if you're overfeeding anything. You could always get an apple snail or something. They need both genders to lay eggs so just one and you'd be fine. Don't know about them crawling out though. :B

What I don't get is that how this goldfish has already survived a year without dying from its tiny bowl and meager oxygen thingy. XD The others kinda died. For some reason this one is still alive. And not growing any bigger. ._.
I wasn't exactly planning on keeping a goldfish, I have to admit. We just happened to have a Science project about them and then when it was done, the group dumped the goldfish on me. T_T

I kind of want to get an aquatic plant for him since he looks so bored in there. Any suggestions? The cheaper the better...and smaller. That bowl is tiny. ._.
And if something about that was mentioned somewhere above, sorry, didn't really read through it. XD

:c It'd be best if you could find someone who has a pond (if it's got one tail) or find someone with a big enough tank (if it's got 2) who can take him because unfortunately he's going to die prematurely in that bowl no matter how good you take care of him. :c Common (1 tail) goldfish get to 12 inches long, and fancy goldfish (2 tail) 6+ inches.
If you don't have a filter you'll need to be doing daily 30-40% water changes, goldfish are filthy things, and look into getting some sort of water conditioner if you don't already use some. If possible you could get him a plastic storage container to keep him in? They shouldn't be too expensive, and you can get a little sponge filter or something. Anything bigger than a bowl would be great.
For plants, java moss and java ferns are pretty much unkillable and should be very cheap. c: Goldfish will probably eat them though.

[Shine-Hikaru]

:C I let my mom read it so that she'll be informed. XD I would have to raise the issue with my dad though since he doesn't really want us buying things without telling him anything. |D

Well I'll see what I can do. I will update you soon on what has happened. 8D

[dovehumphrey1]

Hi. Just passing by and saw your post. I hope you got a wonderful aquarium set up for your mom already. Well, your guppies can be paired with other species too. You can try Platies, Swordtails, Mollies, Honey Gouramis, Cory Catfish.

[Sponsored content]