Tropical fish help

Tracey · 12-01-2003, 07:54 PM

We are switching from Cold water fish to Tropical and want some neons and guppies. Are neons and guppies ok together and if so what fish can't go with them?

Icia · 12-01-2003, 08:15 PM

We've never had a problem with these guys together. The only fish we've ever found aggressive was the Oscar.

Brandy · 12-01-2003, 08:39 PM

yes they can go together not a problem,,,,theres lots of fish that cannot go with them,,,,,,,but theres lots that can go with them to

you gotta watch for some smaller fish like barbs and red tailed sharks things like that, they like the guppies tails.

you could put some angles in with them or some dwarf gouramis, these oddles of different kinds of tetras, mollies, I could go on and on,,

But remember guppies and neons are small and even if some fish are NOT agressive any fish will eat anything they can fit in its mouth, so parrot fish, or sharks or anything that get to big is not recommended

also theres some really cool and different types of algae eaters, or crabs and lobsters(cray fish) snails, theres lots you could do with it

what size tank is it???

katescritters · 12-01-2003, 08:57 PM

[quote="Brandy"]

you could put some angles in with them or some dwarf gouramis, these oddles of different kinds of tetras, mollies, I could go on and on,,

[quote]

Do NOT put angels in with small fish, angels are a cichlid, and therefore a predatory fish.

Mollies are brachish water fish, which means they need some salt in their environment, they don't last very long in freshwater.

Other species of tetra would make good tank mates, such as red eyed tetras, silver tip tetras, cardinal tetras, serpae tetras, lemon tetras and glowlight tetras. Fish like blind cave fish, harlequin rasboras, killifish and rosy barbs (avoid tiger barbs, they are nasty fish) also make good community fish. Bottom feeders such as corydoras catfish and some species of loach are good. Just make sure you feed them too, they can't live off scraps.

Candycane · 12-01-2003, 09:49 PM

I think the most important thing when starting out with a new tank is to make sure it's cycled.

I would also recommend a bottom feeder and even an algae eater if you want. They can make a big difference in your water quality. Algae tablets can be bought just about anywhere.

Tracey · 12-02-2003, 09:39 AM

Cool, i need to write all this down, we had an Angel before and it ate the neons, i also had a little frog but it jumped out and the Boxer got it. I think hubby wants to get some mollies. We use tohave one of those ones that stick to the tank and eats all the muck so we will get one of those. Our tank is not that big, it's only a 2ft tank. The guy checked the water for us as it's the same water that the cold water fish was in and he said it's the best water he has tested since he started working there.

Candycane · 12-02-2003, 10:11 AM

That's great. Now you just need to wait for the temperature to stabilize and you can add fish!

I like mollies too...I haven't kept community fish for years but I am thinking of getting some in my 15 gallon. I really like cichlids but they get so big!

clearjade · 12-02-2003, 11:07 AM

Mollies are great fish, very colourful and spunky

They are also prolific breeders and chances are the mollies that you buy from the store are pregnant (a good fishstore would seperate the sexes). They can store sperm from one mating and get pregnant several times after that. So be prepared for babies

Like katescritters mentioned, mollies need a brackish environment, they CAN live in a freshwater environment, but eventually it will cause health problems for them.

I'm not too sure on the specifics, but the chemical composition for cold water and tropical water might be different. If you'd like to be doubly sure, ask him to check the water again once you've raised the temperature.

Candycane · 12-02-2003, 11:09 AM

Yep, my first molly was prego when I got her.

clearjade · 12-02-2003, 11:18 AM

Normally guppies wouldn't be because the most colourful ones are male (females are normally dull and grey), but with selective breeding, even the females are colourful now.

ALL my livebearers were pregnant when I got them from the store, sometimes even when the store seperates them, the fish farm that they are shipped from doesn't.