i dont know what fish to put in my tank! please help :)

[DoW PinkVixen]

alrighty, so i have a 26 gallon bow front tank, it will be a FREASHWATER tank. this is my first tank (other than keeping bettas) but i catch on very quickly so i wont be a newbie for long. id like a community tank with more than 1 variety of fish.

so my local fish supplier is trying to get me to purchase 5 tiger oscars... which to my understanding i shouldnt even have 1 in this size tank.

so heres the main questions:
- should i get the tiger oscars?
- if not what fish should i get? i would want them to be colourfull

the tank is already set up and already has cycled water in it, just needs fish now

 

[DoW PinkVixen]

im also interested in piranhas

 

[KcMopar]

Thats a nicely decorated tank!!!! Looks great!
Oscars are out of the question for sure, good for you to know more then the pet store you went to!!! That tank in the profile pic looks to just have been set-up, be sure read about cycling a tank before putting in fish if you dont already know. Piranhas are to big for this too. I am not the community fish guy here so I cant give the best advice on those fish type but others that are should give you some suggestions. I am the cichlid and Saltwater type so I can say that you are about 10 gallons away from putting medium sized cichlids in this tank, even the smaller not so aggressive cichlids can be very aggressive in a tank this size to. IMO these tanks are best suited for friendlier fish types as you wont have the fight and bickering that goes on with cichlids.

 

[lauraf]

Take a look at tetras, livebearers, gouramis and corydoras. A combo of those would make for an interesting community tank. See what kinds appeal to you, and do some research - for example, feel free to ask questions here - before you buy...

 

[OrangeCones]

I would also add rasbora to lauraf's list.

I recommend getting a liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate (at a minimum), plus do a fishless cycle to get the tank ready. Just having it filled with water and the water circulating, does not mean its completed the Nitrogen Cycle.

 

[LadyR]

Great looking tank! I've got some harlequin rasbora's, head light tetras that are totally fun to watch swim around. I also have 2 Mickey Mouse mollies that are beautiful! Been great fish in my community tank. I've also discovered that the male guppies are cute, but no way should you have more than 1 in a tank. They are relentless!

 

[DoW PinkVixen]

ok firstly thank you to everyone for their imput.
secondly ive done a test kit already and my Ph level is 7.0 the ammonia level is 0 and the nitrate level was within the range that the test kit said was normal. my brother-in-law also came over and checked to insure the tank was ready for fish ( he has had multiple aquariums) and re-tested and said its fine.
i know about the nitro-cycle and yes my tank has been fishless cycled. i didnt just set it up yesterday, its been set up and running for almost 3 months now.

 

[DoW PinkVixen]

and i did a little trolling around this website and found a few species that are both colourful and perfect for community living.

-killifish
-most variety of tetras
-platies
-guppies.

 

[DoW PinkVixen]

and just to be more specific,
- guppies ( any variety)
-killifish (any variety)
- tetras ( mainly Neon, X-ray pristella)
- platies ( red wags)

 

[KcMopar]

I am no little fish expert but those killifish look really Kewl!!!

 

[DoW PinkVixen]

ok so an update: went back to the fish store and bought

6 goldusted mollies
6 assorted fancy guppies
6 serpae
2 calico angel fish.

in about a weeks time ill also be adding either a pleco or small species of catfish as a bottom feeder.

 

[KcMopar]

Most common pleco's get almost 2 foot long!!!!

 

[OrangeCones]

I would watch your water quality carefully for a few weeks. Adding so many fish at once can cause problems. Also, the angels will likely outgrow the tank size and if they pair off, the others in the tank may be at risk.

 

[I<3Platys]

Guppies, Platys and tetras are great! You can try tiger barbs but they should be kept in larger groups and can be aggressive!

 

[kkme2]

Parties or mollies are great for starters! They are live bairrers and they have baby's about once a month, so it great for a big tank, there's many different types and colors, so what I do is get one of many different types, they can still breed with another, so you can make a cool highbred of your own, and you won't have to buy a large amount, I would go with one boy to every 3 girls you get, so buy only 8 at the most and soon you'll have a yank full of lots of different looking cool mollies or platies!

 

[Aoibhell]

Just an fyi- Mollies prefer brackish water to avoid various issues, like ich. If you plan on mating the livebearers, have a separate tank ready go. The angels (and often the livebearers themselves) will feast on the fry.

 

[KcMopar]

I have my Mollies in full saltwater, 1.025 to be exact.