4 comments to “What do freshwater exotic fish need?”

1. lunar_flame wrote:
   21. September 2008 at 9:52 am :

   First, you will have to cycle your fish tank before adding any fish, or they will die. Please read this article:

   Second you’ll need a filter, gravel, and lights. You’ll also need a heater and thermometer.

   Good fish for a 20g are tetras, corydoras catfish, small plecos, bolivian rams, dwarf gouramis, platies, guppies, mollys, etc. I suggest you look at the fish on aquahobby.com and ask on the forums which would suit your setup best.

2. Zoe wrote:
   21. September 2008 at 3:47 pm :

   If all you have is the tank, you’ll need a lid.
   You can get a glass lid for 10-20$, and a light fixture for another 30$ or so. Try to get a fluorescent fixture if you can, that way you can have plants.

   You will also need a filter. I suggest you get an Aqua Clear 50…. Get a hang off the back filter, rated for at least 20 gallons MORE (so get a filter for 40 gallons)

   You will need some gravel. You can get a large bag for 15$. I suggest you get small smooth gravel, not big chunky gravel. I prefer natural colours, but that’s just me.

   You’ll need a heater, get 75Watts, make sure its subermisble. Ego-Jagger is a good brand. 15-25$ (don’t skimp on the heater)

   You’ll need various decor. Personally, I prefer the natural stuff, like driftwood (1-10$), rocks like lava rock and texas holey rock (1-10$) and real plants (1-10$ each). Or you can go with the fancy castles and fake plants (1-20$)

   You will need dechlorinator to neutralize the chlorine in your tap water (5-10$)

   You will need a vacuum tube to clean your water and vacuum your gravel - you should change about 20-30% of your water every week (5-10$)

   You should get a fishnet (2$)

   You should get some Bio-Spira to cycle your tank (5-10$)
   *This is VERY important

   And then you’ll need the fish.

   In your 20 gal, I would suggest you get a school of 10 tetras (see my response to your other post) (1-3$ each)
   A school of 6 corydoras (1-6$ each)
   And a dwarf gourami (5$) OR a pair of bolivian rams (5-10$)

   Try not to overstock.

   You’ll need fishfood, of course.

   One way to save money is to buy used. Try craigslist.com , fishforums.com or your local aquarists society. The only thing I don’t suggest you buy used, is a heater and a filter. But you can find fish, plants, fishfood, tank decor, light fixtures and bulbs, etc, for low prices.

   Good luck!

3. TarKettle wrote:
   23. September 2008 at 11:48 am :

   Definitely cycle first. You must be patient, as it can take anywhere from 2 weeks to over a month. Buy your test kits. Basic ammonia and nitrite kits cost less than $10 each.

   Most people will recommend that you do a fish-less cycle, using household ammonia (with no surfactants) with a eye-dropper. There are variations in this method, so you can look it up on-line.

   I recommend mollies, guppies, and platties.

   Get readings of 0ppm first, though.

4. Billy wrote:
   26. September 2008 at 6:07 pm :

   Caring for these exotic types is very pricey they need food to live and other objects to hide from predators snakes, oscars, pirahnnaas etc……