New Fish and tank investment

I have been thinking for a while that a new classic looking fish tank with some beautiful fish is something that I want to invest in. I think it would look perfect in my living room so here I am asking for suggestion on fish that will not die on me because I maintain everything to the best of my best ability. What are some of your suggestions in purchasing some exotic looking fish? Which kind?

It will depend on how much you want to spend. How big of a tank you want. How many fish you want.

The first two questions are more important. All fish are easy to maintain if you follow the correct instructions.

It will be a lot easier if you give the size of the tank. Then we will be able to tell you what fish or how many fish you can have in there. It can be the other way around. Name the fish species and the number of fish you want, we can tell you how big of a tank you need for them.

There has to be some more details from your end before we can even begin to cut in.

Well, I would prefer the tank to the the square rectangular kind and not more than 20 inches in length. I have always loved the colorful type of fish as well as the "smiling fish" and the clown fish species as well.
Thank you for your help! I really appreciate it in advance.

Only small tanks of 10 gallon or less are no more than 20 inches long.

I have no idea what "smiling fish" is. Never heard of it. What is the name of the species?
As for clownfish, there are more than 30 different clownfish species. Which one do you want? The smallest clownfish specie will be close to 4" long when full grown, and the biggest will be more than 7" in length. You can't have any of them in a 10 gallon. They need a bigger tank.

If you can allow longer length for the tank, lets say 24"... you can get a 20 gallon tank. 30" long will give you up to 29 gallon.

If the tank size can't be upgraded, you should stay with fish species smaller than 3" long. For a 10 gallon, you may have up to 5~6 fish of around 3" long before it is fully stocked. Any more fish will overload the filtration and create ammonia spike.

This is the "smiling fish" that I am talking about. As for the tank I would most likely be able to upgrade it to a bigger size because I want to biggest species of clownfish. Would you have a picture of what they look like? I have always loved the small "Nemo" clown fish (haha) but I would love to see other variations as well.
Thank you!

The fish in your photo is a Blood Parrot Cichlid. A genetic engineered hybird fish without the ability to close their mouth or to reproduce. It is liked by some people while being boycotted by some others.

You will need a fish tank of over 100 gallons for Blood Parrot. Your 20" long 10 gallon tank isn't going to cut it. This is also not a beginner's fish. You should start with something smaller then move your way up. 10 gallon tank is a little on the small side, but getting a 100+ gallon tank for the starter is also not a good idea in my opinion. 20~55 gallon is a good size as the first tank, but of course it is again just my opinion.

lol that is indeed a blood parrot. Why would you call it "smiling fish"? Never heard of such name. Its mouth is always open because it is a deformation. They are all deformed one way or another. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_parrot_cichlid

I thought you want a tank no more than 20" long. Blood parrot can be 8" in length. It will have a hard time to turn around in it.

I also didn't pay attention on one very important thing. Your so called clownfish are saltwater fish.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clownfish#In_the_aquarium

I haven't seen anyone with a 10 gallon saltwater tank because it is not sustainable. You also can't have clownfish and blood parrot in the same tank for obvious reasons. Blood parrot is freshwater cichlid.

It is not a good idea to start a saltwater aquarium if you have never had or had very little experience with freshwater fish.

I suggest you to start a freshwater aquarium of 20 or maybe 29 gallons with some small to medium sized freshwater fish. No, not blood parrot.

If you can revise your plan, we can help you plan better.

Oh, I called it smiling fish because a pet store I have entered before had that name on it and the real name next to it of the breed but I ended up remembering this one as I thought it was cute (haha). Thank you for bringing it to my attention! Also thank you very much for you help I definitely noted all of this down and hopefully I will be able to purchase all the needed supplies soon!

(02-24-2013, 05:43 AM)Anna Usorova Wrote: I definitely noted all of this down and hopefully I will be able to purchase all the needed supplies soon!

Hold on a second.
It doesn't look like you have made any progress on a clear plan just yet.

So how big will the tank be?
What fish will you get now?
Do you know what to purchase in order to set up a proper freshwater aquarium? Exactly equipments and supplies (brand, models)?


The setting things up part is the most important, because if it is not done correct the fish will most likely die soon. Since you are a beginner, I think you really should clear things up here (and we will help you to make sure you get things right) before you move onto "purchase all the needed supplies".



Some fish beginner guides for you

Haha. Thank you for your concern but I am taking it one step at a time. I am not purchasing just yet; but just writing everything down. I am hoping I can get the 30 gallon tank and the fish that I prefer is a blood parrot.

Here is the problem. You are not continue consulting with us on your revised plan if there is one.

You asked us how to get started, then you didn't tell us anything about what your plan is before you seem to ready to bail. When i asked, you said 30 gallon for blood parrot.

A 30 gallon tank is only the bare minimal for just one Blood Parrot. Each additional needs minimal 10 more gallons of water. That's why I said earlier you need 100+ gallon for just a few of them. Your plan isn't going to work well unless you really plan to have just one blood parrot, and that is not a good set up since blood parrot are very shy and it will work better if there are a few more of them.

There is also other concerns. Including filtration, heater, air pump, water conditioner, as well as food, feeding routine, and tank maintenance. On the top of that, there is also aquarium nitrogen cycle. I know there is a lot to chew, but everyone who is seriously going to get fish has to go through all this learning curve or there will be dead fish soon.

How about just getting a few goldfish and guppies. We had a smaller tank when I was a child and had the these fish and later got two angel fish. Those are easy to mantain in a smaller tank, and once you get the knack of having them you could get a bigger tank or better yet move closer to a public aquarium where you enjoy the fish and someone else maintains the tank and the cost in it's upkeep. lol

@ 4sweed,
Some fish require large tanks just to survive. Bigger tanks are easier to maintain than smaller tanks because of it is hard to keep smaller tanks clean and to keep the ammonia down when the fish load is too heavy (too many fish or the fish is too big for the tank) in there.


Goldfish and guppies do not belong in the same tank. Guppies are tropical fish require 75F+ water temperature. Goldfish is not tropical and they don't need such high temperature.

I had 2 clownfish in a 15 gallon tank for over 3 years and they thrived. Marine aquariums are actually less of a hassle than fresh water aquariums once they are up and running, and clownfish are hardy. Expect any other salt water fish to die within days if you do not have experience with marine aquariums.

A parrot fish should not be kept inside a 30 gallon aquarium. You want smaller fish like cardinal tetras, german blue ram, ect.

(05-30-2013, 06:15 PM)Zanana Wrote: I had 2 clownfish in a 15 gallon tank for over 3 years and they thrived. Marine aquariums are actually less of a hassle than fresh water aquariums once they are up and running, and clownfish are hardy. Expect any other salt water fish to die within days if you do not have experience with marine aquariums.

2 Clownfish should not be kept in a 15 gallon aquarium, that is too small for them. Marine aquariums are still a hassle, and just because you can keep fish alive does not mean they are in the proper living conditions.