Fish to avoid as a newbie

Yes i can some what agree that Oscars are not for newbies but they are also hardie fish. A setup can be kept clean with the right filtration and size of tank. But the thing about Oscars is that they have a personalty which makes them a part of the family. :bigsmile:

 

thats for sure ick .velvet , fungus they hard core

 

might as well add pangasius catfish



soz,didn't see it was there.

 

+1

Along with that fire eels are very fussy eaters at the beginning. Feeding them when they are small in a community tank is no joke... That is my experience anyway. They are awesome fish though, mine is my favourite fish by a long shot.

 

Oscars are fine for very big tanks, without plants and only tankmates that don't have to have a territory. Many catfish are fine to keep with oscars, and maybe some knifefish, and certain less aggressive gouramis and other cichlids. But with oscars it can vary from fish to fish, some oscars are chilled while others hate the world >;-)

I loved my oscars, but certainly not for a beginner if they want pretty plants, a small tank and cheap filtration. On that note, beginners should try to go for as large a tank as they can practically get as they are more stable environments and won't suffer as much from the overfeeding that tends to plague new fishkeepers.

 

piranha should also be avoided,i lost 3 out of my five,the 2 i have now are doing exelent.

 

I've heard you need a permit to keep piranha, is that true? They seem practical only with very very large tanks in large shoals or cannibalism can set in from what I've read.

 

They are indeed illegal. Dasher is suggest you go study the black list that has been posted on the forum

 

Dasher... you should not be advertising that you keep Piranha, or talk about them. They are illegal to keep in SA. Henk will possibly help here, but I don't even think you can get a permit in SA to keep them. (maybe you can... dunno)

Read the rules and regs guys.... if it's blacklisted, we not alowed talking about it.

 

Not sure if they were mentioned, but Discus should be left at the pet shop if you are a newbie at fish keeping. I have been keeping fish for about 10 years on and off. I started to keep Discus this year, and i have already lost alot of money on them. (stupid me ordered 6 more, my kop nog nie hard genoeg gestamp nie!!)

 

dont get any puffers as a beginner

 

filterboy I partialy agree with you ,but would like to know your reasons for not recomending puffers to newbies.
In a well planned and maintained .correctly stocked tank, puffers are great strong fish with loads of persona to boot.

 

Filterboy is right - puffers don't have a very good tolerance towards high levels of waste, and don't often get on well with other fish, not to mention the majority of them require brackish water at least, which can be a tricky aspect to deal with as a new fishkeeper.

 

yes , why I said partialy agree .but at the end of the day a well planned tank, stocked correctly for them can be done by a newbie
lets not just say dont do it ,lets say why and let people do their research and make informed actions .

 

if a begginer buys a puffer[ figure 8 for example] and puts it in a tank with fish with long fins. the puffer will attack it.

 

I lol`ed

 

and some puffers are very aggressive and cant be mixed with other fish

 

thanks fiterboy wasnt trying to dis you just think we must put up all the info we can .

 

i know and i dont mind if you where trying to lol. there is one puffer a beginner can get. the dwarf puffer it is 2.5cm

 

. . .be nice man . .

Clearly he is trying . . . but he was right though. . but just could not supply sufficient reason why . .

TM