New for the second time in Freshwater Fish Keeping

I am not sure if I am doing the right thing, but I am really a fan of guppies, mollies, catfish and I am not sure if it's a good Idea mixing them in one tank.
Advice and helpful responses will be highly appreciated. I also need to buy a new tank, decor etc. basically start from scratch; advice on that will also be appreciated.

 

howzit and welcome, in my experience mollies nipped the guppies, so i wouldn't put the together maybe if the tank is big enough you may get away with it. catfish you can go for cories, they are peacefull schooling fish and awesome cleaner/botton feaders.
tank wise you will have to give more info, on what you looking for and your budget. but get the biggest tank you can within your budget it will make your fish happy and your life easier..
keep us posted

 

oh and filtration... thats also important.

 

Hi and thanks for the quick reply.

I live in a flat and I can't get a huge tank, but yes I agree with big. My budget is around R 2000. With this I am planning to get a tank, filtration and decor. I am really inlove with guppies and hope I can find perfect partners for them.

My first tiny tank was for freshwater fish, now I'm looking into warm water/tropical fish. I am starting from scratch with at least a 50 litre fish tank if If I can get one. I really don't want to be cheap this time around. All my freshwater fish died in a tiny tank I had. So this time around I am going all out.

 

2k is a fair budget I would go for a 3 foot on a stand and a decent canister filter and heater .that will cost you about 1600 and u have 400 to spare for ornaments and fish to start. I am in the process of breeding pure ATFG guppies at the momment I will let you know soon as I have pairs ready.

 

Alright thanks a lot man will let you know as soon as I have acquired all of the necessities. So in our opinion and experience Guppies and Cories mix well, so what else? what other species can I mix with?

 

yip cories mind their own business mostly bottom of the tank while guppies take up the top of the tank. google tropical fish compatibylity chart and see what options you have. they can co-exist with quiet a few other species but not 100% compatible. all fish have different personalities and characters so my mollies may have gone for guppies and yours wont. they can co-exist but if you have show guppies i would rather keep them in a tank on their own, maybe with a tank cleaner.

 

Hi and welcome to Tasa please dont forget decent lighting. But there are some diy options that are quite cheap that can work for a 900mm (100l) tank. You could do quite well with Mollies, Platy's and swords. Generally considered brackish fish but they do
add nice color to a tank.

 

So I got myself this tank, just need a fitting heater and filter. Please feel free to comment, criticize and advice.

 

Nice tank for the corner (I have something similar bit found the that lighting was not great for plants - to deep vs light output).

What filtration you planning on running - if you start with a HOB on the on side it is not to intrusive.

Later Ferdie

BTW blue cellophane (you can get it from checkers) makes for nice backdrop, just stick it on the glass on the outside - esp the sides facing the wall.

 

Went to check fishing equipment and fish at my local pet shop and most of the fish they have are parrots, oscars, mollies, bala shark,albino sharks,swords and algea eaters, remember guys i'm really into guppies like very much.

 

Thanks man for the heads up, will definately check it out. As for filtration I am not sure. I am hoping I will get suggestions of both heater and tank that will fit perfectly with my tank.

 

Hey Dude. Welcome. I keep guppies with Harlequin Rasbora, Cardinals, Angels, Dwarf Gourami, Corydoras, Ottocinclus, Longfin Ancistrus and a lonely GBR and they are fine together. Not suggesting you do the same as my tank is 300l and has a lot of hiding spots, plants etc but you could definitely go for cory's, cardinals and harlequin rasbora. HTH

 

Hi Thabo. Try the pet shop at the game centre in Fleurdal. They always seem to have a lot of guppies. Don't know their quality but its an option?

 

Cool will check, thanx. Does any1 know anything about UV Sterilizers? Like where to buy them except ebay and definitely the cheapest places. Are they better than normal filters attached to air pumps?

 

Why do you want a UV sterilizer? Unless you are concerned about something in your water? There is a school of thought that says by removing the regular bacteria/germs/etc that fish are exposed to you make them far more suceptable (sp?) to disease.

 

I just want proper filtration, I am not all for UV Sterilizer. Any good filter will do. Please let me know what's the best I should get that's out there. Weblinks, pictures etc. will be appreciated.

 

how big is the tank ie water volume, if its anything under 120L you can get a tetratec for about 800 bux, or you can go sun sun canister, cheaper but decent. if you are a guppy freak in bloem and are willing to spend on quality guppies you have to contact @len.weideman , have a look at his thread http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/showthread.php?14471-My-Guppy-Strains&highlight=len. he is currently selling out, he has some tanks as well to sell. maybe contact him. i got the most awesome guppies from him on the weekend.