Beginner with 30 gallon tank

Question

I am beginner with the whole aquarium thing but i have taken care of tons of guppies in the 5th grade lol (im in the 9th now) but i am getting one for my birthday and i have been doing TONS of research on fish,filters,heaters,tests almost everything but i would love to have a orange percula clownfish but i also want to have alot of other fishes also the tank is going to be freshwater i am thinking i found a fresh water clownfish so i want to get that one but i want to get other fish to go with the clownfish but i've read that clowfish are territorial and a bit aggressive i looked at the tetra's and mollies but i just think they are ok fish i want to get a "Dory" too but i don't the real name but give me tons of options and i would like not to spend a whole bunch of money cause i know i will be spending enough as it is

Answer 1

Saltwater tanks are fun, but a bit of work to set up and get right.

Stick to a freshwater tank to start out with.  Later you can convert it after you have had some experience and success with keeping a great community tank going.

With a 30 Gallon tank...you have a world of possibilities.  The only freshwater "clown" I am aware of is the Clown Loach...these guys will need a bigger tank than a 30 Gallon...more like a 75 Gallon or bigger.

Mollies are good fish, but more brackish water fish.  I would look at Platy, Swordtails, etc.

However, you have a great tank to start out with.

My suggestion, look at the different types of Tetra.  Also check out the Danios, Dwarf Gourami, and Cory Cats.

Set the tank up with some plants for cover...(plastic and silk are good to start out with.  You can eventually go to real plants after you get the hang of it).  A couple of nice decorations...a log, stump, or center piece.  Gravel color is your preference.  

Look at getting a school of Neon Tetra...very colorful and great in numbers of 6 or more.  Add a Dwarf Gourami (Flame or Neon Blue).  Only do one Gourami to your tank...the regular Gourami can get quite big...the Dwarf is a good choice for color and size.  But beware they can get aggressive to their own species...so one is best to start out with.

Look at the different variety of Cory Cats.  I like the Albino, especially with all the color in the tank, these guys will add a contrast.  However, you have Green Cories, Panda Cories, and many other types to work with.  5 is a great number for these guys since they are very social within their species.

Zebra Danios and Leopard Danios are also pretty good fish and very hardy.  They will stay mostly at the top to middle of your tank.  5 is a good number to start out with.

Recap.

1 Dwarf Gourami

6 Neon Tetra

5 Zebra Danios

5 Cory Cats

You could add a few more Neon Tetra or mix it up with some Black Light Tetra. 5 and 5 is cool.  They will school together somewhat, and within their own type.

Get 1 Mystery Snail (Black or Golden).  

Either way you go, play with some ideas and get a good mix of different fish.  I hope you enjoy the process of setting it all up and enjoy the final product.

Let your tank cycle for about 3 weeks before you add any fish.

Side Notes...Rams are beautiful fish, but are not very hardy and the water conditions have to be just right...get a little more experience before you get any of these guys.  They dont like a real active tank and need lots of plant cover.  They are a bit shy, but very playful.

Platy, Swordtail, and Guppies breed like crazy.  You will have a crowded tank with these guys before you know it.  

If you dont want the neon tetras...look at different tetras...ya have Redeyes, Headlight/Tail light, Glow Light Tetra (orange strip down center).

The "Glofish" or "Glolight" are Zebra Danios that are colored when eggs.  They are about 3 times more expensive than the regular Zebra Danios, but are very colorful.

Best of Luck!

Answer 2

Suggestion.

You like the look of clown fish..

Get a bunch of tiger barbs. They are great fish, pretty and active, just dont keep them with wimpy guppies and such like.

Your 30gal with 6 tiger barbs, a bristlenose pleco and a couple of Kribensis will be a cool setup.

Ian

Answer 3

Clownfish and Paracanthurus hepatus (Dory) are strictly saltwater. The freshwater "clownfish" you are referring to may be the clown loach, which looks entirely different from the orange perculas and are a peaceful, bottom-feeding fish.

Remember not to get new tank syndrome; let your tank setup cycle at least a week before (gradually) adding any fish. But if you've done your research, you knew that already.

If you aren't into tetras and mollies, take a look at the many different types of platies (Xiphophorus maculatus) and the different gouramis (of the family Osphronemidae).

Good luck, and have fun!

Answer 4

First Young fool's Link includes a Trojan don't go there.

Now , as stated clown fish are saltwater  Take it from a guy who has spent thousands on saltwater tanks it is not for the beginner.

I recommend you look into African Cichlids as they are colorful will breed and are fun to watch.  Expect to lose fish as they are very aggressive as all chiclids are.

Best of luck.

They are mouth breeders and so neat to observe the mom taking care of the young.

You spend much less and still have the beauty.

Frankly I find the smaller the tank the harder to maintain.  It isn't that big a jump to 55 in fresh water tanks.

If you are looking for a challenge try Discus.  You need soft water and changes about every other day.  Very hard work to keep up.

Once again expensive and hard for a beginner.

Answer 5

There is no such thing as a freshwater clown fish or a freshwater "dory". These are saltwater fish. If you REALLY want these fish you will have to set up a saltwater aquarium which is quite expensive. So be sure you can afford it until you decide to do a salt water set up.

I would say that since you are a 9th grader you should probably go with a freshwater aquarium for both financial reasons and lack of experience. They aren't neccessarily harder to find but you need to know what ones to look for.

Bettas- for example are very colorful and have big personalities. And they make good community fish don't listen to people who say they don't

Mollies - I know you said you looked at them but try to find creamsicle mollies they are a vibrant orange color and are really pretty. Also Balloon mollies are cool and quite interesting.

Glassfish and Glass Catfish - These fish are completely see though....which makes them awesome.

Glofish - Come in a array of bright colors including lime green, pink, and yellow

Angelfish - Which are stunning and have big personalities but can be aggressive.

German Blue or Gold Ram - These are really bright colored and fun fish. Probably some of the most colorful

Other Cichlids - Are usually highly aggressive but are very bright colored and fun. I would recommend doing lots of reasearch on which ones can be housed together. I also recommend putting them in a tank only with each other because most fish can't handle there aggressiveness.

Edit: I also wanted to recommend the tiger barbs they looks like clownfish kinda with a different pattern. They are more aggressive though and need to be kept in schools of 6 or more to decrease their fin nipping