Fish (not the band)

[tyzack]

I was given a 36 gallon tank from a co-worker who was going to throw it away...

What kind of fish would be practical for that size tank given I have never owned any before?

depends..... do you want a saltwater tank or fresh water. Chiclids are a good in the middle (brackish water) fish you could probably put 4-6 fish in there including a algae eater. they have a little more color than normal freshwater fish and there pretty easy to care for. i have a 50gal i want to make into a full saltwater tank but i need to build a stand for it first

[jocelyn]

Yay.

So, whoever knows about fish- I want to start up an aquarium also, relatively small, but not tiny like a 10-gallon. What is a good size, and what are good fish for starters. Cichlids are very pretty and seem to have a lot of personality (for fish), but are they difficult for a complete beginner? I want to stay away from saltwater- too difficult.

[derickw]

Yay.

So, whoever knows about fish- I want to start up an aquarium also, relatively small, but not tiny like a 10-gallon. What is a good size, and what are good fish for starters. Cichlids are very pretty and seem to have a lot of personality (for fish), but are they difficult for a complete beginner? I want to stay away from saltwater- too difficult.

they are really easy and pretty good fighters. if you do 20 gallon (easiest) only get two and a algae eater the Chiclids can be very territorial. semi-salt water is easy. just fill the tank and let the water run through the filter for a couple days, use the water change chemical and your good to go. clean up can be a pain just because i rebuild little caves and what not which take me a little while to get to my liking but it usually takes me a couple hours.

[Marcial]

Personally, I would recommend tetras.  There are a ton of different kinds that you can mix up and they look really cool when you get a group of the same kind schooling up.  

Here is are a few shots of my 20gal freshwater tetra tank... planted with live plants.





Personally, I would recommend staying away from saltwater for your first tank unless you plan to really get into it and do alot of reading / research.  It is not hard if you know what you are doing, but it is more work to maintain than freshwater.  Saltwater fish are quite a bit more expensive as well, and they tend to not be very forgiving when you mess something up.  I\'ve had both, and actually prefer a nice freshwater tank with live plants to saltwater.  At one point several years ago, I had a 200 gal saltwater tank... really cool looking but a shit-ton of work.

[derickw]

nice looking tank man. i\'m gonna have to post a couple pics of my 20gal now.......