MSU Red Cedar Message Board

Some pet stores carry small frogs that get along with most fish. My sister had one when we were kids. Pretty cool.

Tetras and gouramis are also some good beginner tropical fish, although for a tank that size, that is probably enough fish. It's a good idea to pick up a test kit and water conditioner. If you add too many fish to a brand new tank before it's had a chance to cycle, you may experience some casualties because there aren't any microbes established to break down fish waste

Ill check those out, thanks! I did read about the water conditions and the best way to introduce new fish over time while I was browsing the nets today.

I liked the looks of the Oscars they had at Meijer, but the guy said they will eat all the other fish.

They also had iguanas to win at this carnival...that would have been bad. I had an iguana for awhile and theyre kind of a pain in the ass.

dont you have to run the tank for a week or so to get all the levels right before you dump fish into it? I know with carnival gold fish it might not matter, but could mess with the other fish that oyu just bought

Yeah, we had already purchased the other fish before realizing this. We washed the hell out of everything...the gravel, decoration stuff, etc. We also ran the tank for a few hours before introducing the fish and all seems well so far.

Former Pruess Pets staff member here.

Be very careful with the goldfish. Goldfish get extremely large and are unnaturally messy animals. Weekly water changes will be a must. 25% of the water at least once per week, never change 100%. You will want to pick up a gravel vacuum as well to get the crap that is in the gravel. Same goes for the catfish, they will likely get very large, eventually outgrowing the tank. Also, catfish have a tendency to eat other fish. Its not so much that they are predatory as they just have a big mouth and tend to want to see what everything is with their mouth and end up eating things. Also, please do not believe the "fish only get as large as their tank allows" myth. While I suppose this is true, it actually stunts their growth, also stunting the growth of their organs leading to you having the death talk much quicker.

Your tank will begin to cycle shortly, especially with that many fish in there. 3 stages to the cycle - Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate. Ammonia will spike at which time bacteria will begin to form and utilize that ammonia, turning it into nitrite. Same will happen when the nitrite levels spike, at which point the bacteria will turn it into nitrate. The bacteria that is forming is very beneficial to the ecosystem you are establishing in your tank. Like said before, I recommend you pick up a testing kit that tests for these various chemicals since ammonia and nitrite can become lethal to the fish at very small amounts (5 parts per million). Do not be surprised if you lose a fish or two during the cycling process, which can last anywhere from 3-6 weeks generally. Fortunately the guys you picked up all tend to do pretty well as cycling fish. Do not change your filter pads during this process as that is where most of your good bacteria forms (after cycle, usually change these pads once ever 3-4 weeks).

As far as lifespan goes, goldfish can live for 20+ years in a large, well maintained tank. Same goes for most of the catfish. The mollies and the guppies should live for at least 4-5 years assuming they are healthy. The mystery snail...probably around 3 years although I'm not certain on their average lifespan. Unfortunately, most fish won at carnivals are not generally very healthy and don't tend to live too long. Keep an eye out for signs of sickness (lethargic behavior, quarantining themselves, bloating, white spots on side of the fish that look similar to grains of salt).

Dechlorination. Make sure to pick up some water conditioner or "dechlorinator" for your tank if you have city water. Use anytime you are adding new water to the tank for whatever reason. The chlorine put in the water by cities to purify it can be toxic to your fish. Ignore this if you have well water.

By no means am I trying to tell you what to do, but consider getting rid of the goldfish and maybe the catfish (they are just going to cause more hassle for you) and setting up a cool community tank. This will increase the number of fish you can put into it as well as increasing the variety of fish available to you. Also will open you up to cool inverts like shrimp which are a ton of fun. Live plants would also be something to consider if you want a real cool tank.

Sorry, I know this post seemed kinda negative, but I hope you don't take it that way. Being new to the hobby can be tricky and I wanted to run down some of the basics for you. The aquarium hobby is a ton of fun and once hooked, you'll likely find yourself with 2 or 3 tanks. Welcome to the hobby! I worked in the fish department down at Preuss Pets in downtown Lansing for 2 years so I'm quite familiar with the hobby and some of the troubles people can run into. Don't get discouraged if you have some problems here and there.

Quick shameless plug here too. If you live in the Lansing area, head down to Preuss Pets in Old Town Lansing. They offer free water testing (which will save you about $35 on not buying the testing kit) and can help you with any concerns you might have.

Feel free to PM me with any questions or concerns!

distilled water isn't a good option because it is pure so it has no minerals which fish need and there is no way to stabilize the PH. If you use distilled water, there are some salt mixes you can buy which remineralize the water

I don't know much about fish tanks, but are any of these fish good to eat?

Get an Oscar.

That is exactly what I did! It's been fun though, I want to head over to Preuss Pets and see what I can get. I found a bright blue lobster online that says can go in a 20 gallon tank.

Those small frogs turn into 1 lbs monster in a 20 gallon tank, FYI. We has one for 12 years.