witheraf

Hi

I am interested in keeping some freshwater tropical fish.
I don't actually have a tank yet, but hopefully I will be able to get my hands on a largish tank with a heater and light and possibly a filter too soon. the tank is about 29 gallons, possibly larger.
The fish I am interested in are:
Redtail shark
Silver dollars
Angelfish
A kind of catfish that I don't know the name of, looks a bit like a leopard
And cherry barbs
I also wonder if it's possible to get a blue freshwater lobster?
Will these fish work? If not please suggest some fish that are good for a beginner.

Thanks
Witheraf

aquarist48

http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm
Welcome to Fish Lore. The above link is some critical information for you to study before you take the dive into fish keeping. By reading and studying it, it will save you a lot of heart ache and fish loss. (If you already know about it even better).
As for your stocking ideas...barbs can be big fin nippers. Best kept in groups of 5 or 6 to help prevent nipping but doesn't always help. I wouldn't suggest Angel fish for beginners, they should be placed into a well established tank several months old. The Silver Dollars would be good. They are schooling fish and also like to be kept with several of their own kind. Lobster? No idea sorry. The red tail shark may require a bigger tank later on (only have one of these per tank, they get aggressive towards others of their own kind). Cory cats are nice and like to be grouped as well. Hope this helps you some. I'm sure others will come along with more suggestions.
This is a great site for fish info. Again welcome and good luck with your tank.

Franklin

In a 29 gallon the only the really suitable fish listed would be the barbs,and possibly 1 angel.Red tail sharks and silver dollars need to be kept in schools,and they both get way too big be to be kept in a 29.Angels and barbs should not be kept together,IMO,as the barbs tend to be fin nippers and will go after the angels long fins.Blue lobsters should not be kept with any fish,they will eventually catch them,and all you will have left in your tank is the lobster(crayfish).Unless you get the name of the catfish,it's not possible to say if it it should be kept in your tank.
You could have some other small schooling fish with cherry barbs.There is a huge variety of tetra,and rasboras.Bottom feeders like corydora would be fine with them as well.Dwarf cichlids could also be kept with cherry barbs,and there is also a wide variety of those that could be kept with the barbs as well.

witheraf

thanks
If cherry barbs are fin nippers, what are some other small
Sized fish that are better?
I am very keen on the redtail shark, are you sure it needs a bigger tank? My friend used to keep one in a similar size tank. Unfortunately it died from jumping out of the tank. My tank will have a lid though.

aquarist48

I would use a 29g as a starter home for him, but personally if it were mine I'd feel better if he were in a larger tank and I think the fish would too. Yes, the Red Tail Sharks are notorious jumpers. If they can find a hole to jump out of (empty heater holes included) they will. I'll let someone else give you ideas on smaller fish.

Franklin

Yes,a RT will definetely need a larger tank to live a full and healthy life.
Tetra,rasboras,and corydora are other small schooling fish suitable for a 29.

Lucy

Welcome to Fish Lore
Here's a few link to get started on some research, not only starting a new tank but stocking it:

Tropical Fish, Aquarium Care, Freshwater Fish, Saltwater Fish, Aquarium Setup
On the right you'll see some popular fish profiles. Scroll down that page for some valuable info on getting started.

The Encyclopedia Aquatica - Freshwater version

Sorry about your friend's RTS, sometimes if a fish in uncomfortable whether it's from water conditions or too small a tank, they'll jump.

Good luck with your new hobby.

witheraf

Well maybe if a redtail would not be happy in a 29 gallon I should leave it for now.
I have heard of another type of shark, the ruby shark, what are they like? Or a 'flying fox'?
Also I found the name of the catfish, it's called a Synodontis Multipunctatus Catfish.
As I said before the tank I am getting is my friend's, I don't know for sure its size, it could be larger than 29 gallon.

agabr123

hi and welcome to fishlore!

if you're unsure of the tank size, then you can measure the tank and use the calculator at the bottom of the page to figure out the number of gallons it will hold.

i agree with the others, IMO a 29 doesn't provide quite enough swim room for an RTS, but here are some stocking suggestions from a list i'm working on.
Work In Progress: Freshwater Community Stocking List

ifixoldhouses

I put a crawdad from the creek in a fish tank once, it ate everything in it overnight.

witheraf

Ok so the lobster's a no-go.

Do any of you have experience with a fish called a flying fox? They look really nice and I want one!
I am getting the tank on thursday so I can measure it then and see what size it really is! It was previously used to keep 2 terrapin tortoises so I'm assuming it's pretty large.
Did some more research on the catfish, it grows to 15'' so maybe not a good idea! I'll stick with a zebra for now.
Also looking into freshwater mussels, apparently they can keep the tank very clean?

hkirchen

I am also looking at the flying fox, and my husband thinks they look cool kind of like a shark.

Here is what I have researched.

They get to be about 6 inches
They are very territorial with their own kind, so should be kept seperately.
They do not eat algae very much when full grown, so do not count on him keeping the tank clear of algae.
They prefer densely planted tanks, and lots of hiding spots.
They are bottom to mid-level fish.

There were some at my LFS, and I am thinking of getting one, but here is the behavior I noticed.

They were kind of testing out the other fish that were in the tank with them. I was concerned that they may be like a CAE. Or, maybe they were just hungry. The other fish were fine though, no lesions or boo boo's. So maybe they were just saying hi!

Hope that helps, I am still on the fence about getting one, but maybe we can help each other decide!