A friend of mine came across a 70gal, and he's brand new to the hobby and I'm trying to give him ideas on easy to care for freshwater fish, but. I have none. Any ideas would be helpful thanks.
easy care fish
- Thread starter skyhigh
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I have a saltwater tank, a brackish, 2 puffers, discus, etc.... I find them all easy to take care of... So how about he looks for a fish he likes ( that's compatible for a 70 gal of course ) then do the research on proper care?? Not a challenge in my opinion. Make sure he knows what the nitrogen cycle is before starting.
The majority of available 'pet store' fish are easy to maintain. Among the hardiest are white cloud mountain minnows, zebra danios and most (well, much - do the research before buying) of the plecostomus/loricariidae group. Some larger hardy fish include the convict cichlid and the native green sunfish.
But one you learn how to take care of the water, the rest is usually cake.
But one you learn how to take care of the water, the rest is usually cake.
Depends on his/her background and age.
Fresh water tropical are generally the easiest to deal with. They have a greater variety, lower cost. Mollies, platies, sword tails are some of the most tolerant of these for most people.
That said they should learn about the nitrogen cycle and get a complete test kit: pH, Ammonia, nitrites, nirates. If you have a good LFS have them run a complete set of tests on your tap water. If you have hard alkaline water Africans may be easier to keep, softer well or filtered water south American species. The less you have to screw with the water the easier it becomes. Also no matter how hardy a fish is lack of water changes will kill it.
Fresh water tropical are generally the easiest to deal with. They have a greater variety, lower cost. Mollies, platies, sword tails are some of the most tolerant of these for most people.
That said they should learn about the nitrogen cycle and get a complete test kit: pH, Ammonia, nitrites, nirates. If you have a good LFS have them run a complete set of tests on your tap water. If you have hard alkaline water Africans may be easier to keep, softer well or filtered water south American species. The less you have to screw with the water the easier it becomes. Also no matter how hardy a fish is lack of water changes will kill it.
Oh, yeah. Fish to avoid like the africans mentioned above also might include:
Puffers
Cichlids that get very large (for now, since it's only a 70 gallon tank)
Wild caught fish that require low pH like Altum angels or discus
Problem fish like Chinese Algae Eaters, black sharks and Five-star generals that just seem to want things dead no matter what.
Any catfish you haven't researched thoroughly. Some are tough as nails and some are extremely sensitive to this or that.
Anything known for serious aggression, since your friend will inevitably want to keep adding more and more fish to the tank as time goes by. This is a terrible idea if not done carefully, so be sure to teach him the awesome power of understocking.
Puffers
Cichlids that get very large (for now, since it's only a 70 gallon tank)
Wild caught fish that require low pH like Altum angels or discus
Problem fish like Chinese Algae Eaters, black sharks and Five-star generals that just seem to want things dead no matter what.
Any catfish you haven't researched thoroughly. Some are tough as nails and some are extremely sensitive to this or that.
Anything known for serious aggression, since your friend will inevitably want to keep adding more and more fish to the tank as time goes by. This is a terrible idea if not done carefully, so be sure to teach him the awesome power of understocking.
I have to agree with Knifegill, except for the puffers. I have kept Ceylon, Fahaka (currently have 1 of each), GSP and pea puffers. I find them easy to care for, but then again, I get excited about seeing bright pink in my nitrate test bottles
Easy if you feel like spending big bucks on clams, etc. and/or having a snail culture going. Not really a huge deal for some people, but it's a little more than most would care to do for an "easy" fish. And you have to know about the aggression, the overgrown teeth, which are brackish, marine, or fresh...in spite of their hardiness they require a lot of forethought. Just saying.