New Freshwater Aquarium - Suggestions?

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komodo

Feeder Fish
Oct 3, 2008
3
0
0
Georgia
Hi guys,

My girlfriend and I just setup our first aquarium - a new 60 gallon freshwater tank. Right now it's undergoing the water treatment process, and will be ready for fish in a day or two.

I did some research on the fish we were planning to buy (Dinosaur Bachir, Red Bellied Bacu, etc.) and found they wouldn't be a good fit for the setup... so back to the drawing board. :nilly:

I'm starting this post in hopes of getting some suggestions for what type of fish we should buy. I'm thinking 2-3 large fish, and a small school of little fish. I want something interesting and unusual, not the standard, boring "fish" you see everywhere (which is why I came to MFK, hah). This is our first tank however, so I would like to keep the maintenance and skill level as low as possible. Anyone have any thoughts for anything interesting? Thanks! :headbang2
 
A tire track eel or peacock eel would be an interesting addition. And what's wrong with the dinosaur eel (senegalus bichir)? Also, a more peaceful South/Central America cichlid with a school of tetras would be good. When you say 2-3 large fish that fit in a 60 gallon tank, you're looking at a very broad category. There are hundreds of fish that fit that, and it's hard to recommend one without knowing what you're looking for.

Also, what is the setup like? (ex. gravel, rocky, live planted, etc.)
 
you said water tyreatment process and it will be ready in a few days how long has the tank been cycling is the water parameters ready for fish , i would recoemd a few small cichlids and a smalll tetra school be sure to make sure you do your research
 
We actually just discovered the Peacock Eel browsing around online. That sounds really interesting! Are they safe around other fish, or will they try to eat the smaller ones? Will they eat pellets? We're trying to avoid live food if possible (I already deal with that for my bearded dragon). I really like the idea of having at least one eel.

Our tank is not planted. It's a small gravel base with some great structures for hiding places .

Tim, you mentioned Bichirs. Don't they get very large and eat live food / other fish?

What do you guys think about angelfish? They have great color, but I've heard mixed reviews of them.

Thank you for all your suggestions so far. I'll spend some time and research them all. Thanks! :D

Any other thoughts?
 
komodo;3469260; said:
We actually just discovered the Peacock Eel browsing around online. That sounds really interesting! Are they safe around other fish, or will they try to eat the smaller ones? Will they eat pellets? We're trying to avoid live food if possible (I already deal with that for my bearded dragon). I really like the idea of having at least one eel.

Our tank is not planted. It's a small gravel base with some great structures for hiding places .

Tim, you mentioned Bichirs. Don't they get very large and eat live food / other fish?

What do you guys think about angelfish? They have great color, but I've heard mixed reviews of them.

Thank you for all your suggestions so far. I'll spend some time and research them all. Thanks! :D

Any other thoughts?
Click to expand...
get 4 adult angels and mixed tetras that would be a very nice tank
 
komodo;3469260; said:
We actually just discovered the Peacock Eel browsing around online. That sounds really interesting! Are they safe around other fish, or will they try to eat the smaller ones? Will they eat pellets? We're trying to avoid live food if possible (I already deal with that for my bearded dragon). I really like the idea of having at least one eel.

Our tank is not planted. It's a small gravel base with some great structures for hiding places .

Tim, you mentioned Bichirs. Don't they get very large and eat live food / other fish?

What do you guys think about angelfish? They have great color, but I've heard mixed reviews of them.

Thank you for all your suggestions so far. I'll spend some time and research them all. Thanks! :D

Any other thoughts?
Click to expand...

Peacock eels I believe will eat very small fish, such as the neon tetra, but that's about it. It really just depends on how big they are, and if you avoid extremes you should be ok. You can feed them tubifex, earthworms, and almost any frozen foods. It might also like Massivore Delite (made by Hikari).

I would suggest getting some fake plants at least, no matter what you do.

Bichirs are predatory, and they will eat anything that is smaller than their head. If you still want small fish, you could get a ropefish (avatar), and some faster moving fish, such as the head-and-tail-light tetra. Bichirs are still my all time favorite fish! Oh, and huge is an exaggeration. Most get to 1-1.5 feet, but the senegalus gets to 10 inches, and the ropefish only gets longer (hence the name "rope").

I've never dealt with angels, but I do know you need a tallish tank and a more powerful filter for all the waste they put out.
 
try a peacock. they're great little eels. they will only eat what can fit in their mouths, as is the case with most fish. The senegal bichir is also pefectly suited for a 60 gallon.
 
I would do a few oddball specimens, like a Butis Butis with a climbing perch and a few smaller species of knife fish, like the African. You could also incorporate some blind cave fish and even a purple-spotted gudgeon without too much trouble if they are big enough. And don't forget the butterfly fish! Sure, some of these species prefer live food, but if you get them young, they can be converted pretty easily to meat chunks and dry food. Except maybe the Butis, but they don't eat much and I haven't personally owned one, so they might be easy enough to switch to non-live. And you will get all sorts of, "Is that a fish?" comments. :)
 
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