Fish: Re: [tropical fish club] New to Group with THREE QUESTIONS

Hi Rose, welcome to the group!
My first question, before suggesting any species of fish, is how big is your tank (or planned tank) going to be? What fish you put in there depends on how much space and water volume you have to offer them. Goldfish need very large tanks because they get really big, grow rapidly, and are very dirty. (over 100 gallons for 1 - 2 fancy goldfish by the time they are full grown, which should happen within the first 2 - 3 yrs)

As Donna already pointed out, if you wish to breed fish it's important to have an outlet for them/somewhere to sell them or take them before you start breeding. It's very easy to get overrun with fry in a short amount of time, which either means endless number of tanks to accommodate them all or risking the health/safety of all of the fish.

In regards to the plants and snails, I'm wondering if your intentions are for the snails to eat the plants? There are many different species of snails out there and knowing what you're intending to keep in way of plants, fish, tank space, etc. will help to determine which type of snails would work best for you. If you opt for snails that eat plants are you then planning to buy plants regularly?

Can you lend us a little more insight to your long term plans for your tank(s) please?

Dawn

Dawn Moneyhan
Aquatics Specialist/Nutritionist
To learn more about me go to
http://www.helium.com/users/449334

--- On Wed, 1/30/13, Rose Lieberman lapis@frontier.com> wrote:

From: Rose Lieberman lapis@frontier.com>
Subject: [tropical fish club] New to Group with THREE QUESTIONS
To: tropicalfishclub@yahoogroups.com
Date: Wednesday, January 30, 2013, 1:16 PM

Hi, folks. My name is Rose, I'm 65, I live in rural upstate New York. I raised freshwater tropicals back in my Brooklyn days, and that was about 40 years ago. So, I'm familiar with the hobby but there's a lot I've forgotten.

QUESTIONS: WHAT DO I DO WHEN THE POWER GOES OUT?

I never used to worry about power outages, but now that I live in a very rural part of upstate New York, outages are not uncommon. They don't usually last very long, but once in a while, we might get one that lasts overnight. I do recall that tropical fish do not like temperature changes. So, what do I do? Do I NOT do tropicals? If I CAN do tropicals, which species are my best bets. I know goldfish can tolerate a lower temperature, but that's all I remember. Then again, no fish likes swings in temperature. Do I purchase a $1500 generator for what could be a $10.00 fish? (I say that as someone who hasn't purchased nor bonded with any fish at this point).

QUESTIONS: IF I CAN HAVE TROPICALS, WHICH ONES ARE MORE LIKELY TO BREED?

I thought it would be enormous fun to watch fish reproduce. Some are quite particular, while others seem to have no problem. I just don't know which ones those are. Any thoughts?

QUESTIONS: SNAILS? I'D ALSO LIKE TO HAVE AN ADDITIONAL AQUARIUM DEVOTED TO AQUATIC PLANTS AND PERHAPS A COUPLE OF INTERESTING SNAILS. Any thoughts on which species of snails would be good? What what's a good source for aquatic plants?

Thanks,

Rose

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