Hermit Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 So my doc at the VA said I needed a hobby and handed me a nice long list of absolutely nothing I was interested in. But I went along with her. I glued myself to a fly tying jig, gave myself a 9 stitch trip to the Urgent Care trying to carve a bird, spent two days refinishing the floor where I tried to Bob Ross a happy little tree, and then pitched the list into the wood stove. I went stumbling around on YouTube and landed on Cory and some of his videos. Then I looked at a lot of other fish folks. Aquarium Coop videos just made it look like I could do this thing. And here I am. My first tank is a fluval 15. Crypt lutea in the back and Crypt undulata in front with 5 root tabs and starting this cycle thing before I try fish. There needs to be a big warning in flashing neon saying this stuff is addictive. Already thinking about tank two. Any suggestions of fish that are hard to kill would be appreciated.....otherwise I may just float a rubber duckie and call it good. 6 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Burke Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 As a fellow Vic…err patient at the VA, WELCOME to the nerds! Tank looks great! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
813aquatics Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 Welcome to the addiction..err hobby! And what an awesome first tank. Sounds like you've already gone down the coop youtube rabbit hole and know about cycling and getting started with plants. You can't go wrong with some colorful livebearers of choice in a first tank. They will introduce you to fish breeding whether you want them to or not though. A decent sized school of small tetras with some small bottom dwellers could be another option, and would create diversity at different tank levels. Enjoy all the hours of content and learning available while your tank grow 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Burke Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 Some ember tetras and some blue shrimp would make a nice addition. Maybe a betta as a show fish…. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 On 1/20/2022 at 7:33 PM, Ken Burke said: As a fellow Vic…err patient at the VA, WELCOME to the nerds! Tank looks great! boy do i know that feeling. OP, welcome to the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Burke Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 😳 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griznatch Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 Welcome to the forum! You are off to a great start, take it slow and enjoy. I agree with the livebearer suggestion. If those do well try some shrimp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flumpweesel Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 Welcome, and yes this is a hobby that can grab you. The best advice for fish I can give is match them to your water hardness and pH are hard things to change so find out what you have and work from there. Fish browsing is fun. Looks like a great start. The duckie idea reminded me of the glass fish attached to floats that I had as kid they could make the cycle more decorative. I just bugged my goldfish with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JettsPapa Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 Welcome, and I thought you might like to know that MTS is a recognized medical condition (Multiple Tank Syndrome). I started with one tank in September 2019. Now I have nine at home and one on my desk at work, with no room for more. Oh, and several tubs outside with shrimp, waiting on warm weather so guppies can go back in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BETTA999 Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 welcome to the forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levi_Aquatics Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 Welcome to the forum and hobby! That aquarium looks great! I would suggest a betta and a school of small tetras of your choice and a group of 6-8 panda corydoras. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted January 21, 2022 Author Share Posted January 21, 2022 Thanks for the warm welcome and for sharing ideas about fish. I'm sure I will have plenty of "character building" experiences with this hobby/addiction but hopefully not at the expense of a living being in my care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 Welcome to the hobby! As long as your water isn't too soft I'd highly recommend keeping a small group of male Guppies or male Endlers, for a small tank they pack a big colorful, active punch and most of the time you can tell each individual apart and see their personalities! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 On 1/21/2022 at 12:02 PM, Hermit said: Thanks for the warm welcome and for sharing ideas about fish. I'm sure I will have plenty of "character building" experiences with this hobby/addiction but hopefully not at the expense of a living being in my care. while sad, you will likely lose a few fish along the way. i can virtually guarantee you anyone who has done this hobby for 6 months or more has killed fish. it happens, and is part of the learning curve. we're here to help, as we've been there before. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMiller2020 Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 Welcome to the group Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atitagain Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 Welcome to the forum, only way to keep MTS controlled is stay away from rabbit holes. It’s common knowledge “rabbit holes= more tanks.” I like rabbit holes… 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted January 22, 2022 Share Posted January 22, 2022 Welcome. I love the humor. Nice tank too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 Welcome to the addiction. We have no 12 step programs. Few of us make it through step one…admit you have a problem…I sure do no more room to put more tanks🤣Emerald rasbora and celestial pearl danio are very easy and hardy in my experience also flashy active and fun. Panda corydora are war tanks and all but indestructible as well as TONS of fun. Welcome ask questions the only thing we like as much as fish is TALKING about fish 🤣 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missriss126 Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 Welcome to the hobby! I agree with the others recommending the corydoras, there are quite a few smaller species, and they are just so much fun! I'm always a fan of schooling fish, particularly the smaller tetras. I know many have good experiences with honey gourami as a smaller and more docile centerpiece fish in 10-20 gal tanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch_ScruffyCityAquatics Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 What a introduction! Haha. I picked up carving over the past few weeks. I’m enjoying it. The trick to aquariums is to find what you like and research them. Check out the livestock found at your local store, ask questions, then search YT and this forum. Keep in mind what you like might not be the same thing others like or the trends within the community. Just make sure you like what you are doing. Welcome to the hobby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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