Hey fish-keepers...

[rattekonigin]

Can any of you give me the name of a really good book on freshwater tropical aquariums? Like, one that covers the basics of set-up and that has info on what plants are best for what conditions, and what fish you can put together, etc, etc...
Thanks in advance!

[Shane Tesser]

Ive got a pretty good basic one that i just picked up like two months ago for reading on the plane ride to mexico. Its called "The Ultimate Aquarium", it is by Mary Bailey & Gino Sandford, the book is published by Hermes House, i picked it up at my local Coles for $9.99 on one of those red tag specials, i imagine its available just about anywhere..but its a really good read and covers everything for the novice to the seasoned professional. Gives a good look at the most common genius' available and covers things such as plants etc...comes highly recommended imo :D P.s....or you can just ask any of us here Dara, and we will be more than happy to help you :D

[rattekonigin]

Thanks for the recommendation, Shane.
I would've asked you personally, but I don't feel like I have enough info to ask good questions...I know VERY little about tropical fish (actually, most fish, for that matter) and even less about aquatic plants (except that apparently elodea is sold quite commonly, which confuses me because in all my biology classes when we used that plant we were told to dispose of all pieces, even teeny ones, in a special disposal unit because it's not a native plant and if it ever got into the lake and stream system it would become a very bad pest...somehow I don't think that stores tell people that...but I digress)
So, basically, it would be like someone coming up to you and saying "I want a pet snake, how do I keep it?"...that kind of info is variable from species to species, so I need to narrow down my field a little bit...about the only thing I can say for sure right now is "I like Tiger Barbs because they follow your finger across the glass of the tank!" Heheheh...

[Shane Tesser]

Actually, since you like tiger barbs i would say go for it. These are terrific starter fish, easy to keep, hard to kill. They can be somewhat aggressive, but that being said, there is other suitable tankmates that can get along with them. They do not suffer from being picky about theyre water types. Will take flake food readily and are always highly active. To top it all of, tigers come from heavily planted regions and will not attack your plants. They should be housed in a group of eight to ten to prevent domination problems, plus they are also a shoaling fish. My suggestion to you would be to price out a tank you can afford...keeping in mind that bigger is always easier to maintain (yes you read that right). From there we can help you fill it. And please dont just look at starter kits, we can probably help you design a tank starting with just the bare glass box for cheaper than most of the starter kits out there :D

[rattekonigin]

I did notice that tiger barbs are aggressive, and not just to other fish!...I was at one store and I put my finger in the tank (no, it wasn't allowed, I got told off, heheh) and the buggers swarmed my finger tip and started nibling at it, I think that's what made them my favourites...
How's a 22 gallon for size of a starter tank? I ask because I already have one that I re-siliconed about 6 months ago...but, it has a mirrored back, would that lead to any problems?

[Simon R. Sansom]

You know what? A 22 gallon "species" tank, nicely planted, with a shoal of healthy, active Tiger Barbs would be a gorgeous sight to behold.
Best of luck with whatever you may decide on!

Simon