Hi everyone!

[phish food]

Hi, i'm Li Jin and new to this hobby. I've had pets since young and i love large dogs, especially golden retrievers!

Since getting married and moving to a flat, i've figured that I don't have the space for dogs, plus me and my hubby are working, so nobody's in all day. I think an aquarium would be nice to come home to.

Doing some research before I set up my tank. I'm thinking of getting a planted, non-CO2 tank like i read in the forum.

I would love to have an oscar fish, which I heard is like a dog in a tank, but it grows too large, and I only have space for a 2 foot tank, so i think i might be better off with a school of small fish.

Ideally, i'd love to have fish that can respond to and recognize people, you know, swimming up to the glass and "wagging their tails" when people go near the tank :P (perhaps they are just hungry)
If not, i'll just settle for fish that are hardy and small, and swim in schools so i can watch their antics.

Any suggestions?

Hope to learn more from you all!

[stormhawk]

Hello Li Jin,

First off, welcome to the forums.

If you want something small and hardy and active, try Rosy Loaches. I have 12 of them in my 4ft tank and they are constantly poking their noses into everything. They do not behave like dogs, which are more reactive to human contact. However, some fishes will "learn" to recognise your presence as a sign of feeding time. My angelfishes and other fish react when I come close to my tank, even if I am just walking past it.

A simple "planted" tank of sorts would be to use plants like submersed forms of Java fern or Anubias, grown tied to pieces of driftwood. That way you can move things around and keep it simple so you can enjoy your tank with minimal fuss.

[phish food]

Thanks for your suggestions! I'll definitely read up more on rosy loaches. I think angelfish and dwarf chiclids are nice too! Other fish i'm considering include Cherry Barbs and Zebra Danio.
But i just want to choose one species first, at least till I gain more experience.

When i went into a fish shop, the angelfish followed my waving hand, which i think is quite cute. The only thing is that they may grow too large for the 2 ft tank i intend to set up. Do you think I could keep angelfish in a 2 ft x 1 ft x 1.25 ft tank, and if so, how many? A book i borrowed from the library advised to "keep angelfish in groups until a pair has formed". Could i just get a pair of angelfish then? Like randomly match-make them? Or must it be like the book suggests, let them be in a group and wait for the fish to find its soulmate? I want my fish to be happy .. haha.

[stormhawk]

What the book says is true. You cannot sex the angelfish at first glance, especially with juveniles, so you need to buy at least 6 or so, to have a chance of a compatible pair forming among them. However, they do grow big and the 2ft tank may not be able to house a group of adult angels without some aggression being displayed, especially if a pair does form.

If you want something more suitable for your space constraints, perhaps a small school of Corydoras pygmaeus will be nice, or a pair of Apistogramma instead.

Cherry Barbs are great as beginner fish though, as well as Danios, as long as you keep a school of them in the tank.