Fish to avoid when starting out.

**tanks4thememories** · 04-13-2010, 07:09 PM

Just ran across this Awesome post RED!! I have a link in my sig also for bad fish to start off with some for size but most purely for difficulty reasons.

Originally Posted by matthew.shelly

i dont know of any aquarist who could keep one in a private tank.

Check on MonsterFishkeepers...I think there are a few. You would be surprised the sizes that some private rigs come in.

**Kittehfish** · 04-27-2010, 04:44 AM

Great thing to post!

Have you thought about adding clown loaches? They're available just about everywhere, colorful and tempting, but they get about 12" long eventually. As a schooling fish, that's a little big for the average freshwater beginner, since I'm assuming most don't start out with a 75 gallon tank first off. Just a thought.

**Fritz Bakon** · 07-08-2010, 02:16 AM

i bought both the tinfoil and bala when i started out and had to give them away. i was poorly informed about how big they get. From now on i will never buy a fish with out researching it.

**rothenb1** · 08-11-2010, 06:07 AM

I think I'd like to see the JAGUAR CICHLID on this list! WE SELL THEM AT PETSMART. WHY!?!?!?!

Also I agree with the clown loaches. Cute and colorful and full of personality, but extremely sensitive and can grow very large.

Knifefish as well (remember that post with the kid who bought the clown knife for his 10gal because the guy at the LFS said it was ok?)

Kissing gouramis and banded leporinus as well.

(These are fish sold at my PetSmart [not the clown knife, but ghost knife] so there is a chance they are at other PetSmarts and thus easily accessible).

...basically for beginners I'd recommend livebearers, tetras, danios, corys, smaller barb species... and that's it.

**Red** · 08-11-2010, 06:11 AM

Agreed, people who bring awarness to this thread is why its so important for started. I could agree 100%, if poeple stuck to this "livebearers, tetras, danios, corys, smaller barb species" they would be better off. They are a forgiving fish as in you can do a lot to them (to much water removed, forget to feed them etc) and they still will be okay.

**rothenb1** · 08-11-2010, 06:14 AM

Nice thread by the way. I just think some of these suggestions should be added to the original post via moderator.

**kirby2970** · 08-14-2010, 03:19 PM

the a.gigas is not a fish for beginners. neither is the snakehead :)

**Miss Angie** · 09-07-2010, 01:56 AM

We have one of the fish on your list. The German Blue Ram. We are beginners, so I was interested in your explaination of why-but really did understand what you meant. The only thing I got was that it needs a stable tank. "12) German Blue Ram- They are a very beautiful fish but that comes with a price. They are very hard to keep, should not be added to new tanks or fish keepers that have just started out. Some are breed in Asia, which leads to hormone injection that can kill the fish in your tank without a cause. The German Blue Ram is on this list because it needs a stable aquarium and should not be kept by starters." Stable aquarium Is there any other??? No disrespect intended. He is small, been here for a month with other community fish. He doesn't bother anyone and looks to be happy. Just wondering and really enjoy the hobby!

**Red** · 09-07-2010, 02:31 AM

Do you have any garlic food? Do you know where your LFS got this ram, from a home breeder or from asia? Those are some important things you have to ask yourself when keeping rams. They have bad internal parasites problems and just suddenly die. You should look at some brands of thera+a new life spectrum food, the one that has a heavy garlic ingreident.

**Miss Angie** · 09-07-2010, 02:52 AM

First of all, thanks for your reply. And second, OH NO!
All of our fish we have gotten from either Petco or Petsmart except this baby German Blue Ram. Hubby went to an old fish store that has tons of exotic fish and really expensive big fish i.e. arowanas that go for hundreds of dollars. Paid $6- for the blue ram. Would hate to see him die. Or any of them ffor that matter. Don't know where the pet store owner got it. Have to do research now, thanks so much for the info.