I agree, way to much conflicting information from people who don't seem to have had much experiance. I havn't bothered to read all of the posts so sorry if i repeat information that has already been said.
Male and female fighter shouldn't be kept together unless you have a heavily planted tank for the females to escape the male. By heavily planted i mean heavily planted. Male fighter fish are usually picked up by most tetras/danios so I'd suggest you avoid getting one. If you like female fighters they are fine with most small tropical fish.
If your new to fish african cichlids are the way to go. They are hardy, easy and fascinating to breed and not all that expensive. They are also what I'd call the bridge connectiong freshwater to saltwater, meaning that they are the step below keeping and maintaining a saltwater tank.
All you need to setup a freshwater tropical tank is;
- water ager
- heater
- pH test kit or alternatively some 5 in 1 test strips (tests for almost all the important things in an aquarium
- if your setting up an african cichlid tank you need some buffer and lake salts
Thats pretty much the basics. If you choose to go for african cichlids I'd suggest you use argonite (also called marble chips) as the gravel. It helps maintain ph and the like so less maintainance for you. Have several strategically placed rocks and ornaments in the tank so the males can each have a territory and will fight less. Don't place all the rocks in one pile cause you will get one male who will take over the entire thing.
I'm sure i read someone saying electric blues and electric yellows can't be kept together because electric yellows will not defend a territory. This is absolutely wrong and I have personally seen male electric yellows nearly kill electric blues the same size and bigger over territories. In a 4ft tank the following combination will work perfect.
1 male & 3 female electric yellows
1 male & 3 female cobolt blue zebras
1 male & 3 female aceii
Some bristlenose.
Buy them small and grow them up, they will go through a rough stage as do most teenage boys but once they are matured you will find you will get a dominant fish who wants peace and will get peace.
Most fish shop employees make up alot of things so it is best to check out what ever they tell you if they look like they're uncomfortable. For instance anyone at a fishshop who knows what they are talking about will advise you not to mix african and american cichlids. I find this question usually helps decide whether they know what they are on about as the ones who don't say yes without an explanation while the ones who know what they are talking about will advise not to but explain it can be done.
When cycling a tank you need to have something in it. A tank doesn't cycle unless there is waste in it. I advise you to go out and buy some bristlenose and put them in the tank first. Wait a week and then gradually start to add fish. Add them species by species and once all the fish are in the tank re-arrange it so that all the fish have an equal opportunity to establish a territory.
Oscars grow to large for a standard 4ft tank and so do most natives, with the exception of rainbows and gudgeons. Tetras and the like may seem like the cheapest way into the world of fish but they often are more suceptable to diseases because they are usually bred by the millions in asia and thus are dosed with medication as a precation all the time. By the time they get to you the diseases have became immune to medications. Stick with african cichlids trust me. They are nearly all locally bred and will be far more entertaining then some tetras.
LOL, i just read your original post and saw you want something coldwater and no salts. That rules out basically everything except goldfish, even then they do best if you add rock salt to the tank.
Just quickly so i feel like i didn't waste my time, a heater should have a themostat built into it. If it doesn't buy another for $25 that does and the temperature will be easier to control then that of a reptile cage. Fighting fish cannot be kept without some form of heating.
