Dear Robyn; I need lots of ideas for my new aquarium because i have none; and i love how your tanks look....your fish look incredibly happy and are very well taken care of...so...I was hoping you could help me with my 33 gallon freshwater tropical aquarium.....the only fish i know I'm gonna have is frogs(ACF and ADF)*1 of each* a couple of feeder rosy red minnows(i feel for the poor little guys*lol*) tetras (maybe?) guppy(not looking to good might die:(( ) platys etc...any fish that you would recommend and what kind of plants as i have 1 100 watt heater set to 80 degrees, 2 *kinda* slow filters, DIY CO2 injection moderate lighting, and Schultz aquatic plant soil and new water...not cycled.....
Thank You SO MUCH for the help and ideas you give me and BTW: i vist your website daily because it is the only really good, actual experience, website i have ever seen!

I don't think my tanks look great but thanks for the compliment.

I don't suggest mixing African dwarf frogs and African clawed frogs. Adult ACF's may eat ADF's. ACF's eat small fish so don't get them if you want small fish. Four ADF's would be a good amount for 33 gallons with other small animals.

Rosy red minnows are one of my favorite fish. But, keep in mind that "feeder fish" are often carrying various parasites, bacteria, funguses, etc. Feeder rosy reds should be quarantined and treated for everything before getting near other fish.

I'm not very good with live plants so I suggest looking elsewhere for more on them.

If you had 4 ADF's, 6 rosy red minnows, 6 tetras (ones of moderate size and temperment such as lemon tetras), and 6 guppies or platies, that would be a good mix and probably do ok. The guppies like harder water, a higher pH, and more salt than the other animals but if your water is in the middle, it can work.

Thank you for the suggestions but my last cool fish died and im giving up the hobby!!!

I'm sorry that you're giving up.

Well...i didnt really want to but here recently MOST of my cool fish have died and i don't know if i want to continue having losses...ya know?? How can you handle your fishies deaths so well...every time i lose one i get SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO upset!!!

ohhhh, I don't think we ( in general ) handle a pet death well at all. After we lost my hubby's favorite goldfish Spot he kinda went a 'deaf ear' to the names I was picking for the babies. And for about 2 weeks he didn't go out to the pond AT ALL. I finally got a laugh out of him this morning. I've named the plain orange Twins..Arnold and DeVito. :D The hardest for me was the 4 Mystery snails I put in my pond, then I found out my zone was too cold for overwintering. I caught 2 and brought them in for the aquarium. 1 died and the other was going down hill fast. I had to make the decision..they died happier,but a slow and colder death in the pond. :( I still miss them, I use to hand feed them at the ponds edge...it's been a year.

Im so sorry to hear about your snails.....bacause i had an albino mystery snail and he lived about 5 months and liked to play when i was close to the tank and he got killed by a CAE!!!i miss him as well...i still have fish so...im not giving up *i guess* just yet...!!!

Hang in there Kenny, it's not easy but it's all a learning experience!

Im sorry i said that im giving up because i am so involved with fish now and would miss them SOOOO much and...yea....im bugging my dad to build me a stand for it, figuring out cool fish, looking at my pleco see how much he has grown...by the way...what should i do with a spare 10 gallon tank that i have? it cost me 10.00 so yea....its a 2007 aquarium...so yea...i already have a crabitat...(oh!!! by the way Robyn your hermit crab Herman is the exact same H.C. that i had bought from my pet store!!(HE COST ME 6$!! lol) so...any ideas??? i am staying and im researching once again!!!

coolio nice to have another member still :D

Thanks I LUV the fishies!!!!!!! BTW: Robyn did your frogs ever transfer a disease in your tank...because ever since i have separated my frogs and fishies no more fish have been dying???

BTW : no i did not quarentine! BAD ME!!!!!!!!!! lol :P

The things you could do with the 10 gallon are limitless, too many possibilities for me to list. What kinds of animals do you like?

Most frog diseases are not transferable to fish but some bacteria or funguses may be. I would guess it's just a coincedence that fewer fish have died since the frogs have been gone IF the frogs were African dwarf frogs. Now, if they were African clawed frogs, they like to eat fish and will damage fish they can't totally consume. Larger aquatic frogs that also go on land may also pester or eat fish or at least stress them.

I like just about anything!!

For a 10 gallon tank you could get lots of different kinds of fishies like rasboras, almost all baby fish, tetra's, platy's, guppies&lots more! Other then fish you could get a fire belly newt, house gecko, green anoles+lots more. In the warm blooded catorgory you could get a hamster or gerbil. So many more, like robyn said the choices are limitless!