what is a good beginner fish?

nano? as in saltwater? if it's going to be saltwater you can get some damsels....they're cheap and hardy....after your comfortable with them and you want to step it up a notch get the clownfish....pretty cheap and still hardy.

 

You don't need Live rock or live sand, but it is so beneficial that you'd want it. And to stock a 10 gallon with it won't cost to much.

 

before you jump into the saltwater scene i suggest you get a book first, they have some books out that just target the nano.
it's a whole different world and it's better to read before you start spending money on a bunch of things.

 

Yep, I agree. I'd make sure you start good water testing habits with your freshwater tank and get used to the maintenance required then when you start a small saltwater tank you already have the basics down.

As for the best fish, I'd have to agree and say damsels.

 

i bought 3 books before i started and i read them from front to back twice and i still use the saltwater aquarium for dummies as a refrence. it's hard to wait but it's a must!! i'm still learning stuff everyday, like that vitamin c treatment to lower nitrates? i've been reading as much as i can find on it for the last 3 days....

 

To this day I still buy any books I find that strike my eye at book stores and pet stores. I read them about everyday, Ive got one by my sitting chair, and like 8 in my personal library (aka the bathroom). Leslie I have one book that I would strongly suggest to you as it tells you how to setup different habitats and what fish would work together is each tank etc. It even has a section on saltwater. I want to say that it was like $20 but it is priceless in knowledge and suggestions. The book is called The Complete Aquarium and it is by Peter Scott. It isnt one of those big boring words only books, its probably 60% pictures if not more, all with captions packed full on information, if the books talks about how to do something there is a picture showing you how. Like I said before its the best beginner, pro, etc book I have in my collection. Another great book is called What Fish? I got it at petsmart a couple weeks ago and love it, each page is dedicated to a species and includes almost everything you could need to know about each fish from minimum tank size to how they will act in the tank. The internet is a great resource but nothing beats a good book that you can sit down with a study without any distractions.

 

For a 10 gallon tank I prefer Firefish,Neon Gobies, Clown Gobies. In a 10 gallon tank you could probably have two Damsels. Then They might end up killing each other. Remember most Damsels are aggressive like some cichlids. some Damsels get 5 inches. I would do a fishless cycle. Then get a couple of the fish I mentioned.

 

we all have to remember that leslie doesn't have any experience with saltwater tanks, i don't think she wants to waste more than 10 dollars on ea. fish yet. i agree with the fishless cycle but as her first fish, it should be a damsel...even though they do get aggressive...it's not going to be a big hit on the pocket if they pass away from a mistake or from the fish fighting.

 

That's a very good point.

 

If you do a fishless cycle you won't kill anything. And the price of damsels seems to be rising. also remember all Clowns are Damsels also.

 

IME clowns do very poorly in newly setup (but still cycled) tanks. The tank needs to become more established first.
There is a good selection of nano fishat live aquaria.

 

the only reason clowns are priced fairly high is because of the movie nemo, i feel bad for them sometimes because people just buy them for their kids and eventually die, i really love clowns because i don't have to feed any of my anemones they do it for me!!

 

I know a guy who can get me clowns for 3 dollars
He owned a pet store and still gets stuff for wholesale.

 

yeah, tell me about it!!
i wish i could find clowns for that price.