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Before you begin adding fish, you need to be sure the tank is cycled. If you aren't familiar with this, just ask.
Once the tank is cycled, decide on what "type" of tank you want. From your earlier suggestions, it seems you're thinking of a "community tank" which means a grouping of different fish that can co-exist peacefully.
From there, start taking notes on which fish you like. Get a list together. But do not buy anything yet.
Once you have a list of the fish you like, then it's time to do your homework to see which of those fish can peacefully co-exist in your particular tank. Here are a few things to consider:
1. Some fish want to be loners, while others need to be kept in shoals (schools). If you put a group of loner fish together, many times they'll fight and kill each other. A commonly known fish like this is a betta. Then there are fish that need to be in shoals. They only feel safe in a group, generally 5-7 minimum. When those fish are kept alone, they are frightened and will become aggressive (trying to protect itself) and stressed (ripe for disease). So you must find out which of the fish you like need to be alone and which need to be in groups.
2. Consider their adult size. Torpedo barbs are a beautiful fish that prefer to be in groups, but they are fast moving fish that grow 4" long. They will grow too large for a small tank. Never cram in baby fish that will grow large, thinking you'll find new homes for them later. It's like putting a baby in a closet and thinking you'll get it a room once it's a teenager. Makes for very unhappy teenagers and fish. Be aware that many plecos will grow to 12" or larger in size so stay away from the common ones.
3. Consider whether the fish sizes you get can work together. Larger fish eat smaller fish. Putting a bunch of Red Cherry Shrimp with a Betta is inviting the Betta to have shrimp for dinner.
4. Consider what part of the tank the fish will usually stay in. Loading up with nothing but bottom dwellers can crowd the bottom of the tank while leaving the rest of the tank bare. Get a mix of bottom, middle and top dwelling fish.
5. Make sure every fish you get is truly peaceful. Some are peaceful in general, but become aggressive if breeding. One of my favorites is Pelvicachromis (Kribs) which are great community fish unless they're guarding eggs or fry. Then, watch out!
6. Most people add fish for clean up duties. Ottos are a great fish for algae. Amano shrimp are too. Stay away from things like Flying Foxes which do not eat much algae, but become large and aggressive when older.
7. Watch for fin nippers. A shoal of Tiger Barbs may be beautiful, but only if you really like having all the tails of the other fish in the tank eaten.
There are other considerations to keep in mind, such as our high pH and hard water, but most community fish should do well in our water so that's not too much of an issue.
If you are just starting out, as I think you are, then post the fish you have decided to get and ask for feedback. If you get a fish known to be a problem, someone will surely let you know. Otherwise, you're good to go.
As far as plants, unless you intend on getting into CO2, ferts, brighter lighting, I'd suggest sticking with a few basics. No plant will grow very well without proper substrate, ferts, lighting and some form of CO2, but some will survive better than others. I have found Crypt Wendtii to be one of the easier plants in low tech/non-plant-friendly environments. Then there's always the java ferns and anubias and the like (they are tied to rocks and driftwood instead of being planted in the substrate). You could then add a little ferts from the Seachem line. Mind you, they will not grow much and they may lose more leaves than they grow, but they won't die on you the first week either. Stay away from red plants as they tend to need brighter light.
A word about snails... if you have live plants, you will have snails. No matter how hard you try, a batch of eggs will eventually find their way in by accident, and then the snails will appear. If you run into a big problem with them, you can get some loaches (stick with Dwarf Chain Loaches for a small tank). Otherwise, just enjoy the snails as part of the overall design. Ditto for algae. You'll get algae. Unless either are completely overrunning your entire tank, they're not so bad. A touch of algae and a few snails won't destroy your tank. Never EVER use commercial snail killing products in your tank. They cause more harm than good.
That's a lot of info all at once, but, hopefully, some of it will be helpful.
Once the tank is cycled, decide on what "type" of tank you want. From your earlier suggestions, it seems you're thinking of a "community tank" which means a grouping of different fish that can co-exist peacefully.
From there, start taking notes on which fish you like. Get a list together. But do not buy anything yet.
Once you have a list of the fish you like, then it's time to do your homework to see which of those fish can peacefully co-exist in your particular tank. Here are a few things to consider:
1. Some fish want to be loners, while others need to be kept in shoals (schools). If you put a group of loner fish together, many times they'll fight and kill each other. A commonly known fish like this is a betta. Then there are fish that need to be in shoals. They only feel safe in a group, generally 5-7 minimum. When those fish are kept alone, they are frightened and will become aggressive (trying to protect itself) and stressed (ripe for disease). So you must find out which of the fish you like need to be alone and which need to be in groups.
2. Consider their adult size. Torpedo barbs are a beautiful fish that prefer to be in groups, but they are fast moving fish that grow 4" long. They will grow too large for a small tank. Never cram in baby fish that will grow large, thinking you'll find new homes for them later. It's like putting a baby in a closet and thinking you'll get it a room once it's a teenager. Makes for very unhappy teenagers and fish. Be aware that many plecos will grow to 12" or larger in size so stay away from the common ones.
3. Consider whether the fish sizes you get can work together. Larger fish eat smaller fish. Putting a bunch of Red Cherry Shrimp with a Betta is inviting the Betta to have shrimp for dinner.
4. Consider what part of the tank the fish will usually stay in. Loading up with nothing but bottom dwellers can crowd the bottom of the tank while leaving the rest of the tank bare. Get a mix of bottom, middle and top dwelling fish.
5. Make sure every fish you get is truly peaceful. Some are peaceful in general, but become aggressive if breeding. One of my favorites is Pelvicachromis (Kribs) which are great community fish unless they're guarding eggs or fry. Then, watch out!
6. Most people add fish for clean up duties. Ottos are a great fish for algae. Amano shrimp are too. Stay away from things like Flying Foxes which do not eat much algae, but become large and aggressive when older.
7. Watch for fin nippers. A shoal of Tiger Barbs may be beautiful, but only if you really like having all the tails of the other fish in the tank eaten.
There are other considerations to keep in mind, such as our high pH and hard water, but most community fish should do well in our water so that's not too much of an issue.
If you are just starting out, as I think you are, then post the fish you have decided to get and ask for feedback. If you get a fish known to be a problem, someone will surely let you know. Otherwise, you're good to go.
As far as plants, unless you intend on getting into CO2, ferts, brighter lighting, I'd suggest sticking with a few basics. No plant will grow very well without proper substrate, ferts, lighting and some form of CO2, but some will survive better than others. I have found Crypt Wendtii to be one of the easier plants in low tech/non-plant-friendly environments. Then there's always the java ferns and anubias and the like (they are tied to rocks and driftwood instead of being planted in the substrate). You could then add a little ferts from the Seachem line. Mind you, they will not grow much and they may lose more leaves than they grow, but they won't die on you the first week either. Stay away from red plants as they tend to need brighter light.
A word about snails... if you have live plants, you will have snails. No matter how hard you try, a batch of eggs will eventually find their way in by accident, and then the snails will appear. If you run into a big problem with them, you can get some loaches (stick with Dwarf Chain Loaches for a small tank). Otherwise, just enjoy the snails as part of the overall design. Ditto for algae. You'll get algae. Unless either are completely overrunning your entire tank, they're not so bad. A touch of algae and a few snails won't destroy your tank. Never EVER use commercial snail killing products in your tank. They cause more harm than good.
That's a lot of info all at once, but, hopefully, some of it will be helpful.
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