Got an Eco Pico for my GFs daughter for her 3rd birthday, stocking suggestions...

[eklikewhoa]

I think I am at a complete lost on this one.

easy care
breeder
colorful
not lame

hmmm

[BeefyG]

My thoughts:
Even if you put something in there she loves, she'll lose interest not long afterwards. Get something you would like in there and then let her pick out the specific ones. Capitalize on the short attention span, make a memory, and you're happy in the long run.

Also, it doesn't have to be colorful. Kids love puffers just because they're neat. Pea puffers and red cherry/yellow/snowball shrimp would add color, a neat fish, and a food supply that might sustain itself. Guppies would work well too but you still get to watch the pea puffer hunt and eat.

Gold twin bar platies are kinda cool when fully colored up.

CPDs are also nice but are kinda pretty.

Buy fish like baby red tail cats and pacus then keep replacing them.

[troy tucker]

I think something like blue rams. Small colorful and can breed from time to time. But you could put feeder gold fish and the little girl would love them...

[MikeWhoTruong]

Thanks, yea... So many choices, I also have to consider hardiness also as I don't know how she will take to dead fish yet. I haven't even thought about the short attention span.... Good point! Thinking about throwing everything together and let the strongest survive. Lol

[TexSun]

Beautiful scape! Glad to see you're getting her started in the aquarium hobby early.

[johnnymisty]

Ya my 4 y/o he has a 20 gallon with yellow labs and everytime we go to the lfs he wants something new an different for his tank his mind changes so often and within 30 mins apart at that

[fishman1]

if you want to suck it up I have black moscow guppies

[cpirnie3]

goldust/sunset mollies, instant gratification

+1

I've always wanted to do sunset mollies or sunset swordtails. I had swords as a kid, but I haven't since.

I think something like blue rams. Small colorful and can breed from time to time. But you could put feeder gold fish and the little girl would love them...

I am partial to blue rams, and you do have some wood in the tank which would help lower the ph a tiny bit and leech some tannins, but rams are picky and finicky about water quality. Explaining to a three year old why they keep going belly up would suck. Still, it could be done with good maintenance. In fact, if you stay on it, you could do one blue ram as a centerpiece fish with some smaller fish as dithers. I would get the smaller fish first and let the tank mature a bit, then add the ram.

[mnemenoi]

An 8 gallon will be tough with nearlly any fish other than micros and they can be quite finicky about water, food, and anything. Shrimp are great, but not as fun for kids.

For ease of care maybe a small school (4-6) of Cherry barbs (or even celestial pearl danios) and a pair of Kuhli loaches? They all can deal with our tap water and are fairly tough. If you went with Distilled water only, you could go with a school of Boraras, ember tetras, or ruby tetras.

[Airjammer]

Ya my 4 y/o he has a 20 gallon with yellow labs and everytime we go to the lfs he wants something new an different for his tank his mind changes so often and within 30 mins apart at that

Are you related to Tater Tot?

[johnnymisty]

Are you related to Tater Tot?

No why

johnnymisty

[Airjammer]

He loses interest that fast as well! Lol!

[eklikewhoa]

Are you related to Tater Tot?

LoL!!

[johnnymisty]

He just wants all the cool stuff and can't jam it all into one small tank

[Jason]

I would google pics of every type that you want and let her choose between them. Win/win for both!