Any Aquarium guys? (1 Viewer)

[TLEF316]

ill propose this again, i used the 'biosphere' cycle ...didnt lose any fish and bought it at the local fish store..

Thanks for the suggestion. At this point though, i think im just gonna have at it. As i mentioned, im starting a new job next week, so i wont have time to be constantly testing the water. Im pretty sure my cycle is pretty close to done anyways, it just stalled a little bit. Just out of curiousty, how long did it take to cycle with that stuff? Was it refrigerated?edit: no go on the paradise fish. All i have read is how they are nasty and territorial. They are hardy, but not worth the hassle. Im gonna go with the zebras and something else. Maybe Black Skirt Tetras??? By all accounts, they are hardy and good for cycling.

 

[TLEF316]

well, I'm going for fish in a few hours. Tank Ph is around 7.2, temp around 76 degrees. The small amount of amonia i put in yesterday is gone and there is just a small amount of nitrite.

Ive decided in gonna get the black skirt tetras if i can find them.

 

[TLEF316]

first fish are floating in their bags now!!

10 danios,3 leopard and 7 golden zebra.

7 Peppered cories

one thing that was strange was that the LFS person seemed to think that 6 cories was alot for a 75 gallon tank. That seemed odd to me. I cant get any pictures, because my digital camera sucks up close.

edit: its a good thing they gave me 1 cory for free, as he is missing an eye.

 

[Guapote]

Congrats on finally getting fish. Keep us posted on how they do.

Half dozen cories is definitely not too many, they act much more naturally in decent sized schools. I'm looking to put maybe 20 in my 200 at some point.

The black skirts you were asking about before are pretty good, sturdy fish. They can be fin nippers, you'll probably be OK as long as there is a school, and as long as you don't have slow long-finned fish in the tank. Generally these are OK, but I'd watch them for signs of aggression if you do add some.

Good luck.

 

[TLEF316]

i didnt get the black skirt. They didnt have them where i went.

The cories are spending a little bit of time at the top of the tank, right at the surface. I know that this can be a sign of lack of oxygen in the tank, but how can that be? Ive got a power filter that disturbs the surface alot, so there is plenty of gas exhange.

For now, im just chalking it up as nerves, but ill watch them carefully. They seem fine. They are all over the place exploring.

edit: maybe an airstone and pump would be a good investment after all

 

[Guapote]

I wouldn't worry about the cories at this point, as they get settled in you should see them swimming all over the bottom of the tank, as well as racing up and down the sides all the way to the surface. If they're hanging out at the surface for a long time it could be an issue, but right now they're probably just stressed. If you've got plenty of surface water movement I doubt you have an issue with oxygen exchange.

 

[Fiddles]

wow i had no idea about all of the chemistry involved with this

interested to see how this turns out for you tlef

im way too intimidated and lazy to deal with a tank

 

[TLEF316]

well, my 1 eyed cory is oficially a problem. Not only is he small and missing an eye, he's also a complete moron. I just walked by the tank and noticed that he was on the filter intake pipe. He was obviously trying to get loose, but his tail was wedged in one of the holes. I wasnt sure what to do, so i stuck my hand in and helped him get free. His dumb ### goes swiming off and now he's hiding in the corner behind a piece of drift wood.

As of now, he is being referred to as "Jake" after my 18 year old brother, who is equally clueless.

 

[TLEF316]

so far so good i guess. The Danios are merrily zipping around the tank. Their color has definetly improved since they moved into their new, larger home. The cories are a bit shyer. They were more active earlier, but since have settled down. They are just laying around, occasionally chasing switching to diferent spots in the tank. Im still worried about the dumb one, but he seems like he is the youngest and thinnest, so im hoping its just a little case of new tank shock.

Water chemistry is surprisingly good. Tank is holding steady at around 75 or 76 degrees. No amonia. Nitrites have actually dropped from 2 to around 1 ppm. This is the first time ive seen this, but it was expected, since im no longer adding pure amonia every 12-16 hours. Ph is around 7.2-7.4 and nitrates are at 20 ppm. Ive been told they are safe up to 100, so thats ok.

I was advised to wait around 12-18 hours before i fed them, so they will get their first meal at around 10 AM tomorrow. We will see what type of effect a little bit of waste has on water chemistry. I bought a quality flake food and some shrinking brine shrimp pellets. Ill feed them very little at first to guage how much ill need.

My only question now is when to add more fish. Im thinking that next weeknd (roughly 10 days from now) would be a good time. The question is, what type of fish can be added? I dont want to go with alot more "hardy" fish because ill be using up space that i wanted to save for some more delicate stuff. Assuming that water chemistry remains stable until then, would it be ok to get a small school of cardinal tetras next time? I would think not. Maybe a juvenile Red Tail Black shark? Any other suggestions would be good. Thanks as always.

As of right now, i think my final stock will include some combination of the following......

Peppered Cories

Danios

Cardinal Tetras (hardier than neons)

German Blue Rams(probably just 1 pair)

Bolivian Rams(again, 1 pair)

Red Tail Black Shark

Clown Loaches

Panda Cories

A few potential problems:

1) Will shark go after loaches? (similar body type)

2) Will shark Bother shy cories and rams?

3) Will Cardinals show full color without a heavily planted tank?

4) Will bottom/middle be a little too crowded (loaches, cories, Rams, shark)

I may have to sacrafice the clowns or shark to ensure peace, which would suck, because i love both. I may also have to find some other sort of centerpiece fish for the upper levels. And finally, if algae becomes a problem, some ottos may become a necessity.

 

[TLEF316]

well, we have our first casualty. Little Jake got caught on the filter intake pipe again(despite it being on the lowest setting) I tried to free him, but it was too late. He was just too weak and stupid to learn his lesson. RIP

First feeding went ok. I put in a small pinch of flake food which the danios gobbled up in like 2 minutes. feeding the cories was tougher, as some of them are still in hiding behind the driftwood in the back left corner. I got 2 or 3 of the remaining 6 to nibble on some brine shrimp pellets. Maybe the rest will try later. If not, ill try sinking some flakes to them tonight.

 

[TLEF316]

well, just lost a 2nd cory. Same way as the first one. I have the filter on its lowest settings. What the hell is going on? Any advice to stop this from happening. Im gonna be afraid to wake up tomorrow

 

[TLEF316]

pic of 2 of my still living cories

from what ive read, this getting caught in the filter nonsense probably isnt my fault. it seems that most of the time when this happens, there was already something wrong with the fish. makes me feel a little better i guess

 

[Fallerjw]

pic of 2 of my still living cories

from what ive read, this getting caught in the filter nonsense probably isnt my fault. it seems that most of the time when this happens, there was already something wrong with the fish. makes me feel a little better i guess

any updates? Also, I am working on a 55 gallon of my own. I currently have 9 zebra danios in it. I was trying to figure out what else to add. I'm considering something like this:

~ 6 corys

1 bala shark

~ 3 silver dollars

~4-5 dwarf gourami

1 or 2 bristlenose pleco

any thoughts on that mix?

 

[Chaos Commish]

well, just lost a 2nd cory. Same way as the first one. I have the filter on its lowest settings. What the hell is going on? Any advice to stop this from happening. Im gonna be afraid to wake up tomorrow

Put a filter sponge on the end of the intake. Get one in the pond section at Home Depot very cheap. They are also excellent mechanical filters that load with bacteria and provide a constant food source for most bottom dwellers. Rinse them out with every two or three water changes and they last for years. If you ever have fry, they love picking food from the sponges too. You should be able find a nice fit at the LFS, but these will do.

 

[Chaos Commish]

pic of 2 of my still living cories

from what ive read, this getting caught in the filter nonsense probably isnt my fault. it seems that most of the time when this happens, there was already something wrong with the fish. makes me feel a little better i guess

any updates? Also, I am working on a 55 gallon of my own. I currently have 9 zebra danios in it. I was trying to figure out what else to add. I'm considering something like this:

~ 6 corys

1 bala shark

~ 3 silver dollars

~4-5 dwarf gourami

1 or 2 bristlenose pleco

any thoughts on that mix?

Sounds good. A 55 could handle more. I like larger shoals of Corys together. They are just happier in bunches. But...This is worth $30-$35 easily with free shipping from a good source. 7 plecos a little nicer than the standard pet store variety. 4 Corys. 6 nifty big snails. A blue crayfish. That's a lot of janitorial service. They're small, which I like, because growing them out is the hobby, right?

 

[Tick]

I just started up a tank for my daughter for Christmas, and this thread was a very good resource. Thanks, guys.

29 gallons, freshwater, community fish. I started with 6 zebra danios from a local fish store where they were very helpful. It was great to have the info from this thread to use as a way of judging the local fish store employees. Everything matched up, so I was comfortable going with her suggestions.

 

[TLEF316]

tank now includes....

5 Peppered Corys

4 Panda corys (lost 2)

10 Rummy nosed tetras

10 cardinal tetras

10 Danios

1 Red Tail Black Shark

2 German Blue Rams (im afraid they are both males)

4 Clown Loaches

Started real plants a few months back. I have a couple of different ferns that are doing ok. I've also got 4 or 5 clumps of java moss tied to various rocks/ driftwood. I've got 2 crypts that are doing alright, but not great. And finally, I've got a massive clump of hornwort that wont stop growing. I'm not sure if i can add more fish, but i may try a small group of marble hatchets.

I'm planning on going to a better light source in a few months, as id like to get some more and more diverse planting going.

 

[Tick]

Do I turn off the aquarium lights at night?

 

[phthalatemagic]

Do I turn off the aquarium lights at night?

Yes

 

[TLEF316]

Do I turn off the aquarium lights at night?

I've got mine on a timer. 11:30 AM to 10:30 PM. It seems to be working well.

 

[east2west]

I have a 75 gallon tank with 3 piranhas, a 200 gallon pond on my balcony housing a 3+ foot South American redtail catfish, and a 2+ foot Northern Snake head. I also have a 20 gallon tank I use to breed guppies for feeders.

I'm also a Global mod on www.piranha-cove.com

I suggest you get 3 or 5 redbelly piranhas (odd numbers usually work better) You're in Jersey so should be easy to aquire, they are the most awesome, and entertaining fish to watch.

Go to that site you will find loads of info.

Jason

 

[top dog]

Nice thread guys.. I have 2 - 55 gallon tanks right now going strong. The one in my office is an African Cichlid setup that I have had for a couple of years now. Big fan of Cichlids. The other one has a Tiger Oscar that is about 13 inches big in it. I'm thinking about either putting 2 piranha in that tank or converting it to salt, I haven't decided. My BIL has a couple good size pirannah that he will give me if I want to go that route. I would love to convert it to salt, but I don't think I want to spend the money to do it right now.

We also have a 10 gallon in my son's room that has been going nice and strong for a long time as well. That one is a community setup with a couple long fined skirt tetras, cory cats, black mollys, balloon belly mollys, and a couple wags.

You know you are hooked on the hobby when you also have a 55 gallon and a 35 gallon hex sitting out in the garage! The wife wants me to sell those tanks, but I have been dragging my feet on those. The 55 gallon has a nice solid wood stand with a walnut finish. The 35 hex is a pain in the but to keep healthy, but is a cool tank. One of these days I'll get around to selling those tanks.. but in the mean time they aren't hurting anything out there!

I'm a big fan of fluval canister filters. I have a 404 on my oscar tank and a 304 on my African tank.

 

[maxwelledison]

I had no idea so many of us were into aquariums here.

I have been keeping marine for 20 years so I can help with questions on that but my freshwater knowledge is beyond rusty. It looks like there are plenty of folks in here that know what they are doing, though, so it looks like we are covered there. For those freshwater people, did I miss the post about the difficulty of keeping plants or was that not addressed?

 

[Tick]

I'm confused about feeding...

The girl at the local fish store said to feed the fish once per day with no more food than they could eat in two minutes.

The fish food container says to to feed the fish THREE times per day with no more food than they could eat in two minutes.

That's a pretty wide range... what should I be doing here?

 

[phthalatemagic]

I'm confused about feeding...The girl at the local fish store said to feed the fish once per day with no more food than they could eat in two minutes.The fish food container says to to feed the fish THREE times per day with no more food than they could eat in two minutes.That's a pretty wide range... what should I be doing here?

Either is fine. Fish can go days without eating at all, so it depends on a) how fat you want your fish to get (and fish IME don't get obese like people/dogs/so on so you are safe there) and b) how clean you keep your water.If you do regular water changes and have a good filtration system, feed them all you want as your nitrates and other bad compounds will not build up. If you do not keep your water clean, those harmful chemicals will increase in concentration making your environment toxic to the life in the tank and you should decrease the nutrients (fish food) you add to the tank.

 

[top dog]

If anyone has a protein skimmer around that will work for a 55 gallon tank, let me know.. I'm looking to pick one up to convert my tank to salt.

 

[Fallerjw]

Here's what I have in my 55 gallon now:

3 Cory's

3 Silver Dollars

1 Black Angel

9 Zebra Danios

2 Mollies

1 Crab

2 Frogs (1 albino)

1 Dwarf Guarmi

1 Rainbow Shark

1 Bala Shark

2 Pleco

I like the mix so far.

Also, I noticed that my 55 gallon always looks nice, but my 10 gallon rarely looks nice. It's usually at least a little bit cloudy. I have a Python (which is awesome) and use it every 2 weeks. The 10 gallon has 3 gold fish in it. Anybody have any thoughts on how I could keep the small tank looking better?

TIA

 

[phthalatemagic]

If anyone has a protein skimmer around that will work for a 55 gallon tank, let me know.. I'm looking to pick one up to convert my tank to salt.

I don't have one (to sell you), but I can suggest getting a Reef Octopus brand. They are cheap but perform like expensive ones. I have one and it works great. It's also a good idea to get a skimmer rated for higher volume than your tank actually is.

 

[TLEF316]

Here's what I have in my 55 gallon now:3 Cory's3 Silver Dollars1 Black Angel9 Zebra Danios2 Mollies1 Crab2 Frogs (1 albino)1 Dwarf Guarmi1 Rainbow Shark1 Bala Shark2 PlecoI like the mix so far. Also, I noticed that my 55 gallon always looks nice, but my 10 gallon rarely looks nice. It's usually at least a little bit cloudy. I have a Python (which is awesome) and use it every 2 weeks. The 10 gallon has 3 gold fish in it. Anybody have any thoughts on how I could keep the small tank looking better?TIA

water changes more often would help. I do 25% a week on my 75 gal. I'd also be wary about the Bala Shark. It wil get really big eventually and prefer to be in groups.using carbon in your filter would also help if you dont already. Gold fish are naturally very messy.

 

[Fallerjw]

Here's what I have in my 55 gallon now:3 Cory's3 Silver Dollars1 Black Angel9 Zebra Danios2 Mollies1 Crab2 Frogs (1 albino)1 Dwarf Guarmi1 Rainbow Shark1 Bala Shark2 PlecoI like the mix so far. Also, I noticed that my 55 gallon always looks nice, but my 10 gallon rarely looks nice. It's usually at least a little bit cloudy. I have a Python (which is awesome) and use it every 2 weeks. The 10 gallon has 3 gold fish in it. Anybody have any thoughts on how I could keep the small tank looking better?TIA

water changes more often would help. I do 25% a week on my 75 gal. I'd also be wary about the Bala Shark. It wil get really big eventually and prefer to be in groups.using carbon in your filter would also help if you dont already. Gold fish are naturally very messy.

Thanks for the tip. I'll change out the water more often to see what happens. Also, I'll keep an eye on the shark. He's not very big yet. By the time he gets bigger I'm sure I'll have another bigger tank. Does anybody have any tanks over 100 gallons? How much different is it taking care of a 125 / 175 gallon tank vs. a 55 gallon tank?

 

[Tick]

We had a 125 growing up, but I wasn't involved in the maintenance much. The strange thing about it was that my dad put fish in there that he had caught - mostly rainbow trout and dolly vardens.

 

[TheFanatic]

pic of 2 of my still living cories

from what ive read, this getting caught in the filter nonsense probably isnt my fault. it seems that most of the time when this happens, there was already something wrong with the fish. makes me feel a little better i guess

any updates? Also, I am working on a 55 gallon of my own. I currently have 9 zebra danios in it. I was trying to figure out what else to add. I'm considering something like this:

~ 6 corys

1 bala shark

~ 3 silver dollars

~4-5 dwarf gourami

1 or 2 bristlenose pleco

any thoughts on that mix?

You can never do live plants in that tank other than maybe Java Fern. Bala Sharks and Silver Dollars are mainly vegetarians and will look at any plants you put in there as a salad bar. You may want to get a vegetarian flake food and mix it with a regular food to better meat their dietary needs. Also, that Bala can get a foot long and those silver dollars get pretty big. Just think about that if you plan on adding anymore fish. If you add more, I would go with smaller schooling fish (tetras, barbs, hatchets, etc) over something that could get big like a pacu or giant gourami.

 

[TheFanatic]

Nice thread guys.. I have 2 - 55 gallon tanks right now going strong. The one in my office is an African Cichlid setup that I have had for a couple of years now. Big fan of Cichlids. The other one has a Tiger Oscar that is about 13 inches big in it. I'm thinking about either putting 2 piranha in that tank or converting it to salt, I haven't decided. My BIL has a couple good size pirannah that he will give me if I want to go that route. I would love to convert it to salt, but I don't think I want to spend the money to do it right now.

We also have a 10 gallon in my son's room that has been going nice and strong for a long time as well. That one is a community setup with a couple long fined skirt tetras, cory cats, black mollys, balloon belly mollys, and a couple wags.

You know you are hooked on the hobby when you also have a 55 gallon and a 35 gallon hex sitting out in the garage! The wife wants me to sell those tanks, but I have been dragging my feet on those. The 55 gallon has a nice solid wood stand with a walnut finish. The 35 hex is a pain in the but to keep healthy, but is a cool tank. One of these days I'll get around to selling those tanks.. but in the mean time they aren't hurting anything out there!

I'm a big fan of fluval canister filters. I have a 404 on my oscar tank and a 304 on my African tank.

If you like the 304 and 404, the newer models (305 and 405) are even better. I have a 305 and it's a pain in the butt to get sealed after I clean it out. The new ones don't have that problem.Just bought a Rena X3 from petsmart.com for my new 75 and it was cake to set up, prime and get going. Very cheap too. In the store it's $139. Online it was $79. I also have a Rena X4 canister in transit that was $179 in the store and $104 online.

Oh, and I would dump the 35. It's too much of a pain to keep up. Don't let it be the downer that keeps you from doing tank maintenance on everything else because you are sick of dealing with that tank...

 

[phthalatemagic]

Here's what I have in my 55 gallon now:

3 Cory's

3 Silver Dollars

1 Black Angel

9 Zebra Danios

2 Mollies

1 Crab

2 Frogs (1 albino)

1 Dwarf Guarmi

1 Rainbow Shark

1 Bala Shark

2 Pleco

I like the mix so far.

Also, I noticed that my 55 gallon always looks nice, but my 10 gallon rarely looks nice. It's usually at least a little bit cloudy. I have a Python (which is awesome) and use it every 2 weeks. The 10 gallon has 3 gold fish in it. Anybody have any thoughts on how I could keep the small tank looking better?

TIA

water changes more often would help. I do 25% a week on my 75 gal. I'd also be wary about the Bala Shark. It wil get really big eventually and prefer to be in groups.using carbon in your filter would also help if you dont already. Gold fish are naturally very messy.

Thanks for the tip. I'll change out the water more often to see what happens. Also, I'll keep an eye on the shark. He's not very big yet. By the time he gets bigger I'm sure I'll have another bigger tank.

Does anybody have any tanks over 100 gallons? How much different is it taking care of a 125 / 175 gallon tank vs. a 55 gallon tank?

IME, the larger the volume the easier it is to take care of and the fewer water changes you need. Ignoring expenses, it's just more glass to clean and more water to add as it evaporates.here is a message board dedicated to very large marine tanks to give you an idea of what isssues they deal with and don't have to.

 

[Fallerjw]

pic of 2 of my still living cories

from what ive read, this getting caught in the filter nonsense probably isnt my fault. it seems that most of the time when this happens, there was already something wrong with the fish. makes me feel a little better i guess

any updates? Also, I am working on a 55 gallon of my own. I currently have 9 zebra danios in it. I was trying to figure out what else to add. I'm considering something like this:

~ 6 corys

1 bala shark

~ 3 silver dollars

~4-5 dwarf gourami

1 or 2 bristlenose pleco

any thoughts on that mix?

You can never do live plants in that tank other than maybe Java Fern. Bala Sharks and Silver Dollars are mainly vegetarians and will look at any plants you put in there as a salad bar. You may want to get a vegetarian flake food and mix it with a regular food to better meat their dietary needs. Also, that Bala can get a foot long and those silver dollars get pretty big. Just think about that if you plan on adding anymore fish. If you add more, I would go with smaller schooling fish (tetras, barbs, hatchets, etc) over something that could get big like a pacu or giant gourami.

Slight mishap last night. Over the past week, one of the frogs (African clawed frog) picked off 3 of the zebra danios. Last night when I got home from watching the football game, he and the rainbow shark were missing and my filter (Penguin Bio Wheel 350) was apart. The filter wasn't running right. So I removed it from the aquarium and took it apart. I found parts of the rainbow shark and parts of the frog. So now they are no more. Maybe there will be more room for the Bala Shark and Silver Dollars now.

 

[TheFanatic]

I'm confused about feeding...The girl at the local fish store said to feed the fish once per day with no more food than they could eat in two minutes.The fish food container says to to feed the fish THREE times per day with no more food than they could eat in two minutes.That's a pretty wide range... what should I be doing here?

Don't listen to what the container says. My local Jiffy Lube tells me to get an oil change every 3K miles. My owners manual says 5K. Going with the owners manual on this one. The fish food companies want you to overfeed so you buy more food.Feed once a day. There are a few fish that feeding multiple times is helpful in terms of behavior. Frontosa for example. They will come out more with frequent smaller feedings. Otherwise once a day and don't worry if you skip a day every now and again. Fish don't always get food everyday in the wild. The only time overfeeding is OK is if you want to breed the fish and you have great filtration. The key to breeding fish is very simple. Feed the #### out of them. Fat and happy fish breed....

 

[TheFanatic]

Also, I noticed that my 55 gallon always looks nice, but my 10 gallon rarely looks nice. It's usually at least a little bit cloudy. I have a Python (which is awesome) and use it every 2 weeks. The 10 gallon has 3 gold fish in it. Anybody have any thoughts on how I could keep the small tank looking better?TIA

Small tanks are harder to maintain than larger tanks. The tiniest bit of impurity and fish die. First, over filter. Go get a nice Aqua clear mechanical filter and change out the cartridges often. Don't over stock the tank. A 10 gallon can't handle much in terms of fish. 3 gold fish are horrible for a 10 gallon tank. See, Gold fish has very poor digestive systems. They don't glean as much nutrients from food as other species. Thus the constant need to eat and the constant waste going back into the tank. Goldfish should only be kept in larger tanks. Put some tetras and barbs in there. Lots of color. Lots of activity. Very little waste.

 

[Fallerjw]

Also, I noticed that my 55 gallon always looks nice, but my 10 gallon rarely looks nice. It's usually at least a little bit cloudy. I have a Python (which is awesome) and use it every 2 weeks. The 10 gallon has 3 gold fish in it. Anybody have any thoughts on how I could keep the small tank looking better?TIA

Small tanks are harder to maintain than larger tanks. The tiniest bit of impurity and fish die. First, over filter. Go get a nice Aqua clear mechanical filter and change out the cartridges often. Don't over stock the tank. A 10 gallon can't handle much in terms of fish. 3 gold fish are horrible for a 10 gallon tank. See, Gold fish has very poor digestive systems. They don't glean as much nutrients from food as other species. Thus the constant need to eat and the constant waste going back into the tank. Goldfish should only be kept in larger tanks. Put some tetras and barbs in there. Lots of color. Lots of activity. Very little waste.

Thanks for the advice. Is it "wrong" to keep those goldfish in there as long as they live, and then switch it over?

 

[TheFanatic]

OK, now on to my latest project. I have a 110 gallon tank (60W X 18D X 24H). In this tank is Chester. The only fish I have ever named. Why did I name him? Because he's a 22 inch Clown Knife that will be 20 years old this year. The CK is a pure predator. It was pretty awesome watching him pick off feeder fish. Now he has cataracts. He can still eat fish but they need to park right in front of him. He eats cichlid sticks by smell.

The problem is that I can't put anything in the tank without fear of him eating it. He could down a 6 inch Mbuna if he could catch him. Normally what I do is go by 4-5 small african cichlids and hope one survives. I have a couple 4 inch yellow labs. A small Melenchromis Auratis. A couple of other small africans. I also have a Marble Sailfin Pleco (Pterogoplychthis Gibbiceps) that is about 10 years old and 14 inches long.

I have this tank loaded down with wood, rock work and some amazon swords as big as basketballs. Try to give the cichlids places to hide. Invariably 90% of them hide in front of the CK and become lunch.

The CK is old. Really old. It's time the CK goes to an assisted living center. I just bought a 75 gallon tank that will be the CK's new Senior Living Condo. Gonna limit the wood, rock work and plants to give him more room in the 75 than the 110 and he's going in there by himself. I might put the Sailfin in there as well. But that seems like a lot of bioload for that tank. I might take the Sailfin to the pet store for some store credit and get something smaller but too big for the CK to eat. I've seen him eat a small Royal Clown Pleco. That was an $18 feeder fish. He was in the tank all of 30 seconds.

The 75 is in the backroom of my basement. It's mostly unfinished and is the laundry room

So, now what to do with the 110. It is prominently displayed in the finished part of the basement.

Well, I'm gonna gut it. Take out some of the gravel for the 75 and use about 50 gallons of water for the 75 and drop the CK in there. I already have the canister filter on my 110 that will go on the 75 so that it will be well seeded with good bacteria when it goes on the 75.

I've got black and white sand for the 110 and am gonna stock it with African Peacocks and Synondontis cats (petricolor, Multipunctatis, Brichardi, etc). Debating on planting it. The amazons that I have now in the 110 are not molested by the africans I have in there now, but they spend most of their time in fear of their lives with the CK in there. Not sure what would happen when the CK is gone and they can truly go through establishing their dominance and territory...

I will post some pre and post pics as I go forward. I may be gutting it this week....

 

[TheFanatic]

Also, I noticed that my 55 gallon always looks nice, but my 10 gallon rarely looks nice. It's usually at least a little bit cloudy. I have a Python (which is awesome) and use it every 2 weeks. The 10 gallon has 3 gold fish in it. Anybody have any thoughts on how I could keep the small tank looking better?TIA

Small tanks are harder to maintain than larger tanks. The tiniest bit of impurity and fish die. First, over filter. Go get a nice Aqua clear mechanical filter and change out the cartridges often. Don't over stock the tank. A 10 gallon can't handle much in terms of fish. 3 gold fish are horrible for a 10 gallon tank. See, Gold fish has very poor digestive systems. They don't glean as much nutrients from food as other species. Thus the constant need to eat and the constant waste going back into the tank. Goldfish should only be kept in larger tanks. Put some tetras and barbs in there. Lots of color. Lots of activity. Very little waste.

Thanks for the advice. Is it "wrong" to keep those goldfish in there as long as they live, and then switch it over?

That's up to you. You could take the gold fish to just about any local petstore and get some credit for them and get something else. They are hardy and will likely outgrow that tank and make it an even bigger mess...

 

[TLEF316]

im actually glad this thread was bumped, as im havign a MAJOR problem right now. Last week, the big piece of hornwort went lost color and died. Of course, i wasnt able to get it out before all the leaves and stuff went everywhere. I did my best to clean it all out, but there are still soem shreds in ahrd to reach places....

Anyways, 2 days later, i see my java moss, which had been a lovely shade of green for months, turn white..... 2 days after that, my REd tail Black shark goes belly up. He had been the most robust fish in the tank.

A day later, my panda cory's start going. Out of the 4 remaining only 1 is left(2 deaths, 1 missing presumed dead)Now im obviously getting worried. I check the water. There is between 1 and 2 PPM of ammonia in the tank according to the my test kit. Ph has also dropped under 7.

I do a big water change(30%) for 2 days in a row. No change. No deaths since sunday, but my remaining cory's have been sluggish. The other fish(cardinal tetras, rummy nose tetras, Blue ram, Clown loaches) have seemed fine. A couple of the Danios look a little sluggish, and 1 has fish TB, but i dont think thats related. All have good color and have been active.

I checked the ammonia this morning and it hasnt improved. If it is still status quo when i get home, what should i do? Is it possible the java moss is dead and rotting(leaching ammonia into the tank?) It just seems odd that my filter wouldnt have adjusted and filtered it out by now. Im starting to get worred im gonna come home one day to a tank full of 40 dead fish. What should i do? I've posted on some other forums and havent gotten good responses. Thanks alot.

 

[TheFanatic]

im actually glad this thread was bumped, as im havign a MAJOR problem right now. Last week, the big piece of hornwort went lost color and died. Of course, i wasnt able to get it out before all the leaves and stuff went everywhere. I did my best to clean it all out, but there are still soem shreds in ahrd to reach places....Anyways, 2 days later, i see my java moss, which had been a lovely shade of green for months, turn white..... 2 days after that, my REd tail Black shark goes belly up. He had been the most robust fish in the tank.A day later, my panda cory's start going. Out of the 4 remaining only 1 is left(2 deaths, 1 missing presumed dead)Now im obviously getting worried. I check the water. There is between 1 and 2 PPM of ammonia in the tank according to the my test kit. Ph has also dropped under 7.I do a big water change(30%) for 2 days in a row. No change. No deaths since sunday, but my remaining cory's have been sluggish. The other fish(cardinal tetras, rummy nose tetras, Blue ram, Clown loaches) have seemed fine. A couple of the Danios look a little sluggish, and 1 has fish TB, but i dont think thats related. All have good color and have been active. I checked the ammonia this morning and it hasnt improved. If it is still status quo when i get home, what should i do? Is it possible the java moss is dead and rotting(leaching ammonia into the tank?) It just seems odd that my filter wouldnt have adjusted and filtered it out by now. Im starting to get worred im gonna come home one day to a tank full of 40 dead fish. What should i do? I've posted on some other forums and havent gotten good responses. Thanks alot.

Here is the danger with live plants. If they go pale and start to die you need to yank those leaves or branches as soon as possible. If they decompose they really kick the ammonia up. Then you lose more fish and more plants and the ammonia goes up even more. I would yank all the hornwort now. That stuff seems to explode when it dies. Also, when you do water changes you need to go through the tank and pull all the dead leaves and branches. This will keep the ammonia from spiking and it will keep the plants healthy as they will stop sending resources to dying leaves and branches which invigorates the rest of the plant. I have to spend about an hour every time I do a water change yanking leaves. Then again my tanks are Jammed with plants. I need to yank some out to give this one mammoth angel some room to swim.Also, Pandas are a very tough fish to keep alive. They are extremely sensitive to water quality. I've kept them in non planted tanks, but in planted tanks I've had no luck. Other Cories I by do just fine. You may want to go with Corydoras Matae or Acuatas. Similar color patterns but much more robust. Pandas may be too sensitive to the dead plant matter that will be in the tank no matter how well you trim back the dead leaves. Here's what I would do if I were you. Pull up the rock/wood work and get into the crannies with the syphon tube to get all that detritis out of the tank before it totally jacks your nitrate/nitrite cycle. Remove any sickly plants now. If you have any fish start to look sick: crimped fins, breathing heavy, lethargic, laying on the bottom, floating at the top, swimming erratically - you may want to consider putting them out of their misery in order to save the rest of the community. NEVER treat the tank with medicine. NEVER. Does more harm than good. Particularly in a community tank with a wide variety of species (scaleless, bottom fish, etc). You will wind up killing the scaleless and bottom fish and not help the fish with the actual disease. Hold off on any more water changes for a week unless the ammonia spikes. Otherwise wait a week to do another water change. Let things settle down.Speaking of the plants. Are you fertilizing? Do you have an extra light? You need both of these to do plants properly. For fertilizer make sure it has NO phosphates or your algae will go through the roof. I use Kent. I put a splash in each 3 gallon bucket when I do water changes and a splash in the tank every now and again when I think about it. Nothing real regular or anything...

 

[TLEF316]

thanks for the advice. i appreciate it. I'm gonna pull the sickly looking plants the second i get home.(including the java moss) The Hornwort has been mostly gone, but i couldnt get to every little bit without pulling every plant and moving every piece of wood. If you think its worth the extra stress to eliminate all debris, ill do it.

The only fertilizing im doing is root tabs for the crypts. They've actually gotten better over the past week(i think the hornwort was blocking their light and taking all the nutrients.) I've only got basic lighting (whatever came with tank) but i went very all lowlight plants. I'm gonna update the lighting soon.

Also, how do i siphon without essentially doing a water change? It seems like alot of water wil get sucked up when im getting the debris.

I'll try not to Euthanize any fish, but i have done it before (Had a rummy nose that got spooked and tore off half his body on a rock somehow during a water change). I've learned my lesson on the pandas and wont get any more. I just hope the one thats left survives and blends in ok. I'm gonna get some more corys, and ill try to stay away from the bigger species.

Thanks again. I just hope i can save my tank.

EDIT: I should just point out that i do vaccume and clean out plant material during every water change. I also trim off sickly looking stuff. I do it every week. I've been religious about it. Its just that this hornwort died while i was away for a weekend, and had already half exploded by the time i got back. I got most of it out of the water, but i didnt think it would be as big a deal as it has become. Damn shame, as my tank has been perfect other than a few random deaths for more than 6 months now. I'm gonna take out all the wood, loose rocks and fake plants and get every little bit of it. Hopefully this will work, and my next foray into plants (with better lighting and liquid ferts.) will go better.

 

[ttiger72]

http://fishforum.com/index.php

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/

These are two forums that were really helpful when I had a problem in one of my tanks. Great place to get some idea plants, computability and light requirements. A LOT of shops don't have much expertise in plants and their requirements as well as computability with fish.

 

[TLEF316]

well its done. Ripped out every plant except the crypts, as they clearly are not dying. (mostly just java moss and ferns tied to wood) I took out nearly every piece of decor and sucked up every piece of debris that i could. I added some new substrate and put most of the decor back in for cover. The fish look a little better. No deaths today, although a few looked close and have appeared to have rebounded a bit. At this point, I'm just gonna cross my fingers.

I'm thinking i should not feed tonight(didn't feed yesterday either) just to minimize the waste produced in the next day or so. I'll take another ammonia reading tomorrow morning. Hoping for the best.

 

[TLEF316]

http://fishforum.com/index.php

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/

These are two forums that were really helpful when I had a problem in one of my tanks. Great place to get some idea plants, computability and light requirements. A LOT of shops don't have much expertise in plants and their requirements as well as computability with fish.

Thanks for the links. I'll check them out.I will try to do plants again at some point, but if i do, I've got to do it right. (Full lighting system, ferts, maybe Co2) This has been a painful lesson. When i cant even keep java moss alive, its obvious that the facilities are substandard.

 

[TheFanatic]

Another tip. If fish aren't doing well and you have rampant illnesses salt and heat are your friends. Not table salt. You will need sea salt. No fresh water fish disease can live in salt water. Neither can the fish, but in small doses, sea salt can act sort of like an antiseptic. I haven't used it in a long time so I don't know the correct ratio but adding some salt to the tank can help prevent disease.

Also, if the fish are sick, raise the tank temp a few degrees. Do this slowly. Raise it 2 degrees every 4-6 hours till you get it to 8-10 degrees higher than you normally keep the tank. That will help the fish fend off the disease as well...

 

[TheFanatic]

http://fishforum.com/index.php

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/

These are two forums that were really helpful when I had a problem in one of my tanks. Great place to get some idea plants, computability and light requirements. A LOT of shops don't have much expertise in plants and their requirements as well as computability with fish.

Thanks for the links. I'll check them out.I will try to do plants again at some point, but if i do, I've got to do it right. (Full lighting system, ferts, maybe Co2) This has been a painful lesson. When i cant even keep java moss alive, its obvious that the facilities are substandard.

I mainly have 3 types of plants. Amazon Swords, Crypt. Wendtii, and Jungle Vals. I have never uses CO2 and just use an extra light and some fertilizer and the plants go nuts. I also have some Java Fern on one log in my big tank. I have also had success with Anubias.

A buddy of mine has a CO2 system on a 125 and it's like putting crack and steroids in the water for the plants. He has to trim back his plants once a week. It's almost ignorant. My plants grow more slowly, but they are all full and healthy. His Wendtii leaves are all green where mine turn a brownish/maroon once the leaves mature which is not a bad thing. I think it adds to the color of the tank with not all the plants being bright green.

 

[TheFanatic]

Also, how do i siphon without essentially doing a water change? It seems like alot of water wil get sucked up when im getting the debris.

I meant once you got the debris out of there. Water changes are stressful to fish. Ammonia is toxic and stressful to fish. We're trying to ease off here and give the fish a break and allow your tank to stabilize. Also, as for fertilizing the root tabs are better for Amazon swords. They take in more nutrients through their roots than their leaves. A lot of water plants take in more nutrients in through their leaves. Get yourself a couple of half gallon jugs of Kent Fresh Water plant fertilizer. Order it online. Get two so you save on the shipping should you order one and then order another one a few months from now. Those two jugs will last you a couple of years. When I do a water change I put in a splash in every 3 gallon bucket of about maybe half a cup of the stuff. Splash of stress coat and splash of fertilizer. Get the temp right and dump it in the tank. Keep us posted.

 

[top dog]

Nice thread guys.. I have 2 - 55 gallon tanks right now going strong. The one in my office is an African Cichlid setup that I have had for a couple of years now. Big fan of Cichlids. The other one has a Tiger Oscar that is about 13 inches big in it. I'm thinking about either putting 2 piranha in that tank or converting it to salt, I haven't decided. My BIL has a couple good size pirannah that he will give me if I want to go that route. I would love to convert it to salt, but I don't think I want to spend the money to do it right now.

We also have a 10 gallon in my son's room that has been going nice and strong for a long time as well. That one is a community setup with a couple long fined skirt tetras, cory cats, black mollys, balloon belly mollys, and a couple wags.

You know you are hooked on the hobby when you also have a 55 gallon and a 35 gallon hex sitting out in the garage! The wife wants me to sell those tanks, but I have been dragging my feet on those. The 55 gallon has a nice solid wood stand with a walnut finish. The 35 hex is a pain in the but to keep healthy, but is a cool tank. One of these days I'll get around to selling those tanks.. but in the mean time they aren't hurting anything out there!

I'm a big fan of fluval canister filters. I have a 404 on my oscar tank and a 304 on my African tank.

If you like the 304 and 404, the newer models (305 and 405) are even better. I have a 305 and it's a pain in the butt to get sealed after I clean it out. The new ones don't have that problem.Just bought a Rena X3 from petsmart.com for my new 75 and it was cake to set up, prime and get going. Very cheap too. In the store it's $139. Online it was $79. I also have a Rena X4 canister in transit that was $179 in the store and $104 online.

Oh, and I would dump the 35. It's too much of a pain to keep up. Don't let it be the downer that keeps you from doing tank maintenance on everything else because you are sick of dealing with that tank...

The Rena is a nice line as well. Did you know that you can have Petsmart match their online price instore? Just bring the printout and have them pricmatch it. No shipping. They will do this without any hassle.