Any Other Fish Keepers in the Free For All (1 Viewer)

[Mr. Know-It-All]

Not too many fish keeper forums out there so thought I'd see if anyone else here enjoys my non-Fantasy Football hobby.

I have a 75G  tank with 1 Oscar, 2 Firemouth Meekis, 2 Blue Acaras, a Rainbow Shark, 2 Striped Raphael catfish, and two bristlenose plecos (one brown and one albino).

I have a 29G tank with 4 tiger barbs, 2 plecos and four different type of cory catfish.

 

[johnnycakes]

My link at 1:55.  

 

[Dan Lambskin]

I used to have a 20 gallon with various freshwater fish over the years.  Always enjoyed them but eventually it just took up more room / time than it was worth 

I wouldn’t mind starting one up again at some point (not sure how thrilled the wife would be), always wanted to try saltwater 

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Might be good to revive this old discussion. 

https://forums.footballguys.com/topic/313846-any-aquarium-guys/

 

[ShamrockPride]

When you have a tank that big (like 50+ gallons), how often do you need to generally do a complete water replacement/cleaning? I know once you get to that size there are some fairly advanced filtration systems and such, but how much do you need to do the entire thing?

 

[TLEF316]

When you have a tank that big (like 50+ gallons), how often do you need to generally do a complete water replacement/cleaning? I know once you get to that size there are some fairly advanced filtration systems and such, but how much do you need to do the entire thing?

Never. Doing that kind of "total cleaning" would just kill/weaken your beneficial bacteria colony (which is what processes the ammonia generated from decaying waste and keeps your water in good condition).

I have a 75 gallon tank that's pretty heavily planted.  I run two Fluval Fx4 filters (this is probably overkill, but the tank is stocked pretty heavily with big fish and I like the extra flow. They're great filters).

My normal maintenance routine....which I try to do every week but sometimes push it out to 10 days or even 2 weeks if I get lazy (again....the extra filtration and plants allow me to get away with this.  It really just means extra algae on the glass, not a dip in water quality).

- Trim all the dead leaves off the plants.

-scrape all the algae off the glass (combination of toothbrush/sponge for the softer brown algae a razor blade for the green dot stuff that's a little harder)

- Change ~25% of the water with a python hooked right up the sink, disturbing the plants or substrate a little bit to knock some detritus loose if I see it.

The normal routine takes ~30 minutes, most of which I can spend just sitting on the couch watching TV while the water goes in/out.

Other than that....every couple of months I'll use a different gravel vac (which I take the head off and just use the hose, which gives more pinpoint suction) to thin out the snail colony that's growing in the tank. They just get kinda unsightly every once in a while.

And then about every 6 months (on a rotation, so I dont do both at the same time) I pop open the filters and clean them out (using tank water so I dont kill the bacteria colony). Should probably do this more like every 4 months, but its a decently long job.

My tank isn't really pristine (I have various types of algae growth) but its cleaner than 95% of tanks I've seen and it keeps it in presentable condition for my living room (if I have to see it every day, I want it to be clean). Fish are healthy and the plant growth is ok (not great...working on that).

I've been kicking around the idea of getting a much larger tank for my office/finished basement (like a 240 gallon 8 footer with a sump) for years....but the logistics of cleaning it concern me. I'd have to put in a sink downstairs and find a way to heat the basement better (it gets really cold down here during the dead of winter). Heating a 240 gallon tank (probably closer to a 300 gallon system with a sump) to 80 degrees in a basement that probably gets down into the low 50's at night just seems like a bridge too far.

 

[Steady Mooobin]

I had a nice 50 gallon tank 20 years ago. I always said I’d do another tank with saltwater if I could just pay somebody to clean/take care of it. Might have to look into that. They’re are really nice to look at. 

 

[El Floppo]

I keep seeing this and thinking it's about a Fish Dynasty league.

 

[Mr. Know-It-All]

When you have a tank that big (like 50+ gallons), how often do you need to generally do a complete water replacement/cleaning? I know once you get to that size there are some fairly advanced filtration systems and such, but how much do you need to do the entire thing?

So I have a Forza FZ9 canister filter which does an incredible job of recycling the tank, a Marineland Emperor 450 Hang on Back filter which provides another means of filtration - between the two I never have to worry about water parameters (although I do test them from time to time just to be sure).  Due to the bioload of my fish I do a water change weekly (25-40 gallons depending on how the tank looks).  Then canister filter media I change out every 3-4 months making sure to leave some beneficial bacteria behind.  For the hang on back filter, I change the media about once every 3 months but monthly I'll scrape off sludge from the filter pad.  All told between the two tanks - maybe 2 hours or less maintenance per week.

For the 29G tank - almost no maintenance.  Two hang on back filters and a heater.  Gravel vac once per week, water change when it seems necessary - maybe every other week or every third week.  Much less bioload.

But, well worth it as the 75G is the centerpiece of my living room.  Many nights I'll watch the fishtank while reading instead of watching tv.

 

[grateful zed]

why is the sea salty?

 

[Courtjester]

I know I have posted in that other thread before, but sometimes a new thread is a fresh start. 

We have a 60 gallon tank with one fish and it has been that way for quite a while. One huge, smelly fish that does nothing but poop and eat and poop some more. If we don't clean the tank every 3-4 weeks or so, it becomes an absolute s-show (literally) and smells to high heaven. I can still remember that day five years ago going into Petco and saying, "We need something to clean the side of the tank," and those (insert cuss word) sold us a common pleco. Man, do I wish I knew then, what I know now.

She has grown into a beast of a fish, but she has such a great personality. She immediately comes to the top of the tank when I announce it is time to eat. She loves our cat. We got him and his brother when they were very little, but unfortunately his brother died fairly quick after we adopted them. My cat immediately gravitated to the fish and would sit for hours in front of her. She either thinks he is another fish or she is a cat--not sure, but these days, those two follow each other back and forth in front of the tank all day. We have two 75 gallon filters running and they can't keep up with her. She loves her spinach and cucumbers.  We know she is getting to the point where she is so big, she won't be able to turn around in the tank and that won't be good. 

We are at a cross-roads. The wife is tired of all the time and effort it takes to clean the tank and the smell if we don't--the tank is sort of the centerpiece in our entry room. She is pretty opposed to getting a larger tank. I get the whole spending $1,500 or more for a big tank that she may still outgrow is not a good proposition. If we lived elsewhere (aka not in Colorado), we could probably find someone who had a back yard pond that would love to have her. I mean they can live 12-15 years easily.  I just don't know what to do. I don't want her to suffer, but I know that is what is in the cards as she gets bigger and bigger. 

 

[UOFI_316]

A few months ago we finally setup my old 10G tank and got 5 goldfish (one for each family member, my kids keep asking me what my fish's name is, I don't even know which one is "mine").   I just got the .25 each ones from Petsmart or wherever.  How many more fish can co-habitat with them?  Was thinking of just adding a few more smaller fish now that the kids have shown they can take care of an animal.  The goldfish range from 3" to 1".

The kids take turns feeding them, and once we dialed in the right amount the water has stayed pretty clear.  The tank has the two charcoal filters in the corners that suck the water down through the rocks then up the tubes.  I change the filters every 3 weeks or so.   I want to say that 30 years ago when this thing was in my bedroom, I had filters that every few weeks I could open them, replace the charcoal and then would add some white filter material.  I can't find those anymore, all the cartridges are sealed.

Initially I would use the gravel vac to clean the bottom and would replace 3 gallons or so every few weeks.  That seemed to just result in algae blooms and cloudy water.  I now only add water based on the evaporation and use a net to get out any large poo clumps I see on the bottom.

The glass is now starting to get some algae growth, should I just wipe that off when I see it forming with a small squeegee or something.  When i was a kid I had one of those sucker fish that move around the glass and clean it, kids don't like the look of those.