The fish thread

[IWillHostIt]

Yep, I have a lamp.

I get my turtle out about once per week, I usually have to keep watch to protect him from the bird's and ants.

The bird's want to eat him, i can tell.

 

[eggman]

^ well done, you are really looking after him

Yeah the birds are a worry. What I usually do with mine is just stand in front of him. Then I just slowly move backwards all around the place and he follows me.

That will keep the birds away

 

[vanth]

Could you please make a video of this and send it to me? I would find it very amusing.

 

[eggman]

hahaha they move fairly slow so its not the most interesting thing in the world

you are motivated to stay one step ahead though, he's a biter!

 

[vanth]

No no, of you slowly walking backwards in front of a turtle :D

 

[neverwas]

Im going to get a couple of apple snails this week They have the tank all to themselves. Can someone tell me about coverage? Do they like plants, rocks etc? We have sand in the tank they would go into...do they get stuck to the sand?? I was wondering whether gravel would be better....

 

[Klue]

I have one in a tank about 30 cm. I feed him small slices of tomato, he loves it. I didnt feed him for few days and he totally demolised a bunch of Golden Pennywort weed. I think he has started munching on the other bunch of ribbon type weed in the tank.
You could have as many as you want in a tank really. Just have to have good filtration and water quality. Judging by the tanks with snails in the aquarium shops.
I have gravel, not sure about sand, worth a crack though.

 

[neverwas]

^^^^

Did my water tests today and they came back impeccable. Filtration is an internal filter with built in air stone. Its our baby birthing tank. Im looking at putting a couple of apple snails in just to keep the filter and water good while there is no fish or babies in the tank. It has plastic plants in it right now because there arent any fish in there to keep the plants nutrients going. The sand is heavy.

This filter...not my tank in the back ground.

 

[tapout]

^^^^

Did my water tests today and they came back impeccable. Filtration is an internal filter with built in air stone. Its our baby birthing tank. Im looking at putting a couple of apple snails in just to keep the filter and water good while there is no fish or babies in the tank. It has plastic plants in it right now because there arent any fish in there to keep the plants nutrients going. The sand is heavy.

This filter...not my tank in the back ground.

Hi SF69, you dont actually need fish in a tank to provide nutrients to your plants, your apple snails will dothe job, if your worried then get a basic aquarium plant fertilser (one with iron and trace minerals) and use about half the dose - im assuming youve got aquarium lights on the tank? i find live plants in a nursery tank work alot better as they act as a breeding ground for infusoria (small animals that baby fish munch on), plastic plants seem to harbour more pathogens, but thats just my experience. Good luck!

 

[endlesseulogy]

Set times?

 

[neverwas]

Hi SF69, you dont actually need fish in a tank to provide nutrients to your plants, your apple snails will dothe job, if your worried then get a basic aquarium plant fertilser (one with iron and trace minerals) and use about half the dose - im assuming youve got aquarium lights on the tank? i find live plants in a nursery tank work alot better as they act as a breeding ground for infusoria (small animals that baby fish munch on), plastic plants seem to harbour more pathogens, but thats just my experience. Good luck!

Yes to the light etc. I bought an albino catfish today for the tank. He is settling in nicely. Got him a tunnel and fresh plants. I actually put fresh plants in all my tanks. Any recommendations as to how often to change the plants for freshies? I tend to do it every two mths or when they start to go brown on the tips. The fish love the fresh ones.

I put some fresh plants in there but the plastic ones are there still. Once the plants have grown a bit i will remove the plastic ones. I dont want him all scared of being in a tank alone so once the coverage grows a bit i guess the plastic fantastic can come out.

 

[Ishtar_Isis]

^I'm also a tropical and coldwater fish fanatic!!!

If you have good lighting, the live plants should thrive, I've never had any requirements to change the live plants as they do very well indeed with appropriate lighting. My Tropical tank has been in operation for bout 3 months now and all plants going well atm.

Particularly the fish you have adore having 'hiding holes', I've got a variety of volcanic rocks that provide them with their need to 'hide' (have Clown Loach and Ruby Shark). The rest of tropical family I have adore sleeping and 'hanging out' in between the plant foliage.

Keep up testing of H2O chem stats.

My fishy family (both lots - 15 in all including cold water) provide me with such relaxation and giggles at their idiosyncracies!!.

Fabulous hobby!!!

X Isis

 

[neverwas]

^^^
Cute shark :D It would eat my small fishies though so we cant have sharks. I looked at a black shark or silver shark but they wouldnt get along well with the guppys and small fishies.

I purchased a couple of these lil fellows the other day...magestic to watch and are getting more friendly and settled in by the day. They are in a tank to themselves

Dwarf Flame Gouramis

We also have an albino catfish by himself (we called him Armin) in another tank alone. He loves it. Swims around and digs through the sand. Our communal tank is going good to. had to make some minor water adjustments today but nothing magor. Apart from my male guppy dieing and a female dieing (due to heat) they are all lovely to watch.

Our fish clan consists of:

6 bristol nose plecs (2boys 4 girls)
2 electric yellow labido (cichlids)
3 blue rams (cichlids)
2 convicts (cichlids)
2 clown loaches
2 tiger barbs who run round and round and round and round!!
3 gouramis (2 gold 1 blue)
3 guppys (girls)
6 platys (2boys 4 girls)
3 silver foxes
5 zebra danios
1 albino bristol nose plec
1 albino catfish
2 dwarf flame gouramis

They have a variety of caves, tunnels, plants and fake vases and ceramic pods to hide in. We are going to get a seperate tank for our cichlids eventually (in the next three mths-ish) which will be a 6x2x2 which will be an awesome size Both our lombardis which were the most aggressive have died We had 4 electric yellows but they nudged each other one to many times

 

[Ishtar_Isis]

I adore electric yellows!! Sooo beautiful. Cichlids are little buggers aren't they!!!! I would love to have Angel's or electric yellow's in the community, but atm all the fish get along really well (with a teeny bit of 'chasey' here and there between the shark and the guppy's) so I don't want to upset the balance with bossy cichlids.

You're new Cichlid tank sounds Awesome!!!! I'd love to go saltwater marine with coral etc,. but it's just sooo labour, time and knowledge intensive, think I'll stick with my freshwater family for the time being.

 

[neverwas]

I'd love to go saltwater marine with coral etc,. but it's just sooo labour, time and knowledge intensive, think I'll stick with my freshwater family for the time being.

Yeah our electric yellows are a lil chasey but because they bumped each other off there is now only two and ones big and ones small so the big one wins.

Salt water is very teadious to maintain. I would love a salt water but i will probably settle just for a normal tropical tank.

Ishtar Star: a few pics for you. The vid has our yellows, blue rams and the convicts are the black and grey ones. Plus a few other fish poke their head in. Our electric yellows are getting big so will outgrow that tank asap. Ones just under 15cm and thje others around 7cm.

Our albino catfish we called Armin...

Small electric yellow...

Our bigger one...

Mr Clown Loach popping his head out...

And a vid of our cichlids...blue rams, electric yellows and the convicts pop in to. They are grey and black striped.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SjYA0u1LFA

 

[Ishtar_Isis]

^All of them are Absolutely Beautiful!!!!!

I've just bought another Clown to keep the other company. The old clown is a wee bit bigger than the new baby, so at the moment they're just establishing 'who's boss'!! I'm sure they'll settle. The two Gouramis were the same initially, but all is well now.

I would still love an Angel however, so I'm thinking that if I get a little Angel (bout size of 10c piece) then it will have to settle into the established pecking order in the tank!

Hmm, next week once the Clowns have settled I think I'll get another new baby!! Fish keeping is soooo addictive hey! I just them!!!

Isis

 

[eggman]

Dont be too concerned about Angels. I have 3 of them living with 6 dwarf gouramis, 6 glass cats, 2 bristle noses and one gourami

Whilst they are Cichlid's they definately dont share the same aggressive nature as seen by others like Oscars and Frontosas.

Of the 3 angels two are Koi Angels and the other a half black. They are all fully grown with the largest being about 11cm across.

They dont give any of the other fish any trouble and are generally very placid. The only aggressiveness I have seen have been between the Angels themselves and you would most likely be put down to mating

 

[MoeBro]

There's only one other person in this thread with a marine tank?
It's seriously not that much harder to maintain than a freshwater tank, and you get the pick of all manner of awesome creatures.

Like Stomatopods, for example.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=EUMmdd7-nsQ


If only mine wasn't scared of the camera

 

[eggman]

^ wow that thing is one crazy mofo!

I am starting up a marine set up this year and will most likely put a Volitan in when the water is ready

 

[lostpunk5545]

There's only one other person in this thread with a marine tank?
It's seriously not that much harder to maintain than a freshwater tank, and you get the pick of all manner of awesome creatures.

Like Stomatopods, for example.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=EUMmdd7-nsQ


If only mine wasn't scared of the camera

Can you please offer one of your thumbs to it and let me know if I can believe the hype?