FishChannel Forums / Freshwater Forums / General Freshwater

"Starter" Kit

David Lass — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:56:38 GMT

Please let me know what you guys thinks about this as a new product.

Aquarium Starter Kit -- would consist of: 1) Water conditioner/dechlorinator, etc. 2) Bacteria etc. to start the Nitrogen Cycle -- would populate with bacteria in a day or two, 3) 6 ammonia test strips and 6 5-way test strips (pH, Hardness, Alkalinity, nitrite and nitrate).

The idea of the kit is for folks starting new tanks to have what they need to get the Nitrogen Cycle established in the tank. The target sell price for the kit would be between $6 and $9. Hopefully this kit would help to avoid New Tank Syndrome, and get new hobbyists into the habit of testing their water.

What do you think? Thanks for taking the time to give me your input.

Stock list for 90 gallon

LadyBarbara001 — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:59:26 GMT

I have a 90 gallon tank, that currently houses angels. I've decided to downsize them to a 56 gallon, and keep only a few. So I will have an empty, healthy fully cycled 90 gallon tank that I have no clue what to stock. I'd like something interesting, a little unique, and compatible of course. I've thought African Cichlids, some type of eel, or ropefish...but I want this one to be unique.

I currently have other tanks that I could switch around...but I have also considered trying my hand at brackish...I really have no clue, and guess I'd like to see what you all would do with it.

I don't have a price range really...so dream away...thought this might be fun.

Thanks for the input

goldfish bowls

teamtetra — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:38:58 GMT

goldfish bowls distort vision thereby hurting the fishes eyes.the sphere shaped glass is bad but the less common octogontal bowls do not distort vision and are o k by me.

for proof look through curved glass and your eyes WILL get sore:[

Adding one neon tetra to a shoal?

elliotandesther — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:33:43 GMT

We've just set up a new aquarium and have 5 neon tetras happily swimming around. We want to add another but aren't sure if it'll live contentedly with the others. Is it a bad idea to add one lone fish to an established shoal?

Also, someone at the petshop said we should only feed them (one fish flake each) every other day, is that right?

Thanks for any help,
Esther and Elliot

Thinking of Starting a New Tank... Pt. 2

FastFoward5k — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:27:00 GMT

That 8-9 gallons wasn't big enough to do anything in. So I decided I'm going to wait a little while (until I have some $$$) and do a 29 gallon. I am going to get a 29 Gallon All-Glass Aquarium, Aquatic Gardens Full Flourescent Hood, Aqueon Aquarium Power Filter (up to 30 gal.), Petco 100 Watt Submersible Aquarium Heater, ATI Aquarium Thermometer, Marine-Land Medium Siphon-Kleen, Penn Plax Aquarium Tank Stand 29 Gallon, Mag-Float Floating Magnet Aquarium Cleaner. I'm listing all this just in case anyone knows if any of the products are very good (well I know that the Aqueon HOB Filter is very good [have the 10 gal. model in my 10 gallon]). I will be using those two live plants that I can't remember the name of (Nikita, FattFishy, and MOA know what I mean, just check Thinking of Starting a New Aquarium.... Here is a list of the fish I'm thinking (I would never put ALL of these in because of overstocking, overcrowding, incompatibility, etc. but this is just a list of some fish I was thinking of) :

1 Gold Veil Angelfish

1 Male Crowntail Betta (definite)

4 Panda Corys (definite)

1 Bristlenose Pleco OR 6 Otocinclus OR Farowella Catfish (definitely one of the three, but only one)

6: Cardinal Tetras, Rummynose Tetras, Silvertip Tetras, Black Neon Tetra, Gold Neon Tetra, Penguin Tetra (just one or two species)

2 Swordtails (Green + Neon)

6 Harlequin Rasboras

2 Honey Gouramis OR 2 Chocolate Gouramis OR 3 Licorice Gouramis OR 1 Gold Gourami OR 3 Sparkling Gourami (definitely want a gourami)

1 Marble Lyretail Molly

3 Pencilfish

2 Marble Hatchetfish OR 2 Marthae Silver Hatchetfish

I know it is a long list but I really need some help deciding and figuring out what is best. :D

Guppy breeding

Jeny — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 12:30:36 GMT

Hi all! I just got 2 lil fancy guppies I also have two mollies Just looking for some useful advice on breeding guppy/mollies Do they beed easily? Any friendly advice well be very appreciated :)

betta food

austin123 — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:06:35 GMT

I've been feeding my betta the same thing for a while so any suggestions on what to feed him?

Also, are there betta treats?

Small fish tank

austin123 — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:40:05 GMT

I found this picture on google of one of the smallest fish in a very small tank (I can't tell were the fish is)

Most Important

GRUBYGUPPY — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:40:21 GMT

IMHO...... the most important thing someone in this hobby(new or oldtimer) should have is a quarentine tank.The size could be a 5-10gal. I have seen friends buy and set up a tank and then they call me and the first thing they say is.....I just bought some new fish and now my fish are dieing or are covered with spots or a cotton like stuff. Any time someone asks me what they need to set up a tank, I always tell them 2 tanks and then explain why. I knw some may not be able to afford 2 tanks,but should always try.......What are your veiws on this?;)

Male or female?

plecodiscus — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:49:04 GMT

I'm having trouble determining the genders of some of my fish. I've posted pics of them. at the top is my severum and at the bottom is my small school of red & blue colombian tetras (how many are male and how many are female? They range from 1.5" to 2" long). Also, i would like to know if my severum is a green or turquoise severum (its almost 3" long including the tail. when do they star to color up?), and I would like to know if it is possible for me to breed my tetras in my tank right now.

severum:

Red & blue colombian tetras:

NEW checker barbs just added!

medicdave — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:11:54 GMT

Just added 3 checker barbs to my 30 gallon, two males and one female...so far the pictus cat nipped at them a few times but the other tank mates have left them alone....I have a Rainbow shark, 2 tiger barbs, and a cory.....I know, I keep hearing that I should add more tiger barbs that they will turn on the other fish, ITs been 6 weeks, and the tigers leave everyone alone, actually the rainbow shark constantly chases the tigers, and leaves everyone else alone......that could change though.....I also noticed some new behavior by the tigers not 20 minutes after the new tank mates were added, they started bickering with each other, it was funny, at first it looked they were kissing, then I realized it was more like siblings arguing, then the rainbow shark would charge in the middle and break them up chasing them away.....I imagine this is normal for tigers, anyone have any thoughts on this, opinions?

Maggots

JCHAMPAGNE — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:14:36 GMT

I just wanted to share an experience I had this weekend. As I was working in the yard, I noticed a dead roach that was covered in maggots. I remembered reading in an ancient book on aquaria, that before frozen and freeze dried foods many hobbyist feed their fish live, wild collected food. So, I pinched my nose and picked one maggot up, brought it in the house, rinsed it, and then dropped it into my 55 gallon tank. Gone in a second!

I went back out side and collected as much as I could with out vomiting. I put them in an old container and snapped the lid on. I have to tell you, that part was rather difficult as the smell was very hard to handle. But, the pay off was awesome. I carefully rinsed them all off and then dropped about a teaspoon of them into the tank. Total pandemonium! My Gold Barbs and Guppies went into a feeding frenzy. My male guppy had the largest appetite and even stuffed himself until there was no room left in his stomach. He was swimming around for about 10mins with one flipping in and out of his mouth.

I am posting this because it was very interesting source of good protein for the fish.

Do not waste the maggot!

Betta tank

austin123 — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:06:58 GMT

I know that a male betta will fight with some fish so what about a snail? I need something to clean the algea (they eat algea right?) so I thought that maybe it wouldn't get attacked because of its shell. Also if I did get a snail for it would the tank be over run by snails? (My dads did from eggs in the plants)

Neon tetras...

FattFishy — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:19:35 GMT

The topic "Only two Neon Tetras" seems to have been the hot topic and is refered to frequently. That was my sister's neon tetras and now I want my Honey Gourami feel more secure so... I'm going to move them into my 10 gallon tank. Not only will the Honey Gourami benefit, the neons can actually get some food without being out-competed.

Can I keep a school of 6 neons, 1 Honey Gourami, and 3 pandas in a 10 gallon? Will any problems like food stealing or aggression arise by adding the neons?

MOA's spreadsheet filtration potential has 80% left with my cleaning schedule and plants... it also recommended 7 gallons because of space leftover.

how long do severums live

thetruebuzzard — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 06:13:21 GMT

ive had my severum for 13 years now, and i was wondering how old this lovely fish can get....and is it too late to breed her.

Gymnogeophagus Sp. Norte

filipem — Sun, 25 May 2008 11:36:56 GMT

here is a pic

I haven't been able to find much info on this fish.

Here is what I know so far.

- they can be kept in waters ranging from 30 to - 90 degree temps
- they grow to about 3.5"
- they come from a remote part of South America.

What do you think?

Nitrite out of tap??

LadyBarbara001 — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 10:47:25 GMT

I have been reading slightly elevated levels of nitrite (0.05) in my tanks, while ammonia is stable at 0. I thought perhaps this was because my tanks all have plants, and with leaf die-off, and root structure, that this may be typical.

However, I tested my tap water and am showing the same reading (0.05) straight from the tap itself. How harmful is this going to be in the long run? or even the short run? I hate to add chemicals that I don't need, I do weekly water changes, but I'm adding problems right back into my tanks....will this eventually correct itself with extra bacteria?

I appreciate any advice.

help Looking for Bottom Feeders

FishCreek — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:24:35 GMT

I am looking for suggestions for bottom feeders that can endure the 84 degree temps of my Discus tank. Two of my pygmy cories died, but I saved the other to a cooler tank. It recovered beautifully. I do not want anything that will get real big, and will feed on beefheart and such. Any help appreciated. Thanks

Betta question

austin123 — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 09:43:51 GMT

I have a betta fish and i don't know if it is male or female. I heard that females are more active and less colorful but males are lazier, colorful, and long finned. My Betta is tan colored, active, and has long fins. Can someone please tell me what it is?

ram & kribs

staffordmom — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:10:41 GMT

Can you keep a ram with a pair of kribs?

staffordmom

Fish Store Contract?

FattFishy — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:02:14 GMT

Ahaha... I was looking around on www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk and came upon this little article.

Here's what it said:

I/We the undersigned being of sound body but utterly mad about fish do solemnly swear we will do the following:

> We will never buy a fish on impulse but will go home, read up on it and prepare the perfect tank for it before we buy.
We will test the water in the tank for things like strange pH readings or high levels of nitrate which our fish might have learned to tolerate. If necessary we'll leave a deposit with the shop to secure the fish while we get the conditions right.

> We will not lie to the shop about the size of our tank (or pond), the water chemistry, how many fish are already in it, or our experience in the hobby.

> We will not buy koi for goldfish ponds or Oscars or Red tail cats for a 2' community tank (in return we expect to get all the necessary warnings as a matter of course).

> We will not buy a few fish then take the bag around the market or leave it in the car in 30�C or 30�F temperatures for three hours. When we get the fish home we'll acclimatize it to our tank properly before releasing it.

> We will not visit a shop just to give the owner the dubious benefit of our immense knowledge of the hobby, leaving empty-handed after an hour.

> We will not take unwanted deformed fry or overgrown tankbusters into a shop and automatically expect the shop not just to foster them but actually give us something for them.

> We will not travel miles in search of a special fish without first ringing the shop to make sure they're there (in return we expect them to be correctly identified when we get there).

> We will not grill the owner of the shop for an hour about the best filter for our needs then nip off and buy it by mail order.

> We will not buy everything we need for a new tank then when the shop (quite justifiably) won't sell us any fish, nip down the road and buy them anyway, stock them into an immature tank, then moan at either/both shops because they die.

> We will not always buy the cheapest item but occasionally trust the shop staff when they recommend a better but more expensive one.
> We'll not bang and thump on a tank to get that interesting catfish to come out - but will ask the assistant if we want a closer look.

> We will resist the temptation - though our knuckles turn white with tension - to dangle our fingers (or our children) in the Koi vat - or worse still to feed them a crafty Cheesy Wotsit.

> We will not bring our six children into the shop on a Saturday morning and let them run round the tanks with a bag of Jellytots in one hand.

> We will not ask the shop assistant if they have gonorrhea when in search of a gunnera plant, or try to buy an enema instead of an anemone.

And...
> We will realize that maintaining livestock is a costly and time-consuming business and that most of the shop owners work or have worked longer hours than we do, for many years, with only rare holidays. Visiting a well stocked set of tanks and vats is as good an experience as many public aquaria - and entirely free.

> We will accept that no reputable shop owner is going to deliberately sell dodgy livestock.
The profits are small and they know that you won't come back again. It's repeat sales, and your trust, that they need...

> We will listen to the shopkeeper's advice impartially and remember that there's more than one way to keep fish properly.

So when we go and ask another shop, and they suggest something else, we'll respect both views and use them to make our own minds up, not as information for knocking one or the other.

> On the other hand we'll listen to the shopkeeper's interesting and constructive criticism of the local rival's shop before making a visit, making our minds up, and voting with our feet.

> But we will also realize that some shops are brilliant at one thing and others are brilliant at another - and that may include tea and sympathy.

> We will realize that many of the staff in aquatic shops now have professional training of the highest quality and it's more than possible that their knowledge is a) better and b) more up to date than ours - and respect it accordingly.
But we will also realize that some weekend staff at some busy shops may only be part-timers and their knowledge may be limited. If we want lots of time and advice we'll try to visit at quieter times...

> We will appreciate that shop assistants get just a little twitchy if asked to catch "the third Neon from the top at the left with the cute little grin on its face..." from a tank of 200 but will be delighted to catch the fish you want from four or five "specials".

> We will understand that fish do die suddenly of natural causes over which the retailer has absolutely no control - and we will also remember that most shop owners are rather tired of being told that the Clown loaches must be dead or ill because they're lying in a funny position - and that the Plecs are dead because they're not moving...

Signed..........................................

Witnessed....................................

Dated.............................................

gold gourami

austin123 — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 10:04:18 GMT

My gold gourami is about 3 inches long and I need to know how big it will get.

It's in a 10 gallon tank. Is that big enough?

how do i bring my fish with me

BonnieandClyde — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:17:29 GMT

In little over a year I plan on moving from New York to Tennessee. How do I bring my fish with me? I was thinking UPS over night, thats how we get our fish at the store. What do you all think? Also in detail how would you do it?

I'm just wondering......

CephalopodLover — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 06:25:27 GMT

could I move 1 of my bettas into the 10 with my crayfish and the other into the 55 ?

Heating in summer

austin123 — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 09:59:04 GMT

What should be done about heating in the summer?

Hello,Wondering if anyone knows about firemouths?

sean0613 — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:35:39 GMT

Hi, I have a 30gal tank with plenty of caves and plants!In the tank there are 5 crayfish about 1inch long,2 firemouth meeki, breeding pair of convicts and 4 minnows.My convicts have bred sucessfully and are spawning again.

My question is about my firemouths!

I bought them as a pair and they stayed paired for about 2mnths.I for sure have a male and female but within the last 2 weeks they have split up.She has been egg laiden now for about a month and the male will not let her in the caves. her scales are stretched and without cover she is at the mercy of my EXTREMELY aggressive convicts.I dont want to get rid of either firemouth but need to do something fast!someone please help!

Fish tank for a childs night light?

medicdave — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 05:32:45 GMT

I put an aquarium in my 2 year olds room, and leave the light on at night, as a night light, from about 8pm, to 6-7am, then I turn it off during the day, the room stays dark with the curtains closed, it doesnt seem to bother the fish they are thriving, dont seem stressed, eat well......I guess I'm answering my own question as to whether this is a good idea... they seem to get sleep during the day, plus I do have hiding places in the tank so even when the light is on most of them have a place to hide.......Any thoughts? suggestions on this?

I have 2 tiger barbs, a rainbow shark, a cory, and pictus cat.

Betta fish

austin123 — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 09:54:31 GMT

My betta fish sometimes follows my hand in front of the tank and I want to know if betta fish are smart enough to see me as its owner and provider of food. Is it smart enough to have a memory of who I am?

Your Fish Tanks

FattFishy — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 20:04:48 GMT

Although most people just talk about fish and fish and fish, we don't even know everyone's fish tank. So, why not make a thread and post them here!

Of course, some people have their fish tanks in their signatures so just say something and you'll post two things at once! If you do have profiles in the Fish Eclub, then post the link here instead of lengthening this page considerably.

I'll start off: 28 gallon bowfront

Fish: 3 Panda Cories, 3 Cherry Barbs, 4 Balloon Mollies, 1 Endler's Livebearer

Invertebrates: 1 Amano Shrimp, 1 Ghost Shrimp

Plants: Anubias barteri, Java Moss, Java Fern, Anacharis/Egeria densa

Decorations: Roman Coliseum thingy with a 3-way cave inside, a flower pot turned onto its side, a piece of PVC piping for the cories, and an air stone with bubbles.

Filtration: Your standard HOB filter with a rating of 150 GPH.

You can also add anything else if you want.

tank leader

austin123 — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 10:17:57 GMT

I have a 10 gallon tank with mostly 1 inch fish, a 1.5 inch gourami, and a 3 inch gold gourami and it seems like acts like the dominant fish (probably because it's the biggest). It's been fine with the fish in the tank but I wanted to know if it might eventually hurt another fish.

P.S. Is it territorial because it usually stays at the bottom?

platys and mollys

aquamaniac — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 06:53:58 GMT

my dalmation lyretail sailfin molly male bred with my regular black molly female. What will the babys look like? Any pictures will be nice.

how old do severums live

thetruebuzzard — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 06:05:54 GMT

iv had a severum for 13 years now and i was wondering how old these lovely fish can get....and is it too late to breed her..thanx

heater

aquamaniac — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 04:29:28 GMT

recently i found an entire 20 gal. settup someone just threw by the dumpster. All in perfect condition. There is a heater that says 100w 115v-60Hz. Its submersible. What size tank is this for? It looks too small for 20 gal.

Severum help

plecodiscus — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 05:53:02 GMT

I have been visiting my mom for the past couple of weeks, so my dad is feeding my fish while i am away. My question is, will my severum at my dads house still recognize me as the person who gives him food when i get back? I'm really attatched to him, and he follows me when i walk by the fish tank... I hope he wont stop doing that when i get back.

The Perfect new friend

BonnieandClyde — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:51:29 GMT

So I was reading up and i have decided that the perfect new tank mate for Jonas and Janie and i have picked the Fire mouth. I was reading up that they are mild mannered like my other two so i figure that they all should do well together. Anyone have any other picks?

wolf cichlid

tnemaloney — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 05:56:27 GMT

i just picked up my first wolf cichlids last night and these fish are just short of being parannas, extreamly aggressive tearing apart the food, and @ only 1.5" i love these fish they will be awesome in my heated pond

Need a nitrate test card :(

Nikita — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 22:52:13 GMT

My grandmother bought me a freshwater master test kit a bit over a week ago. It's the Aquarium Pharmeceuticals Freshwater Master Kit that contains tests for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, and high range pH. I love the test kit and am very pleased with it...except for one thing.

They didn't package the comparison card for the nitrate test. :(

Previously I've used strip tests to check nitrate levels, but I prefer liquid tests so I really like having one - but it's useless to me without the card. I can mix chemicals all I want but unless I can compare the results, I might as well be trying to test my nitrate levels by taste-testing my water, for all the good it's doing me.

So I've wandered around to every place that has fish - Petsmart, Petco, two local shops, and two aquarium stores. No one has a spare nitrate card. I did pick up A nitrate card, but not the one I need; every company uses different chemical formulations so all the cards are different. I emailed the company five days ago. I've gotten no response (I'll keep trying, of course). So now I'm turning to FishChannel.

Does anyone who uses the Aquarium Pharmeceuticals nitrate test have a spare card, from a test that's been used up? D: Would spare lucky person with spare card have the means to mail it to me (I'll pay expenses and for the card)?

Thanks for reading. D:

Too many?

GRUBYGUPPY — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 05:24:30 GMT

I am setting up a brand new 75gal. tnak(48x18x21)in. it consists of the

tank, an ugf. with 1,5" of course gavel,a layer of filter material and 3.5"

of smooth gravel,it is driven by 2 Eheim 200 power filters(for a total of 400

gal. per hr..All the water in the tank is drawen through the substrate and filers 5+ times per hour. lighting is 4 t-5 bulbs(2 10,000k,2 plant bulbs) and 4 moonray leds.

I would like to put into this tank the following.........

4 discus

4 angels

8 corys

18 tetras

and perhaps one of the smaller sucker mouth cats.

is this an over load fo theis setup?

discus help

scoluvsmo — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:49:04 GMT

I have been starting to research the discus. they ar pretty fish. I was wondering through others experiences if there is truth to 25% water changes every day? I have a 46 gal tank . what type of filtration do you recommend ? I have an Aqua clear 50 filter now. I know I can only keep 2 because of the size. Are these fish difficult to keep and what type of water change sched. is recommened ? thanks for any help

Firemouth meeki question!!

sean0613 — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:47:29 GMT

My question is about my firemouths!