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We just ran into a problem with one of our fish I got my wife a big catfish, probably five inches long. THe mostly wiggles in behind a plastic plant right next to the heater.
Recently, he appeared to be rotting. He has long white blisters on his side and chinks of flesh are missing. We thought it was some disease, but could not find anything that matches his condition. Eventually wifey figured out he is probably getting burned by being up against the heater. We moved the heater away from his area and we will see wehther he gets better. He is a really cool fish (We call him Bub for "Big Ugly Bob").
Another odd thing, we are addiing 7-10 gallons of water a week. We cannot find a leak anywhere. Where is it all going? Being winter, the air is very dry, could that much be evaporating?
We just ran into a problem with one of our fish I got my wife a big catfish, probably five inches long. THe mostly wiggles in behind a plastic plant right next to the heater.
Recently, he appeared to be rotting. He has long white blisters on his side and chinks of flesh are missing. We thought it was some disease, but could not find anything that matches his condition. Eventually wifey figured out he is probably getting burned by being up against the heater. We moved the heater away from his area and we will see wehther he gets better. He is a really cool fish (We call him Bub for "Big Ugly Bob").
Another odd thing, we are addiing 7-10 gallons of water a week. We cannot find a leak anywhere. Where is it all going? Being winter, the air is very dry, could that much be evaporating?
It is evaporating. Is there a top on the tank? Glass or a hood?
My little 10 gallon is going super well.
Literally 5 minutes of maintenance a week - gravel vacuum and 25% water change.
I have a sponge for algae scrub, but I haven't seen any algae except on my heater.
The fish are doing great, everyone's getting along, and everyone is lively. It's been great and I have channeled my hankering for another tank into getting other people into the hobby!
We just ran into a problem with one of our fish I got my wife a big catfish, probably five inches long. THe mostly wiggles in behind a plastic plant right next to the heater.
Recently, he appeared to be rotting. He has long white blisters on his side and chinks of flesh are missing. We thought it was some disease, but could not find anything that matches his condition. Eventually wifey figured out he is probably getting burned by being up against the heater. We moved the heater away from his area and we will see wehther he gets better. He is a really cool fish (We call him Bub for "Big Ugly Bob").
Another odd thing, we are adding 7-10 gallons of water a week. We cannot find a leak anywhere. Where is it all going? Being winter, the air is very dry, could that much be evaporating?
Hey, just and update. Big Ugly Bob is still alive and doing well. Never found what the issue was but it went away so I think he was burning himself hiding behind the heater. Kinda surprised he has lived this long.
Hey, just and update. Big Ugly Bob is still alive and doing well. Never found what the issue was but it went away so I think he was burning himself hiding behind the heater. Kinda surprised he has lived this long.
Good news. Always so nice when things are going well as aquariums can get complicated.
Well I finally got my aquarium, ten years later lol.
I found a 55 gal tank with a nice cabinet and canopy. The tank had lime deposits all over it and I just purchased a new one yesterday. I will keep this older tank and clean it later.
I want to have bigger fish so I can see them from across the room. I like the idea of goldfish, as they are mellow, but someone told me they are dirty. I am interested in African Cichlids but heard they are aggressive to other fish. So I am not sure yet.
I may paint the cabinet and canopy. This is an expensive hobby I see, with all the stuff you have to buy.
Well I finally got my aquarium, ten years later lol.
I found a 55 gal tank with a nice cabinet and canopy. The tank had lime deposits all over it and I just purchased a new one yesterday. I will keep this older tank and clean it later.
I want to have bigger fish so I can see them from across the room. I like the idea of goldfish, as they are mellow, but someone told me they are dirty. I am interested in African Cichlids but heard they are aggressive to other fish. So I am not sure yet.
I may paint the cabinet and canopy. This is an expensive hobby I see, with all the stuff you have to buy.
But I will enjoy it.
Goldfish are really dirty. There are large bright colored fish that you can get for fresh water. Cichlids are pretty but very difficult to keep alive. They are very aggressive. Angelfish are pretty Cichlids and not too hard to keep alive and not too aggressive as long as the tank is not crowded. They come in lots of neat clors and configurations and can be found almost everywhere that sells fish.
Cherry Barbs are pretty (you need several). Tiger and golden barbs are pretty too. They are slightly aggressive,but if the tank is not crowded, they are usually fine with other fish. There are some pretty Gouramis. Rainbow fish are cool once they grow up.
There are some really cool looking Plecos. Also some neat catfish - usually more because of their shape than colors. Some catfish are so ulgy they are cool.
Been keeping freshwater tropical for over 40 yrs. Currently have a 75 gallon that has been running for over 25 yrs (but it has developed a slow leak so I can't fill it too much, will need to break it down and re-silicon the seals)
My advice to you... when you pick your fish, TAKE YOUR TIME.
Research the species online, the care it needs, what it eats, diseases, etc.
Also quality VS quantity. Buy a specimen that you LOVE. Perfect fins, etc.
Why? Because buying fish is addictive and your aquarium will be overfilled in no time.
The biggest mistake a beginner makes is overfilling the aquarium. Needs a lot more maintenance and less room for error in water quality management.
BTW, another tip... most pleco's poop more than they are worth, esp the bigger ones. The sailfin ones are gorgeous but they overgrow most setups. The common ones are cute as lil pups, but they also get huge. Personally I like one or two Nerite snails... they will eat plenty of algae on the glass for you.
Thank you! You two sound like you will be a good resource.
I know I will probably have too many fish, as I won't be able to help myself. One thing I will need is patience. I heard it may take some time to get the water quality right, and I don't want to lose expensive fish in that process.
What is considered a lot?
I was thinking of having about 5 different types of fish, so is two of each okay?
The fish I had in mind after researching include: Guianacara, Gourami, Blue Acara, Angelfish, and Geophagus
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