R.I.P Felix and new stocking ideas
- Thread starter Fishman1995
- Start date
No mam, im the worst fish keeper on this site because i dont gravel vacume and im kinda lazy with water changes. Which is why i have given up atm until i can do better at it with my own house where i can get a stand and put them in the appropriate place and i can put the appropriate amount of filtration i want without getting fussed at for putting 2 filters in one tank. My mother is stuck in her ways and wont listen to a thing. Therefore, i doubt il be on this site much anymore because ive lost the passion atm. i will return thou someday 
cheers to all
cheers to all
So basically this explains ALL your issues over the last couple of months. Had you just admitted this in the first place rather than lying and playing victim to your own tank negligence we might actually have been able to help. It's a shame you're "giving up" and allowing your 20 to fail, because by the looks of things you're just going to let your fish suffer and die, which is very sad. If you're expecting it to fail, and wanting to go on a break, do the right thing, and rehome your fish.
How many times have we heard this before?
How many times have we heard this before?
"Like Mother; like son" You say you have a mother who won't listen to a thing and she evidently has a son who won't listen to a thing. I would be willing to bet you really haven't said what she really is fussing about. It is hard to believe it is because you are cleaning your tank. It may be because you are using too much Aquaclear, spending too much time or money on fish, not enough on doing your chores, etc. The siphon I use cost less than any two of your fish. (If what you do have is a Python, they cost plenty.) You have never said what filter you have or use, why you think you need to run two, if you have a heater, use an airpump, whether you have a test kit now or actually anything about tank maintenance. There is a big difference between buying something and caring for it. If your tank looks like a swamp, I will bet your room does too, (although I hope I am wrong) My son had a fish tank. It was in the front room and I wound up maintaining it because otherwise I wouldn't have wanted to have guests. I no longer remember if it was because he only did it when he felt like it or because he made such a mess when he actually did do it.
Fishman1995 - if you are going to take on the responsibilty of a pet, you must provide for it. Not doing water changes is the same as leaving your dog or cat in a room standing in their own feces and urine. There is no excuse.
I currently have 8 aquariums. I do not own a 'python' gravel vacuum. I do not even have the gravel vacuum that has the bulb you pump. I have a totally manual syphon that you must put the entire thing underwater, put your thumb over the smaller end of the tube and then drain it into a bucket. I do not gravel vacuum my tanks at all, because all are heavily planted. But I do change 25-30% of the water weekly. Without fail. Even when I had the flu for 2 weeks. Even when I was hospitalized for 4 days. The day I got out of the hospital was fish tank water change day. Guess what I did? Changed the water.
When I was a kid, I took care of my family's fish aquarium. I had a cat too, took care of a neighbor's pets when their owner was in a bad car accident and couldn't go outside to care for their dogs, cats, a horse, two ponies, a goat, chickens, and rabbits. It took me from the time I got home from school until dark (or later) to feed, water, and clean out all of the cages and enclosures the animals stood in.
If you have given up on taking care of your fish, rehome them now. Don't let them suffer the fate of your bettas and catfish.
Honestly, if you cannot keep fish healthy now, I would find it hard to believe you would take care of them properly when you have your own house.
I currently have 8 aquariums. I do not own a 'python' gravel vacuum. I do not even have the gravel vacuum that has the bulb you pump. I have a totally manual syphon that you must put the entire thing underwater, put your thumb over the smaller end of the tube and then drain it into a bucket. I do not gravel vacuum my tanks at all, because all are heavily planted. But I do change 25-30% of the water weekly. Without fail. Even when I had the flu for 2 weeks. Even when I was hospitalized for 4 days. The day I got out of the hospital was fish tank water change day. Guess what I did? Changed the water.
When I was a kid, I took care of my family's fish aquarium. I had a cat too, took care of a neighbor's pets when their owner was in a bad car accident and couldn't go outside to care for their dogs, cats, a horse, two ponies, a goat, chickens, and rabbits. It took me from the time I got home from school until dark (or later) to feed, water, and clean out all of the cages and enclosures the animals stood in.
If you have given up on taking care of your fish, rehome them now. Don't let them suffer the fate of your bettas and catfish.
Honestly, if you cannot keep fish healthy now, I would find it hard to believe you would take care of them properly when you have your own house.
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There are lots of things fishman's been SAYING he does. Water changes and cleaning the tanks, for example. I've expressed concern before over the various things he's said that just don't add up (I won't list them here.. even if I could remember them!), unfortunately it makes advising him pointless. It's just sad that so many of us get sucked in time after time under the pretence we're being responsible forum members and trying to help, when actually we're never really told the full story. The whole thing's turned into the most ridiculous wild goose chase.
What's the phrase that always makes me laugh... "Starve the troll"? Quite fitting here, I feel.
What's the phrase that always makes me laugh... "Starve the troll"? Quite fitting here, I feel.
I'm not trying to insult or anything, really. I'm just curious. Do you still want to be a marine biologist?
Also, I have one of those manual gravel-vacs too, and I hate sticking my arm in the tank when its cold. If I can find some sort of squeeze pump, I should be able to rig it into the vacuum I have, right?
Also, I have one of those manual gravel-vacs too, and I hate sticking my arm in the tank when its cold. If I can find some sort of squeeze pump, I should be able to rig it into the vacuum I have, right?
To MK and Dylan, if you'd like to recall i left for a week last time but came back because my SA catfish banged his head, i wasnt coming back and now im not. You to are the worst to cut someone down on this site as you recall in my last post people were telling you all to calm down with the nastyness which never sunk in, and if you REALLY wanna know what i think. I think your all a bunch of biast people because Mercedes just said the other day her tanks were still overstocked and NO ONE said one word to her about it but if i put one wrong fish in i get HAMMERED. Not only that, i was doing fine at keeping fish before i came here. Sure everything might have been a tiny bit overstocked but at least i kept a 5.5 gallon tank going for over a year before i came here. So there, thats how i feel and i will NOT post again on this site.
Fish-I have heard you say will not post here again and low and behold you come back.....I find it hard to believe you were doing "fine" with your tanks before coming here based on all the issues you have had. I do not think being over stocked is an issue if you DON'T LOSE FISH, so if Mercedes is overstocked; she is obviously doing something right. There should be no comparison.
I have done nothing in this post but try to help you. I even researched water rates in NC!
So if you are going leave then leave, but no one asked you to leave and we are all here to help the fish and will continue to help the fish if asked. Fish keeping is a RESPOSIBLITY. When I lose a fish I know it is my fault, I know I didn’t do something I should have. But I figure out what it is and fix it. If someone is nice enough to offer a suggestion I take it and research if it could help, I don’t complain about it.
Grow up and be accountable for your actions.
I have done nothing in this post but try to help you. I even researched water rates in NC!
So if you are going leave then leave, but no one asked you to leave and we are all here to help the fish and will continue to help the fish if asked. Fish keeping is a RESPOSIBLITY. When I lose a fish I know it is my fault, I know I didn’t do something I should have. But I figure out what it is and fix it. If someone is nice enough to offer a suggestion I take it and research if it could help, I don’t complain about it.
Grow up and be accountable for your actions.
I believe you joined this site because you were having a series of quite major issues with your tank. So to say you were "doing fine" is a little steep, don't you think?
There's a difference between nasty and blunt, I'm being the latter. You just get moody when you don't like someone's suggestion, because it shows you to be in the wrong.
As usual, I doubt you "won't post on this site again". Let's just wait until another one of your fishes dies, though I'm now quite sure, after you've just insulted pretty much every member of the forum in one sentence, not many will be willing to help. I know I won't.
Good luck!
There's a difference between nasty and blunt, I'm being the latter. You just get moody when you don't like someone's suggestion, because it shows you to be in the wrong.
As usual, I doubt you "won't post on this site again". Let's just wait until another one of your fishes dies, though I'm now quite sure, after you've just insulted pretty much every member of the forum in one sentence, not many will be willing to help. I know I won't.
Good luck!
Hey Fishman-I have the same size tank as you (20 G) and here's what I do to clean it:
I have the same type of syphon as orangecones, and a 5 gallon bucket. I get the suction started, then vacuum half of the gravel (I read somewhere to only do 1/2 the tank at a time, so you don't disturb too much of the bacteria on the gravel...not sure if it's true or not, but it makes sense to me). I generally take about 4 gallons out at a time, dump the bucket, then refill it, condition it, and put it back in the tank. Every few weeks or so I squeeze my filter media out in the old tank water, and every 3 months (approximately) I clean the filter impeller and the filter box (because algae grows there...or at least, some sort of green slime). I try to do a water change once a week...that usually doesn't happen, but it SHOULD! My tank is not heavily stocked (5 zebra danios and 4 guppies), which is probably why this has worked okay for me.
For water conditioner, I use the aqueon stuff. It has lasted me a LONG time now, over a year I think, and there is still lots left in the container. You really do not need too much water conditioner. My aunt and uncle have a small fish tank, and they just buy bottled water from the supermarket, and don't need to condition it b/c there isn't any chlorine. Of course, that probably isn't feasible with a 20 gallon tank, but it's another option.
I hope this helps! Definitely start gravel vacuuming, as it well help keep your tank healthier.
I have the same type of syphon as orangecones, and a 5 gallon bucket. I get the suction started, then vacuum half of the gravel (I read somewhere to only do 1/2 the tank at a time, so you don't disturb too much of the bacteria on the gravel...not sure if it's true or not, but it makes sense to me). I generally take about 4 gallons out at a time, dump the bucket, then refill it, condition it, and put it back in the tank. Every few weeks or so I squeeze my filter media out in the old tank water, and every 3 months (approximately) I clean the filter impeller and the filter box (because algae grows there...or at least, some sort of green slime). I try to do a water change once a week...that usually doesn't happen, but it SHOULD! My tank is not heavily stocked (5 zebra danios and 4 guppies), which is probably why this has worked okay for me.
For water conditioner, I use the aqueon stuff. It has lasted me a LONG time now, over a year I think, and there is still lots left in the container. You really do not need too much water conditioner. My aunt and uncle have a small fish tank, and they just buy bottled water from the supermarket, and don't need to condition it b/c there isn't any chlorine. Of course, that probably isn't feasible with a 20 gallon tank, but it's another option.
I hope this helps! Definitely start gravel vacuuming, as it well help keep your tank healthier.
I might add that no one has said anything to you about overstocking since you got the 20g tank - at least not that I can find. Any warnings have been about compatibility. This whole thing started over your tank maintenance.
As for overstocking - I'm sure it would take a lot more maintenance and frequent water changes - possibly even daily. The filters, no matter how many, do not remove the ammonia, etc.
As for overstocking - I'm sure it would take a lot more maintenance and frequent water changes - possibly even daily. The filters, no matter how many, do not remove the ammonia, etc.
He is a kid and children will always fib when they feel like they are being scolded. Children need encouragement and to be taught as well as praised. As adults we are so consumed with correcting wrongs that we often overlook the things which are done right.
If Fishman fails, then we all failed because children can only learn as well as they are taught.
That is, unless I am wrong and he isn't a child.
If Fishman fails, then we all failed because children can only learn as well as they are taught.
That is, unless I am wrong and he isn't a child.