Please read all i need help!

[misterking]

I'm not sure if I missed something, but I'm guessing that as you said up there you were planning on buying a test kit, you haven't been testing the water? It sounds likely (with the cloudy water too) that you had a spike in your parameters. This is why it's vital you have a liquid test kid to avoid things like this happening in the future.

Very sorry all your fish died, it's awful when your tank crashes, it happened to me ages ago in my first tank. However, I'd advise before you think about stocking and getting a set plan (let's face it you change your mind a lot and whatever plan you make up now will have changed by march), use the break to collect the appropriate equipment and do some reading up to prevent it happening again.

(I do think though that OCs shell-dweller plan is pretty awesome.. I think you'd get a lot of fun out of them).

 

[ValRasbora]

You can also use new, large trash cans. You can often find them at dollar stores. Not quite as good as 5g buckets, but they work.

Sorry about your fish. There could have been a spike, or a temperature flucation. We'll probably never know for sure, but the cloudiness could have been poo & debris from the bottom?

 

[OrangeCones]

You can also use new, large trash cans. You can often find them at dollar stores. Not quite as good as 5g buckets, but they work.

I suggest the 5 gallon buckets with lids for several reasons:

They have strong sturdy handles, put the lid on when moving a full bucket to prevent spilling water.

Easy to measure the water to make sure you are using the correct amount of water conditioner.

Once the water change is over, store your dechlor/net/gravel vac, etc, IN the bucket to keep them clean.

With the lids on, they stack, so easy to store in the back of a closet when not in use.

With the lids on, prevents contaminates from entering the bucket via airborn sprays, household chemicals, etc.

 

[Fishman1995]

Ive been reading on shellies for over a month, like the idea, now just to see if my lfs can get some lol. Can i put anything with shellies?

Yes, equipment first, so far on the list is a Gravel Vacume, API Master Test Kit and Play Sand Substrate. API Test Kit is $30 and the Gravel vacume is $10 and the sand cant be more tha $10 so that still leaves me about $50 left of Birthday Money

 

[Fishman1995]

OUCH i just did some reading and if i do choose to add tankmates i gotta do it carefully cause the shellies can pack a mean punch

 

[ryanoh]

I think shellies are mostly a species only kind of thing. I know you can get like 50 pounds of play sand for only like 4 dollars at Lowes (that's what I did), but since you're doing shellies and they're a Tanganyika fish you might want to look into something that will buffer pH, like crushed coral. That could get way more expensive than regular play sand.

 

[OrangeCones]

OUCH i just did some reading and if i do choose to add tankmates i gotta do it carefully cause the shellies can pack a mean punch

Indeed. They are cichlids afterall, even if the smallest.

A friend of mine kept 3 or 4 pair in a 20gallon tank while in college, made enough money to buy a 125gallon tank when he was done with school, selling the fry. If kept properly, they can breed like rabbits.

 

[Fishman1995]

Interesting idea OC, perhaps il start a nice continous cycle with my LFS for a small price if the owner will accept it. Ryanoh, my P.H. has always been higher than my API regular PH tester will go so i feel im good no matter what type of substrate i use And ive been thinking that this will be a species only tank. I dont want to disrupt there natural breeding with the worry of some sort of predator What type of shells thou, ive heard those saltwater shells wont work???

 

[Fishman1995]

Ive decided that for sure im doing Multi's i love them lil guys, ive joined ShellDwellers.com - Index and been asking about them and ive learned alot about them

 

[fishwish34]

Fishman, when you say you added 5 drops of Aquasafe, did you mean 5 drops per gallon or 5 drops in all? I don't think 5 drops would be enough for 5 gallons. I'm not sure how accurate one needs to be with water conditioner, though--if you have a fraction of a mL more or less, maybe it doesn't affect things? I use a little syringe to measure out my water conditioner, but I just like to be exact

A more general question: where do you get shells for shell dwelling fish? Does the pet store have them? Do you need one per fish, or more or less than that?

 

[Fishman1995]

You can buy Escargot shells from the super market, you can but shells from the dollar store or something or you can just use ocean shells but make sure you soak them in Freshwater first for a few days.

Depends on which species you use as to how many shells you need, for my Multis ima need about 6 shells per fish.