Not posted in awhile
- Thread starter Fishman1995
- Start date
I just read thyra's post. What i said there was true, i did a 25% water change and my fish were all at the top rapidly breathing. I didnt want them to suffer so i uthenized them.
I think im just gonna keep Electra and give fishkeeping a break until after college and i get my on house. But there's on thing i just dont understand, my moms friend "inapproprietly" keeps fish like i did, and her's are still living to this day. She has 1 Silver tipped shark, 2 Cichlids, 1 Rainbow Shark, a Synodotis species all in a 55 gallon and shes had that for over 3 years. She has 4 Ryukin Goldfish in a tiny 5.5 gallon tank, had them for the longest time. The only difference between me and her is she kept her tank glass spotless, she didnt gravel vac sept every 6 months at a partial cleaning and she didnt do water changes, she just refilled the tanks water (had to be careful because the Silver Tipped shark would slap her tail and water get the lights wet and break them)
Why has her tanks been okay and all mine failed?
I think im just gonna keep Electra and give fishkeeping a break until after college and i get my on house. But there's on thing i just dont understand, my moms friend "inapproprietly" keeps fish like i did, and her's are still living to this day. She has 1 Silver tipped shark, 2 Cichlids, 1 Rainbow Shark, a Synodotis species all in a 55 gallon and shes had that for over 3 years. She has 4 Ryukin Goldfish in a tiny 5.5 gallon tank, had them for the longest time. The only difference between me and her is she kept her tank glass spotless, she didnt gravel vac sept every 6 months at a partial cleaning and she didnt do water changes, she just refilled the tanks water (had to be careful because the Silver Tipped shark would slap her tail and water get the lights wet and break them)
Why has her tanks been okay and all mine failed?
That was a bit drastic action just because your fish were breathing rapidly. They were probably stressed from the water change or there may have been a difference in temperature in the water...or any number of reasons why your fish were at the surface breathing rapidly, NONE OF WHICH would be cause enough to euthanize them.
Some people get lucky.
I have a friend who has a fancy goldfish (about 5") and a common pleco (the "new" one she just got from her sister's 10 gallon tank is about 6"...her other one was almost 8" before it died) in a 28gal bowfront. The goldfish would be fine in that size tank...if she kept the water cool, but she keeps it at 78F, like a tropical tank. Her fish have been in that tank for at least two years and are "fine," except the fact that she had fancy guppies that were dropping like flies. She never does water changes and when she does clean the tank, it's a full strip-down and scrub.
I kept nine female bettas in an 18gal tall tank for almost a year when I first started and never lost one. I never did water changes, did the full strip-down clean, and was technically WAY overstocked. In fact, at one point I added a small trinidad pleco (not knowing better), but got rid of him because he fouled my filter with his poop. Then I got otos and never lost one.
The thing is, fish kept in less-than-ideal conditions don't live as long. Period. Most of the fish in your friend's tank won't live their full lives. Most of those fish live 5+ years in ideal conditions. I would be willing to bet that your friend's fish are stunted (at least the silvertip is...they are supposed to get 24" long).
Here is what I have learned about fishkeeping and hopefully you'll come to understand this as well:
Fish are living creatures that depend on us for their care, the same as a dog or horse. Just as you would not make a dog or horse live in too-small accommodations (like a tiny dog run or in a barn stall with never being turned out) and in their own feces, you should not make fish live in those conditions. We need to try to provide the best care and environment possible for the animals we care for. For fish, this means researching their natural habitat and mimicking those habitats to the best of our ability. Most of the fish commonly kept in aquaria come from rivers and streams where the water is clean with no ammonia build-up from waste and that allows them to swim freely and reach their maximum potential size. We should strive to keep our aquarium water clean with no ammonio build-up from waste (which is accomplished by cycling your tank and doing water changes to remove excess waste). We should also strive to provide at least the minimum space requirements needed by the fish we keep. This means having a tank large enough that the fish can reach their maximum potential size while in our care. We should also provide the fish with tankmates that are naturally compatible to avoid aggression and deaths that would not be found in the wild because those species would never be found mixed in the wild. This means having the appropriate numbers of fish to avoid aggression within a certain species, as well as not mixing fish that are completely incompatible just because we like the way they look.
We have a responsibility to the creatures we care for and honestly, I don't think you get that, Fishman.
Some people get lucky.
I have a friend who has a fancy goldfish (about 5") and a common pleco (the "new" one she just got from her sister's 10 gallon tank is about 6"...her other one was almost 8" before it died) in a 28gal bowfront. The goldfish would be fine in that size tank...if she kept the water cool, but she keeps it at 78F, like a tropical tank. Her fish have been in that tank for at least two years and are "fine," except the fact that she had fancy guppies that were dropping like flies. She never does water changes and when she does clean the tank, it's a full strip-down and scrub.
I kept nine female bettas in an 18gal tall tank for almost a year when I first started and never lost one. I never did water changes, did the full strip-down clean, and was technically WAY overstocked. In fact, at one point I added a small trinidad pleco (not knowing better), but got rid of him because he fouled my filter with his poop. Then I got otos and never lost one.
The thing is, fish kept in less-than-ideal conditions don't live as long. Period. Most of the fish in your friend's tank won't live their full lives. Most of those fish live 5+ years in ideal conditions. I would be willing to bet that your friend's fish are stunted (at least the silvertip is...they are supposed to get 24" long).
Here is what I have learned about fishkeeping and hopefully you'll come to understand this as well:
Fish are living creatures that depend on us for their care, the same as a dog or horse. Just as you would not make a dog or horse live in too-small accommodations (like a tiny dog run or in a barn stall with never being turned out) and in their own feces, you should not make fish live in those conditions. We need to try to provide the best care and environment possible for the animals we care for. For fish, this means researching their natural habitat and mimicking those habitats to the best of our ability. Most of the fish commonly kept in aquaria come from rivers and streams where the water is clean with no ammonia build-up from waste and that allows them to swim freely and reach their maximum potential size. We should strive to keep our aquarium water clean with no ammonio build-up from waste (which is accomplished by cycling your tank and doing water changes to remove excess waste). We should also strive to provide at least the minimum space requirements needed by the fish we keep. This means having a tank large enough that the fish can reach their maximum potential size while in our care. We should also provide the fish with tankmates that are naturally compatible to avoid aggression and deaths that would not be found in the wild because those species would never be found mixed in the wild. This means having the appropriate numbers of fish to avoid aggression within a certain species, as well as not mixing fish that are completely incompatible just because we like the way they look.
We have a responsibility to the creatures we care for and honestly, I don't think you get that, Fishman.
Fishman.... your barbs were likely lethargic because the water quality was poor...
So I have been keeping tanks since before you were born (if you are graduating HS in 2013) I have never had much luck in any tank under 30 gallons... Little heaters fried my fish, stocking gets to heavy, water quality always crappy etc etc etc.
Sooo I don't know what about keeping a 20g is so much work, but honestly a 20 is FAR LESS work then a 10. a 30 is less then a 20 and a correctly stocked 55 is almost no work at all (like bi weekly water changes)
If you want a mean fish find a 55g on craigs list (will be cheaper then a 10g new) and get a south American something. Feed it live watch it grow big it will be fun for you. Yeah i know people have mixed feelings on live feedings... I don't personally put anything alive for food purposes in my tank but people who like super mean big fish tend to like it.
55 gallon aquarium cheap
55 Gallon Fish Tank
55 gallon tank and filter
there you go there are 3 55 gallon tanks for about what walmart sells a 10g set up for.
1 south American only. Don't get crazy on us. Like a flowerhorn, firemouth, parrot fish, Oscar, jack dempsy something like that wold be fun. They don't need heavy decor, they like standard gravel (buy pea rock at home depot for 2.00 a bag) and yeah they are fun and get very big inside a few months.
So I have been keeping tanks since before you were born (if you are graduating HS in 2013) I have never had much luck in any tank under 30 gallons... Little heaters fried my fish, stocking gets to heavy, water quality always crappy etc etc etc.
Sooo I don't know what about keeping a 20g is so much work, but honestly a 20 is FAR LESS work then a 10. a 30 is less then a 20 and a correctly stocked 55 is almost no work at all (like bi weekly water changes)
If you want a mean fish find a 55g on craigs list (will be cheaper then a 10g new) and get a south American something. Feed it live watch it grow big it will be fun for you. Yeah i know people have mixed feelings on live feedings... I don't personally put anything alive for food purposes in my tank but people who like super mean big fish tend to like it.
55 gallon aquarium cheap
55 Gallon Fish Tank
55 gallon tank and filter
there you go there are 3 55 gallon tanks for about what walmart sells a 10g set up for.
1 south American only. Don't get crazy on us. Like a flowerhorn, firemouth, parrot fish, Oscar, jack dempsy something like that wold be fun. They don't need heavy decor, they like standard gravel (buy pea rock at home depot for 2.00 a bag) and yeah they are fun and get very big inside a few months.
guppy fry, small minnows, crickets, whatever you can get. Oscars and flower-horns like live food particularly. (I kept a HUGE flower-horn for several years, sold her a few years back at a fish auction) she was super mean I had to pen her off to get my arm in the tank. Worms work well too. I don't keep SA/CA fish anymore, and most need at least some flake/pellet type food. but you can toss a 3cent goldie in there a couple times a week if you feel the need for fish murder.
Parrots are fun btw but most likely won't eat live food as they can't close their mouths very well.
Also they are sorta known for digging holes in the gravel and rearranging tanks, some people this this is fun and funny some get annoyed. If you put plants in there use aquarium silicone to glue them to the floor of the tank before you set it up
Parrots are fun btw but most likely won't eat live food as they can't close their mouths very well.
Also they are sorta known for digging holes in the gravel and rearranging tanks, some people this this is fun and funny some get annoyed. If you put plants in there use aquarium silicone to glue them to the floor of the tank before you set it up
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OK, I'm back from the water change so I can post a "real" reply now.
Fishman, sometimes we need a break and a fresh start. Personally, I would think very hard about stopping fishkeeping for so long! I think deep down you know you're going to miss it. We all have our ups and downs, and being relatively new to the hobby isn't the easiest. Everyone always wants the big, expensive fish at first, but like everything else, we have to work our way up. We have to start out with easy fish and work our way up once we master the basics.
Like some people said before me- some people just get lucky with bad fishkeeping. My friend's Mom has 5 goldies in a 10 gallon... they are all huge, healthy and MESSY. I can't do anything about it, but I certainly don't agree with it. But I can demonstrate proper fishkeeping!
Good luck
Fishman, sometimes we need a break and a fresh start. Personally, I would think very hard about stopping fishkeeping for so long! I think deep down you know you're going to miss it. We all have our ups and downs, and being relatively new to the hobby isn't the easiest. Everyone always wants the big, expensive fish at first, but like everything else, we have to work our way up. We have to start out with easy fish and work our way up once we master the basics.
Like some people said before me- some people just get lucky with bad fishkeeping. My friend's Mom has 5 goldies in a 10 gallon... they are all huge, healthy and MESSY. I can't do anything about it, but I certainly don't agree with it. But I can demonstrate proper fishkeeping!
Good luck
i have both a red and green jewel, the aratus/chipoke, Hongi, bumblebee and kenyi are actually far more aggressive, but i have re-homed several jewels (I had 5 in one tank at one point)
Cichlids do best when crowded they have less territory issues. If you notice my tanks are also very heavily scaped. all of the decor/caves/drift/plastic plants provide tons of hide out space and lots of places for the fish to "claim" this is not to say that my tanks are not "survival of the fittest" with cichlids the occasional murder is to be somewhat expected. For instance electric yellows *also called yellow labs* are really passive (appropriate for a moderately aggressive community tank even, that being said i have a hard time keeping them.
Cichlids do best when crowded they have less territory issues. If you notice my tanks are also very heavily scaped. all of the decor/caves/drift/plastic plants provide tons of hide out space and lots of places for the fish to "claim" this is not to say that my tanks are not "survival of the fittest" with cichlids the occasional murder is to be somewhat expected. For instance electric yellows *also called yellow labs* are really passive (appropriate for a moderately aggressive community tank even, that being said i have a hard time keeping them.