a couple questions

[TheFighterFish]

1. why does life throw unexpected turns? (j/k on this one)

2. can you vaccum eco-complete substrate? (its so small that im afraid i'll end up sucking the rocks instead of the poo)

3. With only 1 black neon tetra, does that explain why he keeps punking around my black platy?

4. Do you ever realize how aged fish look so amazing? (my high-fin platies are starting to detach part of their dorsal fins and looks like a trailing cape)

That's all for now. Have fun.

 

[Lotus]

1. It just does Sometimes things turn out for the better in the end.

2. Yes, but you may need to keep your finger over the exit end of the siphon to let smaller particles go back into the tank, or you'll be slowly removing the substrate.

3. That doesn't sound like a good thing.. how old are they?

 

[micah2012]

I have Eco-complete, when I vaccum it I just slightly go over the top to remove debris. I play in my tank so much moving around plants and such that I don't worry about debris settling below the top layer.

 

[TheFighterFish]

1. It just does Sometimes things turn out for the better in the end.

Hopefully.

I've had my black platy for about 7 months. I got her at Petsmart. My black neon tetra, I've only recently added a few weeks back, in which case caused a huge ich outbreak (I'm still in need of a Q tank).

I wonder if I add maybe 2 more black neon tetras, maybe it'll calm the little guy down (he/she is a really fast eater).

 

[TheFighterFish]

I picked up 2 more black neon tetras a few days ago. The bully (black neon) now distributes his/her aggression not only to the platies, but also to the other neons.

As a result, the caudal fins of both neons have a cut. It is small and barely noticable, but there.

The 2 new neons are a lot smaller, and I would even bet that they're still developing into adults. I got them at petsmart and for the past few days, they've been really picky about eating flakes or bloodworms. I hope they'll get used to the food.

Only the 2 of the neons school. The older bully neon just swims around by him/herself.

 

[Fuzz16]

try removing that bully from the tank into a bucket filled with water from the tank for about 2 minutes then re-enter him

i did this with my convicts so i could add pregnant guppies in. they never touched the females, but ate the babes.

 

[TheFighterFish]

I have a total of 5 black neon tetras in my 10 G.

1.Why doesn't the larger fish (I bought separately) school with the rest of the other fish?

Do fish tend to become more aggressive and "soloistic" with age?

I use tap water whenever I do a PWC. However, it is pretty cold right now and I would like the temperatures to be slightly equal when I change water. After letting the water sit for 1 day, I take the water (in regular 1 gallon bottles) in the bathroom where I take a hot shower. Hopefully, this raises the temperature in the bottle a bit higher.

2.Is there a method of heating up the water that isn't as ridiculous as mine?

 

[idsgt]

hmmm, I don't let my water stand for a day just set the faucet to a close match with tank water and fill. I then treat it.

 

[JWright]

You're better off treating water before you add it to the tank. The chlorine in tap water can kill the bacteria in your filter pretty quickly...

On my freshwater tanks, I do relatively small water changes, generally twice a week. Since I'm only changing 10-15% of the water, I don't worry about the temperature that much.

For my 20g SW, I have a 5 gallon bucket I use to mix the water. I add the water and salt, then let it mix overnight with a heater and a powerhead.

If you're really worried about the temp, I would just pickup a cheap heater and stick that in the water you're going to add to the tank.

~JW

 

[megskee333]

My parents live in the country with awful well water, so my mom has to buy gallon jugs of water. To heat them up a little, we fill one of the bathtubs with some hot water, and let the jugs sit in the warm water. Within a few minutes, they are heated up to a tank-safe temperature. Hope that helps

 

[TheFighterFish]

I see.

I generally use condition even after I let it sit for 24 hours. Anyone have any ideas about the black neon tetras.

I really like the red part of their eyes.

 

[megskee333]

By the way, we always treat the water at the same time with dechlorinator and a little aquarium salt.