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Eruwestiel_Evensong
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Post Fish keeping anyone?
on: November 02, 2012 10:23
I'm really into freshwater tropical fish keeping and was wondering if anyone else knows anything about fish keeping/or is interested in fish?
"And I dreamed of seas and ships, and of waves crashing on the shore in the twilight of the world..." ~Song, member of the Realm of Ulmo
BelleBayard
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Post Re: Fish keeping anyone?
on: November 02, 2012 12:56
I love fish, but unfortunately, I don't have the time to take proper care of them. For many years I had a 55 gallon tank with African Cichlids from Lake Malawai in Kenya. They were gorgeous, very active, but terribly territorial. They are mouth brooders so the female scoops the eggs up in her mouth after their fertilized and when they are tiny fry, she protects them the same way. This makes her vulnerable to other aggressive fish so it's best to separate the females who are broody until their babies are big enough to hide away. They come in many bright colors from cobalt blue to spotted black and orange. If you really want interesting fish, these are the ones. They are a bit expensive (most are tank bred, which is cheaper than from the wild), but if you just want to watch gentle fish, mollies are beautiful. Not putting fish in immediately after setting up your tank is important because a certain amount of bacteria needs to build up. Also, best to get more than one kind of filter.

I used an under gravel filter as well as one that sat on the top of the tank and circulated water. I also used a filter head for plenty of flow. Depends on the number of fish and size of tank you get. Best not to have too many fish or breeders as the ammonia level gets too high and will kill them off. I'd say I was a aquarium enthusiast for well over 25 years.
Eruwestiel_Evensong
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Post Re: Fish keeping anyone?
on: November 02, 2012 10:21
Cool! Glad there are other people out there who like fish. I had kept goldfish in the past, but, like many people, knew nothing about the proper way to care for them. After a break from fish for a while, I decided to try again this February. I got a fancy guppy and a Glofish, but I didn't start learning about good fish keeping until my guppy started gasping at the surface for air. I didn't know what was wrong, so I started researching. I finally learned that it was because I had washed the bowl with soap. It was too late to save him by that time, so he died. Needless to say, I have never used soap anywhere near fish after that. When one of my friend's mom saw my fish, she got interested in keeping fish again too and set up a 5 gallon Marineland aquarium. After that she got me one too. When she brought me the tank, she brought me two mollies and two Glofish. At that point I didn't know much about the Nitrogen cycle so I put all the fish in a once. Some of them lasted for about six months, but they where all dead by July. I took the tank down for while, but yesterday I set it up again and am planning on getting a male betta for it. I am waiting on my API freshwater Master Test kit to get here still, and I have a good fish book to help me along. I have learned a lot through trial and error, but I hope I can be a good fish keeper now. Do you think I should try to cycle my tank before putting the betta in, or would it be OK to just put him in and do regular water changes and water testing?
"And I dreamed of seas and ships, and of waves crashing on the shore in the twilight of the world..." ~Song, member of the Realm of Ulmo
BelleBayard
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Post Re: Fish keeping anyone?
on: November 03, 2012 10:59
I would let the water sit for about a week at least before you put a fish in it, from my previous experiences. Bettas are very different from most fish. You can only put one in a tank. Period. They will fight to the death. Be careful of overfeeding and they actually LIKE still water. Partial water changes only once a month and make sure to do it gradually so the fish doesn't get shocky from temperature and pH differences. A pH tester is important and knowing what your fish type likes. African cichlids like alkaline, almost brackish (slightly salty) water, but some like less alkaline pH and all fresh water. Chlorine is another big killer so it's helpful to know if your city/town uses that to purify water. You can get rid of some of it by letting it sit out and/or putting a bubbler in it to help bring the stuff to the surface and dissapate it. There are also additives that you can put in to neutralize it. Best of luck to you!
Eruwestiel_Evensong
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Post Re: Fish keeping anyone?
on: November 04, 2012 04:43
I have been using Jungle Start Right water conditioner to neutralize chlorine chloramines etc. I was only going to get one male betta, as I know they would kill each other if I put two together. The test kit I'm getting tests for PH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrates. My tank has a Tetra Whisper filter which has very high, high, medium and low settings. The tank has been running for two days without fish now. Thanks for the tips...I wish more people new how to properly care for fish. I'll try to post a pic of my tank on here once I get my fish in it.
"And I dreamed of seas and ships, and of waves crashing on the shore in the twilight of the world..." ~Song, member of the Realm of Ulmo
BelleBayard
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Post Re: Fish keeping anyone?
on: November 04, 2012 07:35
Thanks! They can be a lot of fun and soothing as well. A single fish won't require nearly the amount of work as a whole tankful! What you have should do just fine. Bettas can last a VERY long time (years). One of the Nurse Practitioners I worked with before she retired kept a betta in her office. Even not eating over the weekend he lasted for more than 6 yrs and she got a new one before she left. A red she named Ketchup. Another friend at work inherited him and he's doing just fine. Looking forward to those pictures once you get everything in place.
Eruwestiel_Evensong
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Post Re: Fish keeping anyone?
on: November 05, 2012 06:45
I'm hoping I can get my betta tomorrow. I could have gotten one from Walmart, but the fish are sitting in blue water (preventative medication I'm guessing) and look half dead. I live in a tiny town, but we do all our shopping in a bigger town twenty minutes away. The only places I know that sell fish and fish related items are Walmart and a small pet store. The closest PetSmart is about an hour and a half away, so I'm pretty much stuck with going to the other two stores. I think I'll be getting my betta from the smaller store, because the fish are in better condition. My test kit got here today *happy dance*! I can't wait to get everything going!
"And I dreamed of seas and ships, and of waves crashing on the shore in the twilight of the world..." ~Song, member of the Realm of Ulmo
Eruwestiel_Evensong
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Post Re: Fish keeping anyone?
on: November 06, 2012 02:41
I ended up getting my betta from Walmart after all, because the pet store didn't open util ten and we needed to get back home. I picked up some Tetra betta pellets and bloodworms too. He's getting used to his new home now. I acclimated him by gradually adding water to his bowl from my tank, then netted him out. I tested the pH of our tap water after accerating it by shaking it in a jar and got a reading of 6.4. I then tested the pH of my tank (without the fish) and got a reading of 7.6. High Range pH for the tank read 7.4. Is this a problem? I've read that cichlids love that range of alkaline water, but some other fish don't. Besides, alkaline water makes ammonia more toxic, so I just want to make sure I don't kill my fish!
"And I dreamed of seas and ships, and of waves crashing on the shore in the twilight of the world..." ~Song, member of the Realm of Ulmo
BelleBayard
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Post Re: Fish keeping anyone?
on: November 06, 2012 08:50
That's true. I don't know enough about the environment bettas come from so you might do some research on that. Since you only have one fish it shouldn't be a big problem. It's when you have many fish that it's gets to be an issue quickly. You can get pH shock if you change it too dramatically. Did a little checking and found a decent site. Try this one http://www.bettatalk.com/water.htm. Not super complex, but might help give you some pointers.
Erucenindë
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Post Re: Fish keeping anyone?
on: November 06, 2012 11:04
I also have a 5 gal tank and love to keep fish. Growing up we had a 55 gal with 3 big, beautiful Oscars. One was even albino and was a golden sunny color. I have loved oscars ever since and wish I could have one now.

However, I am in the same situation as Eruwestiel. The only place close to get fish around here is Walmart, otherwise I have to drive an hour and I'm not sure I could take a fish that far. I was buying all sorts of fish, and even an oscar, but they all died rather quickly. I believe it was because the fish just were sickly to begin with (coming from Walmart). So for the longest time I gave up and just stuck with one, lonely sucker fish (he, of course, came from Walmart, but does just fine).

Just the other day I decided to get a betta fish because they are very hardy and I hoped that he would do ok in the tank. So far so good, he seems to be doing good. I am glad to have another fish in the tank now. I still wish I could have an Oscar though!

Now I know that bettas like still water, but the tank was set up with a filter and I have just kept it that way. The betta does fine with it seemingly. I was wondering though, (for you fish experts), if running a filter was even necessary? It is only 5 gallon tank, and the only fish in there is the sucker fish and the betta. What do yall think?
dwellerofthewest
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Post Re: Fish keeping anyone?
on: November 07, 2012 02:05
My mom and my friends mom kept fish. The funny thing was we kept ours in the old dorty tank and cleaned it about every three years. My freinds mom got a new clean tank and cleaned her like every five min. ( okay not really but you get my point). Ours lived about five years and hers about two months. Weird.
BelleBayard
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Post Re: Fish keeping anyone?
on: November 07, 2012 09:55
Over doing changing water isn't good (see my thing about pH shock and water additives because of things like chlorine in drinking water). It's actually better NOT to do a lot of water changes. Until about three months ago I still had my 55 gal tank, but only with two HUGE plecostomi (plecostomus is singular) that I'd gotten when they were only about 2 inches long. They finally died of a combination of old age and seriously disgusting tank! That's when I decided enough was enough and broke it down. So... as long as the tank isn't bubbling madly or too much water movement a single filter hopefully won't cause any problems with the betta. You do what you can with what you have.
dwellerofthewest
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Post Re: Fish keeping anyone?
on: November 07, 2012 10:09
Yeah.
dwellerofthewest
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Post Re: Fish keeping anyone?
on: November 07, 2012 10:09
That is always good
Erucenindë
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Post Re: Fish keeping anyone?
on: November 07, 2012 08:55
Ok I thought it should be fine. I haven't actually cleaned my tank in a long time, and probably won't for a long while yet. They seem to do better when I don't clean it.
Eruwestiel_Evensong
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Post Re: Fish keeping anyone?
on: November 08, 2012 09:30
I have a filter with different flow settings on it. The high setting was much too high, because the water kept spilling over the back. The lowest setting, although the most gentile, put out way to little water. I now have it set on medium low which seems to be working well. I used to clean my tank a least once a week to make sure the water stayed good, because it was a little overstocked. I didn't have a test kit then, so I couldn't determine were I needed to change things. I just had to goggle symptoms when there was a problem. The friend that gave me the tank setup hardly ever changes her water and, aside from losing some of her fish from ich and bullying, her fish are still alive. That whole deal was ironic because I was the one researching telling her the importance of water change sand giving her tips on what to do and her fish survived and mine died! But you do have to pay a price for not doing water changes. Besides my guppy dying from fin rot, I have never had to deal with disease in my tank. That same friend on the other hand, got her tank completely infected with ich. At first she thought she'd have to flush all her fish before I told her that ich was about the easiest fish disease to cure. She started treating her tank with ich medication and got rid of it after she flushed the fish that kept getting the other fish sick. So, I think I've learned that you're fish won't just die off if you don't clean the tank for a little while.
"And I dreamed of seas and ships, and of waves crashing on the shore in the twilight of the world..." ~Song, member of the Realm of Ulmo
Eruwestiel_Evensong
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Post Re: Fish keeping anyone?
on: November 14, 2012 08:59
Does anyone know if I could put maybe two otos in with the betta? Or ghost shrimp? I think my family would like if if there was more to look at in the tank. Also, my betta doesn't like pellets, and spits out most of the flakes. The tank has been running for a week now. I'm waiting on it to cycle still.
"And I dreamed of seas and ships, and of waves crashing on the shore in the twilight of the world..." ~Song, member of the Realm of Ulmo
BelleBayard
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Post Re: Fish keeping anyone?
on: November 14, 2012 07:34
Male bettas don't do well with ANY other fish or critters from what I've heard. You might get away with some small decorations, though. There is special betta food and to be honest with you, the pellets are like that. They take them in their mouth, roll them around, then spit them out. Can't really chew them. LOL They don't require a lot of food, given they aren't terrible active fish. Heck, the one that's in my office doesn't eat over the weekend! They call him Ketchup because he's red and seems to be doing fine. The previous one lasted over six years!
Eruwestiel_Evensong
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Post Re: Fish keeping anyone?
on: November 15, 2012 05:01
I looked around online last night and otos and shrimp are some of what was suggested. I think as far as mixing bettas with other fish, the general consensus was 50/50. To me it all depends on the particular betta's temperament as to whether he'll do well with tank mates or not. I guess I'll probably just leave him by himself. He doesn't seem very aggressive, but he does flair up at the fish on the background behind his tank! Another thing. I've been wanting to upgrade my tank size for a while. At first I wanted a 55 gallon, but decided to not get one because of the price and size. Then I wanted a 29 gallon, but I didn't know when I could afford it. So today I started thinking of maybe getting a 20 gallon depending on the price. In my research, most people said to definitely get a 29 gallon over the 20. What are you're thoughts? Should I just painstakingly save for the 29 gallon kit plus decor and fish (probably $150 or so) or just get the 20 gallon? I want to get a bigger tank soon! I kind of wanted to get one before Christmas because I wanted it be sort of a family present (mostly for my mom, who loves neon tetras, and would love it if I set up a tank with a school of them). Any thoughts?
"And I dreamed of seas and ships, and of waves crashing on the shore in the twilight of the world..." ~Song, member of the Realm of Ulmo
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Post Re: Fish keeping anyone?
on: November 15, 2012 08:32
I think the slightly bigger one is a good idea. Keep an eye on the population. I ended up killing an entire tank of mollies because they bred like crazy and the ammonia level went nuts. If you see too many babies, you may have to move them to a 10 gallon tank and talk to the fish store about taking back babies for resale.
Eruwestiel_Evensong
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Post Re: Fish keeping anyone?
on: November 15, 2012 09:40
OK. Thanks for your input. I have these times when I really want to do something that goes completely against everything I have learned (e.g. do a fish in cycle, buy a smaller tank) because it would temporarily be easier or whatever. Then I usually repent and do what I know is correct. So thanks for reminding me.
"And I dreamed of seas and ships, and of waves crashing on the shore in the twilight of the world..." ~Song, member of the Realm of Ulmo
Hanasian
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Post Fish keeping anyone?
on: February 11, 2015 01:48
Eruwestiel_Evensong said:I'm really into freshwater tropical fish keeping and was wondering if anyone else knows anything about fish keeping/or is interested in fish?


I went through a period where I had a fish tank and some cool fish. My daughter was really into it at the time and did a bang-up job keeping their tanks really clean. After about a year I think she got bored with it, and we gave the fish away to a neighbor. We then re-purposed one of the tanks into a lizard pen and we had a couple Anoles. They were escape artists though, and one got mangled by the cat when he got out. The other got out and avoided the cat, and I captured him a few weeks later when he climbed into bed with me on a cold night. He lived several years, but died when he got out and ate a hairball thinking it was a daddy longleg spider (which he loved).
Eighth King of Arthedain - It was in battle that I come into this Kingship, and it will be in Battle when I leave it. There is no peace for the Realm of Arnor. Read the last stand of Arthedain in the Darkest of Days.
Eruwestiel_Evensong
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on: February 11, 2015 10:14
My, it has been a long time since I saw this thread! I have learned much since beginning this.

Arveleg, your story made me smile. It would have given me a great shock to wake up with an Anole in my bed!

I got a 55 gallon aquarium for my birthday in 2013, and I still have it set up. This past September I moved it from the living room to my bedroom, which was a chore. All the fake plants have been replaced by real ones, and I have one angelfish, six cherry barbs, two zebra danios, three endler's livebearers and one bristlenose pleco in it.
I also have a ten gallon tank set up in the living room with a few other endler's livebearers in it.

I have a Youtube channel with some videos of my tanks that I will have to share sometime.
"And I dreamed of seas and ships, and of waves crashing on the shore in the twilight of the world..." ~Song, member of the Realm of Ulmo
Hawkins
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on: December 27, 2016 08:51
I raise and breed beta fish, or at least I use too, just sold off the last of my babies, and my male (Atlantis) killed my female (firefox) when I tried to breed them again, so until I find another female that he likes I just have him.
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