Well, hello!
My name is Cris...and about two weeks ago I conned my wife into letting me buy a tank.
About 8yrs ago I successfully kept a 55gal freshwater tank with a pretty wide variety of fish, including 2 rope fish, a blue crayfish, 2 red claw crabs, multiple neon tetra's, guppies, and other small bright schoolers...a couple gold grommies, blue grommies, and a dwarf pearl grommie...two medium columbian sharks (only about 7"), 3 rather large gold and green mystery snails (apple sized towards the end), a common pleco (this guy started it all), and a REALLY really cool pleco that looked like a zebra, except for his head which was different from any other pleco I've ever seen....and finishing with a stream of other fish that either made it and survived, or didn't. I even had a leaf fish for about two months. I wasn't online at the time for anything other than gaming...and so had to feel my way through water quality, filtering, feeding, general care...the whole 9yds. To be honest it's amazing any of those fish lived...much less for the 2 or so years I kept them. The tank did have one of those kind of cool plastic 3D backdrops designed to look like rock with branches running through it. It had fake plants but I put black sand and placed them nicely...the tank was actually pretty serene and soothing. Unfortunately however the only people I really had for advice were petco/petsmart 'fish experts', and a couple guys at a local mom and pop fish store. Needless to say the advice was unreliable at best.
All of this because I gave my ex wife's son a 3gal (I think) starter fish tank for Christmas one year...with a little common pleco and a couple other standard fish in it. She of course didn't take care of it at all (he was maybe 4), and each time I went by it was greener and greener just sitting on the counter. I finally (once the water was totally opaque and you could smell it when you came through the door) asked her if there was anything alive in the **** thing and if not, why keep it. She said, and I quote...'I think the ugly little black one is still alive.' Sure enough, she hadn't fed them, removed the dead fish, or anything else in the WHOLE time she'd had care of it. I took it home and the little pleco (which was not only alive...but seemed quite happy...even after about 4mos with no food, oxygen..or care of any sort) started my feet down the path of the fish keeping hobby.
Anyhow...over time and the circumstances life throws at you I ended up getting rid of my tank (it ended up a snake terrarium for my brother...long story), and always figured I'd pick up another one day. This leads me to my current situation. We were walking through WalMart (I know...I know), and as usual the first place we went was over to the pet section. Sure enough, they'd just got in a selection of rope fish and columbian cats. I turned to my wife and said 'We should get a tank...my last one was soooo cool'. She got this look of fear in her eyes...threw up some rather lame protests (mostly focusing on costs...) and eventually agreed to 'look around'. We went home, I got on my local Craigslist, and we found a 125 gal (you should have seen the wife's face! It was even better when we got it home lol) that was supposed to be 'complete' including live fish, a filter, gravel, decorations, and the list goes on. I got there, it didn't have any sort of canopy, I talked the guy down to $260, and we took it home. Included was an incredibly large assortment of decorations ranging from relatively tasteful to incredibly cheesy, a very nice 3' tall black stand, and single (and probably relatively ineffective) AquaClear 110 filter. Air supply to the tank was minimal (even though it came with about 9 air pumps, only one small one was hooked up), and I'm pretty sure (after reading around this week) that the tank was pretty seriously out of balance. When I took it home I did keep as much of the existing water as I could though, and also kept the media in the filter untouched (it looked like it hadn't been touched in a year or two anyhow lol). The decorations being used were lame to say the least, and the substrate was a rather ugly shade of brown gravel that had been mixed with blue gravel at a ratio of about 4:1. Not very attractive really. The only piece of decor I was really happy with was a semi large (about 14" long) volcanic rock that is shaped like a half tube. It's very porous and makes a great cave in the center of the tank for the tenants who are a bit more shy than the rest. It's got enough holes in it though that they're always somewhat visible. The one thing I hated about my last tank was that there were plenty of hidey holes and I never, ever got to see the cooler inhabitants of my tank =/.
Fish included were:
- 1 nice red tail shark, about 5" long without the rear fin.
- 2 albino pleco's (still not sure I like these), about 5" and 6" each, less rear fin.
- 5 black tetra.
- 1 serpae tetra.
- 1 irridescent or paroon shark cat, 4" long or so without his rear fin.
- 1 incredibly irritable algae eater of some sort, 4" long minus the rear fin.
- 4 black kuhli loaches which I never, ever see.
To this I've added (of course...without cycling, preparation, or any other intelligent, responsible application of decision making skills):
- 1 12" or so rope fish.
- 2 columbian sharks at 3" or so less rear fin.
- 3 random guppies (lost one).
- 4 glo danio's, green, orange and pink...we lost a pink one but replaced it.
- 4 mystery snails...two gold and two green.
- 1 royal pleco (still not sure I like this guy either).
- 2 freshwater crabs of some sort...maybe gold fiddler?
- 3 neon tetras.
- 2 cardinal tetras (one has disappeared...I'm blaming the rope fish without any further evidence, even though I've never seen him eat).
About a week in, it clicked that I could probably research proper care of this tank on the internet. My losses have been minimal (probably dumb luck!) but I'd really rather do things responsibly. I like 'keeping' fish, not 'replacing' fish. I also feel that if you're going to keep pets (I consider these guys pets...they do add a TON of enjoyment to my home) you owe it to them to keep them in a manner that promotes health and well being. I'm pretty grateful that I've found your network here. Hopefully I'll learn quickly enough so that the rather beautiful (in my opinion!) eco system I've got going remains so. Already ordered and due to arrive next week are a Fluval FX5 (got it for $139 on ebay, new in the box!) and a tetratec dw96-2 air pump (I'm really disappointed with the current system...4 separate small pumps, and they're still not supplying enough bubbles, and what there is is really spotty across the tank!).
Oh, I forgot to add...when I got the tank home, I removed the old substrate, and picked up some really nice black sand. We removed all of the mismatched decorations and went with a single roman ruins theme (they already had all the decor in the cabinets) with various plastic plants. This was still pretty boring (but at least it matched!) with all the decorations being very very low in the tank...so I decided to pick up some nice live plants over the last week and replace the plastic ones bit by bit. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad choice for a basically novice (to doing it right anyhow!) aquarist...but the look got nicer and nicer with each real plant I added...so I'm going to rely on your advice on how to run with it lol. We picked up the royal pleco last night, along with a small piece of driftwood for him. I didn't think it would fit in but the red/brown color of the 'voodoo root?' actually sets of the black, green (live plants!), and white roman ruins very nicely. Tonight we were up at petco buying the last of the plants necessary to remove the remainder of the plastic ones, and I saw the most incredible piece of driftwood (I'd list the type...but my wife apparently threw away the tag of course. All I can say was it was VERY dense and is some kind of root) for $39. We bought it and the plants...got it all setup tonight, and now I think my tank is finally finished as far as decor goes. This root has a great arch in it that fits perfectly over the volcanic rock. When I saw it at the store I knew it would be the final touch to the tank. Now all that's left is to get the tank fully healthy...replace the black tetras with about 10 rainbow fish, pick up one more rope fish...and of course one or two blue crayfish. I really, really wish a patriot crab was more suited to my kind of community tank...but since I'm trying to do this responsibly I'll probably refrain from finding out the hard way =/. I think the hardest part of this for me is going to be leaving well enough alone once my tank is stocked and 'finished'!
Anyhow, sorry for the incredibly long and drawn out ramblings. Here are a few pictures. Please excuse the finger prints...the tank hasn't been cleaned since this evening when we redid the decor. Also, for some reason the pictures do not come anywhere near capturing the beauty of this tank (and the centerpiece!). It seems shallow and incomplete, and for some reason the red glow off the camera got caught in the pictures and discolored the wood etc. In my living room it literally glows with two 48" 40wa actinic bulbs, and 2 48" 40wa plant quality flourescents. I'll try to get some better pictures tomorrow without the flash. As you can see the tank is a nice divider between my living room and kitchen. Hopefully better pictures will help show off the effect. We're also waiting for the plants to grow some to 'fill things out' a bit.
Anyways, any advice will be appreciated! I'm rather humble when it comes to things I know little about, and more than willing to learn from people who've been there and done it before me!
Thanks in advance...
Cris:woot:
My name is Cris...and about two weeks ago I conned my wife into letting me buy a tank.
About 8yrs ago I successfully kept a 55gal freshwater tank with a pretty wide variety of fish, including 2 rope fish, a blue crayfish, 2 red claw crabs, multiple neon tetra's, guppies, and other small bright schoolers...a couple gold grommies, blue grommies, and a dwarf pearl grommie...two medium columbian sharks (only about 7"), 3 rather large gold and green mystery snails (apple sized towards the end), a common pleco (this guy started it all), and a REALLY really cool pleco that looked like a zebra, except for his head which was different from any other pleco I've ever seen....and finishing with a stream of other fish that either made it and survived, or didn't. I even had a leaf fish for about two months. I wasn't online at the time for anything other than gaming...and so had to feel my way through water quality, filtering, feeding, general care...the whole 9yds. To be honest it's amazing any of those fish lived...much less for the 2 or so years I kept them. The tank did have one of those kind of cool plastic 3D backdrops designed to look like rock with branches running through it. It had fake plants but I put black sand and placed them nicely...the tank was actually pretty serene and soothing. Unfortunately however the only people I really had for advice were petco/petsmart 'fish experts', and a couple guys at a local mom and pop fish store. Needless to say the advice was unreliable at best.
All of this because I gave my ex wife's son a 3gal (I think) starter fish tank for Christmas one year...with a little common pleco and a couple other standard fish in it. She of course didn't take care of it at all (he was maybe 4), and each time I went by it was greener and greener just sitting on the counter. I finally (once the water was totally opaque and you could smell it when you came through the door) asked her if there was anything alive in the **** thing and if not, why keep it. She said, and I quote...'I think the ugly little black one is still alive.' Sure enough, she hadn't fed them, removed the dead fish, or anything else in the WHOLE time she'd had care of it. I took it home and the little pleco (which was not only alive...but seemed quite happy...even after about 4mos with no food, oxygen..or care of any sort) started my feet down the path of the fish keeping hobby.
Anyhow...over time and the circumstances life throws at you I ended up getting rid of my tank (it ended up a snake terrarium for my brother...long story), and always figured I'd pick up another one day. This leads me to my current situation. We were walking through WalMart (I know...I know), and as usual the first place we went was over to the pet section. Sure enough, they'd just got in a selection of rope fish and columbian cats. I turned to my wife and said 'We should get a tank...my last one was soooo cool'. She got this look of fear in her eyes...threw up some rather lame protests (mostly focusing on costs...) and eventually agreed to 'look around'. We went home, I got on my local Craigslist, and we found a 125 gal (you should have seen the wife's face! It was even better when we got it home lol) that was supposed to be 'complete' including live fish, a filter, gravel, decorations, and the list goes on. I got there, it didn't have any sort of canopy, I talked the guy down to $260, and we took it home. Included was an incredibly large assortment of decorations ranging from relatively tasteful to incredibly cheesy, a very nice 3' tall black stand, and single (and probably relatively ineffective) AquaClear 110 filter. Air supply to the tank was minimal (even though it came with about 9 air pumps, only one small one was hooked up), and I'm pretty sure (after reading around this week) that the tank was pretty seriously out of balance. When I took it home I did keep as much of the existing water as I could though, and also kept the media in the filter untouched (it looked like it hadn't been touched in a year or two anyhow lol). The decorations being used were lame to say the least, and the substrate was a rather ugly shade of brown gravel that had been mixed with blue gravel at a ratio of about 4:1. Not very attractive really. The only piece of decor I was really happy with was a semi large (about 14" long) volcanic rock that is shaped like a half tube. It's very porous and makes a great cave in the center of the tank for the tenants who are a bit more shy than the rest. It's got enough holes in it though that they're always somewhat visible. The one thing I hated about my last tank was that there were plenty of hidey holes and I never, ever got to see the cooler inhabitants of my tank =/.
Fish included were:
- 1 nice red tail shark, about 5" long without the rear fin.
- 2 albino pleco's (still not sure I like these), about 5" and 6" each, less rear fin.
- 5 black tetra.
- 1 serpae tetra.
- 1 irridescent or paroon shark cat, 4" long or so without his rear fin.
- 1 incredibly irritable algae eater of some sort, 4" long minus the rear fin.
- 4 black kuhli loaches which I never, ever see.
To this I've added (of course...without cycling, preparation, or any other intelligent, responsible application of decision making skills):
- 1 12" or so rope fish.
- 2 columbian sharks at 3" or so less rear fin.
- 3 random guppies (lost one).
- 4 glo danio's, green, orange and pink...we lost a pink one but replaced it.
- 4 mystery snails...two gold and two green.
- 1 royal pleco (still not sure I like this guy either).
- 2 freshwater crabs of some sort...maybe gold fiddler?
- 3 neon tetras.
- 2 cardinal tetras (one has disappeared...I'm blaming the rope fish without any further evidence, even though I've never seen him eat).
About a week in, it clicked that I could probably research proper care of this tank on the internet. My losses have been minimal (probably dumb luck!) but I'd really rather do things responsibly. I like 'keeping' fish, not 'replacing' fish. I also feel that if you're going to keep pets (I consider these guys pets...they do add a TON of enjoyment to my home) you owe it to them to keep them in a manner that promotes health and well being. I'm pretty grateful that I've found your network here. Hopefully I'll learn quickly enough so that the rather beautiful (in my opinion!) eco system I've got going remains so. Already ordered and due to arrive next week are a Fluval FX5 (got it for $139 on ebay, new in the box!) and a tetratec dw96-2 air pump (I'm really disappointed with the current system...4 separate small pumps, and they're still not supplying enough bubbles, and what there is is really spotty across the tank!).
Oh, I forgot to add...when I got the tank home, I removed the old substrate, and picked up some really nice black sand. We removed all of the mismatched decorations and went with a single roman ruins theme (they already had all the decor in the cabinets) with various plastic plants. This was still pretty boring (but at least it matched!) with all the decorations being very very low in the tank...so I decided to pick up some nice live plants over the last week and replace the plastic ones bit by bit. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad choice for a basically novice (to doing it right anyhow!) aquarist...but the look got nicer and nicer with each real plant I added...so I'm going to rely on your advice on how to run with it lol. We picked up the royal pleco last night, along with a small piece of driftwood for him. I didn't think it would fit in but the red/brown color of the 'voodoo root?' actually sets of the black, green (live plants!), and white roman ruins very nicely. Tonight we were up at petco buying the last of the plants necessary to remove the remainder of the plastic ones, and I saw the most incredible piece of driftwood (I'd list the type...but my wife apparently threw away the tag of course. All I can say was it was VERY dense and is some kind of root) for $39. We bought it and the plants...got it all setup tonight, and now I think my tank is finally finished as far as decor goes. This root has a great arch in it that fits perfectly over the volcanic rock. When I saw it at the store I knew it would be the final touch to the tank. Now all that's left is to get the tank fully healthy...replace the black tetras with about 10 rainbow fish, pick up one more rope fish...and of course one or two blue crayfish. I really, really wish a patriot crab was more suited to my kind of community tank...but since I'm trying to do this responsibly I'll probably refrain from finding out the hard way =/. I think the hardest part of this for me is going to be leaving well enough alone once my tank is stocked and 'finished'!
Anyhow, sorry for the incredibly long and drawn out ramblings. Here are a few pictures. Please excuse the finger prints...the tank hasn't been cleaned since this evening when we redid the decor. Also, for some reason the pictures do not come anywhere near capturing the beauty of this tank (and the centerpiece!). It seems shallow and incomplete, and for some reason the red glow off the camera got caught in the pictures and discolored the wood etc. In my living room it literally glows with two 48" 40wa actinic bulbs, and 2 48" 40wa plant quality flourescents. I'll try to get some better pictures tomorrow without the flash. As you can see the tank is a nice divider between my living room and kitchen. Hopefully better pictures will help show off the effect. We're also waiting for the plants to grow some to 'fill things out' a bit.
Anyways, any advice will be appreciated! I'm rather humble when it comes to things I know little about, and more than willing to learn from people who've been there and done it before me!
Thanks in advance...
Cris:woot:
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