EDIT - siphon/vacuum meaning, use the old media and décor, etc and just use the siphon to clean the tank itself, but don't clean the things that contain Beneficial Bacteria like filter, media, sponges, decors, etc. JUST siphon the substrate.
A problem with tankmates
- Thread starter jaymekelley
- Start date
This is true, the only tank I have ever had before this was given to me already ready and stocked with fish, I just plugged it in and added water. This one was mostly broken down for transportation. We picked our fish based on what the lady in the pet shop had said about aggressive fish needing other aggressive fish if you want them to have tankmates so that they won't be bullied to death. She had also told us that we could have"one inch of fish per gallon", so we picked some fish that would get larger. I'm not sure what species of eel he is. I have attached a picture of one that looks just like him. I had put some ghost shrimp into the tank (about 15 of them), and could only find one the next day, but the snowflake has stopped chasing the fish down, so I'm assuming he was pleased with the shrimp. The rope fish has also perked up some, maybe he just didn't prefer the food I was offering? By now, most of the fish seem pretty content, its been a while since the tank has been set up and I have been rinsing the filters when the flow slows to a trickle rather than replacing them in hopes to maintain some beneficial bacteria.My eel looks very much like the picture, perhaps a bit more gray.
As I haven't shown the entire tank yet, this is it. The snowflake lives in the back left corner, its dark there and he's taken up residence behind a couple of standing rocks we put back there for him to have a hide. He use to live in a hollow spot between the "base rock" on the far left of the tank, with the river rock as his roof, but we propped the river rock to make it less excluded as he was able to hunt from three different sides, one of those being inside the cave and he was easily catching the fish off guard.
Sorry, this tank. A bit cloudy, it had some stuff stuck to the inside of the glass I wiped off so you could see better.
My husband seems to be considering selling snowball, but I would really rather the fish go. Idk a lot about maintaining or setting up the tank, but I have found that I really like keeping the eels. I thought they would be boring, but they aren't. They are all different from each other. Sure, Snowball seems to be a mindless eating machine sometimes, but he is shy, reserved, and "sensitive." The peacock eel is very active and seems to swim to the front of the tank like a puppy saying "do you see me? Look how handsome I am!" And the rope fish is very curious, always bumping into and swirling around my arm when I have to reach into the tank. He also follows the kids' fingers across the tank like he is playing with them. You think maybe it would be better if I just kept the eels, space-wise? Might cut down on some of the hostility as well?
The picture you posted is Gymnothorax tile, thhe Indian Mud Moray and it is very food-aggressive but shouldn't bother other robust fish. Just don't keep it w/ anything small enough to fit in it's mouth and also you must consider they can open their mouths VERY wide and swallow prey much bigger than you'd expect - and Shrimp was a favorite food of the one I just sold this weekend. It will also need to be graduated to brackish and eventually full saltwater as it grows. Maximum size is 2 feet, maybe selling it is a good idea.
Also, the 1 inch per gallon rule applies to the width and height of the fish as well - many people just assume it refers to length, so figure a 6" long fish might be 2" high and 1" wide, so you'd use the formula for a 9" fish rather than 6"
As far as rinsing filters, because chlorine kill Beneficial Bacteria on contact, it is better to rinse them in a bucket full of tank water and just use your fingers to rake across the surface. Other media can be added to the filters wherever there is empty space such as sponges, bio-balls, ceramic rings, lava rock etc
My advice is to set-up a larger tank and keep the bigger more aggressive fish in there, then use the 46g for smaller peaceful species
This is Gymnothorax polyuranadon, the TRUE Freshwater Snowflake Moray and the only TRUE Freshwater Moray that doesn't require brackish or saltwater
And, the 1"/gallon does not take into consideration gender mix, breeding habits, fry rearing, dietary concerns, aggressiveness or territorial issues.
agreed, nor does it apply to larger fish because you would not put a 20" fish in a 20gallon tank. For many larger-growing fish a better rule to follow is 1'' of fish for every 5-10 gallons
Another good one is "the tank width should be twice the length of the fish and the tank length should be 4 times the length of the fish"
Another good one is "the tank width should be twice the length of the fish and the tank length should be 4 times the length of the fish"
OK, I see what you're getting at. So, although space seems plentiful right now, it won't be for long. The lady probably should have explained that a bit better... I have a friend from work who has a 100 gal tank she's had set up for almist as long as I've had mine set up, but she doesn't have but one small fish right now. Thinking about letting her have Snowball. I think he would be more comfortable with more space and less " nosy neighbors."
The thing with the filters, you mean when I rinse them out and all those little black pebbles accumulate at the very bottom of the filter pouch thing, right? Cause I was kind of wondering about that already, thought maybe I did something wrong...
And, yes, it is very surprising the size of fish this guy is able to eat. I would've never thought he would've been able to swallow the damn plecos, they werent as little as a few that I had in the old tank.
