I know this is going to seem harsh, but you will need to read and learn about fish in order to succesfully keep them. They are living creatures and as such seat of your pants flying will fail everytime. I do not really blame you but I do blame the makers and sellers of this stuff for not properly informing buyers of all they need to do. It is a little more involved then throwing in water and fish and voila. You need to go out and buy a good general aquarium book, likely less then the fish you bought would have caused you and read it. It is not rocket science but it does take a bit of dedication on your part. Your comments in your first post seem to indicate you do not want to do any reading or research on fish keeping and with that attitude you are sure to have problems all the time. Again I know this seems harsh and it may be, but I am just tryng to get the point across.
dead fish
- Thread starter Pam H
- Start date
Sounds like you have a pretty good plan to get you in business. And yes, a gravel vacuum is how most people do their water changes as well as helping them remove solid wastes that have settled on the substrate.
And although Darkangel didn't cut any corners 8), he does have a valid point. To be a successful fishkeeper, you will have to have some understanding of the chemistry and biology involved. If nothing else, you should be sure to keep your water conditions as best as you can, and do enough research to insure that your fish are compatible with your water, your tank size, and each other.
Good luck...let us know what comes up next.
And although Darkangel didn't cut any corners 8), he does have a valid point. To be a successful fishkeeper, you will have to have some understanding of the chemistry and biology involved. If nothing else, you should be sure to keep your water conditions as best as you can, and do enough research to insure that your fish are compatible with your water, your tank size, and each other.
Good luck...let us know what comes up next.
Dear Darkangel,
I have five children. The time I don't spend on them I spend trying to keep my house clean and in good working order. I provide three meals a day for 7 people and I am a homeschool teacher to three of my children. We own a home business, that I run.
My initial comment was not a reflection of my not wanting to learn about this 'hobby'. It is, however, a reaction to the articles that I have tried to read and found no use in them whatsoever. I just want to read a useful article and not a bunch of words thrown together by someone with too much time on their hands.
Yes, the manufacturer of the kit we were given did make this sound a lot easier than it is. I am only seeking a little help to dig myself out of the hole I've found myself in.
Kind Regards,
Pam
I have five children. The time I don't spend on them I spend trying to keep my house clean and in good working order. I provide three meals a day for 7 people and I am a homeschool teacher to three of my children. We own a home business, that I run.
My initial comment was not a reflection of my not wanting to learn about this 'hobby'. It is, however, a reaction to the articles that I have tried to read and found no use in them whatsoever. I just want to read a useful article and not a bunch of words thrown together by someone with too much time on their hands.
Yes, the manufacturer of the kit we were given did make this sound a lot easier than it is. I am only seeking a little help to dig myself out of the hole I've found myself in.
Kind Regards,
Pam
Pam H,
Hey everyone forgot to mention you should get some water conditioner. It's a liquid sold at your local fish store that de-toxifys the tap water by removing the chlorine and chloramine.
If you add tap water with chlorine to your tank, it can cause problems like killing off the bacteria you need or hurting your fish.
good luck
Hey everyone forgot to mention you should get some water conditioner. It's a liquid sold at your local fish store that de-toxifys the tap water by removing the chlorine and chloramine.
If you add tap water with chlorine to your tank, it can cause problems like killing off the bacteria you need or hurting your fish.
good luck
Yes you are right morleyz, I did not honey coat what I said and perhaps I should have been nicer. Pam H, I did not slam you personally only going by what you said, I appreciate we all have busy lives and yours sounds very full. Perhaps fish are not for you, that is something only you can decide. You will need about 1 hour a week to deal with your fish tank. What I had to say had to be said for everybody and not just you. Hopefully you will persvere in this endeovour and become an avid fishkeeper. If you persue it there are a lot of folks here who can help you.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3194
Here's some wordy, long-winded literature to bone up on. It's not technical, just plain words explaining the visual and testing-results portion of cycling. Maybe it will help. It seems like you've got a full plate, and any pet you've never kept before really seems time intensive for the first little while. I bet you'd be having similar "system shock" if you'd never had a cat or a dog and purchased your first one right at the holidays....
Keep with it, and don't think we're flaming you or anything. Honestly, being a full-out chemist is NOT a requirement of successful fishkeeping. Understanding what is happening to your water and fish is, though. Just like understanding a dog's body language is part of being a successful dog owner. You'll settle into fishkeeping soon enough, and maintainence will decrease after the initial setup period. It's kind of like preparing a nice turkey dinner: The first hour is spent chopping veggies, marinating, and preparing. The last 3 hours are nothing but watching things simmer and the occasional baste...
Plus the dishes, of course....
Here's some wordy, long-winded literature to bone up on. It's not technical, just plain words explaining the visual and testing-results portion of cycling. Maybe it will help. It seems like you've got a full plate, and any pet you've never kept before really seems time intensive for the first little while. I bet you'd be having similar "system shock" if you'd never had a cat or a dog and purchased your first one right at the holidays....
Keep with it, and don't think we're flaming you or anything. Honestly, being a full-out chemist is NOT a requirement of successful fishkeeping. Understanding what is happening to your water and fish is, though. Just like understanding a dog's body language is part of being a successful dog owner. You'll settle into fishkeeping soon enough, and maintainence will decrease after the initial setup period. It's kind of like preparing a nice turkey dinner: The first hour is spent chopping veggies, marinating, and preparing. The last 3 hours are nothing but watching things simmer and the occasional baste...
Plus the dishes, of course....
Okay, Pinball Queen!! That's information I can use! It's almost like you were here and watched all this happen in my home. Is it really that common? There ought to be some sort of warning on these aquarium kits as to the reality of this hobby.
About your upcoming birth, I hope all goes well. I'd say you are fortunate to be able to SEE your shoes at this point.
Thank you again for this link.
Pam
About your upcoming birth, I hope all goes well. I'd say you are fortunate to be able to SEE your shoes at this point.
Thank you again for this link.
Pam
I may have missed reading this in someone else's post (it is 0330 hours) but I think you were overstocked. The general rule is one inch of fish per gallon, and with your initial fish you would have gone well over 10 inches.
The gourami you still have will account for about 3-4 inches depending on the type you have. The algae eater you had is capable of growing over a foot. I had a pictus(very cool looking but he got himself stuck in a cave and died before we knew he was stuck) they get to 8 inches if I remember correctly. The silver fish with big eyes may have been an iridescent shark - they get big too. By my calculations you were at least double in potential length than you should have been.
Good luck with your new start! When I started out I found some great books at the library. The kids loved to look at the pictures and they were pretty easy reading.
DrD
The gourami you still have will account for about 3-4 inches depending on the type you have. The algae eater you had is capable of growing over a foot. I had a pictus(very cool looking but he got himself stuck in a cave and died before we knew he was stuck) they get to 8 inches if I remember correctly. The silver fish with big eyes may have been an iridescent shark - they get big too. By my calculations you were at least double in potential length than you should have been.
Good luck with your new start! When I started out I found some great books at the library. The kids loved to look at the pictures and they were pretty easy reading.
DrD
You won't get any disagreement on that here! The more - erm - committed here would probably also suggest that fish shop employees who sell a whole bunch of fish along with a brand new kit should be given a choice between flogging and branding with hot irons.
With the one fish you've got left, you can pick up where it went wrong. Big water change (with conditioner) if the water is smelly - as much as 50%. Then just feed every other day, about a quarter what seems a reasonable amount. Fish are not homeothermic and need far less food than mammals do, for their size (anyone seeing my African cichlids eat would know that unfortunately no-one has told them that!).
If you're getting the test kits, then this is good. Keep testing on a weekly (or twice weekly) basis until you have had no ammonia and no nitrite for a few days. If you have a nitrate test kit, this should start registering at this point. Then you can - slowly - start to increase your number of fish.
Do not clean out the filter "thoroughly" - rinse the sponges or foams in tank water if they get clogged, but otherwise leave it alone to develop a healthy bacterial flora.
It'd be worth finding out what gourami you have - give us a description, as there are only half a dozen or so commonly sold, and we should be able to identify it for you.
And the rest of you - stop overwhelming the poor newbie! We all made the same mistakes once, didn't we?
