I got new fish: cloan loach, serpae tetra, bala shark

Originally posted by vaheelsfan
Aren't clown loaches pretty hard to keep alive anyway? From what I've read on here, even experienced fish keepers by four or five more than they want, because some always seem to die. Is this the case?

I used to do this with most fish I bought...untill I found a GOOD fish store and the fish all lived! If you are losing that many new fish check your sources. A fish that is stressed and diseased when you buy it does not have much of a chance in your tank.
 
we moved one platy to the 6gal because the male platy was harrassing her all the time. The male doesn't mess with the other female at all...strange

we won't get clown loaches until we get a tank that can house them :). Yeah, we did an impulse buy this time around. Bad idea, I know. We really REALLY love the bala shark, so much so that we're willing to get a bigger tank for it later on :D....is a 40gal sufficient? I've read some past posts with ppl saying a 75gal is the minimum :eek:. We'd get one if we had room in our 2bedroom apt :(.

I forgot the number for the water hardness, but it's in the normal range, not too soft or hard.
 
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Well, I've never bought clown loaches, I was just stating that I believe that other people had said they did that when buying that particular fish :) Unfortunately, if I had to do that with fish I bought, I wouldn't have much choice as there are only two lfs where I live (and one that just opened that I don't think will be open that long:rolleyes: ) Fortunately, however, they both seem to do a somewhat decent job of not selling too many bad fish. As far as the pH goes, I am one of the ones that would kill to have a pH of 7.6. Mine checks in at a whopping 8.4. :eek: I guess that since I live in a small town where everyone has the same water, as long as the fish live in the fish store for a week or two, they have a decent chance of making it when I get home. I've only lost one permanent resident (fish I've had for more than a few days) in the past year, and I guess that's ok...
 
Vaheelsfan:
do you chemically dechlorinate your water or use drops?

when I use the drops my PH goes up into the mid 8s
I will call and check about the chloramines and if we have none present I will settle dechlorinate from here out.
 
I use AquaSafe by Tetra to dechlorinate. I tested straight tap water against water from my tanks and got the same reading. I've been thinking about switching to African Cichlids because my pH is so high, but I can't bring myself to get rid of some of the fish I have, and I'm scared if I get another aquarium I'm going to wake up in the apartment below me some night.
 
well you have 1200 lbs of water alone not counting glass stands rock, etcso you are probably pushing 2000 lbs easy, spread it out and listen for creaks:D
 
"is a 40gal sufficient? I've read some past posts with ppl saying a 75gal is the minimum . We'd get one if we had room in our 2bedroom apt ."


No, I really do not believe it is sufficient. Those things will/can reach 1 foot in length. The dimensions on a 40g would make it darn near impossible to turn around in the tank, if it reaches adulthood.
 
Oh I've seen them push 15 inches before. They are definately big fish and no, 40 gallons isn't enough room. I would say 75+ gallons. And also, these fish can be territorial and generally "bossy" so thats another reason they need space.
 
btw, a friend had a 125 gal tank it started to bend the floorboards in his apt...just a FYI :).

I convinced my gf to return the bala shark to the LFS tomorrow after LOTS of convincing. Result:

In my eclipse 6gal:
1 platy (F)

20gal:
2 platies (M,F)
1 swordtail (F)
2 serpae tetra
2 diamond tetra

Ok, I want to do this the correct way now :)....could I add one more serpae tetra or diamond tetra? What could go in the 6gal? I want something similar to neon tetras, but stronger health-wise.

edit: maybe 2 dwarf gourami in the 20??
 
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You could get white clouds for your 6 gallon, like 4 or 5 maybe. They don't really "need" a heater, but it's a good idea to have one to keep the water temp stable, and I believe they are much hardier than neons, although not quite as colorful.
 
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