Any fishkeepers out there?

Yardbent said:
got some black gravel in a smaller tanks - looks great but not cheap
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it's not actually *black*....Pets@Home has some black and its a bit garish

i got dark river gravel - nice effect
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BandyQuill said:
(gibby, not heard that one before what is it?) do you mean Pleco?
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shorthand for.
"I was given a Gibbicep pleco by my sister when she was getting rid of her tank. At the time he was only 1" long. Five years later and he is about 10" long"
 
mxfun said:
Hi ,the wife and i inherited quite a large tank from our sons ex girlfriend .I find them so soothing to watch but the tanks a b****r to keep clean ...ie,the inside of the glass ...any tips or do's & not to do's regarding this
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i use eSHa Protalon-707 "AntiAlgae Treatment

in my Betta tank which is adjacent to the kitchen window so lotsa sunlight

since using the eSHa - no green bloom at all ----admittedly not a great bio-mass with only one Betta, but the sunlight has no effect at all
 
whats it like for keeping clean, and for growing plants in?

yeah the shop i got it from said, 'ohhh he wont get any larger than 2 inches' , they also said the red tail shark wouldnt get any bigger than 1 inch... they are now both HUGE, the plec is over 10" *sigh*

will have a jog down to P@H tomorrow as i have one down the road :)
 
BandyQuill said:
whats it like for keeping clean, and for growing plants in?....
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Chris -- was that question for me...?

if so, the eSHa 7-day treatment is not harmful to fish
though the Betta "sulks" for a few days - line-breds are all too bloody delicate

the treatment also encourages plant growth

TBH - the absolute best way to grow plant I have found is to add a CO2 injection system - I use a CO2 FE complete with regulator and in-tank diffuser
Plant growth is massive - I give away loads of surface frogbit

i did belong to Practical Fishkeeping Forum - excellent - but had to leave - I was spending even MORE time there than I do here - very unhealthy...:D
 
previously i was using play sand, but if it isnt cleaned every other day it goes pretty grubby, Co2 wise i use easy-carbo, i dont fancy the initail costs of a Co2 setup unfortunatly as that would make the most sense...

im a member of PFK and UKAPS dont really use them as much as i should though, PFK dont seem to suffer fools gladly or lots of questions
 
BandyQuill said:
............... PFK dont seem to suffer fools gladly or lots of questions...........
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I basically left PFK as the mods had a heavy-handed, holier-than-thou attitude

not conducive to an exchange of info - as soon as a newish member offered an opinion, it was poo-hoo'ed by the "clique"

just my opinion - your mileage may vary
 
i have to agree with what u've said there, so far ive 'allways' been wrong because i dont have a huge post count XD

looks like i need to find a home for the plec before i can put the plants back in, going to ask at the local chineese XD (they have a HUGE wall tank so he should be at home in there:)) to be replaced here with a large shoal of neons :)
 
steunited said:
was in the trafford centre last week and there is one of them foot spa shops where you put your feet in and they eat the dead skin.
i think they use Garra Rufa fish for that.
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yes they do, and that's what ours will be doing mostly :thumbs:
 
Samphire said:
Sarah, naturally I do as they grow to a beautiful size, I have had them three years so far and they are about 4 inches at the moment. They really are my favorites in the tank .. and my Panda's.
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:D Not that I was doubting you, but I'm always amazed by how many fish shops are happy to recommend Clowns for smallish tanks. Beautiful fish and I love Pandas too :thumbs:

BandyQuill said:
previously i was using play sand, but if it isnt cleaned every other day it goes pretty grubby, Co2 wise i use easy-carbo, i dont fancy the initail costs of a Co2 setup unfortunatly as that would make the most sense...

im a member of PFK and UKAPS dont really use them as much as i should though, PFK dont seem to suffer fools gladly or lots of questions
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The problem with sand is that the debris sits on top of it rather than sinking down like it does in gravel - to an extent it makes it easier to clean but it can also look unsightly.
I've had good results growing plants in sand with a layer of aquatic compost beneath it though - Got that set up in my 120l tank.

Agree with John on CO2, but just a word of warning. Plants essentially need 3 things for growth - CO2, light and nutrients. Increase one of those variables without balancing out the other 2 and you're more likely to encourage algae growth than lush, green plants.

As for forums, I'd recommend this place and not just because I'm a mod over there.
It's smaller than your PFKs, but there's a great bunch of really knowledgeable people and it's not at all cliquey.
 
I also used the Argos play sand....I gave it a thorough wash with Pure RO water to remove the dirty colouring before putting in the tank. The poop just sat on the top and was pretty easy to clean. Very cheap too!

A tip for those thinking of using Bogwood....stick it in the dishwasher a couple of times before putting it in your tank. It will prevent the water from turning brown after a few days.

I agree with what's been mentioned above about PFK and Fish forums....alot of members are self proclaimed professionals....or like to think they are.
 
Have owned fish for years, have had a 1.5ft Oscar, that has recently died at the age of 7th, even though they can live up to 15+ years. We have 2 tanks, and a large pond in our home and im currently setting up a 3rd.
 
used to be a marine keeper, totally nuts about it - had them for 10 odd years, but realised I'd spent tooo much on the hobby so shut down early last year and love not having a tank, no more worrying about dead corals/fish or being able to go away for a few weeks etc! :D

still have mates that keep em so stick my head in to look now an then! :D
 
I've given in to my 10 year old who has wanted fish for years.

We're about 6 months into our tropical fish and have the following.......

2 X dwarf gourami
4 X Ghost Catfish
6 X Zebra Danio
4 X Peppered Cory
2 X Albino Shark
 
BandyQuill said:
well i got the tank all finished today :)


still looking for a home for the Pleco, anyone have any website suggestions to advertise him on, or know of any good specialists in yorkshire (im willing to travel)
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Tank looks wonderful!!!

in regards to the plec, not sure if yours would be the same, but my local fish dealer used to take back any fish that were too big for tanks in exchange for a couple of smaller fish or goods. Clearly this would be to their advantage, they can sell on a larger specimen for more than they'd give you but it used to work well. Thats how I ended up with my large plec and Blue Acara, simply because someone couldnt upgrade their tank and recognised the fish was now too large.
 
Here was my Oscar, or Gus as we called him. His Colour was a bit off when I took this photo. He was about 5 years old and about a foot long then.

j5e3ag.jpg
 
My first marine tank
tank1o.jpg

Then upgraded to this
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Tankless now, don't miss it. There was always something to do and plenty to go wrong.
Fuzed, you posted on Ultimate Reef?
 
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Some cracking looking marine tanks here, something I've always wanted to keep, but out of my price range, but one of these days....

I'm now down to just the one tank, 6x2x2 with a male ornate bichir the sole occupant, been a nightmare over the years trying to get some sort of permanent tank mate for him, tried various cichlids from blackbelts, loiselleis, argentea and Cichla pinima, he tolerates them for so long then decides it's time to try kill them :( Even tried an RTGG, had to move it on, at 12" couldn't cope with ornate. Would love to turn the tank into a big community tank but couldn't part with the ornate.

Not the greatest of pics, but this is him
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I notice some use gravel and some use sand, I use sand myself and couldn't see myself going back to gravel, it takes 2 mins to give sand a quick stir about with an old net frame to prevent compacting and gas buildup.

Bandyquill have you tried selling your gibby on aquarist classifieds? I've moved some fish through there in the past, and there's usually something that'll catch your eye too.
 
Fuzed
Yeah mate, I remember you from there. I can't believe the money I spent on fishy related stuff over 5 years.
Was fun for a while then became more work than day job!!!
 
Just done an 80% water change - cleaned everything - hoovered the gravel - hope I've not done too much in one go.
 
dinners said:
Just done an 80% water change - cleaned everything - hoovered the gravel - hope I've not done too much in one go.
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Just keep an eye on it Phil. Have you got water test kits there?
I'd do a daily ammonia and nitrite check for the next few days just to watch out for a mini cycle, but as long as you've not overdone any cleaning on the filter media you should be fine.

TBH I'd completely forgotten about this thread.
Here are some fairly recent shots of some of my babies.


Shoal of Tiger Barbs by SarahLee1001, on Flickr


IMG_0086 by SarahLee1001, on Flickr


Red Tailed Black Shark by SarahLee1001, on Flickr
 
BandyQuill said:
Ahhh should be ok to be honest, if I change that much water I sometimes add a tiny bit of epsom salt...

Be fine, what fish have you got?
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Not many:

6 Zebra Danio
3 Ghost Catfish
2 Dwarf Gourami
3 Peppered Cory
1 Red Fin Albino Shark
 
I used to have a tank, loved it.
I had:
Zebra Danio's
Neon Tetra's
A Weather Loach (not much to look at be great personality)
Sunset Dwarf Gorami
Flying Fox
Peppered Cory's

I am considering getting something very small for my little girl - she loves to watch them.
I just asked her if she wants some fish, she said yes. Only issue is my wife hates fish :thinking:

I was looking at the smallest Bio Orb, only thing with them is due to the shape are they not a pain to clean. Unlike a regular tank with flat glass.
 
I like the look of the Fluval Edge but cleaning could be a pain due to the smaller opening.
Looks nice though and a good size for where I want it in the kitchen.

fluval-edge-aquarium.jpg

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Don't get opposite sex Guppies, just had to buy a second tank to split them up,got more Guppies than I know what to do with.
Just waiting for the temperature to settle down and the females will be rehomed, cheap way to boost numbers though

Had to laugh when I rang up about the tank from the local paper's classified section and the chap mentioned he also had Guppies for sale at 50p each.
 
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I did mention a shrimp but the wife said no.

Ill maybe get it all set up and sneak one in there in a few months :lol:

Still looking at tanks but the Edge is on the short list.
 
DpM said:
Still looking at tanks but the Edge is on the short list.
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Very nearly went with a Fluval Edge but ended up getting this 60L one from Pets at Home. It's got a glass lid that opens and the light sits above it.

Can't remember it's name now though :thinking:

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DpM said:
Still looking at tanks but the Edge is on the short list.
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:thumbs: Glad to hear that you've moved away from the Bi-Orb idea. At 15l the smallest one really isn't much good for anything. (Although I do have the 30l amongst my tank collection and it's really not as bad as many make out . . . just a bit of a pain to clean and seriously overpriced for what it is.)

The Edge is a nice tank, but again you're paying a lot purely for the design and aesthetics. My personal advice is to go for the biggest tank that you can fit into the space you have. The larger the volume, the more stable your water stats will be and the bigger your choice of suitable fish for it.
 
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