The fish tank thread.

[waddles99]

Naming fish to me is kind of pointless. I don't name them. The only fish I have that have names are my bullhead catfish, and redheaded severum breeding pair because Ive had them for so long.

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

Naming fish to me is kind of pointless. I don't name them. The only fish I have that have names are my bullhead catfish, and redheaded severum breeding pair because Ive had them for so long.

i name my betta's and pleco's mostly...sometimes the odd fish, snail, or shrimp that i especially like . My little brother names every single minnow and goldfish in the turtle tank, but i don't know them

It's kinda fun to hear a 5 year old's name ideas.

 

[redrooster99]

How long do betta fish live?

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

How long do betta fish live?

they say they have a 2 year average in captivity, but i have had more than a few live to be almost 8...i'd say most common in a large tank (like yours) and with good care, 3-5 years. It also depends on how old he was when you got him

 

[Happy Dad]

I finally made it out of the chicken forums and ventured down here. I LOVE fish keeping! I got hooked when I was a kid and won a gold fish at the carnival throwing a ping pong ball in his bowl. His name was Sparky and he lived for two years in that little bowl. Looking back, poor fish, lol.

I've always been a freshwater fan. In the past I've had 10 gallon, 29 gallon and 55 gallon tanks.

Currently I have a 45 tall set up.


It's main purpose is to keep "Gary" alive until I get his big home set back up. Gary is a Dragon Puffer fish that is from our 300 gallon tank. We sold the rest of the fish when we moved. We had Oscars, Severums, Red Hook Silver Dollars and others over the years. My wife is very attached to Gary so we kept him. I've tried to also use it as a grow out tank while I get the big tank running again but Gary keeps eating everything I put in there as it's so small. He's lately eaten 3 Platys, 2 Red Tail Sharks, 3 Tiger Barbs and 2 Gouramis. Expensive feeder fish, lol. We have 7 Tiger Barbs and one Angel Fish in there right now with him. I told my daughters absolutely no more until the big tank is ready. Then we can grow out fish in the 45 without the threat of Gary eating them.

Here is Gary


Here is my daughter Alexa standing next to our 300 that I am currently in the process of getting set back up. When the Oscars used to beg for food they scratched the inside of the tank so I need to buff it out. I also have a TON of plumbing to do. I'm slowly working on it and hope to have it up in the next few weeks. I'm not going to do large fish this time around but smaller community type fish. I envision a huge school Tiger Barbs, colorful Platys, Mollies, and whatever else trips my trigger at the fish stores. I'm sure Gary will still get the occasional "snack" but in the 300 it won't be as often as in the confined 45.

 

[waddles99]

I finally made it out of the chicken forums and ventured down here. I LOVE fish keeping! I got hooked when I was a kid and won a gold fish at the carnival throwing a ping pong ball in his bowl. His name was Sparky and he lived for two years in that little bowl. Looking back, poor fish, lol.

I've always been a freshwater fan. In the past I've had 10 gallon, 29 gallon and 55 gallon tanks.

Currently I have a 45 tall set up.


It's main purpose is to keep "Gary" alive until I get his big home set back up. Gary is a Dragon Puffer fish that is from our 300 gallon tank. We sold the rest of the fish when we moved. We had Oscars, Severums, Red Hook Silver Dollars and others over the years. My wife is very attached to Gary so we kept him. I've tried to also use it as a grow out tank while I get the big tank running again but Gary keeps eating everything I put in there as it's so small. He's lately eaten 3 Platys, 2 Red Tail Sharks, 3 Tiger Barbs and 2 Gouramis. Expensive feeder fish, lol. We have 7 Tiger Barbs and one Angel Fish in there right now with him. I told my daughters absolutely no more until the big tank is ready. Then we can grow out fish in the 45 without the threat of Gary eating them.

Here is Gary


Here is my daughter Alexa standing next to our 300 that I am currently in the process of getting set back up. When the Oscars used to beg for food they scratched the inside of the tank so I need to buff it out. I also have a TON of plumbing to do. I'm slowly working on it and hope to have it up in the next few weeks. I'm not going to do large fish this time around but smaller community type fish. I envision a huge school Tiger Barbs, colorful Platys, Mollies, and whatever else trips my trigger at the fish stores. I'm sure Gary will still get the occasional "snack" but in the 300 it won't be as often as in the confined 45.

Freshwater puffers are interesting fish. I saw "Globe puffers" in my LFS once, but I remember that the guy said they had a nasty attitude, so I didn't get any. They would be cool for a species tank I guess, but I like my tanks full of fish

. 300 gallon is a great tank. The thing with dither fish, is you have to get fast fish. That way, the puffer won't be able to 1.) catch up to them and 2.) be able to single out a single fish. Giant danios, tiger and cherry barbs, silver dollars, neon tetras, tinfoil barbs, and others are all great dithers. I haven't really had any experience using platys and mollies so I can't tell you about them. I personally have had great results with Tinfoil Barbs. They are great, beautiful, active fish that REALLY get along well with aggressive fish(cichlids, pikes, etc). They are fast, schooling, and get big too, so Gary won't be able to snag them so easily. If it were me personally, I would have a school of 8-12 foot long tinfoil barbs, Gary, and a couple of pretty plecos mixed in. Good luck with the tank

 

[Happy Dad]

Some pleco species are cool, especially the Golden Pleco, but plecos and acrylic tanks do not mix, they will scratch it worse than my Oscars did. With the dragon puffer he does not leave his "cave", they are not swimmers. They are fat lazy bums that just hang out and wait for food. I feed him frozen silversides and have to push them in front of him so he will eat them. Most spoiled fish ever, lol. He will only eat a live fish if it happens to cross his path. He never ate a fish in our 300 as there was just too much room for fish to avoid him.

 

[waddles99]

Some pleco species are cool, especially the Golden Pleco, but plecos and acrylic tanks do not mix, they will scratch it worse than my Oscars did.  With the dragon puffer he does not leave his "cave", they are not swimmers.  They are fat lazy bums that just hang out and wait for food.  I feed him frozen silversides and have to push them in front of him so he will eat them.  Most spoiled fish ever, lol.  He will only eat a live fish if it happens to cross his path.  He never ate a fish in our 300 as there was just too much room for fish to avoid him.

Ive never had an acrylic tank so I wouldn't know. I have heard of large Plecos rasping big craters in the tank though. That's why I don't like it, scratches way too easier. Of course it is lighter and stronger but I don't like the scratching part. Speaking of Plecos, one of my favorite fish was a 12" long royal Pleco. Great fish for a big tank. They can get >18".

 

[Happy Dad]

Almost have to go with acrylic on a 300, it would be too heavy to move if it was glass. I also prefer the optics of the acrylic over glass, there is no light bending and the colors are true. Even the scratches that the Oscars made were only visible if I pointed them out to you. I'm a perfectionist so I want even those scratches gone Special care is definitely needed though to keep an acrylic tank.

I've also kicked around the idea of getting a Tigrinus but they are getting very hard to find and also very expensive.

I'll definitely post some pics as I get this thing going.

 

[redrooster99]

A side view of my tank.

Albino glow light tetras.

One of my cherry barbs.
I love my tank but I still want more.