Thanks c: My first few bettas were veiltails too... Then I got a red crowntail named Daniel (Lived to 5 years old). So far, Half-moons are my favorite to be honest. Though veiltails are a close second.He's very nice...I love his coloring. I started out with veiltails and then got crowntails. Now I'm wanting a half-moon myself. I can just imagine how pretty he is when he flares!
They're my favorite too. I got all of mine to take food out of my fingers and it'd tickle my fingers, lol! I'd have them take the food and then put the rest of the food in after. They'd see me approach the tank and would swim up to the top for their food...it was so cute.
Thanks
I got him to flare. When he flares, he goes insane, and is way too fast for a good picture...
That's the best I could do. LOL
I know how you feel. Some people have called me stupid for being so emotional over fish, but I am.
One day, I went to church, and when I got back home, most of my fish had died, and the rest were terribly sick, and didn't make it. I have no idea what happened, but I lost:
1 three year old Bala Shark that was roughly 2 feet long-RIP Sederick
1 five month old Bala shark that was about 3 inches long-RIP Silver Streak
1 two year old Plecostamus that was about 2 feet long-RIP Plepe
3 Spotted Catfish-RIP Sport, Spots, and Silver
Oh cool!
I know, it is hard to get pics of them when they flare 'cause some of them get all worked up, lol!
Thanks for sharing the pics! He sure is a handsome boy!
Aww, hon, you're not stupid for being emotional.They're are pets and we love them. I cried my eyes out when we had to euthanize my Angelfish due to a really bad case of swim bladder issues. We tried so hard to make him well, but the treatments didn't work and he was suffering. My poor daughter took it the hardest of all. I felt so bad for her. He was such a clown and would follow us from one side of the tank to the other and eat from our fingers.
One time I came home to find all my Cichlids dead. The nitrate and ammonia levels in the tank had gone through the ceiling and we had no clue why. We did a complete water change and found that one of the Cichlids had buried under the gravel and got stuck and died and we didn't know it. He was a big boy and caused the nitrate and ammonia levels to soar in no time, as we usually tested the levels once a week to be sure all was okay. Then there was one time when I came home to find my that Cichlids ripped each other to shreds. Everyone was acting fine for a long time before that, but I guess one must've challenged the other while we were gone and everyone went on a rampage. I decided after that I didn't want anymore Cichlids. They're absolutely gorgeous fish (my fav. are the Yellow Labs), but they can be quite the handful. I was really sad about it though, as we had those fish since they were fry.
I've never owned a Chichlid... Hopefully someday I will. I had the guppies since they were fry too.Thanks
Aww... Being emotional over fish is not a bad thing. They're animals too... and when I lost my fish, I cried.I know how you feel. Some people have called me stupid for being so emotional over fish, but I am.
One day, I went to church, and when I got back home, most of my fish had died, and the rest were terribly sick, and didn't make it. I have no idea what happened, but I lost:
1 three year old Bala Shark that was roughly 2 feet long-RIP Sederick
1 five month old Bala shark that was about 3 inches long-RIP Silver Streak
1 two year old Plecostamus that was about 2 feet long-RIP Plepe
3 Spotted Catfish-RIP Sport, Spots, and Silver
I lost my first betta (4 -6 years ago... can't remember) on a Sunday too... Right before I left for Church.
By the way, Sky took a pellet from my hand today c:
Yup. He did it again last nightAww, so cute that Sky took a pellet...good boy! Their little lips are tickley huh? Lol!
If you get Cichlids, just be prepared that they can be difficult, as they're aggressive. Yellow Labs, Acei's (I had the Yellow Tails) and Rusty Cichlids are the easiest to start off with if you're wanting to start off with Mbunas. You can mix them or you can have just one species...like all Yellow Labs for instance (they're beautiful and one of my favorites!). A thing to know is that if you have two types from the same family, they will breed with each other, so having two from the same species is discouraged (like if you had two Labidochromis species together). That's another thing too, you have to have a good female to male ratio. I'd say 3-4 females to one male. The males can and will fight...it depends on their temperaments. Some will just fuss, locking lips with each other, to where others will tear each other apart...this is why it's good to mix those of the same temperaments if you're going to be mixing types. Cichlids can be very aggressive...much depends on the type as to just how aggressive. Be prepared for lots of babies too...they breed like rabbits, lol! Mbunas are mouth brooders...the females keep their babies in their mouths until they're old enough and they spit them out. It's best to have a separate tank to keep the fry in. The females don't eat during the time they're holding the babies and can lose a lot of weight. So the females weren't bothered by the males or anyone else, I'd put my females in a separate tank until they spit the babies out...then I'd put them back with the others in the main tank. If they'd lost too much weight I'd keep them in a tank just for them and feed them until they got their weight back up. Being in their own tank meant they didn't have to compete with others for food and could gain their weight back easily.
There are shell dweller type Cichlids and some can be kept in tanks as small as 10 gallons. There's other small ones like Apistogrammas too. Then there's the beautiful, but hard to care for Ram Cichlids. The Bolivian Rams, I've found, is the easiest to care for, as the others have specific requirements. Angelfish are also Cichlids. I love Angels, but as with the others, even though they aren't as aggressive, the males can still fight and do damage, so it's best to have a proper ratio of them. I found it was easiest to have one Angelfish and then tank mates that were a good mix with Angels. In a large enough tank, a good ratio of Angels will do fine though. I just happened to end up with all males, lol, so I had to give some away to friends 'cause they were fighting.
When it comes to Cichlids, what works for one person may not work for another and vice versa. They're very interesting and can be fun fish, but some will keep you on your toes, lol! I only kept them for a couple of yrs. so I don't have as much experience as others may have with them, but I will tell you that it's best to research the breeds you're interested in and make sure they're compatible and that you can meet all their needs, as I've found they require a bit more care than the usual tropical fish. They cost more to care for and have to have an acidic PH.
If we're all still on here when you decide to get your Cichlids, just drop me a PM if you have any questions or need any help. I plan being here for a long time, but know that people can come and go on forums.
Sorry this is so long, I'm a blabber mouth, lol!
Edit: To fix typo.
