BYC Aquarium Thread

[Kevin565]

This is a aquarium discussion thread.

This thread will include:
Fresh Water Fish
Salt Water Fish
Brackish Fish
Ponds
Invertebrates
Etc


You may post questions involving:
Aquarium Stocking
Tank Mates
PH issues
Nitrate Issues
Breeding Questions
Feeding Questions
Tank Size suggestions
Etc



Prohibited Behavior:

You may not try to sell or link to pages selling your fish
NO Live food videos
No trolling. You may make suggestions but you may not continuously harass someone
If your fish is sick you may post a photo of it to help. If it is very graphic please give a warning in the post before you post it.
NO Hi jacking.


Feel free to share your aquarium pictures, knowledge, and more.

Here's my introduction. You may make one if you would like

Username:Kevin565
Years keeping fish: A few years
A few species you have kept: Danios, Goldfish, Cichilids (African and South american), Live bearers, Bettas
Favorite Species: I love them all but one of my favorite is Frontosa
How many tanks do you currently have: 5
Do you have other creatures besides fish? Yes I'm a big fan of snails and shrimp
Any Advice for people new to fish keeping? Don't rush. Slowly stock your tank. Also you should research what kind of tank you would like before purchase. Example: Reef tank, Community, Semi Aggressive, African Cichlid, Cold Water, Etc

 

[Ukiah]

I figured I'd just introduce myself, I'll probably be chiming in on this thread quite often, however
as of now, I have no pictures or anything to post.. haha

Username: Ukiah
Years keeping fish: 14 years
A few species you have kept: African cichlids, mainly. I've owned many betas, however.
Favorite species: yellow labs, and frontosa.
How many tanks do you currently have: 2, one of which is awaiting fish
Do you have other creatures besides fish? As far as aquariums go, only fish.

Looking forward to seeing pictures/etc in this thread!

 

[mz.candiz]

I'll have to take some new pictures of some of my tanks to post later; but I will introduce myself as well for the time being.

Username:mz.candiz

Years keeping fish: about 4 years now

A few species you have kept: I run a fish rescue, so I have had pretty much every type of freshwater fish possible at some point or another. But my "special babies" are my Oscars!

Favorite Species: I have a soft spot for Oscars (my first more advanced fish), but I also love Flowerhorns, Gars, and Scarlet Badis

How many tanks do you currently have: 8 personal tanks, and 9 rescue tanks...sadly I have actually downsized the amount of tanks (ALOT!)

Do you have other creatures besides fish? Lots of different types of shrimp, snails, and vampire crabs

Any Advice for people new to fish keeping? Please research before you buy!!! The cute tiny fish you see in the store my not stay tiny forever. Some species can live as long (or longer) than a dog. Its a commitment, not a disposable creature. I get countless fish in that the owners did not look into before they bought and they were completely unsuitable for the tank they had. Fish DO NOT grow to the size of the tank. A tank too small for them stunts them, and can cause horrible growth defects, health issues, and a shortened lifespan. Flushing a fish down the toilet is NOT a quick death for them! And releasing them into the wild will either result in their death, or issues with the wildlife in that area as they become an invasive species (ex: Snakeheads). I would rather be asked a 100 questions, than have a 100 fish waiting for homes in my tanks

 

[pinkfoxfarm]

UsernameinkFoxFarm

Years keeping fish:since beofre i was old enough to walk.
my father was an avid fresh water tropicals keeper and my uncle was big into show Koi.
i had a 10 gal community tank with neons in my nursery lol.

A few species you have kept: well...lets see...
my first tank keeping myself was a 10 gal guppy tank, that progressed into mollies and swords...
i moved into general community tanks, mostly various tetras and gouramis...
danios, rasboras and bettas came into my world in the teens
then i got into african cichlids (munba) then into peacocks, then blood parrots...and now ive come back almost ful circle to setting up a communtiy tank
current inhabitants are 2 nickle sized veil angels, 12 jumbo neons and 6 brilliant rasboras...(planning to add 6 cherry barbs, 2 more veil angels and 6 corydora, and mabe some glowlights too lol)
ive also had koi and goldfish of various kinds

Favorite Species: in terms of looks, the peacock cichlids, i love the OB's and the dragonbloods...personality, i have to say i adore the blood parrots, they just make me smile...in temrs of tank set up, theres something about a nice mixed communtiy tank that just...yeah...Id have to say though of ALL fish theres nothing more visually stuning than a LARGE group of neon or cardinal tetra!
i also ADORE ryunkin goldfish! particularly calicos lol and shubunkins!

How many tanks do you currently have: 1 x 125g (becommign the livingroom community tank), 1 x 7 gal (currently home to a betta and id love to put some white clouds in there), 2 x 1 gal (bettas)

Do you have other creatures besides fish? no, but i am putting though tino cherry shrimp.
i have kept fiddlers, newts and clawed frogs in the bast too

Any Advice for people new to fish keeping? ENJOY IT...i see soo many people getting so strung up on what they can and cant do that they seem to loose the enjoyment aspect of keeping a tank...for example i was thinking about doing discus and everyone starts going off about how they NEED a bare bottom tank, need this need that cant do this cant add that, dont put with other fish because of disese ect...whats the point of keeping them if i just have a couple beautiful fish who have to live in a plain glass box?! i like much more visually appealing and "natural" looking environments)

i need to try and get pics of my tank, but my camera doesnt camptuer the tank well...

 

[mom'sfolly]

Can we add pond to this too?

I have a pond system, about 450-550 gallons. I'm not completely sure how much water is in it because I have a stream, pond and bog. The bog is 2x8 feet, and the stream is about 2x 10 feet, with the pond. I also have a pond that looks like it is on the same pump, but is an independent 200 gallon system.

I'm working on having a fully functional ecosystem. I have large goldfish, about 6-8 inches in the larger system. I have comets, shubunkin. This summer we probably had 4 or 5 batches of tadpoles hatch, and numerous water bugs. The wild birds use it every day for water and bathing. In the spring, I'm going to get my boys to catch some crayfish and mosquito fish, and put them in the stream. I'm also hoping the gold fish will breed. I have smaller goldfish in the 200 gallon tank, and I will use that as a brooder tank.

I've had a couple of accidents with adding water and walking off. I now only add water when I have a buddy present.

I find watching my fish very relaxing.

 

[Kevin565]

Great Idea I'll add pond to the first post.

 

[Mala]

Although I have no fish tanks at the time, I know quite a bit about keeping puffer fish. I wish that I had the space and the money for a puffer tank, but they requre alot of space, which most people do not realize when they purchase puffers. They are certainty not a fish for beginners!

Please Please Please, if you are thinking about adding a puffer to your tank, do your research first!

 

[NYboy]

Goldfsh, have a 55 gallon tank , 500 gallon pond outside. I like getting feeder comets, keeping them for a year inside when they grow to about 6 inches I move them to pond. Have some fish for over 8 years.

 

[carolinagirl58]

Username: Carolinagirl58
Years keeping fish: koi in outside ponds for 10 years
A few species you have kept: Koi
Favorite species: Koi do not come in different species. they do, however, come in different color varieties. I don't have a favorite.
How many ponds do you currently have: 9000 gallons, 5000 gallons including a creek, 4600 gallons, 1300 gallons, plus two 300 gallon quarantine tanks.
Do you have other creatures besides fish? Florida Red Belly turtles

Any Advice for people new to fish keeping?

Do your homework before digging the pond. Koi (carp) are river fish that can get over 36" long in only a few years, if properly cared for. These fish need big, deep ponds to thrive. A bare minimum of 300 gallons is required per koi, with a minimum pond size of at least 1000 gallons. 500 to 1000 gallons per koi is prefered. A bottom drain in the pond is a must. This carries the fish waste directly to the filters, which means the fish will always have a clean environment. It also means you don't have to clean the pond, only the filters.

Learn all about water quality. If you can keep the water healthy, the fish will keep themselves!

Quarantine ALL new koi and be very cautious where you get fish. There is a deadly virus out there called Koi Herpes Virus (or KHV). When a pond is exposed, 70% of the fish die. The ones that survive are now carriers and can look perfectly healthy, but can pass the virus on to other fish. The reputable koi breeders are testing their breeding stock for this virus, but many of the lower-end imported fish (and some domestic fish) may carry the virus. At my house, fish stay in quarantine for many months. I am very careful where I get fish from and will blood test them if necessary to insure they are virus free. Testing is expensive but since many of my fish are very valuable show fish and also beloved pets, I can't take a chance with them.

 

[mom'sfolly]

Carolinagirl...now I'm jealous. To get a much bigger than what I have I would need a backhoe, and more space. I would love Koi, up I just can't get the length and depth they need with my ground and lot. Here, all the topsoil is about 6 inches deep, if you are lucky. Then you hit limestone bedrock...not so easy for large ponds. I try for colorful fish, that are interesting to look at. I keep looking at my yard, thinking...I can go above ground there for another pond. My husband thinks I'm obsessed, and the pond project keeps expanding. The current pond is an expansion of the first, very small pond that was hard to keep; deer kept eating the plants, and raccoons got the fish.

My bog garden filters the pond, and the stream and waterfall aerate it. Do you know if lemongrass will grow in a bog? I've heard it will, but I'm not sure.