BYC Aquarium Thread

[EweSheep]

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I put ~10k into my salt tanks over four years, not counting an increase of about $250 a month on my electricity bill. I don't really miss it.

 

[Kevin565]

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It would depend on the snail species. A lot of them can grow quite large. I would vote no on the goldfish.

 

[knjinnm]

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Goldfish are cool water fish, bettas are warm water fish not compatible with goldfish. Betta's don't do well with fin nippers but would be OK in a five gallon tank with just snails. The problem I find with large snails is the amount of waste they produce, the same with goldfish.
A good compromise would be White Cloud Mountain minnow;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Cloud_Mountain_minnow

 

[knjinnm]

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I love bettas. Half Moons are my favorite

Are you breeding bettas?

 

[Kevin565]

No but I would like to look into it. They have some great quality fish at my LFS

 

[pinkfoxfarm]

No on the goldfish...they need a min of 10 gals per fish even as juviniles, they put out way too much waste to be able to keep ontop of it in a 5 gal. the smallest id go for goldies is a 20 Tall gals for 2 DEEP bodie goldies (ryukin ect) (with excessive filtration and regular water changes) and a 20L for 2 long bodied (commets, shubunkins ect).

a betta with a few snails of cherry shrimp could be nice...
or if you dont want to watch the temp how about a little school of white cloud mountain minnos (related to zebra danios, which is what glofish are (genetically enginered zebra danios))

 

[EweSheep]

NO goldfishes, as I learned from the pet store employees. They produce so much waste, it was not funny!

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

Username: Flyingmonkeypoop (real name is Mike)

Years keeping fish: about 20 years

A few species you have kept: Too many lol. I have had tetras, platys, mollys, swordtails, betas, loaches, plecos, paradise fish, guppies, gouramis, convicts, firemouths, sun fish, perch, calvus, darts, bicher, danios, barbs, and all the other common freshwater species.
For saltwater I have had black and normal occelaris (sp?) clowns, damsels, chromis, brown tang, zebra tang, some little cleaner gobies, a goby that looked like a tadpole, fire fish, peppermint shrimp, candycane shrimp, some other cleaner shrimp, bangaii and PJ cardinals (got the bangaiis to breed), lots and lots of various corals and zoanthids (favorite is the hammerhead/frog spawn corals), mushrooms, algea stuff, anemones, hermit crabs, a decorator crab, and lots lots more

I started when I was a child with a goldfish who went from being black to white by the time it was 5 years old. After he died I had a community tank for ages. I had tanks off an on for awhile then I moved to the city and got a 29 gallon tank on craigslist. I started with a couple convicts but they were annoying so I gave them away and got a pair of firemouths which of course bred like crazy. At the same time I had them I got 3 marmokreb crayfish which also bred like crazy. I ended up with a second 29 gallon which I turned into a planted community tank. I got a breeder pair of the L144 blue eyed bushy nose plecos that bred pretty well for me in that tank.

I got rid of the planted community tank and turned it into a saltwater over night. I cleaned it out, used the same sand and got dirty water, some starter live sand and lots of liverock. I then started with the fire fish, curly Q anemone, and a shrimp. I then got clowns and some damsels and went from there. I got more and more fish and some soft corals then noticed the fish disappearing and noticed the anemone was eating them so it went back to the store. It was when I got the baby zebra tang that I upgraded to a 55. I sold the firemouths and both 29 gallon tanks when I got the 55 and just had it for awhile and I drip acclimated some hog choker flounder and mollies just for the fun of it. I moved from the place in the city to a friends place the next town over so I sold everything. In total I had over $15,000 in that tank with all the lighting, live rock, fish, corals, and everything else and only got about $5000 for it all.

Favorite Species: Calvus cichlids (not just because of my hairstyle, lol)

How many tanks do you currently have: 2, a 5.5 gallon 'chi' with 3 platys, an anubias that has lived through everything and still growing, and my marmokreb. Then I have a paradise fish that we have had for 11 years now. We were at a show and saw her alone in a corner tank at a pet store. Sisters betta had just died so she wanted another fish so we got it. The poor thing was so neglected for so long, just kept in a 'death bowl' as we called them at the store. We didnt even know what she was for the longest time. She has had many tank mates that she has killed so now just lives with snails. I am looking to upgrade once again, we'll see what craigslist has when the time is right.

Do you have other creatures besides fish? lots of feeder snails and a marmokreb crawfish

Any Advice for people new to fish keeping? Do research, especially on the cichlids!!! Sure you get 'African cichlids' at Walmart and think theyre cute but then they grow and become agressive and you have no clue what they are when you try to dump them off at the LFS. Also, understand that not all fish can live in the same tank even if the guy at petco says they are community fish. Even look into feeds, sure most will eat flake but almost all fish love frozen foods as well. I give my fish frozen brine shrimp and bloodworms

 

[EweSheep]

Can you eat the chilids if they got too big for the tank or too aggressive?

 

[Kevin565]

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Actually yes. I've heard of a few people doing thing this with specimens that got too aggressive