Fish Thread for posting Pictures of our fish, tanks, ponds, and Q & A

[thekid]

lol when they get too big off to the pet store they go, now a rubber lip pleco is suppose to stay small

 

[thekid]

Wow just read this on petsmart's website about a electric blue cichlid with a new owner

Overall Rating 2 of 5



July 27, 2010
by CaptainCaboose from Wisconsin (read all my reviews)


Pros: very pretty
Cons: mean, attack other fish, hide

"For my birthday, I got one of these electric blue cichlids. At home, I had a fish tank of four goldfish, a parrot fish, and a cleaner fish. All of the other fish get along great, except for him. He bullies all the other fish, even when they are halfway across the tank. (55 gal.) I've had him for about a year now, and he's still healthy and growing. He hasn't killed any fish, but has managed to tear off a few bites of goldfish fins. He's a very pretty shiny fish, but doesn't have the best personality around the other fish."


What is your gender?: F
How many pets do you have?: 5 or more
How often do you shop at PetSmart?: A few times a year


0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

 

[Andi]

Yes, the electric blues are pretty fish, but they are cichlids. African cichlids, dwarf African cichlids included, are somewhat territorial and don't appreciate others hanging out in there turf. They will try to claim an entire 55 if they think they can. (2 pairs of dwarf African cichlids would bicker and fight constantly in a 55 even of there were no other fish.) What the person could do to help minimize aggression is create territory structures in the tank at one end for the electric blue. Electric blues come from rocky shores and use hard scaping as boundaries. The other fish don't understand the boundaries thing and will likely take a while to figure it out, but it would help. Also, rearranging the way the tank is decorated will create a need for the electric blue to reestablish territories (fight) all over again, so once she has territory structures in place she should avoid rearranging in the tank while she has the electric blue in there. If you are able to leave suggestions she may find it helpful. Depending on the type of goldfish she has they may be easy targets because they are a slower pace, go with the flow type fish. If they are like fantails or orandas, even more so.

Learning BEFORE buying can make life so much easier on the fish. I've done my share of impulse purchasing myself. Its not fair that the fish suffered because of my mistakes. With the internet and all of the support its easier to ask about fish then it was even a decade ago. If at any time anyone ever has questions about freshwater fish/aquariums, feel free to PM me. If I don't know the answer I'll help with researching.

The information that that person put up in the Petsmart website is great information for others to learn from. I applaud her ability to share her experience of a situation that didn't work out the way she thought. Too many people would not say anything for fear of people knowing they made a mistake. Her comments will likely prevent others from making the same mistake. Good for her!

When people make mistakes, try to be understanding. Not everyone is on the same learning curve as we are. None of us know it all (and never will). The best we can do is share the things we have learned to help others. The person that bought the electric blue likely wasn't aware of the behavior of those fish. Its likely the person that sold or gave her it didn't know, so couldn't explain it. Its possible the person selling or giving that fish away was unaware of the tankmates it was going to have. There's so many possibilities. Bottom line, she took the step to do the right thing after learning herself.

 

[Andi]

Quote:
You're right, they will get to be about the same size as a BN would. I think they are cool looking, too. They are a bit spendier and more difficult to find then the BN and aren't as hardy. Probably not the best choice for a newbie or a tank that hasn't been established for a long time.

 

[mother o' chicks72]

I was wondering if you can keep a goldfish in a bowl with no filter? thanks.

 

[thekid]

noooooooooo goldfish need a HUGE tank with a filter

 

[Andi]

mother o' chicks72 :

I was wondering if you can keep a goldfish in a bowl with no filter? thanks.

I'm guessing you knew the answer before asking the question but were hoping you were wrong.

Ideally, thekid is right. Goldfish actually get pretty big. The smallest goldfish varieties would be the fantails and orandas which will get to be 6"-8" long for a healthy adult. Those are also varieties of goldfish that need higher water quality. Because goldfish have a dominantly vegetarian diet they need to consume more food than what a meat eater type fish would. They don't put out any more pollutants then meat eating fish but the volume of poo is greater. In a bowl that's just looking for a hassle. Sure you could do it. You would need to change at least 50% of the water every day and the fish would still out grow the bowl, not to mention that that would be a big stress for the fish everyday.

Goldfish, for the most part, are more tolerant of pollutants than a good many other fish. That doesn't mean forcing them to live like that is such a wonderful idea.

If this fish is being kept as a temporary thing (say, a month or 2), then, ya. You'll have to figure out what you're going to do with it then. Be aware that you can get attached to fish, just like we do with our chickens and such.

If you're interested in what will work in a fish bowl, consider a Betta. You'll still need to do partial water changes a couple of times a week, but they won't out grow a bowl (unless its real small). The big thing about Bettas is people don't realize they prefer warm water. They will be happier and look better if you can provide them with a heater.

Good luck!​

 

[mother o' chicks72]

Quote:
I'm guessing you knew the answer before asking the question but were hoping you were wrong.

Ideally, thekid is right. Goldfish actually get pretty big. The smallest goldfish varieties would be the fantails and orandas which will get to be 6"-8" long for a healthy adult. Those are also varieties of goldfish that need higher water quality. Because goldfish have a dominantly vegetarian diet they need to consume more food than what a meat eater type fish would. They don't put out any more pollutants then meat eating fish but the volume of poo is greater. In a bowl that's just looking for a hassle. Sure you could do it. You would need to change at least 50% of the water every day and the fish would still out grow the bowl, not to mention that that would be a big stress for the fish everyday.

Goldfish, for the most part, are more tolerant of pollutants than a good many other fish. That doesn't mean forcing them to live like that is such a wonderful idea.

If this fish is being kept as a temporary thing (say, a month or 2), then, ya. You'll have to figure out what you're going to do with it then. Be aware that you can get attached to fish, just like we do with our chickens and such.

If you're interested in what will work in a fish bowl, consider a Betta. You'll still need to do partial water changes a couple of times a week, but they won't out grow a bowl (unless its real small). The big thing about Bettas is people don't realize they prefer warm water. They will be happier and look better if you can provide them with a heater.

Good luck!

well darn! I accidentally rescued a fish without looking into it farther. the man who gave him to me is a science teacher, and he said the fish would not grow any bigger, it is very small (about an inch long) and is a brownish color. he also said it could live without a filter, if i left some of the water from the pond in with him. Is it necessarily a goldfish? I have been feeding him goldfish food because I just assumed he was a goldfish. should i post a picture of him?

 

[thekid]

Yes pictures would be nice

 

[Andi]

mother o' chicks72 :

well darn! I accidentally rescued a fish without looking into it farther. the man who gave him to me is a science teacher, and he said the fish would not grow any bigger, it is very small (about an inch long) and is a brownish color. he also said it could live without a filter, if i left some of the water from the pond in with him. Is it necessarily a goldfish? I have been feeding him goldfish food because I just assumed he was a goldfish. should i post a picture of him?

Its possible its something other than a goldfish. It might be a type of minnow. Matter of fact the very first fish I had of my very own was a minnow I caught with an ice cream bucket on a rope and it lived for almost 2 years in a fishbowl on the coffee table in our living room.

If you can post a pic it would help in IDing it. If nothing else you can give it a temporary home until it can be housed in a larger home. If keeping it indoors is out of the question in a bigger tank (if it is a goldfish), outside in a pond tub might be an option, as is finding it a home with someone else. Goldfish are fun fish. You can teach them to take food from your fingers. Personally, I like the brownish colored ones.​