Fish Thread

[ShrekDawg]

I’ve ordered all my plants from here and I love it and they have different packages and stuff for different kinds of tanks so it makes it pretty easy haha

Apparently right now though they’re closed for a couple more weeks but if you don’t mind waiting, I love them. But of course there are a lot of other websites too for aquarium plants.

https://plantedaquariumscentral.com/

 

[RiverOtter]

Just depends whether you want the best for your fish.

DO NOT get on here and pull that sort of passive aggressive nonsense. Seriously, take it somewhere else.
Also, your ignorance astounds. There are many different species of gourami and many of them are NOT schooling fish as they grow and many are highly territorial. They are Anabantoids, a family which among fish-keepers is divided into bettas (aka, fighting fish) and non-bettas. For example, "kissing" gouramis aren't kissing, they're dominance wrestling and will kill each other - unlike mollies or the other common livebearers, regardless of sex ratios.
So take your snide remarks, backhanded comments and BAD ADVICE and go.

Although it seems morbid, I'd really rather that any babies get eaten than the other option, which is that I end up with way more fish than I bargained for.

If you do it like that without a test kit, how do you make sure that everything is balancing properly?

For plants I was planning on some anubias and some java fern and maybe some amazon sword because they're supposed to be easy. The other plants available are bamboo, hornwort, ribbon, water wisteria, green mondo grass, moneywort, peacock fern, umbrella, el nino fern, and some others that I can't spell.

Is there a specific order that I should add the fish to avoid problems? (for example, I know that if you want to do a betta with other fish, you add the other fish before the betta)

To answer your questions, I'd start with the anubias and Java fern, as those are both very easy plants. Hornwort and water wisteria are also very easy care. Once you have some experience, keep anything you like, just know that many plants are grown out of water and then immersed, and when you change the tank they're in, they "melt". Many will come back, but it's still upsetting, especially if you're just getting into it and might not know it's anything you did.

I know that everything is balancing because my fish are happy, healthy and thrive. If you're nervous about it, nearly every pet store that sells fish will test the water for you, and if a cheap, basic kit helps you feel better, go for it. Just don't go insane testing your water daily and getting upset over every teeny fluctuation like some people (who are also prone to nasty, backhanded, PETAesque remarks) would have you do.

Water WANTS to balance. in nature, there is life in nearly every drop of water. (Seriously, if you have a microscope, peek)
All you have to do is give it time.
The less you mess with it, the better it is. People who have bare bottom tanks and siphon all waste and rely entirely on sponge filters and do 30% changes 3x a week have very delicate cycles - because they are keeping them delicate.
The current method of cycling has been pushed hard by ....drumroll please... the same companies who sell all the chemicals and test kits. It started among marine fishkeepers trying to keep delicate wild-caught species alive in tanks as sterile as possible. It was never how anyone kept fish long-term.
Create a rich mini-ecosystem and use a good filter with carbon.

I add fish to a new tank based on hardiness. Which fish tolerate the widest range of parameters? Which ones can handle a tiny spike in parameters with ease? Because a new tank is going to fluctuate a little bit. You take it slow and there will never be a huge spike that will stress a fish, but some fish are definitely more delicate than others. Think of it like this - inside your school, some days it's warm and some days it's cool. The person who is walking outside in a t-shirt in January is a lot happier with those fluctuations than that thin little bird-boned kid who is still wearing a sweater in June, but no one is going to die over it. So make t-shirt kid the first one in the tank.

 

[KingD]

DO NOT get on here and pull that sort of passive aggressive nonsense. Seriously, take it somewhere else.
Also, your ignorance astounds. There are many different species of gourami and many of them are NOT schooling fish as they grow and many are highly territorial. They are Anabantoids, a family which among fish-keepers is divided into bettas (aka, fighting fish) and non-bettas. For example, "kissing" gouramis aren't kissing, they're dominance wrestling and will kill each other - unlike mollies or the other common livebearers, regardless of sex ratios.
So take your snide remarks, backhanded comments and BAD ADVICE and go.



To answer your questions, I'd start with the anubias and Java fern, as those are both very easy plants. Hornwort and water wisteria are also very easy care. Once you have some experience, keep anything you like, just know that many plants are grown out of water and then immersed, and when you change the tank they're in, they "melt". Many will come back, but it's still upsetting, especially if you're just getting into it and might not know it's anything you did.

I know that everything is balancing because my fish are happy, healthy and thrive. If you're nervous about it, nearly every pet store that sells fish will test the water for you, and if a cheap, basic kit helps you feel better, go for it. Just don't go insane testing your water daily and getting upset over every teeny fluctuation like some people (who are also prone to nasty, backhanded, PETAesque remarks) would have you do.

Water WANTS to balance. in nature, there is life in nearly every drop of water. (Seriously, if you have a microscope, peek)
All you have to do is give it time.
The less you mess with it, the better it is. People who have bare bottom tanks and siphon all waste and rely entirely on sponge filters and do 30% changes 3x a week have very delicate cycles - because they are keeping them delicate.
The current method of cycling has been pushed hard by ....drumroll please... the same companies who sell all the chemicals and test kits. It started among marine fishkeepers trying to keep delicate wild-caught species alive in tanks as sterile as possible. It was never how anyone kept fish long-term.
Create a rich mini-ecosystem and use a good filter with carbon.

I add fish to a new tank based on hardiness. Which fish tolerate the widest range of parameters? Which ones can handle a tiny spike in parameters with ease? Because a new tank is going to fluctuate a little bit. You take it slow and there will never be a huge spike that will stress a fish, but some fish are definitely more delicate than others. Think of it like this - inside your school, some days it's warm and some days it's cool. The person who is walking outside in a t-shirt in January is a lot happier with those fluctuations than that thin little bird-boned kid who is still wearing a sweater in June, but no one is going to die over it. So make t-shirt kid the first one in the tank.

It so happens that fish have been on our family for a good number of years. I am also an active member of a large online fish forum. Maybe your opinions are different to mine but I can say I know a fair bit about fish keeping so keep your "know it all attitude" at bay.
Thanks.

 

[KingD]

For example, "kissing" gouramis aren't kissing, they're dominance wrestling and will kill each other - unlike mollies or the other common livebearers, regardless of sex ratios.

I might also add that this is a false statement.
Don't make a fool of yourself.

 

[Painted Calls]

Love my anubias! Easy peasy.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Love my anubias! Easy peasy.

I think I had some of those but I can’t remember. I’ve gotten a few different packages from them over the years hahah like the beginner 5 and 10 gallon ones and a specific betta one. One of the plants in it though was illegal here so they substituted. I thought it was this anubia one but I looked it up and it was anacharis haha

 

[CSAchook]

Anyone else with a reef tank?

 

[ShrekDawg]

Anyone else with a reef tank?

I think @007Sean does or used to ??? I’ve always loved saltwater tanks but I can barely handle freshwater so no way could I manage a saltwater one. they’re awesome though!!!

 

[CSAchook]

I think @007Sean does or used to ??? I’ve always loved saltwater tanks but I can barely handle freshwater so no way could I manage a saltwater one. they’re awesome though!!!

The maintenance really isn't as bad as people make it out to be. In fact, DH just got a second salt tank setup I think he might have a coral addiction

 

[ShrekDawg]

The maintenance really isn't as bad as people make it out to be. In fact, DH just got a second salt tank setup I think he might have a coral addiction

Oh wow! I don’t blame him! Coral is amazing.

I think I just get intimidated by all the extra equipment and everything needed.