Lets see them Aquariums

[976-RADD]

[Code-7]

My 30g mixed reef. Just got the yellow tang; the one I ordered was supposed to be an inch and half; the one I received in the mail is over 3". He'll be going into a 75g next week.

[Si Trav]

heres a quick iPhone pic I snapped of what I recently set up. Its an Aqueon 20g deluxe package that came with the heather and all that jazz. I set it up tested the water everything seemed well. I went to the local tropical fish store who told me to start the tank with a Jack Dempsey and a Gourami. The jack is lively swims around eats etc. The gourami is not doing well. He was swimming on the surface alot acting strange etc so I purchased an air bubble. Still he's not well. I've done partial water changes added conditioner and also even invested in some Stress Coat+.

The tank is 2 weeks old today. I learned the Gourami is a very delicate fish and the pet store salesman should not have told me to use a Gourami as a starter.

Anyone with any advice please....I really want him to make it.

[Si Trav]

Also I would like to sell the two taller green plants in mine. They ended up being the wrong ones.

Paid $25 each i will sell each one for $15. Shipping is an option also.

[SOAR]

The tank is 2 weeks old today. I learned the Gourami is a very delicate fish and the pet store salesman should not have told me to use a Gourami as a starter.

Gourami's really aren't very delicate, they are actually quite hardy. Are you sure the Dempsey isn't aggressive towards it? They can be quite territorial in small tanks. That would be my first guess if it's just hanging out in a corner or something.

[Si Trav]

Gourami's really aren't very delicate, they are actually quite hardy. Are you sure the Dempsey isn't aggressive towards it? They can be quite territorial in small tanks. That would be my first guess if it's just hanging out in a corner or something.

the dempsey dosent toy with the gourami in any way. the dempsey is just as content as the gourami was before the gourami started acting up.

bad fish maybe?

maybe the gouarami is alone and needs a partner? the water is perfect but would that mean its ok to add another fish?

like for example since i got home about 15 minutes ago til now he was upright in the tank toward the top but not on the top....then BOOM a quick spurt of swimming crazily and now hes lying face up again only this time in one of the plants...

[O_Matt]

I am quite experienced as a fish keeper, and I never had much luck with gouramis for some reason (aside from bettas)

Good luck with yours, but if it cannot swim properly, it is as good as dead.

edit: I always recommend cycling tanks with danios. They are by far the best imo. In a tank the size of yours 5-6 of them would be ideal.

[Si Trav]

I am quite experienced as a fish keeper, and I never had much luck with gouramis for some reason (aside from bettas)

Good luck with yours, but if it cannot swim properly, it is as good as dead.

edit: I always recommend cycling tanks with danios. They are by far the best imo. In a tank the size of yours 5-6 of them would be ideal.

the gourami ended up croaking even today at the fish store i noticed all the gouramis were very lifeless and boaring. im glad i didnt pick up another one

however i ended up getting a yellow african cichlid today for 6 bucks
hes very active swims well is eatting well and looks great. i would say he's a little over an inch in length.

my jack dempsey though seems very gloomy. swims around a little eats a little and stays in hiding most of the day

guy at the pet shop told me the african should do alright with the pH as it is but he wont glow as much as if it were higher. cant raise the pH because the dempsey and other future fish wont go well

as for the danios i will look into them!

so far i have just the jack dempsey and the yellow african. i want other types of fish so that will probably be the end of the cichlids for this tank

[SOAR]

however i ended up getting a yellow african cichlid today for 6 bucks

my jack dempsey though seems very gloomy. swims around a little eats a little and stays in hiding most of the day

guy at the pet shop told me the african should do alright with the pH as it is but he wont glow as much as if it were higher.

so far i have just the jack dempsey and the yellow african. i want other types of fish so that will probably be the end of the cichlids for this tank

Not tryin to be a dick or anything. But you sound like you are getting way ahead of yourself, and not doing much research.

Not saying you cant successfully mix African and CA Cichlids in an aquarium... But if a Dempsey, and an electric yellow in a small 20 doesn't give you problems now, it most likely will later. That Dempsey is going to grow, and steak himself some territory, which he will defend. The Yellow will also be agressive towards weaker fish. If you are going to try and throw docile fish into that tank with them, they will likely get beat up.

[veetarded]

...unless it's a leleupi.

so far i have just the jack dempsey and the yellow african. i want other types of fish so that will probably be the end of the cichlids for this tank

^ This cracks me up. Once you have cichlids, everything else you put in the tank is food.

[O_Matt]

Mixing Cichlids isn't the best idea. The water they like is completely different. It sounds like you are getting a bit ahead of yourself before even making sure your tank has cycled properly.

My advice:

1. Read up and pick 1 fish you really want to keep (keep in mind your space is very limited, A full grown Jack Dempsey is going to have trouble swimming in your current tank)

2. Build a community around that specimen(s)

3. Enjoy happy healthy fish

I would say for a beginner a good community for 20 gallons would be a small school of danios, 2 cory catfish, 2 otocinclus catfish and then maybe a pair of kribensis after you are positive the tank is in good condition.

[SOAR]

I would say for a beginner a good community for 20 gallons would be a small school of danios, 2 cory catfish, 2 otocinclus catfish and then maybe a pair of kribensis after you are positive the tank is in good condition.

Or do what I did for my first freshwater tank. Get some demon hellspawn of a fish that wont let you add anything to the tank,. Then grown him, and harass him daily until all he wants to do is strip the flesh from your fingers.

[blacksmoke194]

i love the colors

[Si Trav]

...unless it's a leleupi.



^ This cracks me up. Once you have cichlids, everything else you put in the tank is food.

not true one bit. the local tropical fish store has a tank with black angel fish cichlids and a few other variety

[SOAR]

not true one bit. the local tropical fish store has a tank with black angel fish cichlids and a few other variety

LOL, that's because angels are the fish food. He was referring to the predatorial cichlids. Angels are worlds apart attitude wise from a highly territorial predator like most Africans.

Absolute rule number one when starting an aquarium: DON'T LISTEN TO YOUR LFS! They are a business, they want your money. They will tell you that any fish you want will be fine. Because in the end, it will die, and you will come back and buy another.

Granted there are some one man operations out there that really know their **** and won't give you bad advice, but they are the minority.

When/If you get into saltwater, it gets even worse.

[Si Trav]

LOL, that's because angels are the fish food. He was referring to the predatorial cichlids. Angels are worlds apart attitude wise from a highly territorial predator like most Africans.

Absolute rule number one when starting an aquarium: DON'T LISTEN TO YOUR LFS! They are a business, they want your money. They will tell you that any fish you want will be fine. Because in the end, it will die, and you will come back and buy another.

Granted there are some one man operations out there that really know their **** and won't give you bad advice, but they are the minority.

When/If you get into saltwater, it gets even worse.

so i guess i need to find someone to take the jack or the yellow african

things like this get me PO'ed because one person tells you one thing then someone tells you another, and then a rookie like me gets stuck...

[Si Trav]

would anyone be interested in taking the jack off my hands....

paid $25 plus tax for him....$15 hes still a baby hes a Cobalt very beautiful

[SOAR]

so i guess i need to find someone to take the jack or the yellow african

things like this get me PO'ed because one person tells you one thing then someone tells you another, and then a rookie like me gets stuck...

Forums man!! get on forums!!!

[O_Matt]

Si, you really need to read up on the subject of fish keeping. Buy a few magazines and a nice beginner book.


I think you misunderstood what I was saying, but SOAR explained it pretty well. It all comes down to fish being from different regions of the world, not all of them can live in harmony.

[Si Trav]

Forums man!! get on forums!!!

just joined up last night.....Fish Lores.....looks really vast....

Si, you really need to read up on the subject of fish keeping. Buy a few magazines and a nice beginner book.


I think you misunderstood what I was saying, but SOAR explained it pretty well. It all comes down to fish being from different regions of the world, not all of them can live in harmony.

yea dude you know what i let my guard down. i did my fair share of reading but what it came down to was me hearing way too many people tell me different things and listening to people not knowing where there info was coming from or just exactly how knowledgeable they really were

you live and learn. im on the fish keepers forum right now to find keepers for BOTH fish because I did indeed find out that neither one of my two fish now will coexist in a 20 gallon.

the african cichlid needs to be in packs of 5 and both fish require 55 gallon or larger tanks!

[O_Matt]

Good stuff.

Enjoy the hobby, it is great!

[Si Trav]

dont know if anyone on here checks this anymore but i do have an update for the people that do follow.

I was very misled and novice on top of that before I did anything fish related.

I am happy that i joined fishlore.com Its a great forum and everyone on there is super nice and helpful. Unfortunately I am a seasonal worker and out of work until the spring time. I spent hours upon hours upon hours upon hours of my free time just browsing and reading. Tomorrow I am going to call both of the shops that I got my two fish from to see if they would take them back. Hoping that both of the local fish shops take the fish back, or someone from my forum(s) take the fish(which I am giving away cost free) I am going to break the tank down 50% or so and change a whole bunch of things around. I'm also contemplating taking the gravel out(because theres also way too much of it) and switching to some sand.

Some upgrades so far
1)Went from 2 tall plants and 1 medium plant to 2 small. All three of the plants have break-away stems to change the size of the plant

2)upgraded water testing kit from 6 in 1 strip testing to the API Freshwater Master Test kit. Snagged it on eBay for $24 shipped.

3)will be upgrading air pump from Petco to something quieter.

I will be going community on this tank. As much as I would like a nice african cichlid tank, I dont have the room or money to upgrade the current tank. I am going to make the best out of the coin I spent so far learn more and make the most out of it.

[MKIINIK]

^^ I Went from a redsea marine test kit to an API marine test kit. I am VERY pleased with the API test kit. The Amonia, Nitrate, and Nitrite were kinda deceiving on the redsea. The API test the same test was easy to do and results were not deceiving.

[veetarded]

So I finally got around to taking some pics of my 30gal. bowfront. Enjoy:

[Si Trav]

my girlfriends brother found a free 55 gallon cube listed on his marine forum. im picking it up this week and hopefully will set it up before the summer next year

i also got to give away my jack dempsey to the store in which i got it and they gave me a $15 credit toward my next purchase. i saw a few interesting things there that are suitable for my 20 gallon so I just need to find a taker for my african cichlid and it will be time to get the right fish

[O_Matt]

Sounds like you are on the right track now.

I can't wait to start up a tank again once I finish school.

[XClayX]

Always wanted a saltwater tank. Although I've never kept fish before, thought it would be interesting to have a star fish, couple of mini crabs/cleaner, 1-2 fish and maybe a anemone.

But I know that would be like a 100g tank and they'd all eat each other.

Anyone have an anemone? I hear they actually move around the tank.

nice pics btw.

[SOAR]

Anenome's are cool. But they are not for beginners. They require good lighting, and pristine water conditions. ans most grow to a very large size, and require large tanks.

My buddy has a Rose Bubble Tip and a Maxi Carpet Nem, and they are both gorgeous.

They only move around until they find a place they like, then they usually stay put unless something changes, or pisses them off.

[O_Matt]

Start with a freshwater to get down maintenance procedures.

If you are still a fan after a year or so, step up to a saltwater setup.

[veetarded]

Added a l. leleupi and a couple of jungle valves today. Obligatory pics (sorry for the blurry one of the new guy, he's tucked into a corner where I cant hold the camera too well):

[veetarded]

My buddy has a Rose Bubble Tip and a Maxi Carpet Nem, and they are both gorgeous.

I have a RBTA in the 120, the clown fish live in it.

[A3jett]

[Deadzero2005]

Lovin the African Setup....I personally have Burundi and Moba Frontosa in a 300Gal setup

Arrowana's are always fun aswell

Looking to down size my aquariums...selling a 150Gal setup 48Lx24Wx31H (I believe)....Tank, Wooden Stand, Covers, Gravel, etc.

[Mk1Racer]

Some nice tanks for sure. I miss having a tank. Worked in a shop for a couple of years when I was in HS. We had a great fish room. The last tank I had was a 30L w/ mostly synodontis cats. I had an angelicus that was almost 8" long. Raised him from like 2.5" over ~5 years.

[SOAR]

Bringin this back. Updated photos of my tank...