Home aquariums.

[Chino]

Damn, that sucks.  Actually had the same thing happen (opposite, though--heater failed, fish froze) many years ago. 

Last October, that freak snow storm left me without power for 5 days. I had a total of 41 fish sitting in 55-58 degree water for 4 days. They went into completely frozen state. I could reach into the water and poke them, or grab their tails and move them to a different part of the tank without them trying to swim away. When the power came back, the water slowly heated back up, and all the fish became animated again. All of them survived except two glo-fish which died within hours of each other 3 days later, not sure if it was related to the cold.

[El Barto]

Damn, that sucks.  Actually had the same thing happen (opposite, though--heater failed, fish froze) many years ago. 

Last October, that freak snow storm left me without power for 5 days. I had a total of 41 fish sitting in 55-58 degree water for 4 days. They went into completely frozen state. I could reach into the water and poke them, or grab their tails and move them to a different part of the tank without them trying to swim away. When the power came back, the water slowly heated back up, and all the fish became animated again. All of them survived except two glo-fish which died within hours of each other 3 days later, not sure if it was related to the cold.

Tangentially.  Stress is like AIDS to fish.  It cripples their ability to fight off illness.  Five days outside of their comfort zone would weaken them to such a point where anything could kill them. 

[bosk1]

Damn, that sucks.  Actually had the same thing happen (opposite, though--heater failed, fish froze) many years ago.   

Yeah, I had that happen a few years back as well.  Only lost one fish (a gold nugget pleco), but he was my favorite.  Fish from the amazon do not tolerate cold well at all.

Consider this a fine opportunity to go in a different direction.  Once you get something established, you're married to it for at least a decade, and even then it can be hard to change directions.  The first thing you need to decide is if you want to keep up the community thing, do a species tank, or a biotrope tank?  I think biotrope tanks are badass, myself.  Species tanks can be fun, as well.  Figure out the direction you want to go in, and then you can figure out the specifics. 

Yeah, I've thought about that.  Not sure what I might do.  It was a good community tank, and I really liked the species I had (mainly roseline sharks and clown loaches).  Not sure whether to go a similar direction, go with something hearty and cheap and let it become the kids' tank so they can learn to take care of the fish, or maybe go with a small number of slightly larger fish, such as maybe parrots or firemouth cichlids. 

Pt. II

So I eventually decided to go with basically a single species tank, electing to have some firemouth cichlids.  Fun fish.  I was going to go with a small school of 4 to 6, but the LFS I bought from only had 4, and the guy who was on duty could only manage to catch 3 of them, so I figured that would be a good start.  I have had them for a couple of weeks.  Just got a call from my kids saying we no longer have 3 firemouths in the tank.  Now, we have about 100. 

[El Barto]

Quick story about the totally inappropriate way to deal with fish breeding.

A good friend of mine had a 50g breeder; the same tank I now have.  He stocked it with six Brichardi. Interesting chchlids from Lake Tanganyika.  They're aggressive as hell to other species, but get along swell with each other.  They're popular because they're so social-minded and they tend to each others fry, and set up a hierarchy for raising the youngsters.  His six turned into a hundred, and for a while he would sell off the excess for supplies, but this gets to be a PITA.  Eventually he just decides to just leave them alone figuring they'll work it all out.  Filters, accidents, aggression, natural selection; it never gets too far out of hand.  He gets a thriving community that lasts for 15 years or so.  Then he starts to notice that they're mutating.  A side effect of starting with a small gene pool is that it doesn't take too many generations to start seeing some weird shit.  He wound up with a completely different fish than what he started with.  Similar, but with big protruding jaws.  Unfortunately, the mutations didn't prove to be advantageous to the species, so it never really propagated too far.   While the mutants did actually outlast, outwit and outplay the norms, they didn't prove successful enough to continue on and slowly died off.  Eventually it got down to two mongoloid looking fish, who didn't really pay much attention to each other.  Eventually, one of them killed the other out of boredom, and then jumped over board.  Then he gave the tank to me. 

Moralistic fish-keepers are full of things you're supposed to do to keep this from happening.  Personally, I thought it was a god damned hoot.  It was a wonderful study of natural selection in a 20 year microcosm.  Frankly, this was far more entertaining than the hierarchical nursery.  And best of all, it took almost no effort whatsoever. 

[bosk1]

Yeah, I've heard of similar things.  Very interesting to see firsthand.  Here are a few pics.  You can see mom (smaller one) and dad (bigger one) with lots of tiny babies swimming around the flower pot area.  Dad especially was getting VERY annoyed at me hanging out close to the tank snapping pics, and was flaring his gills and showing other aggressive behaviors toward me (see especially the last pic).   

[cramx3]

I would really like to set up my old 30g hexagon fish tank but living in an apartment with a yearly lease makes me want to settle down in a place I know ill live in for a long time before I set it up. When i was younger I had the 30g and two 10g in my bedroom and when we moved I had to give my needle nose fish away and it was such a pain to move the 30g tank. However in my new house at the time we got a 55g tank put in the basement wall when my parents finished the basement. I kept a single Oscar in there and he got to be about a foot long. I would hand feed him feeder fish. But sheen I went to college my dad didn't take care of him and the heater broke and no one noticed.

[bosk1]

Crap!  All these things you never think of until they are an issue...  The babies are starting to swim off on their own a bit.  Not TOO much of a problem, for the most part, but there are at least two potential hazards I can think of:  (1) a couple of other fish who may swallow them if they stray too far from mom and dad; and (2) my filter intake tube, the holes of which are definitely big enough to suck up the little guys.  Can't really help the former issue.  But I hadn't thought of the latter until I noticed a few getting dangerously close (I probably lost a few already).  Had to swipe an unused pare of panty hose from my wife and cut off one of the feet to slip over the intake tube.  I hope at least a few of the little guys make it.  I don't know what the average survival rate is.

[El Barto]

I believe the survival rate is pretty low.  That's actually a good thing, considering how many fry you start out with.  You obviously don't want 100 of those guys in your tank. 

[bosk1]

Well, in the long term, no.  But in the short term, I'd love it if most of them lived.  I can pick a few to keep, and then trade off the rest at the store for other stuff. 

The parental behavoirs these fish are showing is a really cool thing to witness.  For example, my wife was cracking up last night watching them move groups of babies around the tank by sucking them in, and then spitting them out in their new location.  She was also enoying watching them chase the pleco around the tank whenever he would get too close.  They had completely ignored his existence before the babies came.

[Chino]

I put a new light in my Avatar tank this afternoon. I dig it. I was afraid the plants would all tint blue, but they are just as vibrant, if not more so than the old black light. The genetically modified fish look much nicer, and I also bought two of the new glow tetras. I can't decide which I like more. I should add that the old pic was taken on a tripod, with a 3 second exposer, and a semi high megapixel lense. The new one was taken with my beat ass DroidX.

Old:


New:

[bosk1]

Fits your theme very well. 

[El Barto]

After two years of dicking around, UPS delivered six of these guys this morning.  Currently at home exploring their new digs.  They're tiny right now (I've put bigger fish on hooks), but that'll give them time to grow into the tank together rather than starting off territorial.

[bosk1]

Very cool.  What did they cost you?

[El Barto]

$40 for the fish and $42 for the shipping, so just under $14/head.  When the LFS finally got them in after a very long wait, they wanted $29/ea; crazy bastards.

[bosk1]

Oh, wow.  I've seen them here for about $14, but they are rare.

[El Barto]

Right next to the Tapajos, the LFS had a tank with what appeared to be much rarer Altifrons for $8/ea.  I think it's possible they mixed the two up, but whatever the case, I decided that they didn't know what the hell they were doing and left. 

I got these from The Wet Spot in Oregon.  They have a big presence on Aquabid.  My guess is that shipping to your neck of the woods would be dirt cheap, so you might consider them next time you want new fish. 

[bosk1]

LFS . . . didn't know what the hell they were doing   

No way!  REALLY?  :shockedandappalled:

[El Barto]

To be fair, this is probably the best LFS in Dallas, and they're sporting a showroom that's better than the City of Dallas's Aquarium.  They just really bungled that whole deal and I didn't feel like screwing with it. 

https://www.thefishgallery.com/

[El Barto]

I seem to have misunderestimated the size of the fish in relation to my gravel.  I know from experience that it's a great size gravel for geo's to nosh on, but these guys are minimum 6 months from being able to take in a mouthful.  They're happy exploring as it is, but they're not able to sift for food like they should.  Unfortunately, that means I might wind up having to spend an afternoon swapping out the gravel for sand, and that sounds like a tremendous PITA.  Not looking forward to it.  On the bright side, the fish would probably be dreading it more if they only knew. 

[bosk1]

My Firemouths have completely rearranged my tank since I put in sand and added them.  They basically dug a huge pit in the back of the tank and now have piles of sand everywhere else.

[El Barto]

Took the better part of yesterday to swap out 150 pounds of gravel for 50 pounds of pool filter sand.  Ugly, ugly job.  The fish are ecstatic, though.  The sand is clean and soft, and it took all of about 90 seconds for the fish to start sifting through it. 

I'm really digging these fish a lot.  After being traumatized by the net, they spent 5 hours in a 2.5gallon container and didn't mind a bit.  Really didn't stress them out much at all.  They settled right back into the tank like nothing happened.  The tank's about 10 gallons low, so the filter return is just shooting a column of water straight down, and they take turns trying to swim up through it like they're surfing.  It's a hoot.

My Firemouths have completely rearranged my tank since I put in sand and added them.  They basically dug a huge pit in the back of the tank and now have piles of sand everywhere else.

Wait til you come home and discover that they got bored and moved that hole to the other side of the tank.  Cichlids can do a lot of work in a short time when they get motivated. 

[bosk1]

What size tank are you running again?  I forget whether you mentioned it.

[bosk1]

My Firemouths have completely rearranged my tank since I put in sand and added them.  They basically dug a huge pit in the back of the tank and now have piles of sand everywhere else.

Wait til you come home and discover that they got bored and moved that hole to the other side of the tank.  Cichlids can do a lot of work in a short time when they get motivated. 

  Oh, I'm sure.  I can't believe how much personality they have.  Only downside to them so far is that my big guy busted his mouth up pretty bad a few weeks ago.  Not sure what happened.  He could have been fighting with his mate, could have bashed himself up on something in the tank, or something else, but his mouth was looking pretty bad for awhile.  He wasn't even really able to eat properly, and I was worried.  It isn't looking nearly as bad now, and he seems to eat just fine (although all three of them are the most hilariously uncoordinated fish I have ever seen--they'll dart straight at a piece of food, and then miss and have it bounce off their nose or something), but his mouth is somewhat deformed now.

[El Barto]

Just a 50 breeder.  Breeder because it trades length for depth, increasing the surface area a great deal.  Best suited for fish that don't need lots of running room.

[soundgarden]

When I was in high school I had a 100 gallon tank for my Silver Arowana:

(similar)


I bred small goldfish for it too.  I enjoyed feeding it.  I had to sell it when I moved to college though.  I hope one day to get another.  They are gorgeous!  I just wish I can get one for salt water though; since I was hoping to start a salt water tank for my next aquarium. 

[El Barto]

Neat fish.  I've heard from more than one person who said that they get so used to people petting them that if you walk by without doing so he'll splash water all over you. 

[Chino]

[El Barto]

That yours or some random netizens?

I was gonna post some pictures of my Tapajos, but the guys suddenly turned into pussies.  It's really quite annoying.  The first month I had them they were always out and about and seemed to really like when I was around (the provider of food).  Starting with the second month, they run and hide anytime I approach the tank.  Bastards.  I'm really quite pissed off by their behavior.  Shame, because they're actually thriving in there.  They've grown tremendously, and they starting to color up a bit.  They're gonna be good looking fish (assuming I ever see them again).

[Chino]

I wish that was mine. 

[bosk1]

That yours or some random netizens?

I was gonna post some pictures of my Tapajos, but the guys suddenly turned into pussies.  It's really quite annoying.  The first month I had them they were always out and about and seemed to really like when I was around (the provider of food).  Starting with the second month, they run and hide anytime I approach the tank.  Bastards.  I'm really quite pissed off by their behavior.  Shame, because they're actually thriving in there.  They've grown tremendously, and they starting to color up a bit.  They're gonna be good looking fish (assuming I ever see them again).

Same with mine in general.  The difference is that with babies in the tank, they still initially dart behind something, but then if you stay by the tank, they come out and try to threaten you with gill flaring. 

[El Barto]

My theory is that they were more brazen before they became territorial.  Each one of them has their own hiding place now, so if I start to walk towards the tank (which I'll occasionally do just to be a dick), everybody's got somewhere to run.  Usually, it works the opposite way.  Once they all have a place to hide, they should feel more comfortable, not less.  I'm starting to think they're just assholes.

[Chino]

I did away with my Avatar tank. It was a very hard decision. It was truly just way too much of a bitch to clean. Between my three tanks, the Avatar tank made aquarium maintenance day take way too long.  All those little plants took forever. I went with a couple of drop in coral inserts that are easy to remove and much easier to clean. I know this camera phone pic sucks, but my actual camera got destroyed in the trunk of my car when I got hit.

[bosk1]

My theory is that they were more brazen before they became territorial.  Each one of them has their own hiding place now, so if I start to walk towards the tank (which I'll occasionally do just to be a dick), everybody's got somewhere to run.  Usually, it works the opposite way.  Once they all have a place to hide, they should feel more comfortable, not less.  I'm starting to think they're just assholes.

  I know what you mean.  Not sure yet whether I'll just leave things as they are or maybe shake things up by adding either (1) a couple of some other type of semi-aggressive fish that can hold its own (maybe jewels?) or (2) a school of a big enough fish that aren't likely to get attacked as a group (maybe some medium sized clown loaches?).  I probably won't do either, but it's interesting to think about.

[Nick]

Bumping this with some happy news. Basically back in September of 2010 I had to move out of my apartment temporarily. This resulted in me giving my fish away to my best friend. In July of 2011 I moved back, but didn't know if the move would be a permanent one. Well, the move became permanent earlier this month and my friend was looking at getting a dog and freeing up space and so the conditions were perfect for the fish to come back to me.

My friend was down to two fish, both which have been alive since the tank was here originally. They are a Rafael catfish named Chris Angel (because even though he's huge he's an illusionist because you never see him), and the now renamed Silver tipped shark Kratos.

In addition I've added two tiger barbs (Apollo and Artemis), a panda barb (Dionysus), a gold barb (Aphrodite), a green tiger barb (Hephaestus (builder of all tank architecture)), and red tailed shark Kimmo Finnonen (sports Flyers colors).

Really happy to have my tank back!

[Nick]

Okay, I'd say I've been slightly fish crazy for the last few weeks...

Basically I have a master plan in place that's going well so far. Basically I'm setting up a 75g tank in the bedroom, which will permanently house a catfish and shark, and temporarily house my other shark and all the barbs. This tank will be low-tech and planted and I'll be doing a fishless cycle to make the conditions perfect for when the fish move in.

Once that's fully running I'll be draining the 29g tank to swap out the gravel for better substrate and planting that tank as well. I'll then move the barbs and one shark back and I think they will really be thrilled with the tank.

Finally I will take any remaining substrate from the 75 and 29 and adding it to the 29's gravel for use in a 55g Cichlid tank to be put in an office. Won't be planting this one at all as along with Cichlid's I'll also have a pair of Plecos in the bottom, and that's just a lot of fish that like to destroy plants.

I'm still not 100% sure what I want to do with the 75g tank when the Barbs move out simply because that's a big freaking tank with a lot of freaking options. I'll likely keep it community oriented with perhaps an eel as well. Thinking a few swordtails and  a couple of gourami's for starters.