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I picked up most of the equipment I am going to put in my tank. The plan is for a 20 gallon long, though I am also considering a 29 gallon so that I can fit in my planned fish. If I go 20L my lights will reach the bottom of the tank with ease and I can consider doing a carpet. With a 29 that may be out of the question, but considering the fish I plan on stocking I may not have a choice. I'll finish my move to L.A. next week and then I can pick out the tank I want. Equipment: Freshwater Master Test Kit Water Hardness Test Kits Hydor Koralia Nano 240 Pump Eheim Classic Canister Filter 2213 Hydor ETH Inline Heater 201 30 pounds of red flourite Finnex Ray 2 LED Daylight 30 Inches I also have the other assorted necessities like Seachem Prime, nets, airline tubing for DIY CO2, etc. Does it look like I missed anything obvious? I plan on starting a fishless cycle as soon as I get the tank established. Will that light be enough for me to carpet with as well or should I consider a second? I was planning on using Hemianthus callitrichoides as a carpet plant, but I don't know if my light will be enough. I'm looking at red plants for the most part, as they will make an excellent high contrast with the fish I am planning on stocking. Of course most red plants require a relatively high lighting as well, either to make them look red or to keep them alive. My plans for fish are pretty much set though. I am going to start the tank, after the cycle of course, with Carbon Rili Shrimp and once they have started to breed I plan on introducing everything else gradually. MTS are definitely going in the tank and I am still torn on whether or not to add Otos to help the shrimp and snails with clean up. Second to last I plan on introducing ten or so Pseudomugil Rainbowfish. This is my major question. I have heard conflicting reports on their behavior in schools and how they deal with other fish. Live Aquaria has them down as aggressive, but every other review of the fish does not. There is apparently the possibility that the males will stress each other out, so I am planning to break up the line of sight in the aquarium and give them locations to dwell in if they choose, I'm hoping they school though. For my final fish I was planning on a large centerpiece betta though. Do Pseudomugil Rainbowfish have a reputation as fin nippers? I know the betta may possibly be aggressive, but I can deal with that by relocating him to another tank if I get an angry betta. But if the rainbows are guaranteed to be a problem with the betta in the first place I'll be poo poo out of luck and would rather not add them to the tank if I can help it. Also will this planned stocking be comfortable in a 20L or will I have to go with a 29? I already checked Aqadvisor and with my filtration etc I should be fine, but they do put up a warning for the Betta and Pseudomugils.
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Jun 19, 2013 18:00
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I've just moved into my new place in Los Angeles. Got most of the equipment I'll need for my tank and tomorrow I plan on looking at aquariums here in the city, which I am not from. Any SoCal goons have a good LFS they would recommend? I'm in Granada Hills but I'm willing to trek for one.
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Jun 26, 2013 06:03
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durrneez posted:I'm in the valley too! Neighboring fish nerds! Thanks! I'm going to be buying my shrimp online as I have a certain morph I want. (carbon rili shrimp) Mainly I want a store that I trust when I sell back excess shrimp and buy food. I'd like a place that treats its animals well of course. I may pick up some HC if I can as I want to dry start it this week. I also need to buy the tank, literally the only missing piece. I'll probably snag that at Petco as the smaller stores usually overprice them. Mainly I'd like a place with good plants and exotic fish. When I purchase the fish for the tank I may have to do that online as well since I'm looking for Pseudomugil rainbows. Either the Gertrudae or Bluebacks. If I can find them in a store though that would be wonderful too.
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Jun 26, 2013 15:53
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Awesome. I'll do my own digging and let you know if I find a place besides those.
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Jun 26, 2013 17:58
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SynthOrange posted:Aw, baby shrimp! If I can get them breeding I will be more than happy to spread the love around the forum, I'd rather they go to people who care for their fish than a lovely pet store. I checked prices and I can get 10 for $110. Hopefully enough for breeding.
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Jun 27, 2013 04:28
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SynthOrange posted:If they havent become any more fragile due to breeding for the trait, you should be fine. Neocardinias are pretty fecund as it is. Unfortunately I cant get any; I live in Australia and they are a prohibited import. If you pay for my trip to Australia I will put shrimp up my rear end.
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Jun 27, 2013 06:52
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Zaffy posted:I work in Granada Hills. I checked out Exotic Life and found it to be acceptable. The guy behind the counter was kind of dickish, but it seemed to be in an awkward way and not intentional. The fish were alright but the tank selection was nonexistent. Their main focus seems to be reptiles and Arachnids though. I would go back, but only if I don't find better elsewhere. And I checked out Fumi's on Chatsworth, which I believe is what you two are thinking of. http://www.yelp.com/biz/fumis-tropical-fish-granada-hills I actually liked this place. The owner was very pleasant and the store is dusty and tiny. However the fish all appeared incredibly healthy. Pretty much every tank had fish with large rounded bellies that were incredibly active. Exotic didn't have many dead fish, but plenty of them seemed slitly underfed. At Fumi's the tanks were covered in algae but the water quality looked great and he used sponge filters everywhere as well as some sumps. He also had the best prices on tanks, better than Petco even. I'm going to check more stores out, but so far Fumi's is a place I would recommend for stock and tanks.i didn't check the prices of other equipment.
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Jun 28, 2013 08:41
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Zaffy posted:The last time I was at Fumi's it was full of dead fish, and smelled of rot. There wasn't a tank that didn't have at least 1 fish floating belly up. Maybe I'll give it another shot, I drive by that place twice a day. I'm going back next week topics up the tank, so I'll look again. But I was shocked by the health of the fish I saw. I didn't notice a single dead or underfed fish, even the nicest stores I have been to have some with concave bellies. The shop is absolutely covered in dust and the algae on the tanks is pretty bad, but what I noticed was the healthy live stock. If you go in let me know what you see on that front. Because it did not look like the owner was just cleaning the dead out before I saw them, it looked like they were actually cared for.
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Jun 28, 2013 15:03
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So I will be picking up my glass tank on Friday but I also picked up a 2 gallon rimless to keep a Betta in until he can go in the 30. My girlfriend and I found a lovely grey/blue Betta that we have named Gorsh. Pics will come later when we find the box our camera is in.
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Jun 30, 2013 18:25
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Well my new Betta shredded his tail sometime in the last 24 hours, so I'm taking out all the fluorite, I think that is probably what did it. So now he will have a glass bottomed tank unless I find some cheap substrate I like. Time to buy medication. 
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Jul 2, 2013 23:02
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SynthOrange posted:Nice eggs Lingcod! They'd appreciate a dab of egg-safe antifungals. He has a large, for the tank, fake plant and a decent sized chunk of Ohko stone. It is possible it is a bacterial problem, but if so it went from looking good to tears in his tail fin in less than 24 hours. He also has a Jebo mini filter on the tank. I don't think my red flourite is that sharp, but for soft fins like his I could see it possibly being the issue. He wedges himself under the plant occasionally.
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Jul 3, 2013 02:51
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Shakenbaker posted:My money is on the plastic plants being your culprit, honestly. Maybe. I want to put a live plant in but I worry about starting a planted pico tank. Maybe some armchairs? This should only be a one or two month tank for him while I set up my 30 gallon planted.
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Jul 3, 2013 05:04
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Shakenbaker posted:So long has he's got something to lounge on, I know my betta loves to lay on his driftwood log catching shade under the anubias that grown on it. The thing with the plastic plants is that sometimes those little edges are just enough to snag their fins or scratch their bodies, but that kinda depends on the fish and all. You could maybe just tie a clump of anubias or java fern to a rock and give him a lounge spot. Don't need fancy substrates or lights for either of those, and they're generally cheap to come by. He is laying on my fake plant and looking good. I'm pretty sure the Ohko stone or gravel is how he cut himself. I'm phone posting, so no image, but Ohko stone isn't like the other scape stones and is actually kind of rough and has sharp edges. Once he looks healed up andim not doing daily 100% water changes I will look for a basic plant that can survive my low tech mini tank. Lacrosse posted:My tiger nerite snail has been trucking right along in my tank with the 2 huge goldfish and 3 dojo loaches. If you get big ones, I would think that only clown loaches would able to attack them. I like nerites, does anyone have any experience with assassin snails and large nerites? Also I'll finally have my tank tomorrow. I want to do a dry start to get a carpet of HC going. Has anyone here found a good FAQ for it? Most threads I've read on the planted tank just say "I did a dry start."
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Jul 4, 2013 04:57
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I've spray painted my 30 gallon and got everything all set up now. I only have a few pieces of Ohko stone so far, but I like what my scape looks like at the moment. I'm going to pick up some more pieces when I'm in the Bay Area next week, assuming they have some. The pictures look a little washed out thanks to a quick point and shoot, but the rocks and substrate are much redder in real life. The Ohko stone is particularly attractive with shades of orange and yellow all throughout it. I will be back in San Jose next week, so when I get back I would like to begin my dry start of the HC. If anyone else has found a good FAQ for how to do a dry start I would love a link to it.   This is the spray paint I used. Don't buy it. The spray is uneven and chunky and no amount of shaking helps. Avoid at all costs.   The stand isn't amazing, but it has a cherry finish which goes with a lot of the other furniture we have. Please excuse the mess, we are still in the process of unpacking. So any recommendations for the rocks? I don't have a real plan for them yet, and if any are still in the Bay Area when I get up there next week I will add more. But for now I think this is an interesting scape. I plan on doing a carpet of dwarf baby tears through the center of the tank with some taller plants on the left and rear of the tank. Beyond that I haven't really decided on much.
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Jul 9, 2013 04:10
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Shakenbaker posted:Eh, uneven paint on the back isn't a huge deal. If people are spending more time looking at the paint than what's in the tank you've probably got other issues. It is still a pain in the rear end doing six coats when two or three should suffice. When I pay for it I want it to work.
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Jul 9, 2013 05:54
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Chido posted:
A water change will clean it up, but it really shouldn't be too much of a concern for you. It could be a while before the wood stops leeching into your water, but I doubt you will have any negative results besides poor clarity.
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Aug 1, 2013 18:25
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Shakenbaker posted:MTS = Malayasian trumpet snails. They're kinda long and pointy shelled things. Good for general cleanup and for stirring up the sand and soil in those sorts of tanks, but have to be on the scale of convict cichlids when it comes to things that can multiply in an aquarium if left unchecked. My vote is for Sushi.
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Aug 3, 2013 21:41
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. Little guy is completely fearless. I don't usually name my fish, but the little jerk has earned one I think.
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dirtycajun posted:This is my tank before the water cleared. Going to be adding the plant life on Tuesday I believe. Those decorations look pretty cool, if a bit crowded. Are any of them genuine? If so you may want to test the ph to ensure they don't alter it.
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Aug 4, 2013 19:11
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I woke up this morning and found my lovely betta, Julian, outside of his tank. He's now a dry fish-chip in the garden. I don't know how he got out of the covered tank, but he did. Rest in peace you dumb bastard.
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Oct 1, 2013 22:12
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FuriousxGeorge posted:Hey folks, I have some newbie questions about stocking a ten gallon if you have a minute. If you have a decent filter and heater you could try dwarf cichlids. A pair of German Rams would probably be ok if you break up the scenery a bit. There are other dwarf cichlids as well, but rams are relatively inexpensive and pretty common.
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Oct 3, 2013 08:34
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Sonic H posted:*cool pictures* My girlfriend really loves the look of your substrate and wants to replicate it when we have another tank going. The little bits of blue mixed with the pebbles looks really nice.
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Dec 14, 2013 22:53
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Coulrophobia posted:Hey, I'm a fish newbie thinking about starting an aquarium. I know smaller tanks are harder to maintain but I don't have a ton of space, is 15g big enough for a starter? Or should I try to make room for one 20g+? Make the room now because you'll wish you did later. More space means more fish.
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Dec 17, 2013 03:43
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Coulrophobia posted:That's good to know about the tetras...also thanks for the other fish recommendations. That rainbow shark sounds adorable. I never would've thought they could have so much personality Mollys are a good recommendation for beginner fish, and they are also quite attractive. But be aware that they reproduce very easily as well, as they are livebearers.
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Dec 17, 2013 19:46
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demonR6 posted:electric eels.. Stone fish you coward.
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Feb 2, 2014 00:57
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jadebullet posted:So my fiance have decided to start planning a 10 gallon themed tank based around a spooky/halloween theme. We are going with a black substrate, a bunch of creepy looking tree decorations and a few creepy caves. That sounds like a lot of stuff to pack into a 10 gallon. You're probably going to want to go 20 long and/or reduce the populations a bit.
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Feb 2, 2014 04:29
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demonR6 posted:I'll see you one stone fish and raise you a baby Kraken.. I'd call your bluff, but I already released mine into the local waterways.
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Feb 3, 2014 23:50
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Eifert Posting posted:At this point maybe it'd be easier to just say gently caress it and try and cram every species in existence into Florida. Go for a record. As long as they wipe out Floridians in the process.
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Feb 7, 2014 17:40
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Bait and Swatch posted:My LFS had a pair of Pacus they rescued in a 300 gallon tank for a long while until someone adopted them. Even in the 300 it didn't seem that they had nearly the room they needed. I really wish I didn't see babies for sale so often, they aren't typical pets in any sense of the word really. I used to work at a petstore and they would sell them as "piranhas" to all the idiots who wanted carnivorous fish.
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Feb 9, 2014 21:38
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Eifert Posting posted:Anyone know the name of this little ray of sunshine? Looks kind of like a red tail barracuda, but I think the shape of the mouth is a little different. Got a better picture?
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Feb 20, 2014 18:35
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I've definitely seen and owned a younger one of those before, I just can't find a proper name for it. If it helps anyone else with identification they have very large fangs that curve inwards.
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Feb 20, 2014 18:58
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I think I found it. Sabre tusk barracuda, aka Vampire Tetra. http://bluegrassaquatics.com/barracuda-saber-tusk-reg.html *edit* I'm looking around more and it seems like there may be two unique fish going by this name. The vampire tetra appears to be a different species and for some reason some sites are listing the sabre tusk as a vampire tetra as well. Chichevache fucked around with this message at 19:03 on Feb 20, 2014 |
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Feb 20, 2014 19:00
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JuffoWup posted:I don't think that is it. The mouth shape on the one linked there is similar to a hatchetfish where the mouth points straight up with the upper lip also serving as the upper line to the body. The mystery fish however, has some body mas above the upper lip of its mouth. And that doesn't include the pink/silver skin. The one I linked is a baby. Google image search Sabre tusks and you'll find some photos that look a lot more like the mystery fish.
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Feb 20, 2014 19:18
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I've got an idea. Don't buy fish from Petco.
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Feb 25, 2014 21:32
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Eifert Posting posted:pulling the trigger on these guys tomorrow. Whatisthatiwantone
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Mar 13, 2014 15:56
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Git Mah Belt Son posted:I know this is going to seem dumb...but I don't know chiclids at all really. A friend of a friend needed to get rid of him since he's breaking down his aquarium due to moving. He's not that old I guess, only a couple months. German ram, he's probably just dark from stress.
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Mar 17, 2014 03:32
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Goldmund posted:Here's a short video of the tank, with the thunderstorm program running on my led lights. Speed up the light flashes and play some skrillex, please.
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Mar 24, 2014 01:24
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Dantu posted:In my experience a Jack Dempsey is probably going to be too aggressive for a severum to deal with. You might luck out, but I'd recommend against that mix, curious as to what others think. My old gold severum dealt with some nasty cichlids during his days, and he never once was targeted by any of them. Obviously it depends on the fish, but if the tank is well decorated and large enough I think he could try putting in a smaller Dempsey to see how it does, on the condition that he can take it back to the store if it is too aggressive.
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Apr 15, 2014 16:43
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Wolfgang Müller posted:Right now there is just the severum (1.75"), the featherfin (3.5"), and the crayfish (3"). The crayfish is the only adult right now. Yea if you only have a 55 then the severum should just be your centerpiece, and he may end up a little crowded. Maybe throw in some other small SA cichlids to give the tank a little pop. If you had a slightly larger tank I would recommend green terrors or blue acaras. Despite the terror moniker they actually got along great with my severum.
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Apr 16, 2014 00:03
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Wolfgang Müller posted:I was googling around for certain types of small cichilds, would "dwarf" cichilds be a decent choice? Or maybe a rainbow cichild? I know enough to be dangerous when it comes to aggressive fish so I appreciate any feedback! If you get dwarf cichlids you should put more decorations in the tank so that they have places to hide. I love German Rams and the like, but I don't know how they will do with a crayfish in the tank. I'm sure they're fine with the severum for now, but I also don't know how that would work out once the severum reaches its full size. I don't think it would bother the dwarves, but I don't know for sure.
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Apr 16, 2014 02:29
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Goldmund posted:During a water change yesterday evening I found a dozen free swimming fry in my "all-male" mbuna tank. Turns out that John Waters, my yellow lab, has been living a lie for the past 3 years. I have no clue who the father is, and I don't have any two of the same species in the tank, so will be interesting to see what they grow into. John Waters is the perfect name for a gender bending fish. 
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Jun 4, 2014 09:43
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