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Post by denise648 on Apr 19, 2007 13:58:05 GMT 8
Guys just want to share what happen and ask and advise on what things to consider. Ok I have 5 gallon hexagon aquiarium, complete with basic accessories, I have 5 Tiger Barbs, 8 Silver Molly, 4 Zebra Danio, 2 gold fish and 1 janitor fish, my fishes is about 1 1/2 month old since i bought it at Bio research. By the time I put a water plant in my aquarium after 4 days 2 of my silver molly died then the next day 1 tiger barb. I forgot the name of the plant, I didn't notice any unusual behavior of my fishes before they died. I immediately place all my fishes on my 2.5 gallon tank for them to stay during my general cleaning on the other tank, then I put them back in the hexagonal tank but ofcourse I make sure that the water temparature of both tanks are the same. Just want to ask what things to consider if I will put a plant inside my tank, aside from proper lighting, do I have to change something like pumps, sand or whatever? Any comment is highly appreciated
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Post by xctofi on Apr 19, 2007 14:09:38 GMT 8
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Post by denise648 on Apr 19, 2007 14:18:00 GMT 8
Thanks tofi
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Post by kulot_salot on Apr 19, 2007 14:36:35 GMT 8
denise, i've been an aquarium junkie dati... here's some tips (this is just mine...): throw away the plant & janitor fish...... the plant doesnt do anything to clean the water... & that pest (plecostumus) will eat the small fishes... when cleaning, it's good to add a handful of rocksalt to the fresh water. it acts as disenfectant and anti-chlorine. the chemicals sold in petshops dont work... they're bogus. you can put the fishes back immediately even if it's the water came straight from the tap, just dont forget the rocksalt.
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Post by Ben Dover on Apr 19, 2007 14:49:16 GMT 8
jaymz, dati? nice..are you sure you didnt kill all your fish with your rock salt? ;D i'm interested, care to tell us how much salt is needed for every gallon of water?
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Post by Dragunov on Apr 19, 2007 15:03:05 GMT 8
OOOP!!!! i was thinking of the "other" aquarium ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Allan
Urban Assaulter
Posts: 87
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Post by Allan on Apr 19, 2007 15:14:12 GMT 8
denise, your setup is a bit crowded for a 5 gal tank. and I have to agree on jaymz let loose of the pleco , gf and plants. and a tblspoon of rocksalt per 5 gal would also help. HTH
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Post by sabretooth on Apr 19, 2007 15:29:07 GMT 8
One of my best friends in college maintained a marine aquarium and it gave him months of bliss. He took for a pet very exciting aquatic animals--a jellyfish and a medium-sized clam. I dunno what he liked about these things. But things got more exciting when the jellyfish was sucked in da aerator. and he had no idea if da clam was still alive. :-)
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Post by kulot_salot on Apr 19, 2007 15:29:42 GMT 8
OOOP!!!! i was thinking of the "other" aquarium ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D that was the first idea i have in mind too.... hehehehe.... ;D pete, hope you liked your PM....
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Post by kulot_salot on Apr 19, 2007 15:41:16 GMT 8
jaymz, dati? nice..are you sure you didnt kill all your fish with your rock salt? ;D i'm interested, care to tell us how much salt is needed for every gallon of water? i don't think aquarium fishes can OD with rocksalt... ;D but this tip i got from a wholesaler in culiat/QC where i got most of my oscars, pacu, knifefishes, etc... i see them when they pack the fish/es in plastic bags, they will just scoop a liberal amount of rocksalt by hand and throw it inside the bag with the fish. i asked them why not the blue solution... they replied that it's just a solution of salt, water, & blue food-coloring... ;D dati i have a 30-gal aquarium & i put 2-3 handful of rocksalt with the nawasa water & put the fishes agad..... no problem naman... another thing, if you see fishes for sale in tanks where the water is colored red or yellow, stay away from it! usually they're infected with bacterias or they are being neutered, so that they will no breed... HTH
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Post by kulot_salot on Apr 19, 2007 15:44:08 GMT 8
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Post by kulot_salot on Apr 19, 2007 15:50:23 GMT 8
sabretooth,
patronizing salthingyer fishes is not good... most (if not all) of them are caught from the wild...
freshwater tropical fishes are cultured na...
it's better pa nga to buy a hito or dalag from your trusty wet market and have them as pets.... ;D
if one becomes hungry, just cook it! hehehehe.... WHALAH! instant fresh chinese restaurant type cooking! hehehehe.... ;D ;D ;D
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mzmn
Free Rider
elo?
Posts: 251
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Post by mzmn on Apr 19, 2007 15:52:27 GMT 8
Yup, don't bother with live plants. That's another specialty all together. Aside form lighting, you've got to consider CO2 levels (but I think lighting will suffice if only one plant). Your plant was probably contaminated with something, which caused your fish to die. Salt helps by raising the electrolyte levels in the water helping oxygen exchange, plus other benefits. It's good that you considered the water temp when transferring your fish. Did you put back some old water and/or filters, so that you can still have some of the beneficial bacteria?
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Post by Ben Dover on Apr 19, 2007 16:51:54 GMT 8
i only have this small aquarium i put on the top of our small ref...it used to hold several types of fish i mentioned on the other thread...now, only two koi angel fish are left...hardy i must say...am not sure if was some sort of desease but my lemon guoramis bacame bloated that their scales almost stood up..parang tumaba ng husto... think the aquarium seeked its balance on the number of fish it can actually support...yup, avoid overcrowding them...almost a year since that happened but the two angels are still alive.
btw, dont put that susong pilipit you find on our local rivers...they multiply so fast you will get the idea that you just found the solution to world hunger heheh ;D my kids got them from wawa together with some tulya (clam).
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Post by denise648 on Apr 19, 2007 18:15:29 GMT 8
Thanks for your inputs guys, I just became curious about the plants that can give additional or to maintain oxygen for the fishes. kulot_salotYup that's what I did, throw up the plants, and I notices that a part of the stem is some sort of a rotten, it became a brownish thing. And thanks for your advise regarding the colored water, I already seen that kind of thing on some other pet shops. allanI never thought that my number of fishes is already crowded for my tank I just enjoy seeing those fishes. Umm.... is it a possibility for the cause of death of my fishes? or are they stressed? mzmnNo sir, its a new tap water i used before I place them back, it took me 1.5 hours to balance the water temp. I don't use heater, but is it necessary for a 5 gal tank? Thanks for your info guys, maybe i'll put some plastic plants instead.
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Post by denise648 on Apr 19, 2007 18:22:45 GMT 8
Hmm... but how about my poor janitor fish, its a small one I don't wan't to throw it away.
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mzmn
Free Rider
elo?
Posts: 251
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Post by mzmn on Apr 19, 2007 22:23:35 GMT 8
denise648, aquariums need bacteria to for the nitrogen cycle, see: fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin-cycling.html. An old filter will do, but if everything is new, replace 1 gallon every few days for 2 weeks. It will control the ammonia (from fish and fishfood waste) and nitrite toxicity levels until enough nitrifying bacteria have been established. Temp balancing is still important. I don't really do it that much, but I change only a small amount of water every week anyway. So there isn't a significant fluctuation in temp. Please find a home for the janitor fish instead of flushing it down the toilet or throwing it away in the estero (trans. someone who fools you, haha, gutter) or river. I want to have an aquarium like yours to take care of smaller species of fresh water fish, but my wife would kill me. Two 50 gallon tanks are enough for her.
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Post by gadgets88 on Jun 6, 2007 14:11:00 GMT 8
To run a successful aquarium hobby, one must understand that: As a pet owner, it is our responsibility (yes, like parenthood) to ensure the well-being of our babies. Fish, dogs, birds, and our children, require tender loving care (TLC). Fish are easily stressed in many ways. Aquarium environment must imitate nature as close as possible. The presence and absence of light is important. The presence of running water is required for exercise and water circulation. Aeration (bubbles) allows bacteria to thrive. Some fish cannot survive a day without aeration. Biological filtration occurs when nitrifying bacteria completes the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate cycle. size does matter. A 75 gallon tank is suitable for the beginner. A smaller tank requires extra equipments, maintenance and knowledge in controlling temperature, alkalinity/acidity, pollution, aeration, nitrification, claustrophobia, territorial conflicts and exercise issues. The salt has its medical uses but using it haphazardly can burn the skin of the janitor fish (among other fishes). Do not fill water directly from the tap. The chlorine has not settled and may be too strong. tap water that has been stored for 2 days is fine. Drain and refill more or less 20% monthly. It is better to change 20% water more often but do not change more than 50% of the water at one time. Use more than enough filtration. Err on the generous side. the filter wool can be bought at the pet shop, or if you want to save a bundle, go to the furniture shop and buy the wool they use for furnitures. P100 will buy you 4 square meters of it, will last you 2 years, if you change monthly The underground filter which makes dirt stay down also acts as a biological filter. Convert your ordinary filter system into a biological filter by adding real ciporax (ceramic looking cylinders with micro holes in them). Don't use cheap/fake ones. Sand should be black, not white or multicolored ones that do not occur in nature. Sand (and all other accessories placed inside the aquarium) should be clear of contaminants. Sand should not be coarse and sharp to avoid creatures getting hurt. Sand should be the right size. If you have small fish, then go for small pebbles. Plants are good guys. The nitrogen produced by the fish is used by the plants. They also serve as "emergency snack" if you forget to feed the fish. Fish are easily stressed. Place them away from traffic, vibrations, sudden lights going on and off, kids tapping the glass. Fish are easily stressed. Make sure the different species inside the tank are compatible and do not pose a threat. Fish are easily stressed if the tank is too small. No place to exercise. Territorial issues occur if there's no space each specie and individual. Different fish dwell in different levels. Suckers like plecos (janitor) are bottom-dwellers, for example. However, not all bottom-dwellers are janitors. Some require proper nutrition as well. A very important rule of thumb to remember: Don't put small fish that will fit inside the mouth of a bigger fish in the same tank. The small one usually does a disappearing act.
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Post by Lui-G on Jun 6, 2007 15:34:39 GMT 8
been a hobbyist myself since the mid 90's. i used to own a custom-made 150gals tank, 4 100gals tank, 6 75 gals tank, 8 50gals tank and about 30 20gals tank, not to mention the pond .
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Post by gadgets88 on Jun 6, 2007 16:33:33 GMT 8
Luigi, how about helping me out here in explaining and scrutinizing each step:
What is wrong with a 5 gallon setup?
Why after putting a water plant in, 4 days later, 2 silver molly died then the next day 1 tiger barb?
What is wrong with placing all fishes on the 2.5 gallon tank for them to stay during the general cleaning on the other tank?
What is wrong with then putting them back in the hexagonal tank?
What is wrong with starting the fish first before acquiring pumps, sand or whatever?
What is wrong with adding rocksalt to the fresh water? What is wrong with the chemicals sold in petshops?
What is wrong with putting too many fish in a small aquarium?
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Post by Lui-G on Jun 9, 2007 19:08:19 GMT 8
with due respect, you've said everything that's needed to be said sir, very well said. maybe i can just share some points when i see denise on the trails.
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Post by plankton_dash on Jun 18, 2007 10:57:45 GMT 8
hello tank fish-lovin' peepz, ;D just want to ask what shop in Cartimar can I buy good (but preferably affordable) aquarium decorations like sunken ships, castles, etc....are all shops created equal ba or do you recommend a particular tindahan? thanks in advance!
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Post by gadgets88 on Jun 19, 2007 14:44:10 GMT 8
You can buy your decors in any local pet shop.
But personally, I don't like those plastic toys. First and foremost, they do not occur in nature. Stresses the fish.
2nd, some decors with moving parts and bubble works don't work. It's frustrating to get home and put your new toy under the water to find out it doesn't work
3rd, the decors distracts more than improves the view.
An aquarium hobby is supposedly a relaxing hobby. It should be relaxing both for you and the fish. As a pet owner, always put yourself in the place of your pet, because they are at your mercy.
Having pets is like playing God. We blame Him all the time!
What I suggest? Learn to decorate your aquarium the natural way. There are many forums on the internet. Discussions, galleries. There are competition photos of aquarium setups. The decors are there for a reason. To allow fish to hide, play, and solve territorial issues.
Don't just go to a shop and buy stuff. Think what an architect and an interior decorator does. Plan and design.
Taking in consideration the ff: the size of the space, the fish (the size when he grows up) the combination of different fishes the number of fish per specie the minimum number of fish for a schooled fish etc.
Plugging: My 50galloner and 75 galloner are for sale! PM me for inquiries!
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Post by gadgets88 on Jun 19, 2007 15:00:17 GMT 8
Fish, like people, love to move to a bigger and better place once every 5 years. Imbento ko yang theoria (My theory of 5).
It's called upgraditis. Remember not to mix species that are conflict with each other. Stressful.
Big place means less stress because fish, like men, are territorial. If privacy is lacking, peace and quiet is lacking, stressful...
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