Fish-keeping and freshwater tropical aquaria
04-13-2011, 05:55 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Kingston UK, but living in Athens, GREECE
Posts: 18,082
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes
on
3 Posts
Fish-keeping and freshwater tropical aquaria
So as well as coming back to RC after a longish break, I am also putting together a tropical freshwater aquarium. I have no experience, but I'm diligent and a good reader and learner, so I figure I'll do ok.
Creating this topic to discuss things and for me to ask my questions and share with you guys who are already keepig fish.
So far, all I have is the tank (200l-55gal) and a 200 liter filtration and pump system (fluval 205).
At the moment, I'm trying to decide on plants and ornaments layout, then I'll start the cycling process.
Eventually want a nice big school of neon tetras (a dozen or so), maybe a clown loach or 2, some leopard danios and maybe even a few tiger barbs. May go for something a bit bigger, but the loaches will get pretty big eventually so may not bother.
I'll upload some pics of the empty tank tomorrow.
Creating this topic to discuss things and for me to ask my questions and share with you guys who are already keepig fish.
So far, all I have is the tank (200l-55gal) and a 200 liter filtration and pump system (fluval 205).
At the moment, I'm trying to decide on plants and ornaments layout, then I'll start the cycling process.
Eventually want a nice big school of neon tetras (a dozen or so), maybe a clown loach or 2, some leopard danios and maybe even a few tiger barbs. May go for something a bit bigger, but the loaches will get pretty big eventually so may not bother.
I'll upload some pics of the empty tank tomorrow.
04-13-2011, 07:13 AM
#2
Senior Member
RE: Fish-keeping and freshwater tropical aquaria
the trick is a overpowered filter, a few bottom feeders like plocastomists (spelling?) and just enough feeding.
and if/when a outbreak of ick or what have you arrives, act fast.
i no longer have a tank as all my fish died due to my little bro trying to hold them[&o]
and if/when a outbreak of ick or what have you arrives, act fast.
i no longer have a tank as all my fish died due to my little bro trying to hold them[&o]
04-13-2011, 09:25 AM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Batavia,
IL
Posts: 10,314
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Fish-keeping and freshwater tropical aquaria
A roommate had a big fish tank in college, and we had a few varieties in there. Tiger barbs are neat, and stick together. But ours were a lot where if one died for whatever reason (naturally, not from attack), the others would kill off one of the group to keep that odd number (or was it even)? Very peculiar. They did this several times.
It was like Fish Mob Warfare in there sometimes.
It was like Fish Mob Warfare in there sometimes.
04-13-2011, 09:56 AM
#5
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Midlands, UNITED KINGDOM
Posts: 8,217
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Fish-keeping and freshwater tropical aquaria
Like RC, always have spares...
my sister has a tropical fish tank, and the heater broke, but because it still felt warm she thought it was fine and lost five fish because of it.
Also, have it downstairs if you can, she had one upstairs that managed to leak, luckily it was noticed early and didnt empty all of its contents through the ceiling.
my sister has a tropical fish tank, and the heater broke, but because it still felt warm she thought it was fine and lost five fish because of it.
Also, have it downstairs if you can, she had one upstairs that managed to leak, luckily it was noticed early and didnt empty all of its contents through the ceiling.
04-13-2011, 11:25 AM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Batavia,
IL
Posts: 10,314
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Fish-keeping and freshwater tropical aquaria
Pretty warm. We have a small tank at home, and in winter the house could be, say, 68F. Our fish will die in water near that temperature.
I forget the target temp for our tank, though....wife takes care of all that.
I forget the target temp for our tank, though....wife takes care of all that.
04-13-2011, 11:37 AM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Batavia,
IL
Posts: 10,314
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Fish-keeping and freshwater tropical aquaria
Stability is also important. Temps should not fluctuate much (say, 5-8 degrees F? Not exact on the #).
They die easily. [&:]
Come to think of it, this is the same thing with fermenting beer - keep temps stable. Odd coincidence.
They die easily. [&:]
Come to think of it, this is the same thing with fermenting beer - keep temps stable. Odd coincidence.
04-13-2011, 12:56 PM
#12
RE: Fish-keeping and freshwater tropical aquaria
I had an entire tank of tropicals die on me about 6 months ago, my heater stopped working and the temp shock killed about $150 worth of fish. Small/skinny fish (tetras, that sort of thing) are fine to mix with barbs because they are fast, but a barb is semi-aggressive, and will constantly pick on slower fish with large fins. Tiger barbs are pretty docile and school, so you can mix then with with anything, but green barbs will tear the living hell out of other barbs. Also, dont mix barbs with gouramis. A 55 gallon tank is pretty good sized, but remember... larger fish eat smaller fish. You will be limited to small tropicals if you throw a bunch of tetras in there. Stick with schooling fish too, they will generally leave each other alone.
When you get bored with it, throw a ciclid in there to clean house.
When you get bored with it, throw a ciclid in there to clean house.
04-13-2011, 01:27 PM
#13
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: London, UNITED KINGDOM
Posts: 1,069
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Fish-keeping and freshwater tropical aquaria
Tropical fish always sound like a nice idea but they are essentially a waste of money if you have more than a few. They seem to have no immune system and they can't acclimatise at all. I just stick to Koi, Goldfish and various bottom feeders now. No fancy equipment needed at all and they're cheap to replace.
04-13-2011, 10:30 PM
#14
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: San Diego but living in Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATE
Posts: 4,857
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Fish-keeping and freshwater tropical aquaria
Not quite on topic, but one of my earliest memories are of a very large fish tank in our house when we lived in Puerto Rico. My mom and dad would go snorkling on the reefs and catch fish, anemonies, etc and bring them back to the tank.
My mom would relish in the re-re-re-telling of the story that I killed them all off because one day I fed them a glass of milk and a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich "because they looked hungry"...[:@][&o]
Good luck with the new hobby Foxy, just keep the littel kids away from it.....[:-]
My mom would relish in the re-re-re-telling of the story that I killed them all off because one day I fed them a glass of milk and a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich "because they looked hungry"...[:@][&o]
Good luck with the new hobby Foxy, just keep the littel kids away from it.....[:-]
04-14-2011, 05:30 AM
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Batavia,
IL
Posts: 10,314
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Fish-keeping and freshwater tropical aquaria
ORIGINAL: tommygun32
Not quite on topic, but one of my earliest memories are of a very large fish tank in our house when we lived in Puerto Rico. My mom and dad would go snorkling on the reefs and catch fish, anemonies, etc and bring them back to the tank.
My mom would relish in the re-re-re-telling of the story that I killed them all off because one day I fed them a glass of milk and a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich ''because they looked hungry''...[:@][&o]
Good luck with the new hobby Foxy, just keep the littel kids away from it.....[:-]
Not quite on topic, but one of my earliest memories are of a very large fish tank in our house when we lived in Puerto Rico. My mom and dad would go snorkling on the reefs and catch fish, anemonies, etc and bring them back to the tank.
My mom would relish in the re-re-re-telling of the story that I killed them all off because one day I fed them a glass of milk and a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich ''because they looked hungry''...[:@][&o]
Good luck with the new hobby Foxy, just keep the littel kids away from it.....[:-]
04-14-2011, 05:42 AM
#16
Senior Member
RE: Fish-keeping and freshwater tropical aquaria
guys, you know he is talking about freshwater, which is a hell of alot easier to take care of than saltwater.
04-14-2011, 05:47 AM
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Batavia,
IL
Posts: 10,314
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Fish-keeping and freshwater tropical aquaria
ORIGINAL: The_Shark
guys, you know he is talking about freshwater, which is a hell of alot easier to take care of than saltwater.
guys, you know he is talking about freshwater, which is a hell of alot easier to take care of than saltwater.
I do agree that saltwater is more work though - from what I've heard.
04-14-2011, 06:53 AM
#18
My Feedback: (26)
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: El Paso,
TX
Posts: 677
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Fish-keeping and freshwater tropical aquaria
ORIGINAL: Eman77
Probably. Or a pet rock. Rocks are very resilient.
Probably. Or a pet rock. Rocks are very resilient.
BS...my Pet Rocks keeled over in less than a week..!! Had a heater and everything..!! I ain't buying no more of them, as the local rock store's selection sucks...
04-14-2011, 07:05 AM
#19
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Kingston UK, but living in Athens, GREECE
Posts: 18,082
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes
on
3 Posts
RE: Fish-keeping and freshwater tropical aquaria
ORIGINAL: Eman77
A roommate had a big fish tank in college, and we had a few varieties in there. Tiger barbs are neat, and stick together. But ours were a lot where if one died for whatever reason (naturally, not from attack), the others would kill off one of the group to keep that odd number (or was it even)? Very peculiar. They did this several times.
It was like Fish Mob Warfare in there sometimes.
A roommate had a big fish tank in college, and we had a few varieties in there. Tiger barbs are neat, and stick together. But ours were a lot where if one died for whatever reason (naturally, not from attack), the others would kill off one of the group to keep that odd number (or was it even)? Very peculiar. They did this several times.
It was like Fish Mob Warfare in there sometimes.
What probably happened was the leader keepingon dying, and then anotehr would die in the battles for new leadership.
Tiger barb behaviour and suitable tank mates:
The Tiger barb is a shoaling fish and you should not purchase this species unless you have room to keep at least five specimens together, preferably more. If you keep a smaller number of freshwater Tiger barbs they can become aggressive and their fin-nipping tendencies are often enhanced.
The Tiger barb is a somewhat aggressive species and the shoal will form a pecking order. Sometimes, this pecking order is extended to include other fish as well. If you keep your Tiger barbs in a large enough shoal, they can however usually be kept together with more docile species without turning into bullies. Injured fish should ideally be quarantined since the Tiger barbs are known to attack wounded fish. Fish with exceptionally long and flowing fins are not recommended as companions for Tiger barbs.
When kept in a shoal, the Tiger barb is a very active species that will spend most of its time in the water's mid-level. The average life span in a well kept aquarium is 6 years.
The Tiger barb is a shoaling fish and you should not purchase this species unless you have room to keep at least five specimens together, preferably more. If you keep a smaller number of freshwater Tiger barbs they can become aggressive and their fin-nipping tendencies are often enhanced.
The Tiger barb is a somewhat aggressive species and the shoal will form a pecking order. Sometimes, this pecking order is extended to include other fish as well. If you keep your Tiger barbs in a large enough shoal, they can however usually be kept together with more docile species without turning into bullies. Injured fish should ideally be quarantined since the Tiger barbs are known to attack wounded fish. Fish with exceptionally long and flowing fins are not recommended as companions for Tiger barbs.
When kept in a shoal, the Tiger barb is a very active species that will spend most of its time in the water's mid-level. The average life span in a well kept aquarium is 6 years.
04-14-2011, 10:55 AM
#23
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: San Diego but living in Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATE
Posts: 4,857
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: Fish-keeping and freshwater tropical aquaria
Yup...gotcha shark...."tropical" fresh water even...
I did mention that my post was going to be a bit off topic...
Either way...don't try to feed an aquarium full of ANY fish a PB&J Sarnie....LOL...
I did mention that my post was going to be a bit off topic...
Either way...don't try to feed an aquarium full of ANY fish a PB&J Sarnie....LOL...
ORIGINAL: The_Shark
guys, you know he is talking about freshwater, which is a hell of alot easier to take care of than saltwater.
guys, you know he is talking about freshwater, which is a hell of alot easier to take care of than saltwater.