<![CDATA[Latest posts for the thread "The Aquarium Thread"]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/54.page JForum - http://www.jforum.net The Aquarium Thread
Anyone here got an aquarium? If so what have you got in it? And what's the upkeep like?]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094012.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094012.page GMT Re:The Aquarium Thread
I've only kept small ones myself, and haven't gotten one since I moved out on my own. Upkeep is, you know. Steady. Cleaning it shouldn't take too long or happen too often, but it's a chore that you don't really want to put off. Still worth it, though!

Good luck, and enjoy the fish!]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094042.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094042.page GMT The Aquarium Thread
There is a general rule about 1 inch per gallon. That is a VERY general rule though, and it relates to adult size. A 10 gallon aquarium, for those fish, would support about 5 fish.

That's not a bad number of fish, but they might not be the happiest. All of these fish are pretty social creatures and enjoy larger groups of their own species. I honestly suggest you aim for a 20 gallon aquarium.

Now, a word on size. The larger the aquarium, the harder it is going to be to clean it. The hardness kind of rises exponentially with size. I ended up getting a second hand 200 gallon aquarium on craigslist. I only clean it about once every 2 years, but it's an all day event.

Now about your fish selection, all are decent choices. However, I'd say Platies are better than Mollies. Mollies can be a bit more aggressive, especially if you have other species in the tank.

If you are entertaining the possibilities of having babies, Platies can interbreed successfully with Swordtails. This leads to some interesting body shapes and colorations.....for the first couple generations. I had 2 swordtails, and 3 Platies in a 30 gallon tank. I ended up with hundreds of offspring that I moved to other tanks, and ended up giving away. At first it was cool. But then inbreeding became a problem, which degraded them to the point they were all small, pale orange, and with bland features.

Also, Swordtails are a little hyper and are fast swimmers. Crossing them with platies keeps 99% of their looks, but takes the hyperness right out of them, making for a less stressed tank.

One more thing... No matter what, let NO ONE convince you to add even one goldfish to the tank. I know they are a classic, but do not mix in a single one in any tank that isn't HUGE. In proportion to their size they produce tons of ammonia. Goldfish can handle it, other species not so much. ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094075.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094075.page GMT The Aquarium Thread
I have a 55 gallon reef tank and a 110 gallon saltwater predator tank.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094111.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094111.page GMT The Aquarium Thread
Larger tanks do offer you two abilities. You can more easily mix species, and you can set up an almost self sufficient community. There are species of fish you shouldn't mix, but sometimes you can fudge it a little in larger tanks as the species will carve out territories, especially if you put the right terrain in.

In my tank I have Angelfish, Cory Catfish, Platy-Swordtail hybrids, snails, shrimp, and these little catfish (can't remember the name) that tend to hang on the side of the tank.

One end of the tank has a lot of vertical plants and bamboo shoots. This is where the Angelfish hang out, as their tall bodies are meant for this.

In the center is some rocky mountain terrain that acts as a buffer and territorial border between the Angelfish and Platies. There are a lot of horizontal cracks and shelves here, which is where the shrimp hang out mostly.

On the other end I have some terrain that looks like knotty roots and some bushy plants. The platies normally stay over here.

The Cory catfish and Snails just roam the tank and aren't really noticed by the Angelfish. These guys (and the Shrimp) keep the tank keep enough that I only need to change the filter every 9 months or so, and clean it every couple years.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094115.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094115.page GMT Re:The Aquarium Thread

I'll try to get the biggest tank I can. Though, my biggest concern is the light. The room I'd be putting them in faces the sun, and there's little cover from it as it where.

And if the Platties can't happen for whatever reason, another breed I was interested were Gouramis. Dwarf or Three Spots. My uncle had them and they seemed pretty cool. Though I remember one, a big male, being very agressive. Tore another ones feeler clean off! ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094196.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094196.page GMT The Aquarium Thread
In your case a 20g aquarium is usually a good starting point. Its forgiving enough and small enough for a beginner. Problem with a 10g tank is that it takes very little to change the water properties (in the sense of over feeding etc.) as well as issues with crowding.

My very first tank was a 20g long (same height as a 10g but 2x longer) that I ran with an under-gravel filter. I had 5 gouramis (2 golden, 3 dwarf blue) and about 15 neon tetras. The Tetras are great starter fish. They are cheap and pretty hardy, and are good for getting your bio-filters going.

The other nice thing about an undergravel filter is that it makes tank maintenance cheaper and you can go longer between cleaning. All the waste and such gets pulled through the gravel and into the bio-filter that the undergravel filter creates, causing the bio-filter to grow stronger and more capable of handling more waste.

Another word of advice: Do not put your tank in direct sunlight. You will be fighting algae for all of eternity if you do. Second: Set your tank up and let it run with no fish in it for 2 weeks to a month before putting any fish in it. Then, only put a few fish in there, like 5 neon tetras, then wait a couple more weeks, a few more fish etc etc. This allows the system to build itself up gradually so the fish don't take a shock and neither does your tank. ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094359.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094359.page GMT The Aquarium Thread
When adding fish I like to start with smaller fish first, alternating between normal fish and "clean-up crew" like catfish.


Also, be wary of adding Plecostomus. There are several varieties and are often mislabeled by pet stores. Some can get 30 inches long, while others are limited to about 8 inches. Some can be aggressive and harm other fish, especially cory catfish. I have one in a tank, but I knew where it came from to be certain of species. They work great in the right situation, but not for a beginner.

Also NEVER get "algae eaters". They don't eat algae. They suck on the protective slime coats of other fish. Not great for other fish. ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094475.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094475.page GMT Re:The Aquarium Thread

I'm actually quite concerned about the direct sunlight. This will determine if I can get one or not. The only spot in the room not in direct sunlight has a radiator on it.

How low down do you think think an aquarium can be safely put? I wouldn't put it directly on the floor but if they can go pretty low, I might be able to put them "under" the window, out of the light. This might restrict the size of the aquarium though. ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094479.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094479.page GMT The Aquarium Thread http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094481.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094481.page GMT The Aquarium Thread http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094610.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094610.page GMT The Aquarium Thread
 cuda1179 wrote:
Agreed with adding fish slowly. Another way to jump start things is to put a few cups of water from another all ready established aquarium in there. Or a small cloth bag of rocks from the other aquarium. This will jump-start good bacterial growth. Just make sure the donor aquarium is healthy first.

When adding fish I like to start with smaller fish first, alternating between normal fish and "clean-up crew" like catfish.


Also, be wary of adding Plecostomus. There are several varieties and are often mislabeled by pet stores. Some can get 30 inches long, while others are limited to about 8 inches. Some can be aggressive and harm other fish, especially cory catfish. I have one in a tank, but I knew where it came from to be certain of species. They work great in the right situation, but not for a beginner.

Also NEVER get "algae eaters". They don't eat algae. They suck on the protective slime coats of other fish. Not great for other fish.


The advice about the plecos is very solid advice. We had a decorative pond at a house that my parents owned that we cleaned out one summer when it was almost drained from lack of rain. At some point someone had put 2 of them in there and they were both about 24" long. Also very good advice about the algae eaters, they are anything but and can kill/eat your other fish as they get bigger.

The one thing to consider if you shield the tank from sunlight is the temp of the water. If you paint the back of the tank to block out the light it can still heat up the water beyond ideal range. If your house has double pane windows this may not be much of an issue but its something to consider. What I recommend is look at the places you can put the tank and see how much time out of the day the are in sunlight. If its an hour you will have some algae growth but the right fish can keep that down. If its most of the day that turns into a problem.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094717.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094717.page GMT Re:The Aquarium Thread ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094782.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9094782.page GMT The Aquarium Thread
It doesn't sound like much, but tables and shelves that are not meant to hold an aquarium will start to warp from the weight. Once that happens it starts to put extra stress on the joints of the aquarium and will pull the glass panels apart. After that, it's a race to see what happens first, leaking and ruined aquarium, or collapsing shelf.

Also, even with a real aquarium stand, make sure it is level. Aquariums set up too far from level will pull themselves apart too. ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9095022.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9095022.page GMT The Aquarium Thread
 cuda1179 wrote:

Also NEVER get "algae eaters". They don't eat algae. They suck on the protective slime coats of other fish. Not great for other fish.


I had a pair of Otocinclus who did nothing but eat algae, or at least look like they were eating algae .They are very timid fish as well so didn't really go near their tank mates.

By far the best way of cutting down on algae though is to limit the amount of light that the tank receives. I have a planted aquarium and when I first got it I had the light on for about 18 hours a day and pretty soon I had algae everywhere. I now have the light on for about 6 hours and the algae is manageable and the plants are healthy.

You could put the aquarium on the floor if needs be, as long as you don't have small children and its away from sources of heat or cold.

If you do get neon tetras make sure that they are large enough not to be sucked into the filter......

You can buy starter cultures for your tank to help get the bacterial ecosystem started. After about 7-10 days I put in 6 black widow tetras (who are still alive and giants amongst their kind) and then built up more fish every 2 weeks or so until I reached a reasonable number. I do a partial water change and replace the fine filter every 3-4 weeks (basically when the water starts to go slightly green) and clean off any visible algal colonies every few months, I have a planted aquarium so I will always have algae. Maintenance is about 10 minutes work a month.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9095102.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9095102.page GMT Re:The Aquarium Thread ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9096223.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/711914/9096223.page GMT