My just-inherited aquarium...
Lurking Girl
tetras, three angelfish, a bloodfin, an algae eater, and two little guys
(bigger than a tetra, smaller than an angelfish) who I don't know _what_
they are. The lot of them have been living together for over a year.
In spite of my total novicehood, everyone has survived five days so far.
However, after reading the aquaria FAQ, I'm a bit more nervous about
their continued maintenance:
1. The largest angelfish keeps chasing the other two around and bonking
them with his snout. This morning, the smallest one has scarcely come
out from behind one of the rocks. This seems to spell "stress" to me, but
I don't know if it's just life in the ocean or whether I should try to
segregate the troublemaker.
[huh--as I type and watch them, he just drove one of the nameless fish
away from the rock the little angelfish is hiding behind. What the hell
is _that_ all about?!]
2. I've been giving them Hartz "tropical blend" flake food; my friend
told me that's all they need. The FAQ indicates that food alternatives would
be good, but what's right for the mix of fish I have? Worms? Zucchini?
3. The tank light is a purple flourescent thingy but I don't have any
idea what of the types of lights listed in the FAQ it is, or if it's
bothersome to the fish to have it on all the time.
Please advise...
--
Victoria Swann * to...@panix.com * http://www.panix.com/~tori
LNH: Lurking Girl * SCA: Vika (Ostgardr) * WB: miri * work: v...@panix.com
"Commit a little mortal sin, it's good for the soul." -J. Buffett
If you spam me, you will be procmailed out of 10,000 mailboxes.
Brian L. Naylor
from on high, and said:
>A friend moved to Boston and left me with his aquarium, containing five
>tetras, three angelfish, a bloodfin, an algae eater, and two little guys
>(bigger than a tetra, smaller than an angelfish) who I don't know _what_
>they are. The lot of them have been living together for over a year.
What do the little guys look like? Coloration? Fin shape? etc?
Angels can be somewhat aggressive; if they have been living together for
a while, I'd leave things be and see what happens. (Tiger barbs taught
me that. :)
>2. I've been giving them Hartz "tropical blend" flake food; my friend
>told me that's all they need. The FAQ indicates that food alternatives would
>be good, but what's right for the mix of fish I have? Worms? Zucchini?
Variation is good; I tend to use flake food, frozen brine shrimp, and
bloodworms. These are all really convenient, and don't require actually
-growing- things to feed them. (I don't have the time for that.)
With the two frozen varieties, you just chop off a little block of the
frozen matter, drop it into a little bowl (like the ones they keep
bettas (siamese fighting fish) in) that also contains some tank water.
Float it in the tank for a while, swirling it occasionally to mix things
up, and once it's all thawed out, pour an ounce or two at a time in
until it's all been devoured.
>3. The tank light is a purple flourescent thingy but I don't have any
>idea what of the types of lights listed in the FAQ it is, or if it's
>bothersome to the fish to have it on all the time.
A single 'blue' bulb? How big is the tank? Are there any live plants?
The fish would likely prefer a 12-hour on-off cycle. You can accomplish
this with a cheapo kmart light timer. Plants will also need some dark
time. If you have plants, it's quite likely that's not enough light,
but then again, depending on the plants and the tank dimensions, it may
very well be ok.
You've read the FAQs, but I'll repeat the high points: regular water and
filter changes, don't overfeed, don't overcrowd.
The rest is fine tuning. :)
I've only been into aquaria for about a year, and I like it a lot. It's
a bit daunting at first, but once you get your head around the basic
facts, it's a lot of fun. I've learned a lot this past year, and it
helps you to appreciate what's going on in the environment at large.
--
Brian Naylor br...@sackheads.org http://www.sackheads.org/bnaylor/
"We are of different species. You and I cannot cross-breed."
-- Brandon Franklin to Kim's cat (hmm)
Lurking Girl
>And on 13 Nov 1998 17:45:02 GMT, Lurking Girl (to...@panix.com) came down
>from on high, and said:
>
>>A friend moved to Boston and left me with his aquarium, containing five
>>tetras, three angelfish, a bloodfin, an algae eater, and two little guys
>>(bigger than a tetra, smaller than an angelfish) who I don't know _what_
>>they are. The lot of them have been living together for over a year.
>
>What do the little guys look like? Coloration? Fin shape? etc?
They're slightly longer than the tetras (their body minus tail is about
one tetra long), but wider and rounder--sorta what the average person
thinks when you say "I have a fish". They are a greyish tan color, but
with orange highlights, one much more so than the other. One dorsal
fin which is tipped black, a fin on the belly somewhat further back,
and two very filmy fins under the "chin". Tail is distinctly two lobes,
like the tetras.
>Angels can be somewhat aggressive; if they have been living together for
>a while, I'd leave things be and see what happens. (Tiger barbs taught
>me that. :)
Okay. The big guy doesn't seem to actually bite the others, too; maybe
he's just asserting dominance...?
>Variation is good; I tend to use flake food, frozen brine shrimp, and
>bloodworms. These are all really convenient, and don't require actually
>-growing- things to feed them. (I don't have the time for that.)
Righto. I'll look into finding some.
>>3. The tank light is a purple flourescent thingy but I don't have any
>>idea what of the types of lights listed in the FAQ it is, or if it's
>>bothersome to the fish to have it on all the time.
>
>A single 'blue' bulb? How big is the tank? Are there any live plants?
One purple bulb that runs the length of the tank, which is maybe 2.5 ft.?
It's a 29 gallon tank with two plants: one tall, with large leaves
that are green in the middle and striped with white on the outer edge
which I got with the tank; the other is a "narrow leaf chain sword" that
I bought last week, but it doesn't look well. I don't know if that's
due to the light (tag suggested "moderate light") or because one of the
fish is nibbling at it--I haven't caught anyone doing so, but the leaves
are getting distinctly perforated.
>The fish would likely prefer a 12-hour on-off cycle. You can accomplish
>this with a cheapo kmart light timer. Plants will also need some dark
>time. If you have plants, it's quite likely that's not enough light,
I wondered, but wasn't sure what they meant by "moderate light".
>You've read the FAQs, but I'll repeat the high points: regular water and
>filter changes, don't overfeed, don't overcrowd.
Actually, when "vacuuming" the gravel, I end up taking out a bucket of
water each time, and thus having to add a new bucket. Does that suffice
for a partial water change?
I also have shells I want to put in the tank--they came from the ocean,
but they've been sitting in my grandma's garage for about fifteen years.
Do they have to be soaked or scrubbed or anything? (Saw notes in the
FAQ about driftwood, but not shells.)
>I've only been into aquaria for about a year, and I like it a lot. It's
>a bit daunting at first, but once you get your head around the basic
>facts, it's a lot of fun. I've learned a lot this past year, and it
>helps you to appreciate what's going on in the environment at large.
I really am fascinated by it, but yes, "daunted" sums it up perfectly.
After all the dire warnings about chlorine, pH, snails, incompatible
fish, and the like...! It's neat to see that some of the fish really
do have inklings of personality, to the point where we've named them
after people on the system. *heh heh heh*
Thanks for the advice, and (much more) for the moral support...
Brian L. Naylor
from on high, and said:
>
>They're slightly longer than the tetras (their body minus tail is about
>one tetra long), but wider and rounder--sorta what the average person
>thinks when you say "I have a fish". They are a greyish tan color, but
>with orange highlights, one much more so than the other. One dorsal
>fin which is tipped black, a fin on the belly somewhat further back,
>and two very filmy fins under the "chin". Tail is distinctly two lobes,
>like the tetras.
Hmm, ya got me.
>Okay. The big guy doesn't seem to actually bite the others, too; maybe
>he's just asserting dominance...?
Well, 'nipping' generally isn't an actual *bite*, per se, but it is annoying
to a fish and increases its stress level, which in turn often makes it kick the
bucket in short order. (fish are such wimps!) And yes, it is a way of
asserting dominance. Tiger barbs are the most famous for this - they can
seem pretty evil at times, but it's really just.. nature. As long as it's
not too constant or rough, it's probably not a problem.
>One purple bulb that runs the length of the tank, which is maybe 2.5 ft.?
>
>It's a 29 gallon tank with two plants: one tall, with large leaves
>that are green in the middle and striped with white on the outer edge
>which I got with the tank; the other is a "narrow leaf chain sword" that
>I bought last week, but it doesn't look well. I don't know if that's
>due to the light (tag suggested "moderate light") or because one of the
>fish is nibbling at it--I haven't caught anyone doing so, but the leaves
>are getting distinctly perforated.
Yeah, you probably need a bit more light. You might add a second bulb (I'd
go for a tri-spectrum (daylight) as it complements the blue well, as far as the
plants are concerned, and it brings out the 'natural' colors in your tank
for the human observers.)
Aquatic plants are really still guesswork for me. Some do well in my tanks,
others don't. I recently tried swapping in a blue light on my freshwater
tank, replacing a tri-spectrum 10K bulb, and the plants Did Not Like That.
I still had another 10K bulb on, plus the 6.5K blue, but that change was
unappreciated. Some people have told me that it was the -change itself-,
rather than the amount of light that was the most detrimental aspect of the
swap. I'm not sure yet how much credence I give to that theory.
>I wondered, but wasn't sure what they meant by "moderate light".
Consider that most of these things are tropical, and are used to quite
a bit of light. So, 'moderate' might seem fairly bright to someone from
a more temperate latitude. There's a way to calculate how much light
a given bulb will contribute to a tank depending on its depth, though
most of the measurements are in terms of marine life's needs. I forget
exactly how it goes, but it works out basically to "way more than
I would have ever guessed."
Our net.aquaria czar has a good article on lighting in general at
http://www.killi.net/lighting/
>Actually, when "vacuuming" the gravel, I end up taking out a bucket of
>water each time, and thus having to add a new bucket. Does that suffice
>for a partial water change?
Probably. The general consensus is anywhere from 10% to 25% a week,
thereabouts. I don't usually manage to accomplish that goal, but
it's *slightly* less important in a well-established tank, as many
of the nasty things are being taken out for you by biological
filtration. This is especially true of marine tanks.
>I also have shells I want to put in the tank--they came from the ocean,
>but they've been sitting in my grandma's garage for about fifteen years.
>Do they have to be soaked or scrubbed or anything? (Saw notes in the
>FAQ about driftwood, but not shells.)
They'll almost certainly be fine. Rinse them off well and you should
have no trouble.
>After all the dire warnings about chlorine, pH, snails, incompatible
>fish, and the like...!
Well, some of those things are more important than others.. for instance,
chlorine is definitely a thing to watch out for, along with paint fumes,
arsenic, fire, and toddlers. :)
pH is important, but when it comes down to it, it's very hard to
control if you're going against the grain with regards to your water
source. Most fish can get used to a pretty wide range of pH values, and
will be relatively happy in whatever it is, as long as it doesn't flop
back and forth.
Snails? bah! I like snails. Sure, average pond snails can be rough on
your plants, but there are a number of other varieties that seem to
leave them completely alone. I have some sort of pointy, burrowing
snail in one of my tanks and they are quite spiffy. Don't touch the
plants at all.
Freshwater shrimp are another very entertaining addition to an aquarium.
I've got a grass shimp in mine, and he's just incredible to watch.
Hm, I've got a picture of him up somewhere..
http://www.sackheads.org/~bnaylor/images/pics/aquaria/shrimp/grass_shrimp_3.jpg
(http://www.sackheads.org/~bnaylor/aquaria/ is the base url for that stuff.)
> It's neat to see that some of the fish really do have inklings of
> personality, to the point where we've named them after people on the
> system. *heh heh heh*
Heh, yeah, bettas are my favorite in that regard. Freaky little fish
(though I have to admit I wouldn't stoop so low as to name them after
users.. ;)
--
Brian L. Naylor br...@sackheads.org
"The BOFHBot hates /all/ lusers equally. I'm not the BOFHBot, but I
think that's just a great policy." -- AIXBot2
Richard J. Sexton
tuned to the blue and red to enhance plant growth. If you don't have
live plants (or even if you do, really) you can use any tube you
want. Warm white, cool white, daylight are other color choices.
Buy them n a hardware store, they're a fraction of the cost of pet stores.
Fish chase each other. Fact of life. In general angelfish are jerks.
The Hartz food is ok. Get some frozen foor from the pet store
(bloodworms are the best, and aren't as horrid as the name would
suggest) and give them that twice a week instead of the flake
food every day.
--
Richard Sexton 28...@mbz.org Bannockburn, Ontario, Canada
1970 280SE, 1972 280SE http://www.mbz.org
Richard J. Sexton
on tropical fish. There isn't a fish you can buy that won't
be in it, or at least a very clsoe relative.
Lurking Girl
>And on 16 Nov 1998 22:02:38 GMT, Lurking Girl (to...@panix.com) came down
>from on high, and said:
>
>>They're slightly longer than the tetras (their body minus tail is about
>>one tetra long), but wider and rounder
>
My friend informed me that they're seppas. (I don't know if that's the
correct spelling; web search turns up nothing.)
>Yeah, you probably need a bit more light. You might add a second bulb (I'd
>go for a tri-spectrum (daylight) as it complements the blue well, as far as
>the plants are concerned, and it brings out the 'natural' colors in your tank
>for the human observers.)
I'll look into that, then. I guess I'll break it in slowly, though, to get
them used to the additional light, just in case the change _does_ bug 'em.
>Freshwater shrimp are another very entertaining addition to an aquarium.
>I've got a grass shimp in mine, and he's just incredible to watch.
>Hm, I've got a picture of him up somewhere..
Looks like a cute little guy. However, one of my cow orkers finds even
regular fish "oogey", to use a direct quote; I don't think a shrimp would
be more comforting. Sigh.
Out of curiosity, what does a shrimp eat?
>Heh, yeah, bettas are my favorite in that regard. Freaky little fish
>(though I have to admit I wouldn't stoop so low as to name them after
>users.. ;)
Well, I didn't say that they were named after _users_, exactly (though
the algae-eater is), but after people on the system...
It's just a good thing that I have root, too, that's all I'm going
to say. O:-)
Lurking Girl
>The purple light is a "gro-lux" type. It has it's output spectra
>tuned to the blue and red to enhance plant growth.
Huh. Maybe the chain sword is unhappy about something else, then. It's
turning kinda yellow-brown.
>Fish chase each other. Fact of life. In general angelfish are jerks.
I'm getting that vague impression...
>The Hartz food is ok. Get some frozen foor from the pet store
>(bloodworms are the best, and aren't as horrid as the name would
>suggest) and give them that twice a week instead of the flake
>food every day.
Can all fish eat bloodworms etc.?
Brian L. Naylor
from on high, and said:
>
Algae, bits of fish food, dead things, etc. They're scavengers and will
munch on whatever they happen to come across, but they *like* fish
food. If you feed them too well, they don't do their job as custodians. :)
--
..and the C and D students enter the room.. -- Doc Miller
Richard J. Sexton
>ric...@ns1.vrx.net (Richard J. Sexton) dixit:
>>The purple light is a "gro-lux" type. It has it's output spectra
>>tuned to the blue and red to enhance plant growth.
>
>Huh. Maybe the chain sword is unhappy about something else, then. It's
>turning kinda yellow-brown.
as long as there is new growth it's normal.
The ligths should be on 8 - 12 ghours a day. Clsoer to 12 than 8.
>>Fish chase each other. Fact of life. In general angelfish are jerks.
>
>I'm getting that vague impression...
>
>>The Hartz food is ok. Get some frozen foor from the pet store
>>(bloodworms are the best, and aren't as horrid as the name would
>>suggest) and give them that twice a week instead of the flake
>>food every day.
>
>Can all fish eat bloodworms etc.?
As long as they're big enough, yes.