feeding
alwaysbeencrazy
say once a day, some say twice. Which one is it?
NetMax
news:crudnYvg6a055T7e...@comcast.com...
> What is the general rule on how many times to feed your fish? Some
> foods
> say once a day, some say twice. Which one is it?
There isn't a single rule. Depends on temperature (hotter=hungrier),
type of fish (active=hungrier), life stage (fry eat little but often,
juvis should eat more frequently than adults), filtration system (what
goes in comes out and needs to be filtered, so keep this in mind) and
tank size (smaller tanks are more difficult to control pollution in, so
typically less is fed). Does that help?
List your fish & conditions, but unless you're doing something
particular, 2 feedings per day is quite average.
--
www.NetMax.tk
alwaysbeencrazy
tank. I have had it for many yrs using an underground filter. I recently
drained it and added a HOT Magnum filter and put a couple of Oscars , some
Cichlids, and figure 8 puffers and a picus cat. The water is cloudy more
often than not and the ammonia is between 1 and 1.5, just can't seem to get
the ammonia down. I was thinking of taking the underground filter out as it
is about 16 yrs old and thinking that may be the problem? The Temp has been
at 72 and just raised it to 73
NetMax" <comput...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:cWKof.5684$PQ3.8...@news20.bellglobal.com...
Koi-lo
> say once a day, some say twice. Which one is it?
It's whatever works for you and your fish. I feed mine 2 or 3 times a day.
--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>
Koi-lo
> Right now I have two tanks. The one I am having a problem with is a 30
> gal
> tank. I have had it for many yrs using an underground filter. I recently
> drained it and added a HOT Magnum filter and put a couple of Oscars , some
> Cichlids, and figure 8 puffers and a picus cat. The water is cloudy more
> often than not and the ammonia is between 1 and 1.5, just can't seem to
> get
> the ammonia down. I was thinking of taking the underground filter out as
> it
> is about 16 yrs old and thinking that may be the problem? The Temp has
> been
> at 72 and just raised it to 73
You haven't cleaned UNDER the UGF in 16 years? It may be packed solid with
decomposing anaerobic mulm. Also, your tank is horribly overcrowded. You
need to remove some of those fish to another tank or buy a 75g for them. I
suggest you start doing 20% water changes daily until then.......
alwaysbeencrazy
cleaned it in 16 yrs, I said I have had it for 16 yrs. I have 9 fish in it.
1 picus cat, 5 childhid and 2 oscar and 1 puffer
"Koi-lo" <Inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:do01qd$j07$1...@news.datemas.de...
Koi-lo
>I do regular water changes and gravel cleaning. I didn't say I haven't
> cleaned it in 16 yrs, I said I have had it for 16 yrs. I have 9 fish in
> it.
> 1 picus cat, 5 childhid and 2 oscar and 1 puffer
These are too many fish for a 30g tank. Or was that a typo and you mean a
130g tank? Oscars are big sloppy eaters that pass a lot of waste. They
get quite large. What kind of cichlids do you have other than the Oscars?
If they're small like julies or rams the Oscars will eat them in time. If
they're the type that grow large your water quality problems and cloudiness
will surely increase. A pair of Oscars need at least a 55g tank just for
themselves. They're aggressive and tear everything up........ including
their tank-mates. :-(
Rick
the rest. 60 gall. minimum for 1 Oscar. They are eating machines, but still
one of my favorites. Please do the right thing and thin the population down,
way down, and your problems will clear up.
"alwaysbeencrazy" <alwaysb...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:F5OdnRb_wZQ...@comcast.com...
NetMax
> Right now I have two tanks. The one I am having a problem with is a 30
> gal
> tank. I have had it for many yrs using an underground filter. I
> recently
> drained it and added a HOT Magnum filter and put a couple of Oscars ,
> some
> Cichlids, and figure 8 puffers and a picus cat. The water is cloudy
> more
> often than not and the ammonia is between 1 and 1.5, just can't seem to
> get
> the ammonia down. I was thinking of taking the underground filter out
> as it
> is about 16 yrs old and thinking that may be the problem? The Temp has
> been
> at 72 and just raised it to 73
The signs that a tank is under stress are a persistent bacterial bloom
(milky cloudy water) or the slightest whiff of ammonia (unless it can be
explained by cycling, due to being a new tank, or bacterial culture being
significantly disturbed).
It sounds like you're fairly experienced if that is all the trouble you
are having with that fish-load. Old tank syndrome is associated with the
operation of a UGF for many years, and the accumulation of detritus
decaying in the gravel consumes the water's buffer (kH) and caused the pH
to crash. Just FYI, something to watch for if you slow down your water
changes.
Ideally, a single Oscar should get about 55g, two in a 70g, three in a
90g, to allow for reasonable movement. They can go into smaller tanks,
but their waste is not dependant on the amount of water they are in, so
you still need to filter according to fish-load (not tank size).
I would recommend adding more filters *and* trimming the population down
while shopping for a larger tank which would better fit your aspirations.
I would not remove the UGF at this point, just gravel vac. Elevated
temperatures increase their metabolism making them hungrier and less
friendly to each other if not fed, so 72F would be better for now (also
more O2 in the water at lower temperatures). jmo
Let us know how it worked out, and if there was a new tank under your
Christmas tree ;~).
--
www.NetMax.tk
NetMax
I received the photos. You're right, most newsgroups are text only, and
attachments are frowned upon, and erased by some of the servers carrying
the posts. Sending me photos is not a great idea either, as I'm on dial
up. The best solution is to put the pictures up on a web site somewhere,
and post a URL to them. Then we can all see and comment.
The pictures appeared to be:
1 albino tiger Oscar
1 Jack Dempsey
1 Labidochromis caerelus
2 Pseudotropheus lombardi
1 Cynotilapia afra
With puffers, pictus and the other Oscar, you have at least 10
incompatible fish in a cycling 30g tank (and really, any of them belong
in larger tanks). Mixing South American cichlids (the Oscars and the
Jack) with African cichlids is a BAD idea. They really do not get along,
and they get into fights because they don't communicate the same way
(color & orientation expressions of aggression and submission are
reversed). Some fish pale as a sign of aggression while others pale as a
sign of submission, leading to miscommunicated intentions to do battle.
Leads to death fairly quickly.
The person who sold you all these fish for your 30g is sadly misinformed
about even the basics of starting an aquarium, much less total fish-load
and compatibility. I'd speak with the manager (to refund and take most
of these fish back), and if he/she is as equally misinformed, take your
business elsewhere.
A web site to help identify your Africans is www.cichlidrecipe.com
--
www.NetMax.tk
alwaysbeencrazy
tank. I am thinking of keeping the albino tiger Oscar and the Jack Dempsey
in the 30 and the rest in the 55. Please some feed back and info. I also
have a 125 gal but it is an established community tank.
I put the pictures of my fish up on a web page.
http://alwaysbeencrazy.home.comcast.net/fish.htm I did not put the puffer of
the picus.
Gill Passman
existing Mbunas in there and add a few more - you might get away with
using the 30 gall...put in plenty of rocks and caves and you will have a
nice tank - these fish are not going to be compatible with your other
fish in the long run....and believe me I know how aggressive Mbunas can
be (have a tank full of them myself)....and murder in the dark is a
common game even with all Mbunas.....
As to the other fish I have no experience apart from reading that Oscars
need lots of space (hence my suggestion that you use the 30 gall for the
Mbunas) - others will advise better on the Oscar and Jack Dempsey...
Gill
NetMax
for you, but then you'll have no choice in who survives, and their
condition might not be too good either ;~).
Oscars are like Garfield the cat, they eat, they sleep and grow big.
They generally have a good disposition, but will eat their tankmates,
because it's their nature.
The Jack Dempsey is a completely different fish, named after an American
Prize fighting boxer. They are generously described in most books as
pugnacious. One of the meanest tropical cichlids there is, with Jaguars,
Red Devils and a few other large Central & South American cichlids in the
same category. These fish are bulldozer-class bruisers. Oscars are big
to survive around these guys.
Enter the African mbuna. These fish occupy a relatively small area along
the rock edges of lake Malawi. They survive on the algae growing on
these rocks, and from birth, every moment of their lives is combat, to
secure a piece of the rock. Lose the rock and they starve. The more
rock you control, the better you eat. In this hostile environment, their
babies would never survive, so the parents mouthbrood the fry until they
are able to fend for themselves (by being very good dodgers zipping in
and out of cracks in the rocks). Before their discovery in the late 60s,
the definition of 'mean' was an adult male Jack Dempsey. Now it's a
Melanochromis auratus (a very common mbuna, which you fortunately do not
have), but even milder Pseudotropheus are usually more than a match for a
Jack Dempsey. Think of it as a black belt slowly taking out a boxer.
The difference is that large South American cichlids fight for pecking
order and territory rights for spawning. They are more likely to concede
the fight if the battle is more trouble than it's worth. African mbuna
are generally fighting for their lives. A weakened fish losing a battle
has to gamble that it can find a weaker fish to steal property (algae
covered rocks in nature). Their battles are much more personal.
All these cichlids are territorial, and would consider most or all of a
30g to be their territory. In the 55g, the Oscar might live a little
longer, but generally Oscars tend to be an early victim in these
situations. Although too small for the Oscar, the 30g might be the best
choice, and drop everyone else in the 55g, and cross your fingers that
the Jack is a female. A male will probably cause a lot more damage than
you would like, before getting killed. jmo
--
www.NetMax.tk
"alwaysbeencrazy" <alwaysb...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:vvmdnY4oScfL6zXe...@comcast.com...
Terry
It sits empty most of the time but was once a well-used address.
Terry
"NetMax" <comput...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:PJ3qf.1744$1Y4.1...@news20.bellglobal.com...
alwaysbeencrazy
"Terry" <talker2002-...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:R9iqf.157869$ki.106843@pd7tw2no...