anyone have any pet fish?

VibrantRedGT · Dec 15, 2005

If you do Green Terrors make sure the tank is huge.

Right now I have a 55 gallon fresh water with 2 Black convicts, 2 Pink convicts and 1 Firemouth. My Texas Cichlid just passed. That thing was gorgeous. I like aggressive tanks.

BlueOvalStangGT · Dec 15, 2005

My fishtanks absolutly OWN all of yours....check it out.

The goldfish(far left) died but I replaced it with another beta. I also have a parrot bay bottle now too with a yellow fishy in the too. Keeps me company in my dorm.

My dad has a nice 65 gallon salt water fish tank at my house. Its all fish we caught also featuring a tiny lobster, 1 spotted eel, 2 spotted stingrays, 2 sea horse's and a bunch of other tropicals. Buying fish is weak, the best part about tanks is catching them yourself!

quickGT · Dec 16, 2005

This is my other hobby instead of Stangs and ATVs. Right now I have 2 tanks up and running well. My fist tank is a 125 gallon (6ftx2ftx2ft) with 4 red belly Piranhas. My other tank is a 55 gallon salt water with 3 damsels, an aquatic hermit crab, and an AWESOME Green Wolf Eel. The Eel is very personable and I can hand feed him (he eats frozen fish). The piranhas on the other hand eat ANYTHING. Ive fed my piranhas everything from lettuce to Bass that I have caught in a pond. I love my piranhas. I hope to build a lagoon after I add my room to my house this summer. Im wanting around 750 to 1,000 gallons and I want to raise a shark. IF not Im just going to buy a large tank and house a banded shark (one of the samller shark species). Also salt water isnt that hard to take care of. If you do just live rock and fish it's easy. No special lighting is required. Depending on tank size, just a HOB filter is needed because your live rock is the best filtration you can get. The initial set up of salt water is the most expensive part and the fish too. But all you need is live sand, and salt (not table salt) and a salinity tester to get started. The most hardiest and cheapest fish (and VERY pretty fish too) is the Damsel. They are referred as the salt water goldfish because they are tough. I will post pics of the tanks tomorrow.

BDAWK2002 · Dec 16, 2005

As a second job I maintain large 150&100 gal. tanks for extra money.At home I have a 45gal tank and I am currently in the process of setting up a 110 gal tank also so i know quite a lot about fish.By far the easiest to have and most entertaining fish are African chiclids.They are pretty cheap and are idiot proof to maintain.They are cool as hell to watch,they like to fight with each other and if you fill a tank up with coral and get some bright colored ones most people will think they are salt water.If you want a real nice set up I would say get at LEAST a 40 gal tank but get bigger if you can.Believe it or not but the bigger the tank the easier it is to maintain the water quality because in a large body of water the salt(yes freshwater tanks get salt too) & bacteria levels dont fluctuate as much as a smaller amount.Once the tank is set-up maintenance is pretty easy.If you want crystal clear water you do a water change once a week on about a quater of the tank or you could do it every two weeks but the water will start to cloud.While your doing the water change you add a little chiclid salt and some water buffer to bring up the PH in the water and clean the inside of the tank glass and thats it.Water changes arent like the old days with pots&pans spilling all over the house they sell a hose that hooks up to the sink and it suck the water out and puts it back in.It's easy maintenance but it is mainenance that must be done or the fish will die so make sure your ready to commit to the tank.I wouldnt get a hex tank unless you have to,fish like to swim side to side not up and down.A 40 gal tank with everything you need to have a tank properly set up is prolly gonna cost like $600.But be ready this hobby is just as addicting as modding your mustang if not worse.I'll post some pics of my fish when I get home.

SBC RACING · Dec 16, 2005

reply

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mustangman33 · Dec 16, 2005

RedStallion43 said:
I love fish, I have a saltwater tank, freshwater tank, and a pond, and I am currently workin at Petco in the fish department, until i can find a better job. What do you need to know? Saltwater is hard to take care of, if ur a lazy its not for you, u gotta keep up with water changes and such if you want to keep the nice "things"

What Petco do you work at? I need some more salt water fish. Im in the south burbs.

nmcgrawj · Dec 16, 2005

Does anyone have a bow front tank? I like the looks of the hexagon and bow fronts, but i think i will get the most for my money with a regular rectangle setup.

1105 · Dec 16, 2005

The bow fronts look nice, but they are very very expencive for their size. I'd just stick with a regular cube style tank to begin with, and if you enjoy it then I'd upgrade to the bow front.

nmcgrawj · Dec 16, 2005

Hey guys, well i went through with it and got the 50gallon rectangle breeder tank. Things are going fine, i have it all set up. Only one concern, and the guy at the shop said to expect this, but the water is really cloudy from the rocks. Its gotten better and the Super Skimmer is taking it out, but i was wondering how long it will take to clear up? Should i turn off the regular pump and just let the skimmer run to let it settle? Or should i turn the skimmer off too? I think the skimmer is helping a lot, as it seems to be slightly better.

Anywho, just wondering when the tank will be clear so i can set up the couple of rocks that i do have!

quickGT · Dec 16, 2005

Let all your pumps and skimmers run, it will help your tank cycle faster and better. What kind of substrate did you use (ie. gravel, sand ect.)? What type of fish? Also, go ahead and aquascape your tank. You will eventually do it over and over again befpre you are satisfied. Congrats

nmcgrawj · Dec 16, 2005

quickGT said:
Let all your pumps and skimmers run, it will help your tank cycle faster and better. What kind of substrate did you use (ie. gravel, sand ect.)? What type of fish? Also, go ahead and aquascape your tank. You will eventually do it over and over again befpre you are satisfied. Congrats

What do u mean on aquescape? Its a salt water tank. They gave me Florida Crushed Corral rocks which caused the cloudiness they warned me about. No sand though. I dont have any fish yet, if it clears up, im gonna go get some damsels(spelling?) to start with tomorrow. Then move up to bigger and better things once i get the hang of everything.

Keep the words of advice rollin!:SNSign:

RedStallion43 · Dec 16, 2005

Dam you decided on saltwater pretty quickly, have you kept fish before? The cloudiness will be gone most likely by tomorow morning dont worry about that. Does your tank have a sump or is it just a hang on filter, what kind of skimmer do you have, is it run by a pump or by an air stone. How much live rock did you buy? Sorry for all the questions but this will gauge how I can give you help.

nmcgrawj · Dec 16, 2005

RedStallion43 said:
Dam you decided on saltwater pretty quickly, have you kept fish before? The cloudiness will be gone most likely by tomorow morning dont worry about that. Does your tank have a sump or is it just a hang on filter, what kind of skimmer do you have, is it run by a pump or by an air stone. How much live rock did you buy? Sorry for all the questions but this will gauge how I can give you help.

The skimmer is a 65 gallon Needle-wheel Super Skimmer with the pump. Not sure if that tells u which one it is, its made by CoraLife. The pump is a AquaClear Power Filter for 40-70 Gallon tanks....it hangs on the edge. Has the pump on one side and 3 levels of filters(foam, carbon, biomax filter inserts). So is that a sump or a hang on? Excuse my lack of knowledge, i'll get all this crap down sooner or later.

Well i fell in love with all the salt water fish and this place is literally only about 60 seconds away from my house, and the guys there are REALLY helpful so i have no doubt i will have success.

nmcgrawj · Dec 16, 2005

oh yea for now i got 13lbs. of live rock, and about 8lbs of paradise rock(i think thats the name, its some special rock that they say is pretty rare). Anyway, i know they recommend 1lb of live rock for each gallon, so i got a ways to go, but at $5/lb i couldnt buy it all in one splurge.

RedStallion43 · Dec 16, 2005

A sump is actually like a smaller tank at the bottom or in the stand of your tank, in this you can put your skimmer, bio-balls and other filtration wich then can be pumped back into your tank, it leaves the main tank looking clean and does a better job filtering, any hardcore reef tank you see out there uses a sump instead of the hang-on filter you have. What are your plans, Just live rock and fish or are you plannin on trying to do a reef tank? Also watch out with the fish store cuz these people will say anything just so you can buy their stuff, im sure you have already noticed this is a VERY expesive hobby

Edit: Yea youll need more rock, the rock acts like a house for nitrating bacteria wich will help out your tank, especially if you load your tank with fish wich is not reccomended with SW. Instead of buying all live rock, you can actually buy some dead rock too, its alot less expensive and eventually your live stuff from the rock will grow on the dead rock, you wont be able to telll a difference

nmcgrawj · Dec 16, 2005

RedStallion43 said:
A sump is actually like a smaller tank at the bottom or in the stand of your tank, in this you can put your skimmer, bio-balls and other filtration wich then can be pumped back into your tank, it leaves the main tank looking clean and does a better job filtering, any hardcore reef tank you see out there uses a sump instead of the hang-on filter you have. What are your plans, Just live rock and fish or are you plannin on trying to do a reef tank? Also watch out with the fish store cuz these people will say anything just so you can buy their stuff, im sure you have already noticed this is a VERY expesive hobby

Ahhh i gotcha. I know what u are talking about, they had setups like that at the fish store. And i know what u mean about being careful, thats in any specialized type of store really. But going to the pet store like PetSmart or whatever it is, then going to this private place, there is a HUGE difference. I actually got directed there by a lady who over heard me talking about the tank with my GF at Meijers. So i didnt just walk in. Then i walked in and talked with the owner for about 90 minutes atleast, and all the customers in there had nothing but good things to say. One guy had been going there for 16 years so either they are REALLY good or he is REALLY stupid

Then today when i bought the stuff, this other guy went through everything and showed me how to set it up...which really helped cause i could just get home throw it all together.

Im open to any and all hints/tips/tricks. Even the guys at the store said they learn somethin new everyday, i figured while the stang was down, this could keep me busy during the winter

RedStallion43 · Dec 16, 2005

What sucks about these specialty stores is that their fish are so expensive, and everythign else that goes with it, thats one of the reasons why I wanted to work at petco, cuz they sell saltwater and I know how there being handled, A large yellow tang where I work is about 19 bucks but at some of these Mom and Pop places i have seen they sell towards 50 bucks and more, rest assured though the high prices you pay their are because they treat very well, wich you can argue about large chains. What kind of lighting are you getting or have gotten already? Also what kinda fish are you lookin at keeping?

nmcgrawj · Dec 16, 2005

RedStallion43 said:
What sucks about these specialty stores is that their fish are so expensive, and everythign else that goes with it, thats one of the reasons why I wanted to work at petco, cuz they sell saltwater and I know how there being handled, A large yellow tang where I work is about 19 bucks but at some of these Mom and Pop places i have seen they sell towards 50 bucks and more, rest assured though the high prices you pay their are because they treat very well, wich you can argue about large chains. What kind of lighting are you getting or have gotten already? Also what kinda fish are you lookin at keeping?

The thing about chain stores i think is its all in what worker u get. If i walked in and got someone like yourself, then i would be in great hands. But if i went in and got a girl like i did at the one around here, well then, i'll just say i would be better off on my own. Some people are there to help. Others are there to make a buck. Some are there for both

Its just the basic lighting strip...white in color i suppose.Im not positive, it didnt come in a box, i would like to upgrade it later to one of the "cool" looking lights. Im not sure on the fish, there are so many to pick from. I think i will just start with the little damsels and go from there.

Is it true that i should let the tank run for a month or atleast 2 weeks before i get some of the more expensive fish?

RedStallion43 · Dec 16, 2005

nmcgrawj said:
The thing about chain stores i think is its all in what worker u get. If i walked in and got someone like yourself, then i would be in great hands. But if i went in and got a girl like i did at the one around here, well then, i'll just say i would be better off on my own. Some people are there to help. Others are there to make a buck. Some are there for both

Its just the basic lighting strip...white in color i suppose.Im not positive, it didnt come in a box, i would like to upgrade it later to one of the "cool" looking lights. Im not sure on the fish, there are so many to pick from. I think i will just start with the little damsels and go from there.

Is it true that i should let the tank run for a month or atleast 2 weeks before i get some of the more expensive fish?

Yeah I know exactly what you mean, half of my co-workers dont know jack shi.t, if you plan on upgrading your lighting go with what I have, I got powercompacts made by coral life, they include 2 light strips or 4 depending on the model you get and have fans in the housing to cool down the lights so you dont start a fire. You have fluorescent lighting right now, power compact is ALOT brigher then fluorescent and brings out the colors in you fish depending on the bulbs, it also is ESSENTIAL for certain Corraling ALgae growth (purple algae) and for reef tanks, It will be good for whatevers growing on ur rocks right now. Of course theres brighter then power compact but that depends how much u wanna spend and how serious ur gonna get, MEtal Halides are like stairing into the sun! You should get some Actinic bulbs the ones with a blue hue to them, it really enhances the tank and the fish. And yes it is true you have to let the TANK CYCLE for about a month AT LEAST, and check for nitrates ammonia and nitrite, damsels are the best for this as u have already mentioned, after the first month u should notice brown algae growing this is a good thing, this means your tank is maturing, than comes green algae. Now the problem MANY people make with saltwater is decing how many and wich fish to get. Do not add any more than 1 or 2 fish in a month to be on the safe side, start slowly cuz if u get too many ur tank will crash and everything will die (happened twice to me before). Also certain species of saltwater require a mature tank (at least 6 months old) to do well. Angelsfish are one of these. Do u wanna do a peaceful tank or an agressive?

nmcgrawj · Dec 16, 2005

RedStallion43 said:
Yeah I know exactly what you mean, half of my co-workers dont know jack shi.t, if you plan on upgrading your lighting go with what I have, I got powercompacts made by coral life, they include 2 light strips or 4 depending on the model you get and have fans in the housing to cool down the lights so you dont start a fire. You have fluorescent lighting right now, power compact is ALOT brigher then fluorescent and brings out the colors in you fish depending on the bulbs, it also is ESSENTIAL for certain Corraling ALgae growth (purple algae) and for reef tanks, It will be good for whatevers growing on ur rocks right now. Of course theres brighter then power compact but that depends how much u wanna spend and how serious ur gonna get, MEtal Halides are like stairing into the sun! You should get some Actinic bulbs the ones with a blue hue to them, it really enhances the tank and the fish. And yes it is true you have to let the TANK CYCLE for about a month AT LEAST, and check for nitrates ammonia and nitrite, damsels are the best for this as u have already mentioned, after the first month u should notice brown algae growing this is a good thing, this means your tank is maturing, than comes green algae. Now the problem MANY people make with saltwater is decing how many and wich fish to get. Do not add any more than 1 or 2 fish in a month to be on the safe side, start slowly cuz if u get too many ur tank will crash and everything will die (happened twice to me before). Also certain species of saltwater require a mature tank (at least 6 months old) to do well. Angelsfish are one of these. Do u wanna do a peaceful tank or an agressive?

How much was your lighting and where do i get it from?

Thanks for the heads up on the other stuff.

I think i would lean more towards an aggressive tank. What do ya got in mind?

anyone have any pet fish?

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