Anybody have pet fish?

[midjd]

I debated posting this on EE, but it IS money-related, because pets can be expensive

We have a 75-gallon fishtank that, until Thursday, held a 2yo snapping turtle (RIP ) It would be nice to have some fish, because the empty tank makes me a little sad to look at. So far I've come up with cichlids (I think they're cute and apparently are very hard to kill )

Do any of you have (freshwater) fish? What kinds?

[Opti]

If you were closer to me I'd let you have my Koi. Depending on how well you fed them you'd need to find them a new home in two or more years.


Really depends on how many fish you want to keep in the tank, preferred full grown size and what you are willing to deal with. If you haven't done so already I'd visit the local pet store and price out filtration systems for a 75 gallon tank. That will be one of your expenses. Sounds like you want fish that are at least 4 inches or more in length?

[Opti]

Mine are still small. They were the cheap Koi at the pet store and I got them at around 3 inches in length. I read up on them and depending on your pond some Koi live indoors in winter in glass tanks or those temporary show tanks.

Mine are still too small for Cheerios but they sure do uproot anything in the tank rooting through gravel looking for food.

[midjd]

Really depends on how many fish you want to keep in the tank, preferred full grown size and what you are willing to deal with. If you haven't done so already I'd visit the local pet store and price out filtration systems for a 75 gallon tank. That will be one of your expenses. Sounds like you want fish that are at least 4 inches or more in length?

I think we have most of the aquarium equipment already... had the filter system for the turtle (he created a lot of mess!) and DH bought a bubbler yesterday. Still need a heater and some gravel.

Fish size doesn't really matter to me, but DH wants some big ones. When we started dating he had a couple of 8" Oscars and a 6" Pacu (and a couple of the sucker fish), we had to sell them when we moved across the country. I think he still misses them So we will probably be getting some that have a pretty large growth potential.

ETA - Two of DH's fish were named Albert Fish and Gilly Bob Thornton

[steph08]

We have a 30 (or is it 40?) gallon aquarium. We have 3 tetras (black fin ones, the normal ones, haha), and 3 gouramis. I also have two catfish (one albino, one black), a chinese algae eater and a pleco.

They have all been fairly hardy. Of course we cleaned the tank and did a 35% or so water change and two of my other gouramis died. So I am not really a fish expert.

[midjd]

DH says the bigger they are, the harder to kill

We bought some gravel and a heater at Petco this evening - the tank looks pretty nice now! Had a little sticker shock at the prices, though - $16 per bag of gravel (we got 2) and $50 for the heater. Then had to get some Frontline for the cat and a flea fogger, which was like $75 total. Pets are expensive!

Apparently it's best to have the tank set up for a couple of days before putting fish into it... so we'll probably end up getting the actual fish on Monday or Tuesday. Gives us a couple of days to decide, at least.

[whoisjohngalt]

There are two main kinds of cichlids - African and South American and each have certain requirements.
African cichlids are a lot more finicky and are more particular to a special water chemistry. Also, the filter system for the turtle might not be the same one as for the fish. Make sure you clean the tank super well before putting the fish in. You also want to bring the temp of the water that you bring them in to the fish tank temp.

Have fun
Lena

[Gardening Grandma]

I don't anymore. But I used to have both salt water and freshwater tanks. My favorite freshwater fish were the fantail goldfish. Easy. There were only two things about them. The tank had to be cleaned more often, and when I'd put in greenery (for effect), they'd eat it. I had to switch to plastic plants.

But they were easy fish and very colorful.

[Mad Dawg Wiccan]

I have kept many fish over the years. I wouldn't suggest cichlids for a beginner. Some species are highly agressive and territorial.
The key to a healthy tank is filtration. The faster you turn the water over, the better. I currently have a 40 gallon tank, with two undergravel filters. Each filter has a 125 gallon per hour powerhead, which means the water gets turned over every 10 minutes or so. The only time I've had a massive die-off was when the heater thermostat failed and parboiled all my tetras, Mickey Mouse platties, and clown loaches. The two angel fish and the pleco were larger and survived.


Here's a very good website: freshaquarium.about.com/

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

We don't have fish because ..... I'm a fish killer.

Oh, and I have a house-full of cats.

[Mad Dawg Wiccan]

My second tank was a 20 gallon given to me by a friend's sister. She had had it for a few years but had finally got tired of all her fish floating belly up within a few weeks. She had been using the simple box filters with fiber and charcoal, what used to be pretty much all that was used on home aquariums. I swapped out the box filter for an undergravel, and didn't have a fatality for years. (Excluding the Neon Tetras I introduced for color, only to discover they were prey for my Bucktooth Tetras).

[Agatha]

Jul 3, 2011 12:36:59 GMT -5 Gardening Grandma said:

I don't anymore. But I used to have both salt water and freshwater tanks. My favorite freshwater fish were the fantail goldfish. Easy. There were only two things about them. The tank had to be cleaned more often, and when I'd put in greenery (for effect), they'd eat it. I had to switch to plastic plants.

But they were easy fish and very colorful.

Goldfish! I'm so glad someone remembered goldfish.

[pig]

The only fishes I had as an adult were ones we bought for our kid. I never realized how filthy fish are. They ended up in the toilet.

[midjd]

DH has decided to go with the fish he has some prior experience with - we're getting 2 Oscars, 2 or 4 cichlids, and a couple of plecos. He says that with the aggressive breeds, as long as they're all equally aggressive, it'll be OK - it's when you mix aggressive with passive breeds that you get a sort of DV situation. I figure he usually knows what he's talking about, and if they all eat each other, I get to say I told you so ;D