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What are your thoughts on keeping clown plecos with a single Firemouth, assuming there is a good amount of driftwood and hiding places? I've found Firemouths to be maddeningly in the middle when it comes to aggression. They are definitely too aggressive for community setups, but at the same time will get their asses handed to them by most other New World Cichlids. My plan is to put a single Firemouth in a 20g long. I'd like to put the 2 clown plecos in there, but if it's going to be a problem they can stay in my community tank and crap all over my nice white sand. I figure they are decently armored so they can handle the occasional nip, but I don't want them to live in fear constantly.
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Oct 6, 2013 20:27
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| # ? May 5, 2024 23:43 |
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I've had quite a few firemouths over the years and my opinion of them is they are all bark and no bite. If they gill flaring doesn't work they run away. Most fish ignore plecos anyway.
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Oct 6, 2013 21:05
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Desert Bus posted:
Nessie (yes, named after The Loch Ness Monster) has very slowly put on some inches. (S)he's probably closer to 16 inches now. Definitely less interested in fingers, which I think has to do with energy conservation as it relates to both age and size (slower metabolism). I also generally have almost three feet of water between myself and him(her?) most of the time I'm in the tank. However, everyone once in a while (s)he comes near the surface, and I can stroke the thing with absolutely no fear of my fingers. I really really don't even know if the fish knows I'm there.  and then pettings (sorry for poor quality, wasn't looking while shooting). For scale, my fingers are in focus with the start of the bichir's first few flagfins in shadow from my fingers. Seriously, look those eyes. NOTHING is going on in there.   In other news, I have acquired some Ameca splendens! These little livebearers are sometimes called butterfly splitfins, because the males have a noticeable notch in their anal fins which contains a pseudophallus. These are remarkable in the hobby because, aside from a few stragglers in a concrete pool at an abandoned Mexican water park, they are extinct in the wild. The OTHER neat thing about them is that they take livebearing to the next level -- the fry actually develop a fan of membranes equivalent to an umbilical (called a trophotaneia for those interested)that absorb nutrients from mum while they are inside! They do not store sperm, and must be impregnated each time. I am actually surprised at how attractive they are, they have a blue sheen to their nacreous scales! Here's a male:  And a female, who is engaging in a neat little behavior of livebearers that involves scouting out predators. A group of three to four will come out of cover to investigate, each taking turns in the lead. What is even more remarkable about this is that they will REMEMBER individuals that do or do not 'cheat' by hanging back more often then others, and then recall that behavior when selecting partners for future scouting parties! I read this in an article titled "Machiavellian Intelligence in Fishes". Clever girl... 
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Oct 7, 2013 01:14
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Whale Cancer posted:I've had quite a few firemouths over the years and my opinion of them is they are all bark and no bite. If they gill flaring doesn't work they run away. Most fish ignore plecos anyway. Years ago I had a male betta and a clown pleco in a 10g hex. The male betta did NOTHING except attack the clown pleco. Maybe it was just the size or something.
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Oct 7, 2013 03:02
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Bettas are just jerks sometimes. Sometimes to you, sometimes to their tankmates.
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Oct 7, 2013 03:09
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I can't wait until my Delhezi grows up. I'm considering adding a second poly but I don't know which one I want.
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Oct 7, 2013 10:02
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Newbie questions incoming! I've taken an interest in getting a pet recently after my project car has been giving me endless problems and stressing me out a bit, at first I was going to go with a rat but was convinced not to and pointed towards fish. My Dad had a couple of big salt water tanks when I was younger which I always liked and I had some goldfish as well, after reading this thread I was happy and sad at the same time, had two when I lived in another state which went to live in a friend's pond when I left and another two (which I was told were the same two by my mother) that died in my care in the tiny tank I had them in - can't say that I'm happy about learning that it wasn't reasonable conditions for them. My first though when I was told fish would be a good idea was "ugh goldfish again" but upon reading this thread and doing a bit of research I found some fish I'm really interested in getting. Decided I'd go with a planted tank, 70L, with some peaceful fish. The main one I really want is a Bristlenose Pleco which I'm lead to believe will be fine in a 70L tank with a few other types of fish. Please do tell me if I'm wrong here, as much as I want one, I don't want it to be cramped in there. I went out today and bought a tank, stand, and some other bits and pieces. Got myself a 70L and a stand for a 100L tank (it was cheaper buying a stand with the tank than buying something sturdy from a furniture shop). It's a tank with the light and filter included up top. The guy at the store I ended up buying the stuff from was amazingly helpful and everything he was telling me was exactly what has been recommended in this thread, sounded like he was the guy that manages all the tanks in the store as well. The guy also sent me home with some API Proper PH 7.0, Seachem Prime, a test kit, a gravel vacuum, and a light bulb for a reptile tank which is going to be better for plants. I forgot to grab a heater, and the guy gave me the name of another store for some gravel better for plants. That's where I'm at right now, as for the questions I have. I want to get some plants in there in a few days and then fish in the coming weeks after it's been cycled. I'm guessing the Prime stuff I was given is to start the cycling process? Or am I still going to need other stuff to get it ready? I've done some reading on this but most of the time the guides are light on details and this is something I really don't want to screw up. For stocking I'm still a bit undecided, I definitely want a Bristlenose Pleco (the store has both normal ones and albino ones, I guess I have to decide which I want - if i had space for a bigger tank I'd get one just so I could have both.). I was also thinking a mix of neon tetras and head and tail light tetras, didn't know they would happily school together until the guy at the store showed me. Probably 6 of them, 3 of each. Other than that I'm not sure what else, is that too much already? If anything I was considering 2-3 small catfish but wasn't sure if that would make the bottom of the tank crowded or not. For plants I'm still undecided - I liked the look of the red devil pot (not sure if that's it's actual name, that's what it was labelled as) and blue stricta. Not sure what else to go with. Any advice would be great, thanks guys!
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Oct 7, 2013 10:38
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Well don't worry too much about size because your tank is huge. For instance in my 20g planted tank with an over the side filter I keep 12 neons, 8 cory cats, 3 algae eaters, 6 snail and two breeding Angels. I clean the filter and do a partial water swap every Sunday. Tank has been stable at least six months.
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Oct 7, 2013 17:00
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Fusillade posted:In other news, I have acquired some Ameca splendens! These little livebearers are sometimes called butterfly splitfins, because the males have a noticeable notch in their anal fins which contains a pseudophallus. These are remarkable in the hobby because, aside from a few stragglers in a concrete pool at an abandoned Mexican water park, they are extinct in the wild. The OTHER neat thing about them is that they take livebearing to the next level -- the fry actually develop a fan of membranes equivalent to an umbilical (called a trophotaneia for those interested)that absorb nutrients from mum while they are inside! They do not store sperm, and must be impregnated each time. I am actually surprised at how attractive they are, they have a blue sheen to their nacreous scales! Ah! So cool! How did you come across them?!
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Oct 7, 2013 17:06
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durrneez posted:Ah! So cool! How did you come across them?! Wow, these guys are staples in my killifish club....they are so widespread that people can't give them away.
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Oct 7, 2013 17:38
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Cowslips Warren posted:Wow, these guys are staples in my killifish club....they are so widespread that people can't give them away. I've definitely never seen them at any of the LFS either. Where are you located?
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Oct 7, 2013 19:14
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Cowslips Warren posted:Wow, these guys are staples in my killifish club....they are so widespread that people can't give them away. Considering their status in the wild, I'm actually happy to hear this! Dagger, I purchased them through a group order from our local club, which means that I paid scandalous (read, retail) prices for them from Cowslip's pov.  My local group, AAAA, will be having the big semi-annual auction next weekend! Anyone in the Georgia, western SC, or eastern AL might want to go check it out. not sure if wekre allowed to link directly, so just do a search for 'atlanta aquarium'
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Oct 7, 2013 20:40
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I just bought a solid wood bookshelf for my 10 gallon tank at a thrift store for $3. I went around climbing up on all the furniture they had to check if it could hold my weight. If it could then there would be no problem putting a tank and a bunch of other equipment there. The guy at the store probably thought I was insane when he came over to see me perched up on top of the bookcase. I was planning on painting it, but I kinda dig how it looks all beat up and rustic. Anyways, it works great since I use the bottom shelf to store fish supplies, and the middle shelf to store my cat.  (edit: omg how did that picture get so big)
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Oct 7, 2013 22:28
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candywife posted:I just bought a solid wood bookshelf for my 10 gallon tank at a thrift store for $3. Did the exact same thing with my 45 gallon.
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Oct 7, 2013 23:49
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Got some more corkscrew vals that could go to a new home if anyone's interested. Just let me know and you too can have the long, manageable curls you've always dreamed of.
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Oct 8, 2013 01:14
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Shakenbaker posted:Got some more corkscrew vals that could go to a new home if anyone's interested. Just let me know and you too can have the long, manageable curls you've always dreamed of. I'm in CA. How far are you from me?
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Oct 8, 2013 01:49
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LingcodKilla posted:I'm in CA. How far are you from me? The west coast...of Florida. Still gets there by mail pretty fast, though.
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Oct 8, 2013 02:19
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Shakenbaker posted:The west coast...of Florida. Still gets there by mail pretty fast, though. He sent some to me in Michigan and they all came through swell and are growing quite well in my tank.
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Oct 8, 2013 02:30
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Shakenbaker posted:The west coast...of Florida. Still gets there by mail pretty fast, though. Well then I'm game if shipping won't kill you. Area code is 94560. Is it cool?
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Oct 8, 2013 04:22
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Shakenbaker posted:Got some more corkscrew vals that could go to a new home if anyone's interested. Just let me know and you too can have the long, manageable curls you've always dreamed of.  Estimated to arrive on Thursday, so that gives you an idea of the shipping window, Ling.I'll post a few pics of the lovelies once they arrive.
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Oct 8, 2013 09:02
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LingcodKilla posted:I'm in CA. How far are you from me? I'm in CA too and Shakenbaker sent me some corkscrew vals the last time he offered to send some out. Took about two-three days to get here, I think. Here's a really crappy semi-recent photo! 
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Oct 8, 2013 21:19
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That's really twisty. I've got stuff that was labelled as corkscrew but the twists are really anemic.
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Oct 9, 2013 05:30
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Shakenbaker posted:Got some more corkscrew vals that could go to a new home if anyone's interested. Just let me know and you too can have the long, manageable curls you've always dreamed of.
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Oct 10, 2013 01:28
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I made a walstad tank. Not really. My girlfriend's planted tank is going sideways. Hard. Black brush algae as far as the eye can see. So we removed all the plants, did a bleach dip, and realized that it just wasn't going to be enough. She wanted to trash the plants and start over, I wanted to see if they were salvageable, so I cut off all the offending leaves, and threw them in an empty tank. No heater, no filter, no substrate. We'll see what happens. If they die, they were already written off, so it doesn't matter. If they live, they will eventually move back into the planted tank, which is currently a single baby anubias and a clump of microsword. I feel like they should move back in now, but it's her tank, and she is opposed. As for the planted tank, why hath god forsaken us? It's a 20 long, with 36w of T5 HO lighting (1.8 watts per gallon). The lighting is on 4 hours, off 4 hours, on 4 hours. I am dosing twice a week with flourish, and daily with excel. Co2 is in the form of a diy system, averaging a bubble every two seconds, dispersed through an airstone. No drop checker, but I am getting one soon. Substrate is eco-complete. Water changes are 25% every few weeks (We aren't as regular as we are with the other tanks, as the thought was the plants would like a little poop). Any thoughts? It's a bummer, because she loves the tank, but gets really discouraged with it, and I'd love to be able to get it back on track. Edit: Forgot to mention natural light - Should be pretty minimal. The tank is to the side of a window, southern elevation, and the window has vinyl blinds and curtains, both of which are always closed. Light colored blinds & curtains, but still. Slugworth fucked around with this message at 02:09 on Oct 10, 2013 |
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Oct 10, 2013 01:50
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SynthOrange posted:That's really twisty. I've got stuff that was labelled as corkscrew but the twists are really anemic. It keeps those twists if you let it dry, too. Makes me think there are arts and crafts possibilities with it. I've got blades of the stuff that are a bit over a meter long, too, so plenty of length to work with. Just need to be, you know, creative or some junk. Thalamas posted:I would love some corkscrew vals. Is my 2 watts per gallon lighting going to be sufficient for them? Far as I know, the watt-per-gallon thing is a bit passe. It's more about getting the wavelength and penetration right. I can tell you it grows like wildfire in my tank with one okay-ish LED fixture (one of these) and some partial sunlight during parts of the day. What sort of bulbs are you using exactly? What kind of bulbs are you running on the tank, and how new are they? Could be the source of some of your algae problems.
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Oct 10, 2013 04:53
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Shakenbaker posted:What kind of bulbs are you running on the tank, and how new are they? Could be the source of some of your algae problems. Also, glad to see you are having success with your fugeray. That is the light I have on the tank I dumped the plants in. Haven't had a chance to see what it's made of yet (the tank is eventually going to be a moderately planted shrimp tank). Slugworth fucked around with this message at 15:24 on Oct 10, 2013 |
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Oct 10, 2013 15:19
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Slugworth posted:One 18w roseate and one 18w 6000k full spectrum. I am having the damndest time remembering when we setup the tank, but no more than a year old. I will say, the tank was perfect when we first set it up, with great plant growth and no algae. Last few months, the plants are all surviving but growing really slowly. Might be worth replacing the full spectrum one, although I'm no plant expert.
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Oct 10, 2013 15:23
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Extra Smooth Balls posted:Might be worth replacing the full spectrum one, although I'm no plant expert. Average life span is six months for a light before the output starts degrading so take that for what it is worth. If you have had that light in service for a year without replacing the bulb then it very well may be contributing to your algae farm.
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Oct 10, 2013 20:00
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I'm just using a couple of cheap full spectrum SAD bulbs I got on ebay and they're shockingly good for under a fiver, my plants are going nuts and I haven't had any algae at all (yet).
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Oct 10, 2013 20:55
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Slugworth posted:One 18w roseate and one 18w 6000k full spectrum. I am having the damndest time remembering when we setup the tank, but no more than a year old. I will say, the tank was perfect when we first set it up, with great plant growth and no algae. Last few months, the plants are all surviving but growing really slowly. Just echoing the others, but swapping bulbs would probably help a good bit. The long and short of it is that the wavelengths the plants want go out first. We can't really see it since we aren't geared for it, but it does happen, and it's roughly six months in for the fluorescent bulbs. The cruel joke is that sometimes they decay into wavelengths that prompt the algae even more, so bulb changes are a way of life. And yeah, I'm pretty happy with the fugeray, especially for what I spent on it. Think it was like $120 for a four foot fixture? Hard to complain about what results I've gotten at that price point.
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Oct 11, 2013 03:02
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Real tempting to just switch over to an LED fixture for this tank too, probably a lot cheaper in the long run. For now though, I'm glad to have a course of action. Maybe after I've confirmed that the lights were the issue, I'll start looking at other options.
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Oct 11, 2013 04:16
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Shakenbaker posted:Far as I know, the watt-per-gallon thing is a bit passe. It's more about getting the wavelength and penetration right. I can tell you it grows like wildfire in my tank with one okay-ish LED fixture (one of these) and some partial sunlight during parts of the day. What sort of bulbs are you using exactly?
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Oct 11, 2013 14:28
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Not an aquarium fish, but here's a freshwater monster i've been happy to live with for the past three years, and am quite sad is now gone. Out resident Triploid Carp was a fine lady, keeping our small pond mowed and scum-free. She died of mysterious causes, and will be missed. She was a credit to aquaculture, and was kind enough to die near the shore so I didn't have to wade in to drag her carcass out before it attracted a billion vultures. Now it looks like i've got to wait for the government shutdown to end before renewing the pond's permits to get a new one.
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Oct 12, 2013 01:11
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Suspect Bucket posted:Not an aquarium fish, but here's a freshwater monster i've been happy to live with for the past three years, and am quite sad is now gone. Ack, that sucks to hear. But wtf about having to renew a pond permit to add a new fish? How would they know?
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Oct 12, 2013 03:14
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demonR6 posted:Ack, that sucks to hear. But wtf about having to renew a pond permit to add a new fish? How would they know? You may need the permit to buy one in the first place. You really don't want nonregulated breeding grass carp sucking up in the wild. Triploids can't breed. Your ladyboy carp looks pretty small from the stuff I've read on them.
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Oct 12, 2013 03:24
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LingcodKilla posted:You may need the permit to buy one in the first place. You really don't want nonregulated breeding grass carp sucking up in the wild. Triploids can't breed. She was probably less then 8 years old, which is the age of the development and the pond she was in. And the pond is relatively small, only about half an acre. She was heavy as gently caress though. The largest triploid grass carp taken in Florida was 15 years old, 56" long and weighed 75 lbs. Fish and Wildlife says triploids are cheap, only about 5 to 15 bucks. It might even be free if my HOA covers it, as they are responsible for all the ponds in the development. I just have to flag down the president and get the permit pulled, then request a new carp. However, the government shutdown has made even some of the state government stuff here in Florida pretty squirrely. Here's an interesting factsheet on them. http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/fish/freshwater/nonnatives/grass-carp/ And here's the stocking info with an overveiw of the rules for having triploid carp. http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/invasive-plants/grass-carp/ Suspect Bucket fucked around with this message at 04:11 on Oct 12, 2013 |
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Oct 12, 2013 04:00
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Suspect Bucket posted:She was probably less then 8 years old, which is the age of the development and the pond she was in. And the pond is relatively small, only about half an acre. She was heavy as gently caress though. The largest triploid grass carp taken in Florida was 15 years old, 56" long and weighed 75 lbs. That link was pretty neat. Reading up on the invasive species list was kinda sad on how bad aquatic tank owners are. And how the hell did they stop guppies and convicts from breeding like crazy?
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Oct 12, 2013 04:42
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LingcodKilla posted:That link was pretty neat. Reading up on the invasive species list was kinda sad on how bad aquatic tank owners are. And how the hell did they stop guppies and convicts from breeding like crazy? Well, once the US government's back some of that story should be at https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=447 . Here's some pasta I grabbed from the Internet Wayback machine in regards to the convicts. quote:The first record from Florida was an unconfirmed report of an established population in a rock pit in northwest Miami, Dade County (Rivas 1965); however, the site's location is not known, and there are no known voucher specimens. A population was discovered in Green Pond on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville, Alachua County, in 1997 (G.T. Bergman, personal communication). The population was eradicated in 2001 (Hill and Cichra 2005). However, another population exists near Hume Pond, also on the UF campus (L. Somma, personal communication). quote:Remarks: Concern exists that this aggressive cichlid will compete with native sunfishes for spawning sites (Courtenay and Hensley 1979). There was early concern that Nevada populations, if they were to become established in Lake Mead, might affect the sport fishery adversely (Deacon et al. 1964). An attempt in December 1963 to eliminate the Nevada population at Rogers Spring failed (Hubbs and Deacon 1964). Barney Creek in Idaho is a tributary of Summitt Creek; the Little Lost River Valley is an isolated, cold, high-altitude drainage whose water sinks into the sand or gravel of the Arco Desert (W. Horton, personal communication; also see Linder 1964). I would imagine that if an invasive species like Convicts were discovered, the whole area would be poisoned. This really only works with ponds and lakes though. In the St. Johns river, giant fuckoff Goldfish and Koi have been found. In brackish water. This is generally following hurricanes and the like. http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/041005/spo_18437386.shtml \/\/\/ I was going to make that point as well with a funny picture but that idea kinda fell to the wayside when I started reading aquaculture articles and was sidetracked \/\/\/ Suspect Bucket fucked around with this message at 06:38 on Oct 12, 2013 |
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Oct 12, 2013 05:44
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Suspect Bucket posted:Well, once the US government's back some of that story should be at https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=447 . Here's some pasta I grabbed from the Internet Wayback machine in regards to the convicts. Large mouth bass population. I highly doubt convicts could establish a population in lake mead with them super eaters.
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Oct 12, 2013 06:26
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Hey guys just starting up my first ever fish tank (30g) and I had a question that I'm not sure has come up. albeit my flooring is sturdy enough to support the tank, for some reason it isn't sitting perfectly flat and is leaving ever so slightly forward. Normally this wouldn't be a problem except that the lean has made a very gradual leak due to moisture on the lid of it. Should I be trying to find a way to level the tank? Or is there a way to stop this leaking from occurring? In a separate note, I'm not staring with any plans as I feel like that's just more stuff to go wrong for a beginner, but I would like to get into it down the road. What Is the process to add on plants f for an established tank? is it just a case of emptying the track for a little bit, planting, then transferring back in the fish and water?
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Oct 12, 2013 07:08
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