[ptaneja]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

yay got myself a blue phantom pleco

Photo and Price !!

[deathwalkr]

shall wait for him to pose a bit and then take photos. he's a bit shy seeing as how i just got him a few hours back.

Rs.2500 was the price for a juvenile.

he also had a L201 Pleco. skipped it. waiting for a zebra or a titanicus pleco

[groom]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

yay got myself a blue phantom pleco

Awesome, congrats!!!

[deathwalkr]

The LFS had some fire bellied newts which were oh so cool to behold. sadly they require 20 degree temperature to thrive and i had to say no.

He says he's expecting Zebra plecos and Gold nugget plecos soon. Can't wait for those

[petrol_power]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

The LFS had some fire bellied newts which were oh so cool to behold. sadly they require 20 degree temperature to thrive and i had to say no.

He says he's expecting Zebra plecos and Gold nugget plecos soon. Can't wait for those

Plecos has so many vibrant colors? looks stunning. All I have is a black one which looks like a crocodile when its sits in my drift wood. And one day while changing water, I became so curious and dared to touch it, omg, it was all rough and I don't know how to explain (May be because the only fish I regularly inteact with is my flowerhorn and its soft smooth hump ). After that I ensure that I never get closer to that.

Pl help in these few doubts I have regarding the water used. I stay in Bangalore and in apartments, they provide the water which is pumped by water-tankers and mostly these tankers will be collecting the water from some bore-wells/lakes/rivers/water-bodies (I dont know from where, but I know its very dirty). I have never felt the essence of chlorine.
Can we use this water to fill the tank. I started with the 20 litre cans and initial days my fish were swimming in full bottled water, and then I gradually reduced it to 60% bottled water and 40% tap water.

Bangaloreans especially, please answer which water is being used in their aquariums?

Also initially I used to feel water getting dirty in every 2 weeks and mostly used to have a 80% water change very frequently, now I fell water doesn't get so bad for a month. Fish and filter being same, may be its the addition of tap water, which itself is not as crystal clear as that of bottled water.

Another doubt I have is that I saw some lobster kind of things with my seller, its not as tiny as shrimps and will be of the length of some 5-6 cms. Can we put it along with cichlids and a short-body flowerhorn (which I have).
Will these mini lobsters grow to the size of real lobsters (My seller is not there for a few days and hence couldn't get any further details from the shop guys). It was looking good, and it will be nice to watch something of not the shape of a fish. Has anyone got any experience with them?

Also regarding the light inside the aquarium. Is it advisable to keep it on always or by night we have to switch it off or it need to be switched on only when we need to see the fish. I have noticed that my fish tend to get sluggish and inactive when the light is switched off for a long time (may be because I used to keep the light on 24x7 initially). But what is the recommended one?

[nowwhat?]

Originally Posted by petrol_power

Pl help in these few doubts I have regarding the water used. I stay in Bangalore and in apartments, they provide the water which is pumped by water-tankers and mostly these tankers will be collecting the water from some bore-wells/lakes/rivers/water-bodies (I dont know from where, but I know its very dirty).

Don't know about fish, but know something about Bangalore water.

In Bangalore, most if not all water in tankers is from a borewell. There are no rivers nearby and we have killed most of the lakes.

Please be extremely wary of borewell water. If it is your borewell, I would have suggested you get it tested, but that is not an option with water tankers.

My own borewell yellowed my teeth and nearly wore it down, so I doubt any fish could have withstood that water. Perhaps you should consider RO.

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by petrol_power

Plecos has so many vibrant colors? looks stunning. All I have is a black one which looks like a crocodile when its sits in my drift wood. And one day while changing water, I became so curious and dared to touch it, omg, it was all rough and I don't know how to explain (May be because the only fish I regularly inteact with is my flowerhorn and its soft smooth hump ). After that I ensure that I never get closer to that...

...Also regarding the light inside the aquarium. Is it advisable to keep it on always or by night we have to switch it off or it need to be switched on only when we need to see the fish. I have noticed that my fish tend to get sluggish and inactive when the light is switched off for a long time (may be because I used to keep the light on 24x7 initially). But what is the recommended one?

Plecos are insane! The sheer variety of fishes is amazing. Bloody hell expensive as well. For example a tiny juvenile royal pleco cost me Rs.2,500. The blue phantom which was smaller than the royal cost me Rs.2,250.

Now he say's he's getting a zebra pleco. god knows how much he's going to charge

The one you have is probably the common pleco. they grow rather large and end up doing more harm than good for the tank unless it's a monster tank with ample filtration of course.

Their upper body is well armored but by no means are they invulnerable.

As for water conditions, i don't know how to help you. RO water would be the best option i guess. Unless you setup a storage tank for tap water and using that after the chlorine is dissipated. But that's too much of a headache.

The lobster like creatures you saw could have been crayfish. Please don't add them in your cichlid tank unless you feel like offering them an expensive but tasty treat. Max size would be a foot i think.

Regarding lights i would say start at 9AM off at 9PM. If you have moonlight LEDs then you could leave that on while the fishes settle down for the night.

Leaving lights on 24/7 would only lead to stress for the fish and higher electricity bill

[petrol_power]

Originally Posted by nowwhat?

Don't know about fish, but know something about Bangalore water.

In Bangalore, most if not all water in tankers is from a borewell. There are no rivers nearby and we have killed most of the lakes.

Thanks for the reply. I guess I should stick with my 60% bottled and 40% tap water (tanker water).

Meanwhile Bangaloreans have their cichlids surviving purely in borewell water supplied by water tankers (which means the quality of water will be different every week)?

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Plecos are insane! The sheer variety of fishes is amazing. Bloody hell expensive as well. For example a tiny juvenile royal pleco cost me Rs.2,500. The blue phantom which was smaller than the royal cost me Rs.2,250.


Ya, its insanely expensive also, will try to source a budget one, as I can't tolerate to see the gangster-kinda guy I am having.

The lobster like creatures you saw could have been crayfish. Please don't add them in your cichlid tank unless you feel like offering them an expensive but tasty treat. Max size would be a foot i think.


You mean the cichlids will eat the crayfish?, I was under the impression that these crayfish will be eating the cichlids!!.

Regarding lights i would say start at 9AM off at 9PM. If you have moonlight LEDs then you could leave that on while the fishes settle down for the night.

Leaving lights on 24/7 would only lead to stress for the fish and higher electricity bill

Thank you for all the suggestions.

[deathwalkr]

Well depends on what cichlids you have. My oscars and flowerhorns used to love them.

Post pics of your tank

[deathwalkr]

Here are a couple of pics. The big guy is the Sailfin Pleco [L83] and the new addition to the tank, the tiny blue phantom [L128]

[petrol_power]

I have a few Electric yellow Cichlids, couple of Frontossa, Jewel cichlids, and a few hybrid cichlids + one short body flowerhorn.

I have posted the pics in the first page (Mine is the first post in this thread ).

How much does these crayfish cost?

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by petrol_power

I have a few Electric yellow Cichlids, couple of Frontossa, Jewel cichlids, and a few hybrid cichlids + one short body flowerhorn.

I have posted the pics in the first page (Mine is the first post in this thread ).

How much does these crayfish cost?

sometimes i forget it's your thread that's been hijacked

Don't really remember but a few hundreds i guess. I would advise you to not get them unless it's for a different tank.

[petrol_power]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Don't really remember but a few hundreds i guess. I would advise you to not get them unless it's for a different tank.

You have a nice tank with 4 plecos. That's something new and different for me. I am still learning and haven't tried much other breeds. Thank you for the input. I don't want to do any experiments now as my community tank is well set and is an extremely peaceful one now. I don't want any blood-shed.

[deathwalkr]

Oh trust me, my experiments with aquatica over the years have been the happiest moments of life. the sheer bliss you get while setting up tanks and watching the fishes grow and thrive in the tank is immense.

But then again the deaths are equally horrid. maintaining a balance is zen like.

A supporting wife and a fat wallet will really help explore new avenues of fish keeping. Staying in a flat i'm restricting myself to this one 4ft tank. Water change is done by filling up well water in 4 jerry cans. Not a pleasant task. Helps to keep me in check.

If only i could somehow bring my banjar red arowana from my grandmother's place [used to stay there] but a 6x2x2 tank in an apartment is a bit scary.

the cray fish might be ok in your african cichlid tank but though short bodied flowerhorns are a bit milder i am not sure about it. Might work might not work, upto you

I miss my 6ft african cichlid tank :( By far the most colorful tank i've had.

[swift_guy]

Guys I am getting a 3 x 1.5x 1.5 ft aquarium for around 2k (with filter, heater, lighting, stones, artificial plants and 3 big plecos). I checked it out personally and everything seemed to be fine, only the aquarium glass had marks caused by decreasing water level.

Is getting it and refurbishing it a good idea?

I will get gravel, live plants, more powerful filter, 3 new small fishes (in exchange of plecos) and lighting to spruce it up. My major concern is with strength of the tank (it is already 3-4 year old) and edges would need to be sealed again I think. Are these big aquariums safe and sturdy enough? What can be done additionally to make it more sturdier? I don't want to lose my fishes in case the glass edges give up.