Team-BHP > Shifting gears


Reply
  Search this Thread
324,923 views
Old 15th February 2018, 16:46   #661
Senior - BHPian
 
deathwalkr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Trivandrum
Posts: 1,278
Thanked: 4,081 Times
Re: My Fishkeeping hobby

Quote:
Originally Posted by racer_ash View Post
Here is the breakdown of all the parameters of my aquarium:

Tank Size: 24X12X20 (inches)
Water capacity (as calculated online) ~ 80Litres (filled with borewell water)
No of fish: 10
Breakdown: 2 Gold fish (about 2 inch size each), 2 Black Mollies (1.5 inch), 2 Tiger Barbs (~ 0.75 inch), 2 iridescent sharks (probably 2.5 inch long now) and 2 Gauramis (probably 3 spot ones).

Now I know the mix of fish is not the best, especially the Iridescent Shark and the fin nipper Tiger barb, but as of now things are going ok.

I have a filter cum bubbler, a heater set at 28C, LED lights (which are On during the evenings only) and also some ornaments (fake plants and the like). I also have around half an inch of gravel substrate. The aquarium is also not exposed to direct sunlight. I feed my fish twice a day (calculated at around 3 standard fish feed pellets per fish).

Some questions I have:

1) According to the description above, what is the water change/replacement cycle?
2) Is my aquarium overcrowded? And do the fish mentioned go well? I see the fin nipper Barb always go behind the Gold fish but I haven't yet come across a nipped fin?
3) If not over crowded, could you suggest some fish that I can add that go well with the mix mentioned?
4) I feel really bad for the Iridescent Sharks (Catfish really). I feel they don't suit the aquarium. They are too jumpy even with the slightest of disturbances. I read online that they are not really aquarium fish. Do I need to return them back to the pet shop (I am sure I treat them better than at the pet shop though).
5) Any other advise for me wrt temperature settings etc

I don't really trust the pet shop for advice now since I can see the fish he sold me are not really easy to maintain.

Also I am not a newbie at this, since I had an aquarium for around a year when I was around 15. But at that time, I didn't have much information and the fish eventually died. Now I want to make sure I do a good job.

Thanks in advance
For the LFS people, it is a business and unless you really know the person, their advises are best taken with pounds of salt.

Your tank is a good beginner tank. And for that size, the sponge filter is good enough unless you want to invest in a good hang on back filter for your bio filtration needs.

You could also try a small internal filter to get some circulation inside the tank and for mechanical filtration.

When it comes to fishes, each species of fish has their own requirements in space, water conditions, compatibility etc. Either we decide on the fish first and then get a tank suited for it's maximum size, or if we have a tank, we find out which fishes are best suited for a tank that size and then select.

Mixing and matching does no one any good, and in a business without sales returns or guarantees, a beginner is often left at the mercy of the LFS.

Please give away the Goldfishes, The Sharks and the Barbs. Goldfishes need a big tank [breaks my heart when i see them in bowls] and the IR Sharks have absolutely no place in the common aquarium. They grow upto 4ft in the wild and are very very skittish as well. Please give them back.

I am just glad that they didn't try and sell a common pleco to you

Tiger barbs are notorious fin nippers but can be managed if in a large school of more than 11 so that their playful banter is within their school and usually will leave the other tank mates alone. So for such a large school your tank is small.

Instead of Mollies and Gouramis you could also look at Tetras. Try and keep the tank as natural looking for the species as you can. It really helps.

Do a 50% water change every week. With your current stock and lack of bio filtration you would have to do water changes twice a week at the least

Temp is ok.

Last edited by deathwalkr : 15th February 2018 at 16:48.
deathwalkr is offline  
Old 15th February 2018, 19:28   #662
Senior - BHPian
 
beejay's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: The Nilgiris
Posts: 1,963
Thanked: 204 Times
Re: My Fishkeeping hobby

Quote:
Originally Posted by deathwalkr View Post
What is a box filter?

And how big is the tank?

Would be tough to get a good one since the market for FHs has really come down. They still do keep popping up now and then but not so much.

Chennai would be your best bet i reckon. A good seller would be able to source one for you.

But curious as to why you like the thai silk version of the FH? Seen a few big ones and they all lost the glimmering shine and colour as they aged. Could be bad genes but still...

Good luck in getting a good one Post pics
Sorry, I meant the UV filter.

The tank is 300 Litres.

I got a FH, not a Thai Silk though. I love this guy. It has been more than 20 days now and he has settled in fine.

I got it from Chennai.

Benny
beejay is online now  
Old 17th February 2018, 20:13   #663
BHPian
 
narayanang76's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: KA 53/KL 9
Posts: 451
Thanked: 821 Times

Here is a latest pic of Flash, our 24K Gold Asian Arowana. He has been with us for 2 years and like a member of our family.
Attached Thumbnails
My Fishkeeping hobby-1518878461473.jpg  

My Fishkeeping hobby-1518878487413.jpg  

narayanang76 is offline  
Old 18th February 2018, 18:49   #664
Senior - BHPian
 
deathwalkr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Trivandrum
Posts: 1,278
Thanked: 4,081 Times
Re: My Fishkeeping hobby

Quote:
Originally Posted by narayanang76 View Post
Here is a latest pic of Flash, our 24K Gold Asian Arowana. He has been with us for 2 years and like a member of our family.
Are you the one with a sump detailed on MFK?

Not getting a Flagtail/Indo Dat/Polyps for that tank?
deathwalkr is offline  
Old 19th February 2018, 09:55   #665
BHPian
 
narayanang76's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: KA 53/KL 9
Posts: 451
Thanked: 821 Times
Re: My Fishkeeping hobby

Quote:
Originally Posted by deathwalkr View Post
Are you the one with a sump detailed on MFK?

Not getting a Flagtail/Indo Dat/Polyps for that tank?
Yes I have a separate THREAD in MFK for my custom tank building, and sump.

I also have a dedicated THREAD on MFK for Flash, as well.

my handle is same on MFK.

And no plans to add anything more to this tank, at least for now.

Last edited by narayanang76 : 19th February 2018 at 09:58.
narayanang76 is offline  
Old 19th February 2018, 10:11   #666
Distinguished - BHPian
 
audioholic's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: BengaLuru
Posts: 5,649
Thanked: 19,332 Times
Re: My Fishkeeping hobby

I have this noob question for you all who use a separate filtration sump. How do you match the inflow and outflow to the sump? I understand that there will be separate pumping systems to lift water out of the fish tank and another to bring back fresh filtered water into the fish tank from the sump. Is there an automatic system to take care of this? If not, I wonder how you will balance the inflow with outflow. Suppose the inflow is high, wont it cause the sump to overflow and create a mess?

The setup sounds very interesting to me, hence would like to learn more on the pumping aspect. Would appreciate all your inputs.
Thanks in advance
audioholic is offline  
Old 19th February 2018, 10:58   #667
BHPian
 
narayanang76's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: KA 53/KL 9
Posts: 451
Thanked: 821 Times
Re: My Fishkeeping hobby

Quote:
Originally Posted by audioholic View Post
How do you match the inflow and outflow to the sump?

The setup sounds very interesting to me, hence would like to learn more on the pumping aspect. Would appreciate all your inputs.
Thanks in advance
The entire system is controlled by the flow of the return pump itself. Once the pump stops, the water circulation will also stop.

Drain (water from main tank to sump) works with gravity and there is a overflow box, which is used to collect the drain water and also control the water-level within the main tank.

There are different techniques/ways for drain, having single, two, three drain to the sump. Mainly to build redundancy and also avoid main tank spill over. Some of the common names are Durso Standpipe, Stockman, Herbie, BeanAnimal, Coast-to-Coast. Some system like Herbie & BeanAnimal also reduce water-flow-noise to a great extend.

For more information, there are plenty of videos on youtube, on sump systems. And happy to answer any particular queries you may have.

Regards,
narayanang76
narayanang76 is offline  
Old 25th February 2018, 13:18   #668
BHPian
 
petrol_power's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Kochi
Posts: 267
Thanked: 644 Times
Re: My Fishkeeping hobby

So, I have had lot of cichlets, flowerhorn, crayfish. Now I want to make a totally different set up. I have heard that it’s very difficult and expensive to have and maintain marine fish. But can someone pl quantify it?
I guess some hardware equipment’s are required like some protein generator? Is it really required? Can some experts throw enough light.

I want to get some really colourful small fish and some differently shaped living creatures as I want to see different shapes in my aquarium.
petrol_power is offline  
Old 13th March 2018, 19:42   #669
BHPian
 
the_skyliner's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Pune
Posts: 868
Thanked: 1,517 Times
Re: My Fishkeeping hobby

After much dilly dallying, got us a small tank last week. It is one of those "all in one" kind Chinese made measuring 17.5" x 11.5" x 18.5". It came with internal mechanical filter and LED light integrated in top cover.

In addition, I got a heater and a basic sponge filter.

Got it home, filled it gradually with tap water and put some anti-chlorine and two other solutions (blue and yellow) and let it set for a day. Then emptied it and filled it again gradually and put anti-chlorine.

Had some stones/gravel at home which I used after thorough washing.

The tank looks empty with no plants or hiding places. Will soon get some small drifting wood, fake plants and may be a thin layer of sand.

Unfortunately, in excitement I have overstocked the tank. There are 2 mollies, 4 platies, 3 guppies, 2 neon tetra, 2 redeye tetra and 4 zebra danios. Will be losing the platies for sure and may as well do the same with mollies.

Would like to have only tetras (different variety) and guppies and may be danios.

Guess this hobby can get serious and can drain ones pockets faster than one can imagine. So need to be very careful before investing.

Immediate plan:
1. To get some drifting wood and fake plants (or may be some tough plants which can survive without much CO2 or soil)
2. To give back platies (and mollies too)
3. To explore external bio filter option
4. To get electrical sorted

I have few questions for the gurus here:
1. I run the internal filter 24x7 and the sponge filter 12 hours. Is it the right way?
2. I feed twice a day and use dried blood worms. Is this a good option for the fish I have?
3. Can I wait few months before I get a bio filter?
4. Which one to go for in case it is a must?

Requesting gurus to help with corrections or suggestions.

Here are few pics:
Attached Thumbnails
My Fishkeeping hobby-img_4077.jpg  

My Fishkeeping hobby-img_4078.jpg  

My Fishkeeping hobby-img_4079.jpg  

My Fishkeeping hobby-img_4075.jpg  

My Fishkeeping hobby-img_4074.jpg  

the_skyliner is offline  
Old 13th March 2018, 20:19   #670
BHPian
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Traveller
Posts: 149
Thanked: 285 Times
Re: My Fishkeeping hobby

Found and ordered aquarium plants via these three online stores in India (Finsnflora order is yet to come).They all seem to operate in or around BLR. Rest of India Shipping is Rs 150 for Finsnflora & Aquaswild, and Rs 100 at Bunnycart.
Found best selection & price at Finsnflora & Aquaswild. Java Moss at Rs 100 is cheapest at Bunnycart.

Links.


Finsnflora https://finsnflora.com/

Bunnycart http://bunnycart.com/

Aquaswild https://aquaswild.com/
ritz3645 is offline  
Old 13th March 2018, 21:21   #671
BHPian
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 278
Thanked: 445 Times
Re: My Fishkeeping hobby

Well well, I am glad that I stumbled upon this thread today.

I have had aquariums at home since I was a kid. However, I was away from the fishes after I moved to college and onto my professional journey.

After I moved to Mumbai, got married and added a new life to our household, it dwelled on me that its the right time to get back to fish keeping.

Equipment
  • Tank: Boyu EA 80. 32 x 16 x 22 inches (LxBxH). Its 148L, approx 40 gallons.
  • Filter: Eheim Classic 350 canister filter rated 620L/hr
  • Surface Skimmer: Azoo
  • Fan: Ista Compact Cooling Fan
  • Lights: 2x12w Corvi LED Tube, 1800 lumens each (total 3600lm).
  • Substrate: Ada La Plata 16Kg and some other ADA substrate
  • Decoration: Driftwoods, couple of lava rocks
  • Background: Plain black

Fauna:
  • 2x Neon Dwarf Gourami
  • 3x Flame Dwarf Gourami
  • 4x Clown Loach
  • 3x Double Swordtail
  • 4x Dwarf Neon Rainbow
  • 1x Bristlenose Pleco
  • 1x Otocinclus
  • 4x Amano Shrimps

Flora:
  • Some Anubias
  • A few crypts
  • A bunch of Java Fern Trident

Some videos of my fishes having a munch.




And now for some images.
Attached Thumbnails
My Fishkeeping hobby-img_20171230_200731.jpg  

My Fishkeeping hobby-img_20171229_215621_550.jpg  

My Fishkeeping hobby-img_20171230_194151.jpg  

My Fishkeeping hobby-img_20171229_220237.jpg  

My Fishkeeping hobby-img_20171229_215522.jpg  

My Fishkeeping hobby-img_20171229_215953_386.jpg  

My Fishkeeping hobby-img_20171229_222538.jpg  


Last edited by suku_patel_22 : 13th March 2018 at 21:27.
suku_patel_22 is offline  
Old 15th March 2018, 10:39   #672
BHPian
 
the_skyliner's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Pune
Posts: 868
Thanked: 1,517 Times
Re: My Fishkeeping hobby

Quote:
Originally Posted by suku_patel_22 View Post
Well well, I am glad that I stumbled upon this thread today.

I have had aquariums at home since I was a kid. However, I was away from the fishes after I moved to college and onto my professional journey.
Beautiful tank you got there. Those clown loaches seem to enjoy that wafer a lot. I have one question regarding the canister filter. How much noise does it make?
the_skyliner is offline  
Old 15th March 2018, 11:16   #673
BHPian
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 278
Thanked: 445 Times
Re: My Fishkeeping hobby

Quote:
Originally Posted by the_skyliner View Post
Beautiful tank you got there. Those clown loaches seem to enjoy that wafer a lot. I have one question regarding the canister filter. How much noise does it make?
The aquarium is on a table, and the canister filter is inside a closed cabinet under it. The table top is 36 mm(2 x 18 mm) ply and the sides are 18 mm ply.

For the above arrangement it makes absolutely no sound whatsoever. Infact i need to touch the canister to check if its running
suku_patel_22 is offline  
Old 15th March 2018, 11:32   #674
BHPian
 
the_skyliner's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Pune
Posts: 868
Thanked: 1,517 Times
Re: My Fishkeeping hobby

Quote:
Originally Posted by suku_patel_22 View Post
The aquarium is on a table, and the canister filter is inside a closed cabinet under it. The table top is 36 mm(2 x 18 mm) ply and the sides are 18 mm ply.

For the above arrangement it makes absolutely no sound whatsoever. Infact i need to touch the canister to check if its running
That's nice. One of my reservations to buy a canister filter was noise factor but with this feedback I guess will go ahead and get one with 200LPH (tank is 45L only).
the_skyliner is offline  
Old 15th March 2018, 12:00   #675
BHPian
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 278
Thanked: 445 Times
Re: My Fishkeeping hobby

Quote:
Originally Posted by the_skyliner View Post
That's nice. One of my reservations to buy a canister filter was noise factor but with this feedback I guess will go ahead and get one with 200LPH (tank is 45L only).
Please note, my feedback is for the EHIEM only, I have no idea about other brands. Check them out at the LFS.

200LPH should be fine for your tank
suku_patel_22 is offline  
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks