Ask Me About Aquaria

I'm not the most knowledgeable person around for aquariums; I've been keeping one for only a few months. I've been reading a lot about it though so I know much more than a beginner. I love reading about it, so if I don't know the answer to your question, I'll try and find out. Ask away... :banana:

ps. I'm most knowledgeable about Bettas, snails, and freshwater aquaria in general. I also know a bit about live plants. If you have a reef tank, I'm probably not the best person to ask something... I'd hate to be the cause of your reef's death. :doh:

Anyway, below are a few pictures of my current happy little family. I just added a dwarf hair grass to the aquarium which is not in the pictures. I'll see how it fares. My aquarium is a 12-gallon (Eclipse 12), Red Sea's Flora Base substrate, a few live plants, one Betta fish (named Sushi), 4 Harlequin Rasboras, 3 Ghost Shrimp, 2 African Dwarf Frogs, and 1 Golden Apple Snail.

My Betta fish and one of the rasboras:
http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/4...1201xy9.th.jpg

Two of the ghost shrimp and the snail hiding by the filter:
http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/2...1205zf6.th.jpg

The snail and one of the frogs:
http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/5...1206ae2.th.jpg

Come closer little froggie...
http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/2...1209jd3.th.jpg

Couple of rasboras and the frog swimming away:
http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/3...1212mv9.th.jpg

Sushi, a rasbora, and little white streaks, which are the plants pearling (producing more oxygen than the water can absorb, so the oxygen floats to the top in form of tiny bubbles)
http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/8...1213ot6.th.jpg

Go Sushi go!
http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/4...1214rc9.th.jpg

More Sushi...
http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/6...1217aw5.th.jpg

One of the frogs really likes to hide under the drift wood. Here is a picture of him without the flash...
http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/5...1221ax7.th.jpg

After the flash...
http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/4...1220um8.th.jpg

Panoramic view 1:
http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/9...1222me9.th.jpg

Panoramic view 2:
http://img354.imageshack.us/img354/5...1223sn0.th.jpg

Cool tank :) I had a freshwater tank before we moved to our new house, but I gave it to a friend because it was too much upkeep. Plus I had to buy special water for it because the city water wasn't good for them...

I loved my loaches - they were my favorite. I had 2 Burmese loaches and they were so fun to watch! I tried 2 khuli loaches but they died within a few days... have you ever kept khuli loaches?

My family has a freshwater tank at home too. Our main fish over the years have been angel fish, but we have a total of over a dozen in the tank.

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Originally Posted by Burns

Cool tank :) I had a freshwater tank before we moved to our new house, but I gave it to a friend because it was too much upkeep. Plus I had to buy special water for it because the city water wasn't good for them...

I loved my loaches - they were my favorite. I had 2 Burmese loaches and they were so fun to watch! I tried 2 khuli loaches but they died within a few days... have you ever kept khuli loaches?[/b]

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Thank you. :)

No, never kept kuhli loaches, but I work at a PETCO a couple of days a week (more of a hobby than a job, hehe, and yeah, I know their fish conditions isn't very nice, but I try my best to keep the fish healthy when I'm working) and they've had some there before... they look really nice. hehe. Anyway, I've read that there's no more room in my tank, and they require a pretty good amount of open floor area to move around... my tank is filled with the plants and what not. They do look very nice though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Burns

My family has a freshwater tank at home too. Our main fish over the years have been angel fish, but we have a total of over a dozen in the tank.[/b]

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Ah, angelfish look beautiful! I've never seen a tank of fully grown ones, but I bet it looks very graceful! :)

Bad news... Sushi, my Betta fish died earlier this morning. :sad2:

I tested the water parameters later and they all tested great, and all the other fish are still alive and happy...

Poor Sushi had been having intestinal problems lately, since anything he would eat would make him bloat and constipated... poor fish... really makes me sad. Oh well, at least he's not suffering now. I have him in the freezer right now and will set him free on a lake or river around here tomorrow morning.

Farewell Sushi... :flyaway:

Poor Sushi. I've always loved Beta fish, they're so beautiful.

One of these days I think I'm going to set up a freshwater aquarium. We have a big 55 gallon tank in our basement that's empty. Back in the day my dad used to have oscars in there.

Right now all we have is a goldfish, BJ. We've had him for 8 years and he's still chugging along! He got really big too, at least as big as my hand. Do ya know how long goldfish can live?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by QwinsepiaSquared

Poor Sushi. I've always loved Beta fish, they're so beautiful.

One of these days I think I'm going to set up a freshwater aquarium. We have a big 55 gallon tank in our basement that's empty. Back in the day my dad used to have oscars in there.

Right now all we have is a goldfish, BJ. We've had him for 8 years and he's still chugging along! He got really big too, at least as big as my hand. Do ya know how long goldfish can live?[/b]

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Ah, Oscars are very nice looking!

As far as your goldfish, their size and lifespan can vary greatly. They can reach up to 12" in size, although the average is about 6" to 8".

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Like the maximum size, the lifespan of goldfish is also variable. The record is 43 years, but it is uncommon for goldfish to live this long. Goldfish usually live quite long when kept in large aquaria or outdoor ponds, up to 15 to 20 years is not unheard of. In smaller or heated aquaria, a lifespan of five to ten years is quite achievable. As mentioned, the most important factors when keeping goldfish in small aquaria are careful feeding and adequate filtration and/or maintenance.[/b]

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Do you know what type of goldfish it is? Is it a fantail, or a regular "feeder" goldfish? The reason I ask, is because the feeders are bred to be used as food, so they have a bit smaller lifespan.

Probably a feeder, I won him at a mayfair when I was little. :p

Nice tank settup! I have a 30 gallon freshwater tank that I have to admit is in need of a revamp. The overhead lamp went out and I've not had the money to replace it therefore I am sure the tank is in need of serious spot cleaning! Now that I know that others share my aquarium keeping hobby I'll post pics of mine when I get it back looking how I want it.