So, I broke down and bought the Aqueon 25 gallon starter.

[germanyt]

My plants were getting out of control and the 25 gallon was twice as tall as my 10 gallon. It came with a Coralife T5 with a 6700 watt and a colormax (no idea what K it is) bulb. I also stuck my 15 watt T8 6500K fixture on it. So I'm pretty sure I have 43 watts in 25 gallons now which is better than the 15 watts in 10 gallons I had in the old tank.

The kit came with a filter rated at 125 gallons per hour. The Top Fin I had already had was 100. So I've got 225 which is 9 times the capacity per hour. Give or take how off the ratings are on both.

 

[germanyt]

Also, I'm thinking of scrapping the hairgrass. It just doesn't have the root structure to hold tight in the substrate so my fish and frog just tear it up. I find bits of it stuck in the filter tube every day. Probably more than is growing. So i'm in the market for a new T5 HO, Fluval filter, and carpet plant.

 

[germanyt]

 

[germanyt]

Thinking of adding one of these since I have 15 extra gallons now.

 

[germanyt]

New plant isn't looking so good. I hope it comes to life under the new light.

 

[Zactheninja]

Those jack dempsys are pretty aggressive.
Might kill your other fish.

Hope the plant recovers.

 

[germanyt]

Those jack dempsys are pretty aggressive.
Might kill your other fish.

Hope the plant recovers.

I care more about the plant than the platies TBH.

 

[azmodan]

You gonna upgrade in the future? Dempseys can get near 10 inches long and need at least like a 55 gal. If not you could do a dwarf cichlid like a Bolivian ram, German blue ram, or Apistogramma, plus it'd be able to coexist with your current stock.

 

[germanyt]

You gonna upgrade in the future? Dempseys can get near 10 inches long and need at least like a 55 gal. If not you could do a dwarf cichlid like a Bolivian ram, German blue ram, or Apistogramma, plus it'd be able to coexist with your current stock.

I do plan on several larger tanks over the next few years. I now have a 55, 25, and 10 quarantine. The 55 starter I got at Petsmart is still priced at 160 so when I think my wife won't kill me I'm going to get another one. I also want to do a saltwater tank but am thinking of waiting to afford acrylic.

 

[germanyt]

I reorganized my Photobucket albums so my URLs changed. Here are the pics from above.

 

[germanyt]

Well I wound up with a new fish. I went to Petsmart to check out some plants. I finally got fed up with my hairgrass so I removed it all from the tank. The fact that I had to get rid of it made me want to get rid of the platies that tore it up in the first place. My tank lady was at the store working (she's the only one there who knows anything) so I was talking with her about the electric blue Jack Dempsey. Apparently there was a time when they had some but they were long gone. I walked the tanks to see if anything caught my eye and nothing really did except for a 4 inch long barb but it would be way too much for my tank I think. So she mentioned that someone had donated a cichlid after their tank cracked and she wanted to keep it for herself but that I could have it for free since she knew it'd be well taken care of. I'm hoping by this time tomorrow my platies have become dinner. So here it is along with the new plants.

 

[germanyt]

Your resistance is futile.

 

[azmodan]

Poor platies.

 

[Scouser]

Ive gotta say this, your lack of care for your existing stock is shocking.

That fish will get big obviously, but the main thing is that you bought it knowing quite well that it will kill your existing fish is kind of sickening.

I understand people who buy feeder fish for a fish they already have, but letting fish from a display tank be killed without so much as a second thought is quite worrying....

 

[patrickriley2010]

Ive gotta say this, your lack of care for your existing stock is shocking.

That fish will get big obviously, but the main thing is that you bought it knowing quite well that it will kill your existing fish is kind of sickening.

I understand people who buy feeder fish for a fish they already have, but letting fish from a display tank be killed without so much as a second thought is quite worrying....

It's like dog fighting on a smaller scale "not quite as bad I don't think " but still kind of disturbing

 

[germanyt]

Ive gotta say this, your lack of care for your existing stock is shocking.

That fish will get big obviously, but the main thing is that you bought it knowing quite well that it will kill your existing fish is kind of sickening.

I understand people who buy feeder fish for a fish they already have, but letting fish from a display tank be killed without so much as a second thought is quite worrying....

You can't be serious. How does a platy being prettier than a feeder make a difference in it becoming a meal. I don't want the platies anymore and chose a new fish that would take care of it on it's own. I bet you think you shouldn't buy mice to feed to snakes. It's called nature buddy. Deal with it.

 

[germanyt]

It's like dog fighting on a smaller scale "not quite as bad I don't think " but still kind of disturbing

No it's not at all as a matter of fact. Even if I were pitting specific fish against each other for the purpose of entertainment and betting it still wouldn't be the same thing because fish have a very poorly developed central nervous system. Unlike a dog. They don't experience fear or pain the way a dog does.

 

[Scouser]

You can't be serious. How does a platy being prettier than a feeder make a difference in it becoming a meal. I don't want the platies anymore and chose a new fish that would take care of it on it's own. I bet you think you shouldn't buy mice to feed to snakes. It's called nature buddy. Deal with it.

People buy feeder fish for a fish they already have, buying a fish to kill fish you already have because you're too lazy to rehome them is just poor fish keeping.

Buying mice to Feed a snake isn't the same as what you're doing.

It's like you've kept pet mice, got bored, then got a snake to eat them because you don't want them anymore!

I'm sorry but I just find it wrong.

 

[Ian086]

Ive gotta say this, your lack of care for your existing stock is shocking.

That fish will get big obviously, but the main thing is that you bought it knowing quite well that it will kill your existing fish is kind of sickening.

I understand people who buy feeder fish for a fish they already have, but letting fish from a display tank be killed without so much as a second thought is quite worrying....

I have to agree. Deliberately letting your platies become a 'meal' for another fish, especially if they are healthy, is cruel and not right. Can you not rehome them, give them to your LFS. Let someone else enjoy there beauty. How would you feel if that cichlid you got FOR FREE, was just left to die or flushed down the toilet. Same thing really....

No it's not at all as a matter of fact. Even if I were pitting specific fish against each other for the purpose of entertainment and betting it still wouldn't be the same thing because fish have a very poorly developed central nervous system. Unlike a dog. They don't experience fear or pain the way a dog does.

Still doesn't make it right. It's an animal at the end of the day.....

 

[germanyt]

People buy feeder fish for a fish they already have, buying a fish to kill fish you already have because you're too lazy to rehome them is just poor fish keeping.

Buying mice to Feed a snake isn't the same as what you're doing.

It's like you've kept pet mice, got bored, then got a snake to eat them because you don't want them anymore!

I'm sorry but I just find it wrong.

It's more like I kept mice, decided I really wanted a snake but didn't have a separate tank for a snake so I let his first meal clear out his new home. You're awfully emotional over a little fish. I guess you've never killed a roach, mosquito, or mouse? I can't tell whether your real concern is for the life of the animal or what purpose the animal was used. I can't use a cichlid to clear out an old platy tank but I could buy platies to feed to my new cichlid? Strong hippie logic.

I have to agree. Deliberately letting your platies become a 'meal' for another fish, especially if they are healthy, is cruel and not right. Can you not rehome them, give them to your LFS. Let someone else enjoy there beauty. How would you feel if that cichlid you got FOR FREE, was just left to die or flushed down the toilet. Same thing really....


Still doesn't make it right. It's an animal at the end of the day.....

I'd never know if the cichlid was left to die. If the owner's tank hadn't cracked they'd still have it. If they had simply got tired of cichlids and wanted a piranha tank I'd be perfectly okay with letting the piranha take care of the old stock. Fish gotta eat ya know. Why would I take the platies back to the store just to buy more feeder fish? I already have feeders in the tank. They are just going to get eaten by another fish in one of the 2 20 gallon tanks Petsmart uses to temporarily hold returns and donations. And nobody is flushing any fish down the toilet.


Oh and, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): The animal rights organization | PETA.org ---------------------->