hello fish lovers!!!!

[noobaquarists]

hello everyone as my name says im a noob to all of this and need a place where i can ask questions and get the answers i need. first things first i recently got myself a tank not sure how mant gallons it is (30" L 12.5" W 18.5" H ) i currently have 2 albino corycats 2 striped raphael catfish a pleco around 12 guppies and 2 silver mollys a balloon molly a cpl fancy black goldfish and 2 other fish i was told might be sword tail mollies but im not sure all theese fish came with the tank and i dont know anything about them so if anyone has some tips id greatly appreciate it

 

[BHead707]

Welcome to AA.
that is a 29 gallon tank, seems to me you might have a little too many fish in there. the two fancies need 30 gallons just to themselves. wait for some others to chime in about the rest of the fish.

also what kind of filtration do you have, and what is your water change schedule.

 

[starquest]

Hi there, noobaquarists, and welcome to AA! The first thing I would say, is that you should change your name, cause, chances are, that you won't always be a nooby, and you'll be stuck with that name.

Aside from that, I can't speak about any fish but the pleco, cause I have one. Do you know what kind he is, and how old he is; the problem is that many plecos grow to well over a foot in length, and need really big tanks. So you could post a picture of him, and maybe someone here can identify him, or look on the net for plecostomus images, and see if you can match him.

And since you're new, let me give you a link to some resource articles that will give you lots of good information about aquarium water, and the nitrogen cycle. You need that under your belt, in order to understand how to proceed in caring for your new pets. Here's the link:http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...started-check-out-these-resources-154837.html.

Have fun, research everything, and enjoy your new hobby. But be careful, cause it's addicting.

 

[noobaquarists]

Welcome to AA.
that is a 29 gallon tank, seems to me you might have a little too many fish in there. the two fancies need 30 gallons just to themselves. wait for some others to chime in about the rest of the fish.

also what kind of filtration do you have, and what is your water change schedule.

i have 2 filters that hang on the back and the under gravel filter with the air hoses going into it and i havnt changed my water yet but i was told id want to drain half off then refill once a month

 

[noobaquarists]

Hi there, noobaquarists, and welcome to AA! The first thing I would say, is that you should change your name, cause, chances are, that you won't always be a nooby, and you'll be stuck with that name.

Aside from that, I can't speak about any fish but the pleco, cause I have one. Do you know what kind he is, and how old he is; the problem is that many plecos grow to well over a foot in length, and need really big tanks. So you could post a picture of him, and maybe someone here can identify him, or look on the net for plecostomus images, and see if you can match him.

And since you're new, let me give you a link to some resource articles that will give you lots of good information about aquarium water, and the nitrogen cycle. You need that under your belt, in order to understand how to proceed in caring for your new pets. Here's the link:http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...started-check-out-these-resources-154837.html.

Have fun, research everything, and enjoy your new hobby. But be careful, cause it's addicting.

hopefully i'll b able to find my camera and get some pics off them im not sure what kind he is hes not anything fancy like a bristle nose or anything but right now he is about 6.5-8" and thx for the link

 

[Cornstar]

i have 2 filters that hang on the back and the under gravel filter with the air hoses going into it and i havnt changed my water yet but i was told id want to drain half off then refill once a month

Normally what I do is 25-30 percent a week. And many would recommend doing 50 percent a month. I would recommend you to do at least 10-25 a week to rid the waste and leftover food since they may cause an ammonia spike that will eliminate your fish.

 

[Shark_Bait]

Welcome my friend. I can relate completely to you. I just started my first tank about 6-7 months ago. You are in for a wild ride. First off, be careful with the mollies especially the balloons. I had 3 of them cuz i thought they looked awesome. Unfortunately the mollies can be sensitive to ick which can spread to your whole tank. Just be on the look out for that and watch your water parameters (PH, Hardness, Alkalinity, Chlorine level, ect.) Second, often times goldfish can be a bit nippy towards community fish which is what you have. BHead is right about the size. You might want to think about either sizing up your tank, or relocating a few fish. This will improve the quality of life for them. Good luck and keep asking questions!!!

 

[noobaquarists]

Welcome my friend. I can relate completely to you. I just started my first tank about 6-7 months ago. You are in for a wild ride. First off, be careful with the mollies especially the balloons. I had 3 of them cuz i thought they looked awesome. Unfortunately the mollies can be sensitive to ick which can spread to your whole tank. Just be on the look out for that and watch your water parameters (PH, Hardness, Alkalinity, Chlorine level, ect.) Second, often times goldfish can be a bit nippy towards community fish which is what you have. BHead is right about the size. You might want to think about either sizing up your tank, or relocating a few fish. This will improve the quality of life for them. Good luck and keep asking questions!!!

What is ick how can i identify it and get rid of it? and how do i check my water parameters

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Hi and welcome to AA!
Your tank is very over stocked unfortunately. You should rehome those goldies to begin with. They alone stock your tank. To test your water you need to test kit. API freshwater master test kit is the most widely recommended. Ich is a parasite that attaches itself to fish. If left untreated it can cause a whole tank to be wiped out. It is usually brought on by poor water conditions, overstocking and stress.
Here is a link so you can understand it better.
http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_ich2.php

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Don't worry we will get your stocking issues worked out and you will have a healthy, beautiful tank to enjoy in no time Do you know what the nitrogen cycle is?

 

[Shark_Bait]

Ick is a sickness that is kind of complex. in a nutshell, it's a sickness that preads and once it reaches the fishes gills it basically suffocates them. You can identify ick by noticing white spots on the fish. normally it looks like small grains of salt. If you see this, you need medication to prevent all your fish from dying. As far as your water parameters, go to your lfs (local fish store) and pick up some test strips. ask the workers they will know what they are. The strips are a little less accurate than other kits but still good for the money.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Ick is a sickness that is kind of complex. in a nutshell, it's a sickness that preads and once it reaches the fishes gills it basically suffocates them. You can identify ick by noticing white spots on the fish. normally it looks like small grains of salt. If you see this, you need medication to prevent all your fish from dying. As far as your water parameters, go to your lfs (local fish store) and pick up some test strips. ask the workers they will know what they are. The strips are a little less accurate than other kits but still good for the money.

I would definitely not recommend the test strips. Too inaccurate. Get a liquid test kit. Lasts for ages 800+ tests and way more accurate.
And you don't need medication to cure ich. Usually the only treatment that is needed is heat and salt.

 

[Nu-Nu the eel]

The rafael striped catfish are going to out grow that tank very fast

 

[Shark_Bait]

Salt n Heat do not always work. be careful what you use and don't always trust the workers at lfs. they may not be as smart as people on here.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Salt n Heat do not always work. be careful what you use and don't always trust the workers at lfs. they may not be as smart as people on here.

That why I said 'usually'. But IMO meds can do more harm than good.

 

[noobaquarists]

hmmm ok well it seems most ofmy fish are too big for my tank thinking of getting rid of them all and starting over with a driftwood and liveplant combo any suggetions on what fish i should put in and how to go about setting it up and what types of aquatic plants i can get in northern canada

 

[Mumma.of.two]

hmmm ok well it seems most ofmy fish are too big for my tank thinking of getting rid of them all and starting over with a driftwood and liveplant combo any suggetions on what fish i should put in and how to go about setting it up and what types of aquatic plants i can get in northern canada

hello everyone as my name says im a noob to all of this and need a place where i can ask questions and get the answers i need. first things first i recently got myself a tank not sure how mant gallons it is (30" L 12.5" W 18.5" H ) i currently have 2 albino corycats 2 striped raphael catfish a pleco around 12 guppies and 2 silver mollys a balloon molly a cpl fancy black goldfish and 2 other fish i was told might be sword tail mollies but im not sure all theese fish came with the tank and i dont know anything about them so if anyone has some tips id greatly appreciate it

Ok your tank is 29gallon.
You can keep the cories and increase their school to 4-6.
Rehome the Raphael catfish.
Depending on the type of pleco you may need to rehome. It's most likely a common that get to 2 feet long.
You can keep some guppies. You can keep all of them if you rehome the mollies and swordtails.
Rehome the goldfish. Or rehome all other fish and keep gf.

 

[Shark_Bait]

I agree with Mumma on the tankmates. I might get rid of a few guppies tho. 12 is a lot!

 

[noobaquarists]

what what go good in my tank with a 3 in albino tiger oscar?

 

[Shark_Bait]

you need to be careful with Oscars, they will eat you guppies. You need to stick with Cichlids if you go that route but they often need bigger tanks than a 29 gal