inoffensive nickname
Aquarium Advice Newbie
- Joined
- May 24, 2010
- Messages
- 6
Don't laugh. I love fish. I love scuba diving. However, I am terrified of touching or being touched by fish. We used to keep a couple of 20G tanks but my poor husband was stuck with the maintenance and after several years, we stopped keeping fish because it got to be too much to maintain with our growing family.
Now, five years after we moved my husband swore off being the sole tank-keeper, I requested and received a 37G aquarium for Mother's Day. I have been doing very well in taking care of my tank and don't let the phobia get to me.
Unfortunately, like a lot of others around here, I didn't ready about fishless cycling, and cycled with live fish, losing about half of the feeder minnows I started with.
Now I have 8 minnows, 3 mollies (2F 1M), 3 female guppies (can't seem to keep a male alive), a chinese algae eater, and a large fantail goldfish.
My water chemistry is within normal parameters, and I have added a little bit of aquarium salt (about half of what was recommended for live bearers due to the algae eater and goldfish - didn't want to hurt them). The only issue with my water is the pH, which is around 8 for this region. It's the same at the LFS. Local aquarium enthusiasts have told me not to worry about the pH as it's typical for this area.
ETA: (forgot to add): no live plants, penguin 200 power filter, no powerhead yet, but it's on my wishlist, and lots of airstones for my little friends to play in the bubbles.
Now, five years after we moved my husband swore off being the sole tank-keeper, I requested and received a 37G aquarium for Mother's Day. I have been doing very well in taking care of my tank and don't let the phobia get to me.
Unfortunately, like a lot of others around here, I didn't ready about fishless cycling, and cycled with live fish, losing about half of the feeder minnows I started with.
Now I have 8 minnows, 3 mollies (2F 1M), 3 female guppies (can't seem to keep a male alive), a chinese algae eater, and a large fantail goldfish.
My water chemistry is within normal parameters, and I have added a little bit of aquarium salt (about half of what was recommended for live bearers due to the algae eater and goldfish - didn't want to hurt them). The only issue with my water is the pH, which is around 8 for this region. It's the same at the LFS. Local aquarium enthusiasts have told me not to worry about the pH as it's typical for this area.
ETA: (forgot to add): no live plants, penguin 200 power filter, no powerhead yet, but it's on my wishlist, and lots of airstones for my little friends to play in the bubbles.