My observations and mistakes from 6 years of fishkeeping

[Ulrichsd]

Hi everyone, I appreciate all the help you've shared over the years, and just thought I'd share my journey and advice

I currently have:
- 60 g turtle pond (1 pond cooter with 2 gold fish)
- 55 g community (3 angels, 12 black skirt tetras and 4 sterbai corydoras)
- 125 g mbuna which will be moving to a 55g (yellow labs, demasoni and acei)
- 40 g saltwater (which will be moving to the 125g (clown, k cardinals, shrimp goby and bicolor blenny)

1 (my mistake) - if you are going to get multiple tanks, keep them close together, have a plan and don't do what I did which is just stick them where there is room. Make sure there is a close by sink for python attachment. I'm moving tanks so they are close together and close to the sink.

2 (suggestion) - don't get a fish that is to small from your tank, just wait until you get the bigger tank. Be patient.

3 (suggestion) - keep a log of water changes and testing

4 (my mistake) - DO NOT impulse buy. Especially in saltwater.

5 (suggestion) - do research for a month before buying, research can be part of the fun. great forums and you tube videos

6 (suggestion) - Please, please, please, properly cycle your tanke *before* adding fish

7 (my mistake) - don't change more than 50% of water when doing water changes. I recently wanted to change my substrate so I switched substrate and did a 100% water change thinking it would be okay to keep the 2 filters. All my snails went above the water line and I lost one angel the pH just changes overtime and even though its the same tap water, its enough of a difference to matter

(To be continued) I'll include some more and add some pictures as well

 

[charliebankston]

Great tips! Thanks! I have acquired 2 pythons over the years, and I coupled them together and drain my tank water outside into the flower bed. Your so right about putting it (the aquarium) somewhere to be accessible. And great tips on fish size buying and impulse buying. I see all the time ppl that have bala sharks, oscars, common plecos in 20 and 25 gallon tanks

 

[Ulrichsd]

Great tips! Thanks! I have acquired 2 pythons over the years, and I coupled them together and drain my tank water outside into the flower bed. Your so right about putting it (the aquarium) somewhere to be accessible. And great tips on fish size buying and impulse buying. I see all the time ppl that have bala sharks, oscars, common plecos in 20 and 25 gallon tanks

Nice work with the pythons! I would like to do something better than just put it down the drain like it do...

And your comment leads to
8 (suggestion) - don't trust fish store workers, especially at chains, or their sizing or compatibility recommendations. Do the research first.

9 (my mistake) - not having a small 10 g sick tank, which leads to...

10 (my mistake) - resist the urge to put new fish in a qt tank permanently

11 (my mistake) - not quarantining new fish... Ugh, PetSmart black skirts gave my tank ich, which was a pain. That stupid ich meds cost more than the fish

12 (suggestion) - don't be afraid of species-only tanks. Less can be more. I think the natural interaction of fish can be some of the most rewarding tanks.

***I also forgot to list my 20 gallon species only African Dwarf Frog tank

(to be continued)

 

[Ulrichsd]

13 (my mistake) - not having a plan for when the power goes out. Nothing like a major power outage with a 3 day predicted shutdown in the middle of an Ohio winter, running out to buy a generator that night when the tanks recorded into the 60s (F). Its going to happen sooner or later, be prepared for it.

14 (my mistake) - check your filters as soon as possible after even a short power outage. I do like the aquaclear hob filters as they are easy to clean, but have noticed that sometimes they don't always start spinning after being turned off. Cannister filters seem more reliable on start up, but are more difficult to clean.

15 (suggestion) - clean the impellers on your filters every once in a while.

16 (suggestion) - add redundancy to your tanks, all my freshwater tanks have two filters on them just in case one stops.

17 (suggestion) - if you are getting an aquarium for the first time, decide what your acceptable time commitment is before buying the fish (a few hours a week vs a few hours a month?) and narrow down your tank and fish selection based on that.

18 (suggestion) - replace your heaters once a year. They are inexpensive and they are eventually going to fail (fortunately I've only had them fail in the off position). If you see water droplets on the inside of the thermometer glass then its time to replace.

19 (suggestion) - Amazon sells digital thermometers for super cheap. Get one for every tank, otherwise you won't know your heater has stopped working until you stick your hand in one day and its cold.

20 (suggestion) - Don't underestimate aeration, pointing a powerhead or return at the surface will do more than a bubbler and will make your fish much happier.

21 (my mistake) - don't try to do a planted tank with African cichlids unless you like wasting money. They even rip apart my artificial plants. I think it is a nesting response to protect fry as they will stick them down in the rocks.

22 (suggestion) - do add artificial plants to the ends of a mbuna tank. I've found that this helps give a safe spot for fish that might be on the receiving end of aggression.

(to be continued - I'll post some pictures tomorrow)

 

[charliebankston]

Haha! Love the African cichlid part. I have about 30 peacocks and haps in a 100g. Besides being filthy, they are so destructive. I hung part of a pothos in there once, yeah, that lasted like 90 seconds. They knock over and dig up everything

 

[Ulrichsd]

Haha! Love the African cichlid part. I have about 30 peacocks and haps in a 100g. Besides being filthy, they are so destructive. I hung part of a pothos in there once, yeah, that lasted like 90 seconds. They knock over and dig up everything

They were my first aquarium and they are fun to watch them dig and dig so much "personality"

Continuing...

23 (my mistake) - I mentioned having a generator (or some power outrage plan), but make sure you service those items once a year. I couldn't get the generator to start when the power went out late at night so I waited until morning, turns out the gas was just too old, replaced it and started right up.

24 (opinion) - one well maintained tank is better than multiple sloppy tanks (speaking of which I really need to clean the algae off the glass in the 125g)

25 (opinion) - just because fish can survive something, doesn't mean it is good. Keeping two species that aren't recommended together isn't a success just because they don't kill each other. The goal should be to give these fish the best environment possible.

Some pictures:
1. African mbuna tank
2. Amazon river - angel, tetra, corydora, Amazon sword
3. Tuttle pond
4. African clawed frog
5. Mixed reef (not pictured: display refugium with mangroves)

 

[charliebankston]

Pretty tanks!

 

[fearlessfisch]

What a great thread! There is a gold mine of good advice here. Thanks...


The mbuna are stunning!

 

[Ulrichsd]

Thanks to both of you!

Like any tank they are a work in progress I had some sand blasted manzanita wood branches with the angels which fills out some empty space, but haven't put them back yet after moving it.

And the yellow labs were my first fish and still my favorites. There are some demasoni in there as well but must be hiding for the picture.