dmurray407
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Hi! I have a 26 gal tank (24x15x20in deep-Fluval 205 filter system and an all-glass hood with a 65w 50/50 compact fluorescent bulb-the bulb is new since yesterday) that we've had for years. For the last 5 years we've had a school of angelfish-started out with 6 babies and now we're down to one lonely angel in the tank all by himself. I want to renovate the tank, starting with a good cleaning today. I have some new plants, crabs, snails and ornaments on order to be "installed" in the next week or so, and then I'm hoping to start adding some new friends for my angel. We really enjoyed the Angels so I thought I would try adding a few more of them first. If that goes well, I would like to do a little school of clown loaches-I would also like to try some dwarf gouramis . I know I should limit the number of fish to around 10 or 12-is that correct? Does that sound like a reasonable plan?
A couple of questions-a nice selection of good, healthy fish can be hard to find in my area (near Minneapolis MN-it seems that all our nice "local fish stores" are going by the wayside and are being replaced with chain pet stores) and I'm intrigued by "mail order" fish suppliers-is this a reliable way to obtain new fish? I see that shipping is slightly expensive, but it would be nice to get exactly what I want and be assured of the health and quality of the fish. Can anyone suggest a favorite online supplier? (or any to stay away from?)
How long should I wait in between adding new fish? I know ideally I should use a quarantine tank when buying new fish-does anyone really do this? I've always just added the new fish to the community and have never had any problems (that I know of-but then maybe that's why I only have 1 angelfish left!)
Would an additional "bio-wheel" type filter be helpful in my aquarium as I add new fish? the Fluval does a very nice job, but I've read in a few places that having a secondary filter can be a good thing. I have a couple of them in my "pet supply" cabinet so I would just need to get new filter pads.
Well, I suppose that's enough for now-thank you in advance for any comments or suggestions
Deb
A couple of questions-a nice selection of good, healthy fish can be hard to find in my area (near Minneapolis MN-it seems that all our nice "local fish stores" are going by the wayside and are being replaced with chain pet stores) and I'm intrigued by "mail order" fish suppliers-is this a reliable way to obtain new fish? I see that shipping is slightly expensive, but it would be nice to get exactly what I want and be assured of the health and quality of the fish. Can anyone suggest a favorite online supplier? (or any to stay away from?)
How long should I wait in between adding new fish? I know ideally I should use a quarantine tank when buying new fish-does anyone really do this? I've always just added the new fish to the community and have never had any problems (that I know of-but then maybe that's why I only have 1 angelfish left!)
Would an additional "bio-wheel" type filter be helpful in my aquarium as I add new fish? the Fluval does a very nice job, but I've read in a few places that having a secondary filter can be a good thing. I have a couple of them in my "pet supply" cabinet so I would just need to get new filter pads.
Well, I suppose that's enough for now-thank you in advance for any comments or suggestions
Deb