Acclimation (of owner!)

[TheManichaean]

After approximately one month of aquarium ownership, my fish are happy, and my tank might even be cycled. However I don't think I'm acclimated yet.

Each morning, before the light is on in the tank, I feed the fish and find horrible stuff wrong with the tank: an ich outbreak, flatworms, wounds, bad algae, and more.

I sweat it out all day at work and think about what questions to post in the sick fish forum. I return home to find that in the light of day (and the fluorescent bulb) my fish are as happy and carefree as the day before. All the diseases they had in the morning were imaginary.

Then I realize my problem is not enough equipment in the tank. Maybe the six plants I have need a CO2 cansiter. The 11 pH/NO2/NO3/NH4 tests I've performed in the last month for aren't enough--I need a Hagen Master Test kit to immediately check for more stuff. And what if my fish which read as "Never been bred in captivity" suddenly breed?! I'll be high and dry (pun intended) without a spawning tank!

Maybe I should've dimmed the apartment lights for fifteen minutes before I brought my empty tank in. I should've acclimated myself better.

There is one definite problem I've diagnosed in the tank, though: fat danios. Oh yes, my fear of starving the six little guys has led me to make them a little chubby. Hmmm...time to buy low-carb flake food...

Tony

 

[Bearfan]

It's easy to go overboard and freak out when you're new to things. Take a deep breath and learn your own trends. The odds of most of the diseases (besides Ich) is relatively low. I've had 1 case of hole in the head, 2 cases of cotton mouth and about a dozen cases of ich. That's over my entire life doing this.

Relax and enjoy the fish, they'll be fine.

 

[tetrin]

relax...fish are there to lower ur bloodpressure...not spike it up!!...

btw...be careful if ur cranky loach is a skunk botia...if it is...u really have reason to be concerned...

 

[Menagerie]

Feed your fish a maximum of once a day, once every other day is fine too

 

[TheManichaean]

Lol, thanks all.

Tetrin, thanks for the advice on the loach--I've combed through loaches.com to no avail for an ID, so I'm trying to snap a good picture to post.

Tony

 

[czcz]

I am the same way with hobbies, especially when I'm learning. I keep a log of feeding, plant additions, and measurements for the tank, so when I go to work I can make stupid databases and charts with the data instead of wondering what can go wrong. (Have not lost a fish yet, but I've only started.) I've begun to find that printing interesting topics for rereading also helps. Doing the same might help you too.

 

[Menagerie]

18 gallon
Unopened wrapping paper and scotch tape.

That's bound to be useful soon!

 

[czcz]

Sometimes I wish my kid didn't believe in Santa Claus

 

[BASSNMAN]

After you have 5 or 6 tanks up and running, you should be over the newbie syndrome. Then you will be suffering from multitank syndrome. Instead of worrying about imagined fushy illnesses, you will be spending your time studying up on what to stock in the NEXT tank.