NooB Questions

[BlingBling]

I was just given a stocked 45 gallon tank. I'm excited to have it but have to admit, I don't have much experience with aquariums. I've had bettas and the goldfish you win at carnivals, that's about it.

The tank is stocked with:
3 algae eaters
1 large snail
1 african frog
1 black moore
1 oranda
4 tetras
1 catfish
1 angelfish


I've had the tank for a little over a week and I'm concerned about most of the fish not getting enough food.

The catfish will swim almost to the top of the tank and then frantically swim back down, repeatedly. I've never seen the catfish eat yet since I got it. It won't go all the way up and nor has it eaten any of the bottom-feeder food.

The oranda and moore eat the bottom feeder food (as do the algae eaters).

The angelfish will eat just about anything, either bottom feeder food or flakes off the top.

The snail will eat anything.

The frog seems to have a hard time getting food. I'll watch him try and rack food off the bottom into his mouth and he can be right over a piece of food and not get it in there.

I can't get the tetras to eat anything. They want to feed from the middle, they never go to the top and don't feed off the bottom. The filter will push flakes down to the middle but they put the flakes in their mouth and spit them out. I've been crushing the flakes so they're smaller but even after they spit out smaller pieces, they'll take a small piece and then spit it out.

Here are the foods the previous owners gave me:
Wardley Cichlid float pellets (haven't seen any of the fish eat those)
Top Fin sinking shrimp pellets (algae eaters, moore, oranda and frog have eaten those)
TetraColor tropical flakes (angelfish will eat, tetras spit out)
TetraMin tropial crisps (angelfish will sometimes eat, tetras spit out)

I bought some new food to try since I was concerned about them not eating:
HBH Super Soft Frozen Food alternative w/ Krill - moore/oranda/frog ate
Omega One super color small pellets - snail


What do I need to be feeding the tetras, frog and catfish?? Sorry for the long-winded post, I just want the best information possible.

Also, what treatment is really necessary for aquariums? There's so many different 'chemicals' and testing strips. Its kind of like the hot tub we just got. The video talks about like 10 different chemicals to use but the people at the spa place just told us to use 3 and we've been successful with that. So I'm hoping somebody can simplify the whole process for me, I'm having trouble with the water clouding up (of course that's probably due to a lot of the food that I can't get anybody to eat).

And last but not least....has anybody used the sand instead of gravel? Pros/cons? Will the fish know not to eat it? My moore sucks up gravel and food together, spitting out the gravel. Not sure how well that would work with sand.

 

[Thebluyak]

cant help u for the most part, but yeah you can use sand. Get a heavier sand like pool filter sand, its a 50lb bag for like 10 dollars or something. They will not eat it and your python wont suck to much of it up. Comes in different shades too. good luck with the eating disorders

 

[Lonewolfblue]

As for feeding, the catfish will eat mostly at night time. So if you have something like shrimp pellets or vegie wafers, they will dine at night. Feed him after lights out. My eels are the same way.

For the frog, they like frozen bloodworms. Get a clear tube from the lfs and use it as a feeding tube, or a turkey baster will do the trick as well, and target feed them. The frog will appreciate it.

As for gravel or sand, both are just fine for the fish. As for test kits, get a liquid test kit and test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph. Cloudy water could be a sign of a mini-cycle caused by the move, and some bacteria dying off. And the only way you can tell for sure is by testing your water. You will also want to change 20-30% of the water weekly for best water quality for the fish. some do it every other week, but that just lets the nitrates climb a little higher. As for test kits, I'd get the AP Freshwater Master Test Kit. This is about all you need, unless you decide later to go planted. Then you'll need a little bit more. Here's the link...

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=19395;category_id=3111;pcid1=3233;pcid2=

Then finally, for water treatment, get Prime. It's about the best out there. And it's even on sale.
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=28321;category_id=2229

 

[DepotFish]

You'll have to get a new tank, at least 20 gallons for the moor and oranda. Or give them back to the store. They can't be housed with trpical fish. They need a higher ph and colder water. They shouldn't have a sand bottom either.
What you should have done before stocking the tank is a fishless cycle. The water goes through a chemical process that can take a few weeks but will prevent fish deaths and complications. The only water conditioner you should have is a de-chlor. You'll need drop kits for ammonia, nitrItes, nitrAtes, an ph, no test strips as they are often inaccurate.

 

[Andyvette]

The tank is stocked with:
3 algae eaters
1 large snail
1 african frog
1 black moore
1 oranda
4 tetras
1 catfish
1 angelfish

Great advice thus far. Fishless cycling would be great, but you already got it stocked... so np Like lonewolf said, feed the frog with a baster, and feed the catfish at night. Can you find out a little more about the algae eaters and catfish and find out which ones they are? Same thing with the tetras.
Also, as lone wolf said, you only need 2 supplies. AP Testing kit, and Seachem Prime Dechlor (GREAT product). I would also say, buy yourself a Python Vaccuum for waterchanges and cleaning.
Sand is also a great substrate, and you fish usually appreciate it. The moore and oranda should go back to the store, but the good thing about that is it gives you more stocking room
Tetras are usually schooling fish, and if you angel isnt eating them, then you can add about another 4 of them, and they will be MUCH more inclined to eat. Also, depending on the catfish, it might be a schooling catfish, so you might need to add 3-4 more of them (again, let us know what kind of cats )
Read this forum and ask questions frequently, you will pick up alot of knowledge (almost too much). Welcome to AA!!!!

 

[BlingBling]

Thanks for the advice. Never thought I'd be in AA

I didn't buy these fish so there's no taking them back to the store. Friends of a friend were moving out of the country and had to get rid of the tank ASAP, another reason a fishless cycle wasn't really an option since the fish were transported in coolers and needed more water/room/oxygen.

Just an FYI, I'm not sure why you're saying they have to go back to the store as the previous owners said they've had this setup for over a year, except the catfish and frog which were adds within the last several months.

Unfortunately, I don't have a contact number for them anymore since they moved. The mutual friend has a pond and wasn't much help with the aquarium.

 

[Zagz]

Welcome to AA. In addition to the other advice and questions, what kind of frog is it? A dwarf african frog or a clawed frog? They both have specific needs. Dwarfs need to be fed pretty much in front of their faces for them to eat as they are small and have a difficult time with competition for food. Clawed frogs should also be in a tank of their own as they can be quite aggressive as they get bigger.

The reason to return the goldies or get a new tank for them is they are coldwater species and even though they are surviving in the tank for that amount of time, they aren't thriving. Goldfish will do much better with lower temps. They are also very messy fish and will should have 10 gals per goldie. Even if you didn't buy the fish, a lot of lfs will take them on store credit or for cash.

 

[BlingBling]

I think the cat is a bronze catfish.
The tetras might be x-ray and glowlight - but I'm not sure, I tried looking up pics and these were close, but not identical.
The frog is, I believe, a golden clawed frog...? I've been reading up on them and they seem to be IDed wrong a lot so I could be wrong. However, it is far from aggressive.

What temp should the water be for the goldfish? And the rest? The previous owner said she kept it at about 76-78, which is where I've been keeping it. Everybody seemed happy, until the last few days or so. And I'm just concerned because I still don't see the tetras actually eat anything, they spit it all back out. Have yet to see the catfish eat either, although he has been more active lately.

The goldfish, angelfish, snail, algae eaters and frog are all huge so I guess I was assuming that they had been 'thriving' with whatever the previous owner was doing. The catfish seems to be a pretty good size as well.

When I find the cable to my digital camera, maybe I can take pics and you guys can help me ID them

 

[Zagz]

You are lucky with your frog not being agressive. I have 2 Albino Clawed frogs and they are very affectionate. They are in their own tank.

Goldfish prefer temps in the low 70's. They can sustain higher temps but it isn't the ideal temp for them.

Pics would be great! I'd love to see your fish and frog.

 

[Andyvette]

What temp should the water be for the goldfish? And the rest? The previous owner said she kept it at about 76-78, which is where I've been keeping it.

76-78 is fine for the other fish. Your 2 goldies should be kept less than 70 degrees. Again... you don't have to take them back to the same store. I would take them to any LFS, and get credit, then maybe get a few more freshwater tropical fish that compliment what you have now. That would be much much much better (and better to look at IMO)

 

[DepotFish]

Not only the water temp is wrong, but the algae eaters can be a problem with goldfish. I know they seem fine now, but it only takes one time for an algae eater to decide he wants to stick to the goldfish gills and it might kill them. I know people who have had the combination for years with no problem and then find themselves with this problem. The goldfish are going to get big, even when they aren't "thriving" and the clawed frog can get to the size of a small basketball too.

 

[BlingBling]

Well, I've found out that I'm in over my head and have found a LFS that will take the fish for store credit. Of course, I don't need anything from a fish store if I'm getting rid of them But it beats me killing them.

I did get the frog to eat, feeding it Tubifex worms and shrimp pellets with a turkey baster. The tetras are eating the worms as well. I believe the catfish has been eating.

However, I have a huge ammonia problem even with a water change. These fish need a better fish mom.

BTW, since the frog has been eating, he's WAY WAY WAY more active and I've seen what you mean about him being aggressive.

So how are algae eaters not a problem with other types of fish? The goldies are pretty big. Do you think I'd have an easier time keeping ammonia down if I got rid of them but kept the others?

Also, I read on another forum that catfish need to have atleast one other catfish, is that true?

I'm sorry for all the questions
I love coming home and just watching the fish so I hate to give up. But I'd also hate to kill any of them...

AND...last but not least, when searching for what to feed snails, I read a lot of articles on how to get rid of snails...are they not desirable? When cleaning the filter, I found tons of little snails. I don't mind them, just didn't know if they were bad...

What a newbie!