Yay, it doesn't look horrible, and yay Bio-Spira!

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Corty

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Sep 24, 2004
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601
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This is more a story than useful information, but hey.. I'm excited, and I need to put this all somewhere.

I had set up a tank for my friend (her first.. ok, I'm not an expert, but better I help than she get her advice from the average PetCo employee), and she had grown more and more excited as time went on, wanting to feed the fish more than she should ("I couldn't help it, I gave them a little extra snack.."), wanting more plants, even wanting to do a water change (!).

I'm taking in three fish from a friend of my mother's tomorrow - two Cory Cats and one adult Angelfish. She's moving, and doesn't want to take them with her. I was all excited about introducing them to their new home, and getting them out of the ten gallon (!) they were in, where they were recieving chemicals instead of water changes, and cycling was an unfamiliar word. I knew they would be so happy to get into a nice roomy 55 gallon, with stable levels, and the friend (who did not purchase the fish, they were a gift), would know they were safe and not in some LFS she didn't know (she really does care about her fish, even though they weren't intentional additions).

I walk in on Wednesday, and I see one very very very empty tank. Apparently, my friend changed her mind, and didn't want the responsibility.

I asked what had happened to easily $60 worth of plants. She had put them in the compost heap.

I asked what had happened to the gravel. She said it was drying, but not very well.. because it was outside, and it was raining.

I asked what had happened to the filter. It was upside down, entirely dry, media missing, in the water change bucket.

I almost cried.

I took the tank home, and set it up. I couldn't get to the LFS in time (no car), but my roommate was kind enough to stop by one on his way home from work. He picked out driftwood, plants, Bio-Spira, and gravel for me.

I was so nervous that it wouldn't look good (he has different taste than me, and doesn't really do aquarium things), or would be the wrong type, or that the LFS would be out of Bio-Spira..... but everything was fine.

The driftwood is beautiful, the gravel is perfectly good, the plants aren't real healthy - but they will easily recover.

It almost seems a shame that it's an empty tank, but thanks to bacteria-in-a-bag, it won't be that way for long.

This is possibly my most beautiful tank (at least to me.. my roommate isn't as excited) and I'm so excited about it. I'll take pictures as soon as the fish and the rest of the plants are in (only vals & hornwort right now).

It's probably best this way - both friends can still come over and look at the fish any time they like - they're going to name them too.

But wow am I excited.. I can't wait to get the pictures up.
 
geesh, its a shame she tore the tank apart, but she was trying to do you a favor... But congrats on your new additions!!! Im sure they will do well,
and watch that hornwort... it grows like crazy. Im almost pruning mine back once a day and I dont even have co2 in the tank... 8O
Some days I can hardly see the fish. But they are having a blast... funny little guys...

Cant wait to see your pics!!
 
Melody said:
geesh, its a shame she tore the tank apart, but she was trying to do you a favor... But congrats on your new additions!!! Im sure they will do well,
and watch that hornwort... it grows like crazy. Im almost pruning mine back once a day and I dont even have co2 in the tank... 8O
Some days I can hardly see the fish. But they are having a blast... funny little guys...

Cant wait to see your pics!!

Exactly the way I feel about it. I didn't go into the possible problems, figure she had enough punishment washing it out (fortunately with just water). :lol:

I know what you mean about the Hornwort!

I picked up a tiny, really small clump in horrible shape.. I now have it in two 55s, and a 38.

Fortunately all sorts of critters grow on it (my puffer finds them deeeelicuous), the Goldfish don't eat it, I don't have to worry about my plants in my poor light tank, it's a baby-saver, and I actually find it pretty.

It's officially my favourite plant. Ever.
 
Update:

I can't get a good picture of the second Angelfish (she's terrified of the camera), but here's one of them: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=5967&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=534

His dorsal fin seems to be kinked, and both tanks test at zero Ammonia, but that might be because the ten was just re-set up. According to the previous owner, when she got it tested, the guy at the LFS told her that her fish should be dead from Nitrate by now (not sure how long ago this was), but she didn't know how much it was, or anything about the Ammonia or Nitrite readings.

All are eating well.

I moved him into the 55 gallon, and he continued to eat, and began turning a beautiful blue color.

The Loaches (turned out to be Clown Loaches, not Cory Cats) appear to be surprisingly healthy, and go after their food with gusto. They've gotten quite large, and were much too big for the 10 gallon.

The female swims a little oddly, but the previous owner told me this was normal - I'm new to Angelfish, so I don't know. She kind of twitched her ventral fins once, and I've seen her swim against the glass twice in a 24 hour period. Fins are not clamped, and she doesn't seem to be rubbing against any decorations. This seemed unnatural to me. Hope I'm wrong.

Any help would be appreciated, and I'll try and get some additional pictures in the meantime.
 
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