55 Gallon Freshwater Tank

[McLumpy]

That's so sad to hear... I really do hope he ate the medicine flakes. Have you considered a quarantine tank for your Pleco since he's the one that seems in worst shape? It might help a lot. Maybe raising the temp will help if you haven't done so yet.

Good luck to you and your fish.

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Well, at this point, putting the Pleco in a quarantine tank isn't an option, (don't have one). That and he seems to be improving, but it's slow. I was reading an article about Plecos and it said that when they're sick, it increases their sensitivity to light. I don't know how much truth there is to that, but it could explain why he's only active after I turn off the lights at night.

Oh and yes, temp has been slowly increased and holding around 84-86 degrees. I also placed additional air hoses in the tank to help with oxygen loss from increasing the water temp.

here is a picture of mine, dont mind the ugly tank it was in the midst of being completely re-done

Thank you for sharing the pic! Great looking fish!

 

[Jason7894561230]

Awesome looking clown loach, he is looking very healthy his black stripes are increibly black and awesome so i congratulate you!

 

[McLumpy]

Thank you for the compliment, Jason!

I'm hoping to get another Clown Loach as soon as I get my tank back to "normal". With the recent Ich outbreak, high Nitrates, fungus on one of my Neon Tetras... ugh... it's enough to make ya crazy! lol I'm close to winning the battle though!

 

[McLumpy]

Pics (Post Ich Treatment)

I took these pics earlier today. Over the last 2 weeks, I revised the layout of some of the decor and added a silk plant, along w/ a piece of Mopani driftwood. The driftwood is now "owned" by Tony the Pleco.

Everyone, (w/ the exception of my Red Tail Shark), are back to being healthy! The RT is still flashing a little, (but not like he was), and his fins are still a little clamped, but I believe he will be fine.

 

[McLumpy]

More Pics

 

[aqua7]

I'm glad to hear everyone is back to health even though the RT isn't fully healthy yet I'm sure he'll get there. I'm especially happy for Tony the Pleco since that's who seemed to be doing the worse.

I like the new added decor. Wood is usually a Pleco magnet and I see that's the case with you. Keep up the good work.

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[McLumpy]

Thank you for the well wishes, aqua7! I kind of neglected giving an update on here, (too many threads, not enough time, I guess lol).

The RT Shark is healthy and happy as can be now! He's still flashing a little bit, (the usual type of flashing though), and his dorsal fin is no longer clamped.

My Neon Tetra still has a few marks, (this was discussed in one of my other threads), but thanks to Melafix, they seem to be fading and his color is coming back. Plus, all 4 Neons are schooling again!

"Tony" the Pleco is in great shape as well and back to letting the others know 'who's the boss', (hence his name lol). I'm glad I didn't hesitate to add the Mopani driftwood to the tank once it was ready because he LOVES it!

Btw, I did finally purchase a 10 gal tank to use as a QT. Once I get it setup, I'll post pics on here. It was funny when I told my husband that I was buying another tank. I don't think he really grasped the purpose of a QT, but I refuse to go through another round of headaches. Plus, the tank will be in our home office, so it will make a nice addition to that room w/o it looking like I'm crazy fish lady when ppl walk into our house! LOL

 

[Coleallensmom]

SO glad to hear that everyone is doing much better!!

 

[McLumpy]

SO glad to hear that everyone is doing much better!!

Thanks! To be honest, had it not been for me joining AA, I would have probably had a few more casualties than just the Bala.

The crazy part about my Bala's death was she looked healthy before I left for work. Then, when I got home, she was swimming vertically and her breathing was very shallow. I knew she didn't have long.

While I was watching her my RT Shark started ramming and nipping at her, so I just assumed he was the cause for her condition. I immediately grabbed my fish net and my breeder tank and put her in there hoping that he would at least leave her alone. I left the living room for a few minutes and returned to find her dead on the floor. My tank is covered, but there's a small gap in the back that I covered w/ aluminum foil. The foil helps, eh, to a point, but it didn't help deter her from jumping though.

 

[Bruce410]

Aw sad story mcLumpy. But good to hear things are turning around. Nice tank btw! I want a bigger one haha

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[McLumpy]

Aw sad story mcLumpy. But good to hear things are turning around. Nice tank btw! I want a bigger one haha

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Thanks for the kind words!

Honestly, I didn't plan on getting a large tank, but I saw a deal on CL that I couldn't refuse. Unfortunately, my husband wasn't too keen on the tank size, (still isn't). But I knew that he wanted a RT Shark and a Pleco and I couldn't see housing those 2, plus additional community fish, in a tank smaller than 55 gallons.

If you're serious about getting a larger tank, definitely check out Craigslist... you might just find a steal like I did. The only problem you will find is someone trying to make a quick buck off of a leaky tank, so do beware. But IMO it's better than spending a fortune on a new one.

 

[Bruce410]

Thanks for the kind words!

Honestly, I didn't plan on getting a large tank, but I saw a deal on CL that I couldn't refuse. Unfortunately, my husband wasn't too keen on the tank size, (still isn't). But I knew that he wanted a RT Shark and a Pleco and I couldn't see housing those 2, plus additional community fish, in a tank smaller than 55 gallons.

If you're serious about getting a larger tank, definitely check out Craigslist... you might just find a steal like I did. The only problem you will find is someone trying to make a quick buck off of a leaky tank, so do beware. But IMO it's better than spending a fortune on a new one.

Haha very funny! Yeah I'll have to check out CL. Thanks for the tip!

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[McLumpy]

QT Setup and New Fish

A few days ago I setup my QT and did a quick cycle. I took the seeded media that I put in the main HOB filter over a week ago and placed it in the QT HOB filter. I also did a partial water change to the main tank and transferred some of the water to the QT tank. I then topped off the QT tank w/ conditioned tap water.

Yesterday, after work, I checked the water parameters and they were an exact match to my main tank...
pH - 7.6, Ammonia - 0, Nitrite - 0, Nitrates - 40, (I still can't get those down to 20, meh!)

Tonight, before heading to Petco, to exchange my Marineland heater that was recalled, I checked the water again... no change.

So... um... I ended up getting a few more fish.

I got...
(5) Neon Tetras (to complete my school - to give me a total of 9)
(1) Dalmation Sailfin Molly (an absolutely beautiful fish btw!)
(1) Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami (what can I say... I felt my other DG needed a buddy lol)

I almost bought an African Dwarf Frog, but I decided to pass at the last minute. I had also planned on getting another Clown Loach, but I know better as I'm already pushing the limit w/ my stock and they do get quite large.

So I guess these new additions will complete my 55 gallon, and there will be no more fish purchases for awhile.

Anyway, all of the fish were acclimated and doing great in their new home! I'll try to post pics within the next couple of days.

 

[McLumpy]

Going Back to the LFS

This is an update per my other post on AA. Just figured I would quote it in order to give an update...

Well, this morning I found my new DG doing somersaults in the QT. I immediately contained him in my breeder tank so he wouldn't hurt himself and other fish. But, just my luck, it looks like fate made my decision to not add him to my main tank afterall. He just passed.

When I got him from the LFS a few days ago, he was alone in the tank, (w/ the exception of a dead DG floating about ). He was beautiful and swimming around great. I guess I was hoping that I had saved him from the :censor: he was living in at the LFS, and that he wouldn't sucumb to the same fate as his tank mate. But that didn't happen.

I think for the sake of my sanity, I will not be replacing the DG with another DG. I will, however, make my way to the LFS today and maybe get another Clown Loach. I don't know yet. I'm just really upset that this happened.

RIP little guy.

As far as the other fish in my QT, they're doing great and active as can be! Since, this is the case, (and the water parameters are still fine), I have no doubt in my mind that the DG had a pre-existing condition which led to his death.

Oh and FYI, I couldn't edit my last post after I found a mistake. The Dalmation Molly is actually a Lyretail not a Sailfin. I guess I was in a hurry to post.

 

[McLumpy]

Clown Loach

I got my new Clown Loach today!

The CL made itself at home immediately, loves to eat, (a lot!), and appears very healthy! My 5 Neon Tetras were following it around the tank for the first few minutes or so. lol My Dalmation Molly more or less didn't even notice the new tank member until they bumped into each other near the air stone. Then the Molly was like, "Hey, WTH? Who are you?", then swam away quickly and has kept its distance ever since. lol

Here's a pic... (I should have pics of the others up soon... they were a little camera shy today).

 

[Tim Wheatley]

I got my new Clown Loach today!

The CL made itself at home immediately, loves to eat, (a lot!), and appears very healthy! My 5 Neon Tetras were following it around the tank for the first few minutes or so. lol My Dalmation Molly more or less didn't even notice the new tank member until they bumped into each other near the air stone. Then the Molly was like, "Hey, WTH? Who are you?", then swam away quickly and has kept its distance ever since. lol

Here's a pic... (I should have pics of the others up soon... they were a little camera shy today).

Great! Be aware clowns aren't aggressive but can certainly defend themselves. Google clown loach spine too see their weapon. They'll only bring out the spine when very disturbed. Another point of note is that they seem to fade and darken whenever they feel like it. I'm growing out some and see them change colors a lot.

 

[McLumpy]

Great! Be aware clowns aren't aggressive but can certainly defend themselves. Google clown loach spine too see their weapon. They'll only bring out the spine when very disturbed. Another point of note is that they seem to fade and darken whenever they feel like it. I'm growing out some and see them change colors a lot.

I heard about the color changing but never heard about this "spine weapon" they have... interesting! I will need to check that out! Thanks!

I have another Clown Loach in my Display Tank. He's a pretty 'cool cat' when it comes to interacting w/ my other fish. He just does his thing and hangs out w/ my Pleco. I just figured it was time for him to have another buddy. That and it was suggested on here by a few members that CLs do better when there's more than one.

I figured I would be pushing my stock limit by adding another CL, (which is why I chose to go with the DG-the one that passed). But after his death and reading up on common issues w/ DGs, I decided to just get the CL. Since the CLs grow at such a slow rate, this should give me plenty of time to work on either getting another tank setup, (which probably won't happen because my husband is a butt! lol), or I can rehome them when they get too big.

 

[Tim Wheatley]

I heard about the color changing but never heard about this "spine weapon" they have... interesting! I will need to check that out! Thanks!

I have another Clown Loach in my Display Tank. He's a pretty 'cool cat' when it comes to interacting w/ my other fish. He just does his thing and hangs out w/ my Pleco. I just figured it was time for him to have another buddy. That and it was suggested on here by a few members that CLs do better when there's more than one.

I figured I would be pushing my stock limit by adding another CL, (which is why I chose to go with the DG-the one that passed). But after his death and reading up on common issues w/ DGs, I decided to just get the CL. Since the CLs grow at such a slow rate, this should give me plenty of time to work on either getting another tank setup, (which probably won't happen because my husband is a butt! lol), or I can rehome them when they get too big.

I just didn't want you worried if you saw either.

 

[McLumpy]

I just didn't want you worried if you saw either.

I appreciate that!

Where were you when I saw my CL sleeping on his side and I thought that he was dead?! LOL Yeah, I researched that immediately after I saw it happen the first time. Thankfully, my CL took over the house decor and sleeps in there so I rarely see him do that anymore. Of course, w/ the limited decor in the QT, my new CL was doing that earlier... it still freaks me out! lol

 

[McLumpy]

Dalmatian Lyretail Mollie & Neon Tetras

Finally got pics!