Fish Help??

[Bunnylova4eva]

MiniLopHop wrote:

Is the water temperature in their normal range? I'm really reaching here. Poor fishy

72 I think about when the light's off.



Maybe it is the fish-just kinda coincidental that all three different molly colors are acting strange. ?

 

[Watermelons]

Types of fish we get returned the most at work... Mollys, Plattys, and Guppys.
I personally HATE livebearing fish, more or less for these reasons, their just irritating fish to keep when it comes down to stuff like this.

Stick to something easy like Zebra Danios and maybe a little cory cat for the bottom.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

Watermelons wrote:

Types of fish we get returned the most at work... Mollys, Plattys, and Guppys.
I personally HATE livebearing fish, more or less for these reasons, their just irritating fish to keep when it comes down to stuff like this.

Stick to something easy like Zebra Danios and maybe a little cory cat for the bottom.

yeahhh, I'm getting that idea..the last 2 times I got guppies they didn't make it. My gourami's have done great, tetras, and man, the tiger barbs were like everlasting fish. The betta did pretty well too.

Are the Ghost catfish hardy or no? Just curious; I love those but haven't ever had any.

 

[MiniLopHop]

You have problems with guppies? I couldn't kill mine if I tried. I had both male and female and have given away well over 1,000 fish in the last year. At one point I couldn't keep the tank clean even with frequent water changes because there were so many fish. Not one death. I couldn't even get the moms to eat the babies (I have no idea why people worry about that). I ended up giving away all the females so I wouldn't have such a population issue.

Crazy fast reproduction, yes. Hardiness issues, no way.

Then again, I normally don't have any issue with neons. I got 5 on "black friday" sale at the pet store. Should have saved my money. I only have one left alive. I have tested my water and everything is fine. I think they were harassed too much with all the netting that day and the stress killed them

 

[Watermelons]

Ghost catfish are creepy
But they like to be kept in large schools with lots of open swimming room, their quite active so.... Plus their not much of a good bottom feeder like Cory Catfish.
Nobody seems to buy them so I cant tell you how they do in other aquariums, but I dont have to scoop out dead ones all the time so their around average.

 

[MiniLopHop]

How many cory catfish do you need in a school to keep them happy? Do they like heavily planted tanks?

Sorry for hijacking the thread a bit.

 

[Watermelons]

Cory Catfish dont really need a school. However some really wimpy ones may appreciate having a buddy.
Ghost Catfish however do like schools and do best in groups of 4 or more.
Both species I think prefers a more open tank... Ghosts so they can swim.. they are really active from what I've seen. And Corys so they can get at all the food thats sunk to the bottom of the tank.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Any suggestions for a 20 gal, well planted tank? I have 5 male guppies, 1 tetra, and undetermined cherry red shrimp. I see them occasionally, so I know some of them are in there. I am thinking of just filling out the tetra school since all his friends died. I am going to test the water again and have them test it too incase my kit suddenly went wonky.

 

[Watermelons]

I would just get more tetras. Finish the school at 6 + or something. You could toss in 3-4 or so danios as well if you wanted.
I know shrimp really appreciate plants, but they also appreciate salt which the plants dont like.
But get them from a store that has a good fish guarantee lol
with a 20g you could get something like a Twig catfish. 1-2 Dwarf gourami, another catfish I cant remember the name of.... Lol lots to choose from.

Heres my fishie, Dont make fun of how the plants are... I have 0 ability to decorate or style anything.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Your beta is beautiful!

This was my tank when I first set it up. I need newer pictures because the plants have grown a lot.

 

[MiniLopHop]

oh, and I do add salt. I just get tough plants

 

[Watermelons]

Yeah I can see that, most people dont pick plants based on how tough they are they just like whats pretty

I dont have much room for too many kinds in my tank, its only 5G I wouldnt mind a sword or 2 in there, or some of that angels tears. I had to rip everything out and re-do it all just so I could make room for the heater. Just waiting for some nicer looking Java ferns and sword plants to come into work. Donated all the Scarlet Temple to the other fish tank here.

You could always get ghost shrimp or rock shrimp (those are creppppy)

 

[MiniLopHop]

They would eat my cherry shrimp full grown thoes little guys barely make an inch if they stretch way out. They are pretty wussy, but with all the plant cover they do well.

If you were closer I would give you a 10 gallon I have sitting empty at the moment. I think I'm going to donate it to my vet that rescues animals. It would be a passible hamster house in a pinch.

 

[Watermelons]

The Rock shrimp actually do really well with the ghost shrimp at work. Their supposed to be in seperate tanks, but the ghost shrimp just go under. beside, through... *sigh*
What about Twig catfish they just leave everyone alone, i can litterly stick my hand in the tank and pick them up... thats actually the only way I catch them for people since they dont fit in our nets!!

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

So I found the black molly I have had died. =P poor lil' buddy. SO heading back to the pet store with him today. We'll see what I end up with. last week they tested the water and all was good except nitrates being up (following i changes 2 gallons like I said) sooo, I don't know if I'm getting more right away or not. I'd hate to lose *more*

As to guppies, I don't know. I'd heard lots of people say their guppies were good. Mine all died in the first 3 days that i got them (however I got them all at the same time in a new tank when I didn't know better and hadn't had many fish..).

I don't know that I would want ghost catfish anyway-they just looked kind of cool~I hadn't really seen them before. I agree about the creepyness factor lol

 

[Watermelons]

Id go for normal Zebra danios, their cheap hearty little fish. You can litterly dunk them in bleach and theyd be just fine.... But dont do that.... lol

 

[MiniLopHop]

there are also long finned zebras (I had them and they lasted years) and the neon ones if you want crazy looking fish

 

[Watermelons]

Ahh Glo-fish.... Love them... However their really hard to find in Canada land with the whole... glowy stuff being illegal to pass the border and what not lol. Occasionally you can find the pink ones up here, i remember stocking the tank at the vets with pink glo-fish.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Are all genetically modified animals illegal there? I think it is cool that they started out for research but were so cool they are for sale all over here.

 

[Watermelons]

No their not illegal to own or anything, just something about the flourescent gene and crossing the border.... Like the glow in the dark mice. Same deal.
I love going down to Petco and looking at the glofish. At the same time, I'm happy with my single betta.