I am looking to get a upgraded aquarium in the near future. I have a 75 Gallon Aquarium with 2 Oscars and a pleco in that. And i have a 55 Gallon tank with a Green Terror Cichlid, a convict cichlid, a senegal bichir, and a ornate bichir. I plan on keeping these tanks but i would like to get another tank to house 2-3 different oscars, and possibly a pike cichlid, and a jack dempsey. What Size aquarium and filtration set ups would i need to make this possible? I know how to care for the fish and i keep my aquariums clean with 30% bi-weekly water changes. Any Advice/feedback you can give me on my current set ups and my future set up would be greatly appreciated. thanks

Technorati Tags: aquariums, convict cichlid, filtration, fish, future set, gallon aquarium, gallon tank, green terror, jack dempsey, ornate bichir, oscars, pike cichlid, pleco, senegal bichir, set ups, size aquarium, tanks, ups, water changes

Sooooo, i just got a new betta (crown tail), and he has been living at my house for about 30 hours. He is the sole occupant of a betta cube (1/2 gallon or 2L), which i bought as a "Marina Betta Kit". He has eaten a bit, i dont really expect him to eat much in the first days, but food was offered, and a couple flakes are left on the bottom of the cube uneaten… i have prior expirience with fish, as i have a successful 10 gallon tank running with some gouramis, and corydoras catfish.

Ok, now, i have some concerns:

1) I have heard that when bettas are stressed they tend to have horizontal lines on their bodies…mine DOES TOO!!! Should i be consered, or is it a thing for the first few days while he gets accustomed to his new home?(pls explain)

2) He is active…not very, but i know bettas tend to be sluggish at times…he swims around slowly, looks at everything, dips down to snatch some morsel off the gravel…chases his tail…sometimes comes up to the top. And when i come around, he shies away, but then comes out to investigate. Is there ANYTHING in that behavior that may consern you????

3) What would a healthy betta act like?Give me any things that could suggest illness…

4) He is in a 1/2 gallon cube that has some gravel at the bottom, 2 shoots of hornwort plant, and three pebbles. (The kit that i got for him is called the " Marina betta kit", so i am infering that all is right with the size, contents and the fact that there is no filtration, or heating…he is in a well heated room, away from drafts). So, is that all good?

5) Water changes for that small cube tank would be good twice a week or once?

6) I have some bloodworms that i feed to my other fish, should i supplement his diet with those? His normal food say that it contains bloodworm meal…so are the extra bloodworm necessary…or does all betta food contain bloodworm meal?

Thank you very much for any help you can give, TEN POINTS to anyone who can answer the best!!!

Technorati Tags: 10 gallon tank, 2l, betta food, bloodworms, catfish, chases, diet, dips, filtration, first few days, fish, gouramis, horizontal lines, morsel, pebbles, quot, sole occupant, water changes

I’ll be moving in two weeks and I want to know if my tank will still be "cycled" after the move.

Here’s a couple of things that I’m doing,

- I’m going to have all of my biological filtration media in a bucket (along with my live plants) filled with the tank water.

- I have two filters both have been running in the tank for about a year.

- The tank is well-established and I haven’t had any ammonia or nitrite problems since I first started cycling it.

-I’ll be taking about half of the water already in the tank to the new house for the fish.

-The gravel in the tank is also going and I know not much beneficial bacteria live in the gravel, but it should still be damp because its going in a bucket and I’m not really going to wash it off or let it dry.

Is that alright? Is that wrong? Will my tank have an ammonia/nitrite spike?

Help?
Thanks! =]
Sunshine: Sorry it took me long to get back to my question, but no I’m not moving far. I’m moving to another nearby town, just 30 or so minutes away.

Technorati Tags: ammonia, beneficial bacteria, biological filtration, filtration media, fish, gravel, nearby town, nitrite, plants, sunshine, tank water

I have a 55 gallon aquarium that I used for years to house a bearded dragon (reptile). The aquarium is in immaculate condition, but I need to ask a few questions about setting it up before I actually put water in it.

First, the aquarium sat on a sturdy table when it was used to house the reptile. But I don’t know if the table will be sturdy enough to hold the water-filled aquarium. It has solid 3" square hardwood legs, and I thought about reinforcing it at the joints. It is the same length as the aquarium, and the same width…it would be perfect if it’s sturdy enough.

Next, I have no idea what kind of filtration to use. Any and all advice here will be appreciated.

Also need to know how deep the gravel should be.

Finally, how long will I let the aquarium cycle before I add fish?

Thanks so much to anyone who can help me out!
WOW! Thanks so much for the responses. Everyone is giving me excellent advice, and I’m going to utilize a lot from everyone. Thanks sooo much!

Technorati Tags: bearded dragon, dragon, filtration, fish, gallon aquarium, gravel, idea what kind, immaculate condition, joints, legs, quot, solid 3, sturdy table

Okay, I’ll be moving sometime next month and I’m having some difficulties with moving my fish. Well it would be easier to have some of my fish already at the other house. (Long story)

I want to put my 3 albino cories, 2 guppies, and 1 otocinclus in my old 10 gallon at the other house. This would be only temporary for anywhere between 3-7 days. I want some input on whether this would work for this long or even be a good idea.

*Notes
-This 10 gallon hasn’t been in use for over a year.
-The filter is cheap and never worked very well.
-The tank wouldn’t really be cycled. I’m going to use half of my 55 gallon’s tank water in the 10 gallon, but that doesn’t really do anything.
-Other than the filter there wouldn’t be a source of circulation. I’m not putting an aerator in the tank.

Would there be a better way to do this? Should I just not try this?
Any tips, suggestions, advice, criticism, or anything else?

Thank-you!

Technorati Tags: aerator, albino, circulation, fish, guppies, otocinclus, tank water

My mother is against me having fish but I got some anyway and I was keeping them at a friend’s house, but now he’s gone to college. So I currently have 4 guppies (2 male and 2 female) in a bowl at my house. (My mom obviously knows about them now haha). I have a cat so I’m always concerned that he might be able to knock over the bowl because he has before and then eaten the fish. I can’t get a decent aquarium because my mom won’t let me, but is there some way I can make a more secure home for them that still looks pretty so my mom won’t be upset. Like a large vase, etc. Awhile ago I kept a guppy in a large glass jar, he died the next morning. The fish have been in the bowl at my house for about a month. If there any precautions in using glass, seeing as it killed one of my fish before. Is there a way to conceal or protect it from my cat? I don’t think I’ll be able to get a filter, light, and heater running, which I know is terrible because I used to be a massive guppy breeder/lover (still a lover!! Haha), but will the lack of filtration kill them? Should I just change the water frequently (leaving ½ of their water and adding ½ of tap)? Is their some contraption I can create out of jars or plastic bottles or something!?! HELP PLEASE!! I love my fish and I don’t want to hurt them!!

Technorati Tags: aquarium, contraption, filter light, filtration, fish, glass jar, guppy, large glass, mom, next morning, plastic bottles, tap, vase

I have a 45 gallon tank stocked with a blood parrot cichlid, firemouth cichlid, rubberlip pleco(max size is 5-6"), a red tailed shark, and 6 tiger barbs. I did my homework and researched all of the fish and have had a lot of experience with fish keeping and i am aware that this tank is a bit overstocked. I was going to give away the parrot but everyone in the house has grown very attached to her and were fighting against me to give her away. but as of right now they are all juveniles and none of the fish exceed 4 inches yet. I have Very good filtration and i dont mind doing needed extra water changes. they are all happy and get along very well and i will do my very best to keep them happy in this size tank. I would upgrade to a bigger tank but because of space and other factors, its out of the question for now. so let me know what you all think about this and any comments are appreciated. Thanks -Chris

Technorati Tags: blood parrot cichlid, filtration, firemouth cichlid, fish, gallon tank, homework, juveniles, max size, pleco, red tailed shark, size tank, tiger, tiger barbs, water changes

I have a new tank that has been cycling and all the parameters are in good shape. However, the two problems I have been having is getting the salinity right and keeping the temperature down. Right now, my salinity is like 1.032 and the temperature is no lower than 80 degrees. For the salinity, can I do a water change but just add R/O water with no salt to bring the salinity down? As for temperature, the water has good flow and filtration. The temperature in my house is about the same as the temperature in the tank, maybe a little lower. I have been keeping the lights off, or only on at night to prevent excessive heat. Any help or advice would be great. Oh yeah, I have a damsel that is doing really well. I am just afraid that if I don’t get the water situation under control, the damsel will die and I won’t be able to add anything else. ( I won’t add anything else till the salinity and temperature are fixed) I can’t afford, nor do I want, fish to die.

Technorati Tags: damsel, excessive heat, filtration, fish, good shape, new tank, parameters, situation under control, water change, water situation

It is a 29 gallon tank and has 55 gallon filtration w/ some live plants, this is what it currently is housing
-12 female bettas
-1 dwarf bristle nose pleco

This is what I would like to add
-4 bronze cories

I do 1/4 weekly water changes and change the cartdridges once a month, so far everyone is happy and healthy, the tank has been running for at least 3 months w/ fish.

Thanks in Advance!
Okay, cool! How many otocinclus could I add in about 1 or 2 months? Feel free to edit your answers!

Technorati Tags: bristle nose pleco, dwarf, female bettas, filtration, fish, gallon tank, plants, thanks in advance, water changes

I think I’m going to take my fish (saltwater) home for my thanksgiving break. its 9 days. The ride is about 2 and a half hours without traffic. Never know how chicago traffic is gunna be so maybe tack on sometime to be safe. The man at the aquatics store i get my fish from said i would need to get some buckets and put the water in there and the fish in there and than bring the tank (with only enough water in it to keep the rocks wet) cuz if I leave the water in the tank he said it would crack. I have a 20 gallon by the way. So i would bring the tank and than a bin or bucket or 2 of the water. and than the stuff i need for them. One of the questions i have is how long can they last without the filtration system running? and another question is, if i bought a decent size one of these

http://www.petco.com/Shop/AlternateImages.aspx?FamilyID=12031&sku=796476

would they be able to live if i put the filter in there? or maybe just for them to travel in. I was just wondering that because it was just an idea so I wouldnt have to bring the whole tank. I dont think it would work but I just wanted to know. Will it put too much stress on the fish to move them?

If you guys had to transfer your fish, how would you do it? Should i do it the way i explained? And finally, will transfering them do anything to the chemical balances of the water? like the ph or anything that the cycle i had to wait for did to the water?

thanks for your help!

Technorati Tags: amp, aspx, buckets, chemical balances, chicago traffic, cuz, decent size, filtration system, fish, half hours, petco, rocks, sku, stress, tank, thanks for your help, thanksgiving