Aquarium owners please enter

102_1097.jpg
102_1096.jpg




Two ten gallon tanks. my advice is to put plants in your tank to help it cycle faster....research any fish you choose carefully.
 


i have african cichlids.......started out with 15, then they started breeding within 2 months...now there's like 50...there were like 70 or so. after i set it up...i let it run for about a week or so before i put the fish in. for regular freshwater fish u dont need to do that tho. supplies can get hella expensive....thats why i got the sand from the golf course behind my crib....got the rocks from the beside the railroad tracks up the street...lol. i had plants that i got from Petsmart, but they ate em. gotta feed these bastards 6 times a day. what type of fish u gettin?
 
I was just at the pet store this weekend thinking about getting one of these started. This thread is right on time!
 
I'll take a pic later....
Just bought a 45 gallon for my new crib.... I went freshwater... Make sure you supplement your basic tap water with some sort of conditioner or stress coat everytime you add it to tank... Fish... I only have 9 right now... Pink Guormis, Gold Guormis, a shark-shaped guy, and a tiger striped guormi... Keep nasty goldfish out your tank... get good filteration system... and of course... water temperature.. Be patient.. Let the fish create the BIOLOGY of the tank... Don't overfeed... Most mofos want to see the fish "dance", so they feed them constantly... Bad move... Buy algae eaters after about a month (you ain't gon have no algae before then)...Keeping your light OFF when you ain't there will also keep your algae growth down... That Doctors Fosters and Smith site is a good one.... Buy natural stuff (rocks, etc.) for your tank.. Plastic decorations from Petco are expensive as hell :smh:
 
I'll take a pic later....
Just bought a 45 gallon for my new crib.... I went freshwater... Make sure you supplement your basic tap water with some sort of conditioner or stress coat everytime you add it to tank... Fish... I only have 9 right now... Pink Guormis, Gold Guormis, a shark-shaped guy, and a tiger striped guormi... Keep nasty goldfish out your tank... get good filteration system... and of course... water temperature.. Be patient.. Let the fish create the BIOLOGY of the tank... Don't overfeed... Most mofos want to see the fish "dance", so they feed them constantly... Bad move... Buy algae eaters after about a month (you ain't gon have no algae before then)...Keeping your light OFF when you ain't there will also keep your algae growth down... That Doctors Fosters and Smith site is a good one.... Buy natural stuff (rocks, etc.) for your tank.. Plastic decorations from Petco are expensive as hell :smh:



Thanks homie good stuff I already knew aboutthe algae eaters didn't know about waiting the month and the gold fish. Good tips.
 
I HAVE BEEN CONSIDERING BUY A TANK FOR MY APARTMENT........I HAVE BEEN WONDERING ABOUT RUNNING THE TANK A WEEK BEFORE PUTTING THE FISH IN...........WHY DO THAT???


ALSO, WHAT ABOUT MAN MADE PONDS WITH KOI FISH?? IS THAT EXPENSIVE??

FOR A SMALL BACKYARD


EDIT

I FOUND THIS ABOUT KOI FISH......

They are very old fish; they are one of the oldest. They are long lived so they really do get to know you when you get to know them. They have very distinct personalities. They are friendly and have interestingly

enough different colors. Some are friendlier than others.
of the Koi. You have to look to see if they are getting sick from possible bacterial infections. All the disease source will be on the under belly, so it is important to look for that. They are expensive fish, because they need care. But that also makes them friendlier. You can pet them. They will come up to have their heads stroked if you teach them to feed out of your hands. They will suck on your fingers.

Because Koy live a long time it really is our responsibility to take good care of them. They really do become a family pet. They don't tell you when they are not feeling good. They don't wine. They don't start chewing on furniture. It is important to learn their personalities.
 
Last edited:
I HAVE BEEN CONSIDERING BUY A TANK FOR MY APARTMENT........I HAVE BEEN WONDERING ABOUT RUNNING THE TANK A WEEK BEFORE PUTTING THE FISH IN...........WHY DO THAT???


its about understanding the nitrogen cycle of your tank. putting the fish in there with too much nitrogen in the water would kill them. so buying plants or putting in natural pieces of tree branches in the water and lettin it run for a while, will help break down the ammonia and toxic levels of the tank and make it a better environment for the fish to live in. which is why i used sand from the golf course, rather than sand bought at the store. and rocks from the train tracks rather than store bought ones. the bacteria is needed to convert the ammonia into something that is harmless and useable again.
 
^^^is that a lion fish?? if so...i've always wanted one,...but i move around so much, i dont want to go thru the burden of dismantling and setting up a saltwater tank over and over until im living somewhere permanently.
 
Post pics/and tips if you have em I bought a tank this weekend need some ideas.

I can' fuck with aquariums at all. I'm still scarred from having grown up with an older brother who used to raised African Chiclids. He had 20 something aquariums, and he used to make me do all of the maintenance on them :angry: Additionally, he used to make me go to the airport with him to pick up shipments from Lake Tanganyika. That shit would take all day. Then the nigga would drag me to fish shops with him, where he would stand around all fucking day talking fish with the owner. This was pre-internet, so fish dorks would have to seek each other out in person.
 
^^^is that a lion fish?? if so...i've always wanted one,...but i move around so much, i dont want to go thru the burden of dismantling and setting up a saltwater tank over and over until im living somewhere permanently.

Man a lion fish are the must hardy of the saltwater fish to keep. I have about 20 pounds of live rock in the it helps keep the PH levels in good shape. As far as moving I broke down my tank for a move and all my fish lived you just have to be careful
 
I got a 135g reef tank. Used to breed African Cichlids: demasoni, Bumble bee and Ice blues. Here is the 135g.

102_1282.jpg
 
I got about 150lbs and have another 60 or so pounds filtering in a bucket in the garage. A few more pics.

102_1275.jpg

102_1278.jpg

102_1276.jpg
 
If your tank is 18" or less you could do power compacts if you do soft corals. They dont get to hot and they wont kill your pockets for the setup. I have 2 250w Metal Halides, 4 40w T12 actinics and moon lights. The other option out there is a T5 setup. What size is your tank that would really determine what type of lighting you should have.
 
If your tank is 18" or less you could do power compacts if you do soft corals. They dont get to hot and they wont kill your pockets for the setup. I have 2 250w Metal Halides, 4 40w T12 actinics and moon lights. The other option out there is a T5 setup. What size is your tank that would really determine what type of lighting you should have.

Thanks good info. I've priced those Halides that shit is high that a mofo plus the way my tank is made I need two of them:angry:
 
Go to ebay for your lighting shit. It is still a bit high but not as ridiculous as most. The odyssey products on there are cool i had a power compact odyssey on my 65g reef, paid 125 including shipping for it. I have all retrofit stuff which is cheaper and is all drilled into the canopy. But the pc lights will keep softies, and lps nicely. I t will even keep most anemones as well.

Here is the old 65g with the pc lights.

DSC00022.jpg
 
Go to ebay for your lighting shit. It is still a bit high but not as ridiculous as most. The odyssey products on there are cool i had a power compact odyssey on my 65g reef, paid 125 including shipping for it. I have all retrofit stuff which is cheaper and is all drilled into the canopy. But the pc lights will keep softies, and lps nicely. I t will even keep most anemones as well.

Thanks again I will check on ebay didn't think about going there.
 
every new cichlid that i've tried to introduce to my tank has died within a week. i dunno why this is.....i wanna get more, so it would be more colorful, but they aint cheap and i dont wanna be just throwin away money like that. the upsidedown catfish are the only new fish i added that live with no problem.
 
every new cichlid that i've tried to introduce to my tank has died within a week. i dunno why this is.....i wanna get more, so it would be more colorful, but they aint cheap and i dont wanna be just throwin away money like that. the upsidedown catfish are the only new fish i added that live with no problem.

Have you checked your PH level? Cichlids need an higher Ph level than regular fresh water fish. I've had mine for over a year.Albino cichlid
Tank008.jpg
 
the ph level is fine.....there are already about 60 or so fish in it already....and none of the regs have died since november. i dunno if the new fish die from stress or what...but the new ones generally stay away from all the other cichlids after i put them in. i guess since the others have been in there since the beginning...they're just used to it......*shrugs*
 
Your problem is established territory and them being new. Try adding new fish after you turn out the lights. Depending on what africans you have, introducing new ones can be deadly. Go to www.cichlidforum.com for great info and help. I did cichlids for 6 years and you have to watch what you put in there because they all cant be mixed due to speed and teeth and size. Hope that helps.
 
Back
Top