By registering with us, you'll be able to discuss, share, and private message with other members of our community.
Where I live, we have very soft rainwater. So soft that if you collect it and run it into your hands, it feels as if you put lotion on. One of the perks of living far enough from a city an in an area surrounded by parks.
Not all fish do well in soft water though. I would test it before using it in a tank.
I need to use hoods as I have cats. The last time I had a hoodless 30 gal tank, my cat decided to jump up there to drink from it and fell in. It was a mess.
I had a friend in college who left his tank as is and would just feed the fish when he would go home for the weekend. By the end of the one school year, it was completely green and shockingly, none of the fish died. I don't get how or why people think it is okay to just leave tanks for this long without cleaning and changing the water. Unless you have an eco-system in place, it needs to be cleaned at least once a month.
As of right now, I am using natural stones for substrate and I have two clay pots with real plants in them and soil. Other than that, I have some moss balls in a corner with some larger stones to create a cave system and a coconut hide for the shrimp in the middle.
I fill it up until the point where it is just below the filter water return. I like to do it this way to minimize the return of pushing the fish and shrimp around too much.
I somewhat regret getting Fancy Guppies as they will not stop breeding and I can't seem to find anyone who wants to take them. I was told I had all males and I was given a female and I didn't notice until it was too late.
I like to swap out the substrate at least once every few years for a new look. I feel like that is the cheapest and easier way. Other than that, I will try different decorations, live plants, etc.
As of right now, I can't add any new fish but I am hoping to get another tank set up soon.
Always stick with water-based adhesives like silicone. I had a friend who tried using a hot glue gun to repair a few fake plants and it ended up killing everything in her tank after about 3 weeks.
I have seen them in the last month or so. I think they are finally getting more stock of shrimp and other types.
I talked to one of the owners the other day and he said they were experiencing a pretty bad shortage of specific types of imported animals.
Females also tend to be larger and more "round" in shape. Think of siamese fighting fish and how the males and females compare. The females are a bit bigger in the body, more rounded, etc, whereas the males are more slender with longer fins.
Currently, I have an overpopulated 5 gallon that I need to sort out. I have amano shrimp and fancy guppies in it. The pet store I got the guppies from gave me a female after I told them I only wanted males. I did not notice until she became pregnant and now I have probably 15 in there of all different sizes. I am trying to find someone to take the bulk of them.
There are so many places online that sell live fish and other animals but I never could bring myself to buy online, at least nothing other than shrimp, snails, and plants. The shipping is usually very expensive and you have to worry about the stress during shipping.
Lionfish are my favorite if you can't already tell!
Outside of those, when it comes to freshwater and other types I really love cory catfish and different varieties of catfish really.
I had this happen once with one of my fish. I ended up having to break the decor item. What I did was fill a bag with tank water and placed the fish and the decor piece in it and then I gently hit it with a hammer over the sing until it cracked and released him.
It seems overall, Petsmart tends to have better deals and prices on most things but I never compared the prices of their fish or their aquatic accessories.
Does anyone know which is typically cheaper and better to buy from when it comes to aquarium supplies and live fish?
A 30-gallon tank is a decent size for them when they are younger, although as they grow and reach their adult size, ideally you would need 120+ gallons (for a single species). If you are trying to keep multiple lion fish within an aquarium, I'd say it's safer to go with 200+ gallons in order to have enough room for them to not hit or run into each other as they explore their habitat.
You are right. I did a bit more research and most people would not recommend under 120 gallons, especially as they grow. I am hoping I can eventually have a large tank. It is not an option right now. I would have to wait until I can afford a larger setup as well as have more room for it.
I think it really depends on if you want to go with all new equipment or try to get second-hand used equipment - and also how you want to set up your tank in terms of equipment style/types (ex; protein skimmer or not). I'd say a good safe bet is anywhere between $300-800, which is super vague but can cover everything you need for a 30-gallon tank.
Is this your first tank, or have you done others that are saltwater? Ideally lion fish need far bigger than a 30-gallon tank unless you plan to re-home it once it gets bigger from a smaller size.
Thanks, that makes sense. I guess you can go on a smaller scale but you are very limited with options. Would you say clown fish would do fine in a 30-gallon tank? Assuming I only keep 5 or 6 of them?
I think there might be a shortage with a ton of various livestock, especially if they are coming from overseas due to shipping backlogs and the COVID virus causing issues with breeding farms not being able to move livestock to other countries or work at their peak capacity with stay at home orders (especially in Asian countries).
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I guess this would make sense. I finally found some but I feel like I was dooped. I thought it was Amanos I was buying but it seems as if they were/are a different kind, a cheaper variety and I paid full price for them.
I remember having "mud puppies" for fishing. They were fake and brown but they helped me catch a lot of fish. I never considered owning a life one as a pet but they have seemed to become popular over the years.
They are amazing creatures and I have wanted some for a few years but they are surprisingly hard to find these days. I think you can find them online but I am not sure how I feel about buying animals online.
