Posts by Lammchen

I voted average. If you notice problems you'll need to test more often to keep things safe, but if your doing things right and being careful, testing doesn't have to be as often. If anything, it's probably better to be on the testing more than average side than the opposite.

This depends on what colors of fish you have in the tank. Some warmer lights will help the warmer colored fish like yellows and oranges show up better. If you want the tank to look more like the sea then you'll go for a darker color light. It is about preference really.

Usually a loud pump means that a part is going out and it's time to get a new pump. You can try various tricks for a while like changing the location of the pump, but keep in mind that it won't last long.

Some pumps are just normally loud because they're cheaper quality. You get what you pay for.

We always placed our heater at the back of the tank. I think one time my dad had it too close to the glass and we got a crack in it, so be careful with that! You'll need to have it where the greatest water flow happens so it actually reaches all areas of the tank for consistent temperature.

Local brands are fine. Unless your fish NEED a specific food, it's okay to buy a local or generic type because it's just food. It's not like dog food that could have added fillers.

I buy a new filter. I don't trust myself to try to rework a piece and it's just better to know that it's going to work. I don't like to waste time when something is important like a filter and my fish need it. The money sometimes is worth spending for that peace of mind.

This really also depends on the humidity level in the room. If it's winter, the furnace is probably on and that means dry air and so the tank might need to be topped off more often. In the summer, it's usually more humid which means less topping off to do.

Some fish like to hide and some need to hide from bigger fish. Having plants gives them a safe haven and they'll be happier and live longer. You don't want to overcrowd a tank with plants, but you don't want to have too little plants either. Think about how many fish you have and try to estimate how many plants they'll need.

We always used tap water in our tanks but we weren't rich to afford any of that fancy water Has anyone ever done an experiment with two tanks to see which one fared better, tap or store bought water? That would be an interesting project to read about.

I have never seen eggs laid like that except by insects! That's pretty interesting. So what happened to them? Did they survive their incubation period and hatch? How many came out?

Goldfish leave too much waste in the aquariums from our experience. Even after having 6 cory catfish in the tank, it doesn't equal the amount of fecal matter produced by the simple goldfish. Those things can get HUGE if the tank is a big one!

We've never bought anything specific to add to the tank when introducing new fish. We just kept them in their bags for a bit floating in the water so the temps even out. I don't think that we were ever worried about disease since we always bought from reputable shops.

8 hours of light is a good length of time for your tank. You also want to remember to let your fish sleep!

There are some LED lights that let you make the light duller and that can help prevent algae growth, so check that out?

As others said, overcrowding is a mistake, but also underfeeding or overfeeding. My husband was told by the pet store how much to feed per fish and it wasn't enough so the entire tank died of starvation.

Also, people don't want to take the time to properly clean their tanks and that's a huge mistake.

Yes, substrate should always be washed. You'll want to remove all that dust that's going to clog up your system when it gets sucked up. This will make your water less cloudy too.

My dad used to rearrange his tank a couple times a year. I think he thought he was improving the quality of the fish's life by doing so. Maybe he thought the fist got bored? He liked to buy new plants and hiding materials for them and it made him happy to make them happy.

We always had escapees! In fact, as kids our duties were to do the fish count every morning. Having a better fitting lid really helped cut down on that but it was always creepy seeing the algae eaters on the floor moving about.

Is this still happening? How is the clown fish doing? Sometimes it can be normal, but also signs of poisoning. Had anything in the tank changed before it started to happen?

My dad always bought his own. I don't think he knew there was an option to try to build his own? It's probably for the best anyway because sometimes if you don't get things just right, it could go drastically wrong.

I was always horrified when the babies would be eaten by other fish! It was exciting to see them born and then, where did they go? I guess that's the nature of life we have to deal with. You learn from mistakes, whether it's keeping babies separated or knowing which fish are prone to eating others.