Fish talk

[Nikanika]

The iPod one.... I'm speechless http://www.boredpanda.com/creative-aquariums

[TNHawke]

Wow... some of those are AWESOME!
and some are weird.
and some I have no idea how in the heck they run a filter.
and some I wonder how in the heck you clean them!

but someday, when I have a million dollars to blow, I am totally getting that sink tank! HAWKE WANTS!

[Nikanika]

Wow... Just wow I got a new pump filter that you have to put the carbon in yourself, I just noticed how much unessacary space the old one took up in the tank, and I then filled the space back up with a new black skirt and mini Cory (don't worry the mini cory only gets half an inch long)

And this guy ant the pet store was trying so hard to make me buy a snail it's sick, I'm rather young so he thought I was inexperienced but you cannot trick me into believing snails are more affective than a sponge.

[TNHawke]

Hmmm... I wonder if your new mini cory is the same that the store was selling years ago and I haven't ever seen since then?

In my 50 gal, I have 6 nerite snails and 3 otocinclus algae eaters. I very rarely have to scrape algae off the glass or bleach my plastic plants any more. My tank gets about 14 hours of lights on a day, plus the big window across the room provides a lot of light, so it can grow algae pretty quick.
In a small tank that can't handle a pleco, a snail can be a good idea for algae maintenance. But you're right, a sponge does do a better job if you keep up on it. lol.

[Namyre]

When I was little, I had a betta. But then my cat knocked the glass bowl over, and it shattered on my dog's bed, soaked it, and then my cat ate the fish.

I want to get another one, but I can't decide if I want a betta, a few black kuhli loaches, or rainbow guppies. I'm leaning toward betta—my cousin has a crowntail male, and her little sister has a twin-tail male.

[Nikanika]

*Gets all distant* I had a dojo loach in a twenty gal once( it broke) but theyre great fish I'd honesty recommend them over bettas due to there colorful personalities and lack of inbreeding (they're not to popular)

[TNHawke]

When I was little, I had a betta. But then my cat knocked the glass bowl over, and it shattered on my dog's bed, soaked it, and then my cat ate the fish.

I want to get another one, but I can't decide if I want a betta, a few black kuhli loaches, or rainbow guppies. I'm leaning toward betta—my cousin has a crowntail male, and her little sister has a twin-tail male.

Awww, poor betta! And poor you, coming home to that. ><

Kuhli loaches are not a good starter fish, and, as we discussed just a page or two back, neither are guppies. Kuhlis are awesome little fish. I love them and wish I could find them again. My preference was the striped ones.
A few things about Kuhlis, they spend most of their time hiding. Usually under your gravel (some hobbiests suggest sand for Kuhlis because the gravel can be rough on their skin, they don't have scales if I remember right) They are nocturnal, so even if they aren't hiding, you're not going to see them much. As of a few years ago, they were prolific egg layers, but the eggs don't hatch, so they weren't bred in captivity, but were all wild caught. This can potentially bring in some nasty germs and parasites into your tank. They aren't the hardiest of fish. All of mine over the years died due to diseases. Mostly Ich and ... a bacteria who's name I forget but is freaking hard to treat. When they do get sick, they can be difficult to treat because most meds are designed for scaled fishes and can be too harsh and kill loaches. They are fast and squirmy and the pet store clerks HATE it when you point one out and say "I want THAT one" and hate it more after they scoop a random one up and proclaim, "I got it!" and you inform them that "No, that's not the one I want. The one I want has broader stripes" or whatever it was that made me want THAT one. I, and several other folks I know, have had issues with them living in the filter. Many filters will chop them up, it's really horrible. I had one that as soon as I cleaned the tank and filter, he'd swim right back up into the filter again and I wouldn't see him again for a week or two until I cleaned again.

All that said, the are awesome little fish. Excellent bottom feeders, don't bother anybody, just kinda hang out and are cute.

I did best with them in a 5 gal hex tank I had that was live planted, had a growth bulb light, and an Eclipse filter. The tank was well established and I had only a crown tail betta and the kulis in it. There might have been some danios or rasboras... I don't actually remember right off hand. It was heated. The Kulis spent most of their time under the plants and in the gravel, but because it was so heavily planted, they often felt safe just under the leaves. In the store, they liked to pile on top of each other, but those three were pretty solitary. 3 of 5 stars, would have again.

I'll see if I can find my photos of that tank this weekend. It was really pretty and I would totally do it again if I had room.


I haven't been able to find anything but the 'gold' dojos lately, and I much prefer the more naturally colored brown ones. They're a little bit on the less hardy side, but do an excellent job of cleaning up fallen food like a cory cat does in an established tank. 4 of 5 stars, would have again. Lol.

[Nikanika]

the pet store clerks HATE it when you point one out and say "I want THAT one" and hate it more after they scoop a random one up and proclaim, "I got it!" and you inform them that "No, that's not the one I want. The one I want has broader stripes" or whatever it was that made me want THAT one.

hahaha I had a koi pond back before the invasive pythons came (the pythons would eat the koi, go figure) and they had one blue suede koi and I told him "THAT one" and pointed..... let's just say I am now very specific when picking fish now

[TNHawke]

Pythons eating the pond fish?! OH NO! Around here, you might get a few garters or bullfrogs that would go after smaller fish, but not much else. We're much too hot and dry in the summer, and frozen cold in the winter, so tropical herps don't last long outside. However... folks with ponds have a constant battle with everything from herons to raccoons to otters and mink to house cats and bobcats eating their fish. I even heard about a hungry young osprey taking a koi from a small, ornamental pond!

We should play a game. Name a tropical fish that can be found for sale in pet stores, and see if Hawke has kept it and what she thinks about them. lol.

[Nikanika]

In Florida we have a insane amount of predators that hunt fish, I've even heard about panthers getting into koi/goldfish ponds and I live in an area that is very close to the Everglades, so after awhile the wilderness won and ate all my koi


Opaline gourami