Become a Patron!

Any freshwater fishtank enthusiasts here?

cmoorewv

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
I've been somewhat MIA here lately. Been busy, blah blah blah...LOL. Part of what has me otherwise occupied is that I've been trying to set up 2 new 75 gallon freshwater tanks. I have one established 55 gallon tank with cory cats and rosy barbs and another 20 long tank with a female betta. Both planted tanks. One of my 75 gallon tanks will house African cichlids, but it's currently in the beginning stages of the fishless cycling process. The other 75 gallon is still not set up. I'm not sure what's going in it. Any African cichlid keepers here? I'm pretty well versed in barbs, but a total newbie with cichlids. I'm looking for a mix of colorful fairly low to medium aggressive species. Peacocks have been suggested as well as some Auclonara species. Hopefully I didn't mangle that spelling...anyway, advice appreciated.
 

anavidfan

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
AFRICANs are my favorite. Im so happy for you.

I kept 4 50 gallon tanks of Africans for years. Best little shits ever. I lovingly call them shits, because they can be horrible to keep for the squeamish.

Peacocks are some of the less aggressive and some of most stunning. Keeping them happy is a balance of controlled crowding and filtration galore.

Mixing it up as far as their environment is a must too. They are very territorial as you know, but man they are fun to care for and they will breed and breed prolifically.

If you need help Id be glad to help if I can. Give them toys ( floating non-toxic objects, floating plants, romaine or spinach ) and if they really misbehave, take all the rocks out for a few minutes and rearrange. That usually takes the top fish out of his or her high horse.

IM so jealous. I had family issues and was forced to re-home them. I kept all my filters and gear, because I will keep them again.
 

JuicyLucy

My name is Lucy and I am a squonkaholic
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
VU Challenge Team
Member For 5 Years
Hi CM,

I keep over a thousand gallons of freshwater fish - breeding is my hobby. I'd suggest Mbunas as a great starter for Africans. Most Africans are very tough on plants, btw.
 

cmoorewv

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
I was supposed to be getting several fish from a friend, which is why I began setting the tank up. They were a ob mbuna, a bumblebee, and a yellow lab. That fell through and I'm glad they're keeping them, because that bumble ee was going to severely limit options. So now it's a waiting game to get the tank cycled and researching possible species.
 

anavidfan

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Hi CM,

I keep over a thousand gallons of freshwater fish - breeding is my hobby. I'd suggest Mbunas as a great starter for Africans. Most Africans are very tough on plants, btw.

Very true, I tried to have a planted tank with the little monsters, it would look great and then all the plants would be ripped off the rocks.

It kept them busy, but got costly. Plants can cost a lot sometimes.

Im jealous Juicy. Ive been having that itch more lately, and the aquarium dreams are starting up again , in a fierce way.
 

cmoorewv

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Hi CM,

I keep over a thousand gallons of freshwater fish - breeding is my hobby. I'd suggest Mbunas as a great starter for Africans. Most Africans are very tough on plants, btw.
Yeah. I've heard they're tough on plants. I do have a few plants in the tank I'm cycling - couple baby java ferns and a couple African water ferns. They seem to be pretty tough plants most fish leave alone, so we'll see. I also added some water sprite which is quite prolific. I've seeded the tank with ammonia so I'm hoping the plants get a good head start. If they dont survive the fish, not a big loss. They were starts from existing plants in my barb tank.
 

anavidfan

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Something that most aquarium hobbiest usually avoid like a plague but is something that african lovers look forward to are those little cone shaped burrowing snails. They keep the gravel so clean and the fish keep them from over running the tanks, they love to feast on the little snails.
 

JuicyLucy

My name is Lucy and I am a squonkaholic
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
VU Challenge Team
Member For 5 Years
Yeah. I've heard they're tough on plants. I do have a few plants in the tank I'm cycling - couple baby java ferns and a couple African water ferns. They seem to be pretty tough plants most fish leave alone, so we'll see. I also added some water sprite which is quite prolific. I've seeded the tank with ammonia so I'm hoping the plants get a good head start. If they dont survive the fish, not a big loss. They were starts from existing plants in my barb tank.

African water fern is one of the few plants that might survive most Africans, lol. You have to really tie `em down though.
 

anavidfan

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Geez, I really miss my fish... I was even a member of a fish keeping club.... What a nerd I was for fish. I also used to keep Koi fish, till El Nino ruined my back yard and the pond my mom and I dug out ourselves...

I actually knew some fish surgeons and got to see some koi surgeries.

My africans never died of disease, just the occasional murders over territory in the tanks.

Please share photos.. I will have to dig out the old photos of my tanks from years ago when I got my first digital camera. I was the clubs "official photographer"
 

cmoorewv

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Something that most aquarium hobbiest usually avoid like a plague but is something that african lovers look forward to are those little cone shaped burrowing snails. They keep the gravel so clean and the fish keep them from over running the tanks, they love to feast on the little snails.
Any particular species of snail? I am using black diamond as a substrate and although it's fairly heavy, it's finer and stirs up more than gravel. I could use something that will help clean up garbage for me. It has also been recommended I put a synodont catfish in there too.
 

cmoorewv

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Geez, I really miss my fish... I was even a member of a fish keeping club.... What a nerd I was for fish. I also used to keep Koi fish, till El Nino ruined my back yard and the pond my mom and I dug out ourselves...

I actually knew some fish surgeons and got to see some koi surgeries.

My africans never died of disease, just the occasional murders over territory in the tanks.

Please share photos.. I will have to dig out the old photos of my tanks from years ago when I got my first digital camera. I was the clubs "official photographer"
Once I get things going I will definitely share pictures.
 

cmoorewv

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
African water fern is one of the few plants that might survive most Africans, lol. You have to really tie `em down though.
My African fern came from one of those tube things at petsmart. It took forever to get going but it's doing well now. Right now I just have it kind of wedged in the rocks of the cichlid tank but I'll tie it down before fish go in.
 

anavidfan

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Any particular species of snail? I am using black diamond as a substrate and although it's fairly heavy, it's finer and stirs up more than gravel. I could use something that will help clean up garbage for me. It has also been recommended I put a synodont catfish in there too.

I found some photos and its the Malaysian trumpet snails. Great little vacuum cleaners. They dont tend to damage plants, they also keep the algae off plants and gravel.
snails_zpspyktxkva.jpg


My favorite cats were the pajama polka dot cats from the same environment as the Africans.
synodontis_multipunctatus_100519a1_w0480_zpsorvx0z0z.jpg
 

JuicyLucy

My name is Lucy and I am a squonkaholic
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
VU Challenge Team
Member For 5 Years
Geez, I really miss my fish... I was even a member of a fish keeping club.... What a nerd I was for fish. I also used to keep Koi fish, till El Nino ruined my back yard and the pond my mom and I dug out ourselves...

I actually knew some fish surgeons and got to see some koi surgeries.

My africans never died of disease, just the occasional murders over territory in the tanks.

Please share photos.. I will have to dig out the old photos of my tanks from years ago when I got my first digital camera. I was the clubs "official photographer"

I'm going to be selling off some exotic stock in the coming months because we are moving.

Datnoids, a German strain of super red ancistrus, 7 blue berry silver dollars, a 15" delhizi, and 18" clown ghost knife, and an 8 inch shovel nose cat.
 

JuicyLucy

My name is Lucy and I am a squonkaholic
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
VU Challenge Team
Member For 5 Years
My African fern came from one of those tube things at petsmart. It took forever to get going but it's doing well now. Right now I just have it kind of wedged in the rocks of the cichlid tank but I'll tie it down before fish go in.

Those cloned plants in a tube don't get the credit they deserve.
 

anavidfan

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Datnoids, a German strain of super red ancistrus,

That sounded familiar so I looked it up. I had one that was gorgeous. It was so amazing. I bought it at a fish auction for 25? It was about 1" Everyone wanted it because it was so damned red. It was told it was an albino.

When I had to take my tanks apart and find homes, everyone wanted it. I gave him to a really good friend and it was almost 5" He even survived the africans. Everyone told me Id regret putting him in there with the monsters because of the beard.

He was a tough little guy and survived unlike my beautiful Frontosa.
 

JuicyLucy

My name is Lucy and I am a squonkaholic
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
VU Challenge Team
Member For 5 Years
That sounded familiar so I looked it up. I had one that was gorgeous. It was so amazing. I bought it at a fish auction for 25? It was about 1" Everyone wanted it because it was so damned red. It was told it was an albino.

When I had to take my tanks apart and find homes, everyone wanted it. I gave him to a really good friend and it was almost 5" He even survived the africans. Everyone told me Id regret putting him in there with the monsters because of the beard.

He was a tough little guy and survived unlike my beautiful Frontosa.

They are not the most sociable fish, some of them are real bastards. They are scaleless and their skin is actually armored - and their dorsal fins are sharp as a razor. They can sting the hell out of you if you aren't careful!
 

cmoorewv

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Those cloned plants in a tube don't get the credit they deserve.
I bought it,because it was supposed to be snail free. I ended up with an explosion of little pond snails in the betta tank from a plant. They eventually went away on their own.
 

Severs

Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
I wouldn't call myself an enthusiast by any means but we have a 20 gallon with a couple goldfish in it here. Nothing fancy, was originally a spur of the moment purchase about a year ago for the kid to have some pets. Course in a few months they pretty much became mine as I am the only one who pays much attention to them. Getting ready to move the tank closer to my computer desk, need the area where they are now for another compy desk.
 

anavidfan

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
I love goldfish. THey are fascinating, beautiful and with proper care can live for up to 50 years or more. Youre hooked.
 

Severs

Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
I love goldfish. THey are fascinating, beautiful and with proper care can live for up to 50 years or more. Youre hooked.

We had to take the crash course in fish care sadly, ended up losing one of them before we got the proper advice. Started with a 1 gallon tank, then was told we needed a 5 gallon for them, that wasn't enough, went to a local fish shop for advice, started getting everything back on track. Or so it seemed, until one of them died and we realized that the advice the local shop gave was completely wrong. Went and got a 20 gallon tank and some new advice from Petco, have had no issues since. We now have two happy, attention hungry little fish. I'll have to snag a photo of the tank sometime and post it.
 

cmoorewv

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
No luck here with goldfish. Tried once when the kids were small and won some at a school carnival. They survived longer than I thought they would though. My house usually stays too warm.
 

Severs

Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
No luck here with goldfish. Tried once when the kids were small and won some at a school carnival. They survived longer than I thought they would though. My house usually stays too warm.

Goldfish can be some of the biggest pain in the asses to take care of, they are very dirty fish. I've seen some people recommend 55 gallon tanks just to keep two of them. Too small of a tank and they end up with ammonia burns and get sick really easily. That's how the one we lost died, needless to say very shortly after that is when I bought the 20 gallon.
 

celticluvr

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
My Pawpaw had a 55 gallon tank and it took several tries with goldfish and and algae eater before the pet store (finally) told him the algae eater needed algae wafers. He was only able to save 1 of his 22 original goldfish. We named him Michael Jackson as he had turned completely white. lol

Before Pawpaw's house burned down MJ was about 7 inches long and the algae eater (forgot his name) was about a foot and a half. I miss those poor critters. :(
 

Markw4mms

#Team Jimi Supporter
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
I've had fish off and on my whole life. The last tanks I had was a couple of 29 gallon Community tanks, and a 55 with mostly Discus. I've been interested in trying my hand at African Cichlids the next time around. I plan on going with a 55 gallon set up when I get around to it. Will be following this thread to glean as much info on them as possible. I've had many tanks with South American Cichlids, but have zero experience with Africans.
 

anavidfan

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Yeah, I loved goldfish. I had a 60 gallon tank with about 8 that survived "the learning curve" They are dirty, they like to eat and poop a LOT. I found out that goldfish really do thrive in cooler to cold temps and a LOT of oxygen. If you live in a warm place and want to keep them inside you need to have the air at 70 degrees or a refrigeration unit like in some saltwater set ups.

I had 2 large Fluval canisters, 2 of those large wheelie filters . I had a large sm pond sized UV sterilizers to keep things clean. I did 10-20 % water changes weekly, matched the temp etc. Oh and I had one of those large sand tower filters.

I saw a gorgous large Moor with the most gorgeous fins, Owner had him as an only fish for years but had to go into a retirement environment. I took the fish , thought it was safe as he was an only fish.

Damn it if it didnt start the demise of my goldfish tank. He was doing fine, but then my oldest largest fancy tricolor one got sick and died, then another. The moor died and it was down to 3. I was devastated.

I had a fish store buddy that had been helping me for a few years and he always told me goldfish are for ponds or if you are willing to have a 100 gallon tank or larger for about 3 goldies.

He saw I was ready to give up and told me he would take the goldies and give me credit and he said I guarantee if you give africans a try, you will not fail, if you do , I will refund all you spend.

I took him up on it. My favorite goldies had died so...

I never looked back nor ever lost a fish to illness.

If you can keep Discus alive, you will not have a problem with africans. If you want color and constant movement and interaction, Malawan Mbuna are a must.

If you want a bit more serenity, the Tanganyikan's are amazing. A bit less hardy, but the Tropheous and the shell dwellers are so amazing.

They like very hard/ alkaline water, coral gravel and shells are loved by all africans and I always added salt to my tank. It was pretty salty and I think they like it, and bred like nuts and helped in heal any bites or scuffs from fighting.
 
Last edited:

cmoorewv

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
I'm enjoying all the posts so far. Keep em coming.
So far, barbs have been the one thing I've had most success with. First I had tinfoil for a number of years, then I downsized to rosy barbs. 55 gallons is much too small for a school of tins. The cory cats I have now are pretty cool, too. Peppers and albinos. Both seem hardy and are neat to watch. I had a few German rams in the barb tank too, but they just aren't very hardy. They died off suddenly as German rams are known to do. I'm anxious to get going on the African tank, but my cycling process ( fishless with ammonia) isn't moving very quickly. Patience isn't a strong suit of mine, for sure.
 

Markw4mms

#Team Jimi Supporter
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
I'm enjoying all the posts so far. Keep em coming.
So far, barbs have been the one thing I've had most success with. First I had tinfoil for a number of years, then I downsized to rosy barbs. 55 gallons is much too small for a school of tins. The cory cats I have now are pretty cool, too. Peppers and albinos. Both seem hardy and are neat to watch. I had a few German rams in the barb tank too, but they just aren't very hardy. They died off suddenly as German rams are known to do. I'm anxious to get going on the African tank, but my cycling process ( fishless with ammonia) isn't moving very quickly. Patience isn't a strong suit of mine, for sure.
I've had more than a few Blue Rams. Beautiful fish, but like you said, not real hardy.
 

Etown smoke

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
I'm all about my angel fish and gouramis. I'd be lost with out my tank, countless hours spent staring at it mindlessly


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Nailz

FUCK the FDA
VU Donator
Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Had this 125 gallon tank for about 5 years, always had fish tanks, and always wanted a big tank like this, never thought I would get one, but got this deal off craiglist for $100 :D I have mostly cichlids mixed in with parrots and a oscar.
BiGkLzT.jpg

Qifvl5O.jpg

F9WJanZ.jpg

H3hpbJ5.jpg
 

Etown smoke

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
That's a damn nice tank, awesome looking Oscar to


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

anavidfan

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Had this 125 gallon tank for about 5 years, always had fish tanks, and always wanted a big tank like this, never thought I would get one, but got this deal off craiglist for $100 :D I have mostly cichlids mixed in with parrots and a oscar.
BiGkLzT.jpg

Qifvl5O.jpg

F9WJanZ.jpg

H3hpbJ5.jpg

Oh, that is a beauty.... but brings tears to my eyes too. I miss my aquariums. My DREAM and I mean litterally, is to have aquariums again.

I have most of my filtration systems, and I hope they still work after all this time.

I really do have fish dreams , some good ones but some disturbing ones. Gorgeous little fishies. Enjoy
 

kross8

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Had this 125 gallon tank for about 5 years, always had fish tanks, and always wanted a big tank like this, never thought I would get one, but got this deal off craiglist for $100 :D I have mostly cichlids mixed in with parrots and a oscar.
BiGkLzT.jpg

Qifvl5O.jpg

F9WJanZ.jpg

H3hpbJ5.jpg
sold my 100 gal on craigslist a few years ago,, when we bought it,,it was just before we were building a new home.....so we had the concrete reinforced where the tank was going. have had 55gal, 20 gal etc tanks. .........i have a 20gal tank now.....i love it,,,,,,,,and sadly (ashamed) i could not tell you what kind of fish i have............other than they are all about 4 years old and healthy. the tank is simple,, i love colorful fish,, so i have mostly those glowfish.
 

Nailz

FUCK the FDA
VU Donator
Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Thanks :)

It is my pride and joy, is a lot of work at times, but well worth it for me, and them pics are from 2011, so them fish have even got bigger, the oscar about 12" long now, and even more orange has come out, coolest looking fish I got.
 

JuicyLucy

My name is Lucy and I am a squonkaholic
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
VU Challenge Team
Member For 5 Years
Oh, that is a beauty.... but brings tears to my eyes too. I miss my aquariums. My DREAM and I mean litterally, is to have aquariums again.

I have most of my filtration systems, and I hope they still work after all this time.

I really do have fish dreams , some good ones but some disturbing ones. Gorgeous little fishies. Enjoy

I DREAM fish too, literally. Almost all my dreams have fish in them, lol.

The other night I dreamt I was scuba diving (I have never actually scuba dived in my life) just checking out all these cool little salt water fish and I turned around in the water and this giant shark was coming at me - I was about to die so I did the only logical thing: smacked him on the head with my vape. He turned tail and swam off, and I woke up laughing my ass off.
 

anavidfan

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
I DREAM fish too, literally. Almost all my dreams have fish in them, lol.

The other night I dreamt I was scuba diving (I have never actually scuba dived in my life) just checking out all these cool little salt water fish and I turned around in the water and this giant shark was coming at me - I was about to die so I did the only logical thing: smacked him on the head with my vape. He turned tail and swam off, and I woke up laughing my ass off.

Thanks, nice to know Im not the only fish "nut" around.
 

JuicyLucy

My name is Lucy and I am a squonkaholic
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
VU Challenge Team
Member For 5 Years
Usually freshwater fish are just kind of floating around me in dreams, like I'll open my pocketbook and a bunch of different kinds will be floating around the air like its water while whatever else happens in the main dream is going on.

I also used to see them swimming in the air around ashtrays. I haven't had that happen in a dream in months.

Silly as hell.

At least once a year I dream I found old aquariums I no longer have and they are still going, only with cooler stuff than I originally had. Usually they are at someone else's house and I spend my dream trying to figure out how to get my fish back without being a dick.
 

anavidfan

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Damn, my fish dream always start out normal, but they always end up with fish floating around. WHAT DOES IT MEAN , LOL

The ones I hate are the ones where my tanks start to bow out, and Im trying to keep them from breaking apart and what to do with the fishes.

The floating fish are usually kinda fun. Im always trying to get them back in the tanks , but more start floating around.
 

anavidfan

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Bettas are some of the hardiest and beautiful and those Amano shrimp are so cute... Actually I love all the shrimp species, freshwater and saltwater.

I hope someday I can have a Betta shelf type aquarium... Something where I can have more than one male , each with a small harem.

The most wonderful fish story I have is when my Mom and I finished our pond and were breaking it in.

It only had plants and It was summer so I put my red betta in the pond. At first I thought I had shocked him, as he stayed in one corner for a while. Believe me I took all precautions. Matched the PH, put him in a small container and added the pond water in small amounts. Took a while, but after about an hour I released him and he still stayed there in the corner. He would just sort of turn around in all directions.

He finally took off, darting from one end to the next in disbelief. I dont think most bettas get the run of a pond that large. He was so happy all summer with all the Koi... I took him out in the fall and put him back each summer , till of course my pond got flooded and ruined by El Nino.

He grew larger than most bettas and his fins were show quality. Had him for a few more years.
 

Vapin_4_Real

VU Donator
Bronze Contributor
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
ECF Refugee
I have been wanting to build a custom fishtank for a while. I have an old projection TV that is broken beyond repair and want to convert it. Hopefully one day...
 

cmoorewv

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
I have been wanting to build a custom fishtank for a while. I have an old projection TV that is broken beyond repair and want to convert it. Hopefully one day...
I've seen those on DIY sites. They're pretty neat. I think my cycling process is about done, so I'm going to be adding fish soon. I'm excited. My local fish store is looking kind of rough so I may have them order me some. Thinking about some various peacock cichlid species, but it's so hard to choose. You can't generally specify male or female so I'll end up with a bunch of juveniles of unspecified ratios though. Not sure of what mix of species though. Open to suggestions on that.
 

cmoorewv

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
I was looking this evening and surprisingly, Petco had nicer looking fish than the fish store. I haven't bought anything yet though. I have to go out of town for work early next week so I'm waiting until I come back to make any final decisions and purchases. I'll give the fish store another chance maybe, but the tanks were looking kind of crappy. I wanted a few more rosy barbs for my other tank but I was scared to bring any home lest I introduce something nasty to my existing fish. The fish themselves didn't look ill, but you never know. They had a "neon" color morph that I wanted so bad. Basically a super pink/purple looking morph. Not artificial, either, from what I gather. Maybe next time.
 

anavidfan

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Are you in S. Cal? there used to be quite a lot of good places. In fact there is a place in Los Angeles that has a facebook page that sets up tanks, but think they do sell to public. They have a lot of great Aulonocara ( Peacocks )
 

cmoorewv

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Are you in S. Cal? there used to be quite a lot of good places. In fact there is a place in Los Angeles that has a facebook page that sets up tanks, but think they do sell to public. They have a lot of great Aulonocara ( Peacocks )
I'm about as far from So California as as I can be. LOL. I'm in West Virginia. My choices are pretty limited. But the fish store puts out a list every Monday of things they can order and they don't hold them, they have to be picked up the next day. So at least they aren't put into holding tanks with the rest of the stock. Aulonocara is a beautiful group of species, for sure. Very colorful.
 

cmoorewv

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
I usually avoid buying fish from Petsmart or Petco, but I've gotten lucky a few times. Most of the stores that specialize in fish around here have folded.
 

anavidfan

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Though Ive never done it, there are some breeders online that sell and ship within hours, most offer alive on arrival and DOA guarantees. Might be worth it, Ive seen some gorgeous Bettas that Ive been so tempted to get.
 

Severs

Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
I usually avoid buying fish from Petsmart or Petco, but I've gotten lucky a few times. Most of the stores that specialize in fish around here have folded.

This was my mentality, go to the actual fish shop for advice and fish. Problem was, the local fish shop gave me advice that resulted in the loss of one of my fish, and the advice from Petco saved the other and made the water so much nicer. Might be different in different areas, but I wouldn't fully discount Petco as a viable shop.
 

anavidfan

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
This is my thought on fish stores, as in any pet store, there are good ones and there are shitty ones. Petco had a bad rap within the fish enthusiasts, but I think they have come a long way.

Like everything, it all depends on the specific store and the employees running the dept. If you are lucky and the store you go to is cared for by people who actually understand fish and their needs and maintain the water and filters you have better luck than some B&M mortar privately owned stores.

Ive seen some deplorable conditions at some so called advanced fish places.

Dont hesitate to ask them to do a water test for ammonia and nitrates, hell theyve got the kits or should. If the levels are good the fish should be healthy.

Does not hurt to have a small isolation tank for new arrivals at home. That tank can be maintained easy enough and when you get a new group you can add them, and keep them there for a week or 2 and you can slowly add some salt with africans so you can kill off minor parasites and then do some water changes to lower the salt slowly before transferring them.

WIth Africans its a good idea to add a few new fish at a time so they dont target the new ones or right before adding new ones take all the rocks out to break up any territories .

Im no envious of you.
 

VU Sponsors

Top