Fish!

[Ratzy]

I have started keeping fish! At the moment I only have a 5 gallon tank with 5 guppies but will soon be upgrading to a 100 gallon community tank. Obviously that's going to take a lot of work and time, it's not an instant thing.
Here are the guppies.

The tank.

We are getting the 100 gallon ( 432L ) tank for free off my uncle who breeds fish. There is a 200-300 gallon tank he has too, but I don't think we'll be able to take that in our car and it would be a lot more hard work.


Obviously, the 5 gallon tank is a bit too small for guppies, they need a 10 gallon tank or more, but they are going to have to put up with it until we get the big one.

 

[suebee]

lol ratzy nice, fish to me are less bother, my son has 2 black moor heads, googly 1 an googly 2, like me his not the best at naming things lol

at least nut, does not see these as a menu item like she does with the stick insects lol

 

[SharonC]

Ratzy, I used to have nine fish tanks, but I've downsized to three. Fish tanks are great fun, and not as much work as it seems. Did you cycle the tank before putting the guppies in?

 

[Ratzy]

Yep, all cycled!

 

[nofearengineer]

Ratzy, fishkeeping has long been a passion of mine, though the last few years, it has been overshadowed by my other hobbies (I just have too many...).

If you remember a few simple rules, your experience as an aquarist will be much more successful.

1. Do not overcrowd! A big tank with just a few fish might not seem that spectacular, but it will remain clean and algae free for a long, long time.

2. Do not overfeed! We land creatures use a lot of calories keeping our bodies warm and resisting the pull of gravity. Fish have no such challenges! They thrive on surprisingly little food. Excess feeding is probably responsible for 90% of all tank failures. If you think you're feeding the right amount, it's probably too much.

3. Make all changes gradually! The underwater environment is remarkably stable. Temperature and chemical changes happen very gradually (especially in salt water). As such, most fish have had no reason to evolve the ability to adapt quickly to change. Resist the urge to change tank water in large quantities. Change small amounts, but more frequently.

I hope you grow to enjoy fishkeeping as much as I have. My speciality was always the more over-looked, mundane fish that other people regard as "junk", or for beginners only. My favorite fish will always be the Black Skirt Tetra:

They are good eaters, not very picky with respect to water, look great in large schools, and have very interesting behaviors. I once lowered the water in my tank very slowly over the course of a couple weeks to simulate the dry season, then re-filled it in about 24 hours. All of them each claimed a territory, and defended it vigorously from the others. I had learned how to trigger their breeding behavior. Not bad for a 99 cent "junk fish".

If you ever have any questions, please feel free to PM me.

 

[Ratzy]

Thanks, nofear!

 

[Crazy4Birds]

I have always wanted guppies. They are so pretty!