Posted by Michele on January 17, 2003 at 01:15:11:
In Reply to: Michele more questions! posted by robbyxoxo on January 16, 2003 at 16:25:31:
difficult as it may seem at first.
Your fish of years gone by were incredible survivors...I cannot begin to say how they were able to hang on as long as you indicate they did....it is a mystery only they will know for sure.
If you get your tank set up and do a "fishless" cycle on the filter, using plain household ammonia, you will not need to be up nights worrying about the effects of nitrite on your fish...that's simple, isn't it :)
That is step one.
Step two, as long as you have a good, established filter and your tank is not overstocked, a 25-30% water change once a week should be just fine. Depending on you stocking level you may be able to go two weeks without a partial water change...although the water chemistry does begin to become compromised in many ways, so it is really easier to stay on top of it to begin with. You want your nitrATE level to be at 10pmm or lower if at all possible. Up to 20ppm would be acceptable, but you are best to keep the nitrate as low as possible.
Fish compatability...the reason that is so important is you want to be able to relax and ENJOY the fish....not worry about who is trying to tear up who (or whom :) Even if it is simple harrassment, that can stress the fish being harrassed...which lowers the immune system...leaving your fish susceptible to illness, disease, and early death.
By following a few simple steps beforehand (good planning, fishless cycling) and doing simple weekly maintenance, you will be able to relax and enjoy your healthy fish for quite some time.
One thing to remember is the larger the tank, the EASIER it actually is to care for...you have greater water stability in larger tanks than you do in smaller tanks.
Get the largest tank you possibly can...if you think you want a 55 gallon tank, go for a 75 gallon. Now, I'm not making any $$ off this deal, so this isn't a sales pitch...frequently (almost always) people get the size tank they think they want and quickly have it grossly overstocked, or within a month are trying to find a way to get a new, bigger, tank....or the fish they bought they didn't allow for growth and soon realize they MUST get a larger tank to accomodate them. Those are scenarios that I see being played out every day. So, save yourself the time and trouble and get a tank a bit bigger than you think you may want. Having a larger tank understocked is no problem at all....having a smaller tank overstocked is trouble.
So, that is some food for thought, for now. Start doing an internet search for the kinds of fish you think you might want and learn all you can about their needs...it is SO much easier than buying the wrong fish and realizing it after the fact :-)
Ask tons of questions and don't blindly follow or believe what a fish store employee tells you. While even they may believe they are correct....oftentimes they are laboring under misconsceptions or myths (the "inch per gallon" fallacy comes to mind) and pass that info on to customers.
Lastly, really evaluate what you are able to provide in the way of care. With simple partial water changes once a week, fish are probably the easiest of all pets to care for....but if you cannot committ to that amount of care, there are no shortcuts. You will have to decide if the time is right for you to have fish again.
Best of luck,
Michele
:i really need to start reading some aquarium books im thinking...i had an aquarium for quite a few years, many years ago but took little to no care of it and now after reading alot of posts here im realizing that i was a serious fish abuser...lol....just browsing thru questions and answers here, i feel OVERWHELMED...and to think i used to just throw a few flakes of food in my aquarium every few days and thought i was doing ok...looking back now im wondering how my fish survived SO long!....which makes me have to ask....i know most of the people here are serious aquarium hobbyists and full of knowledge and experience in this...but from the view of a newbie reading this, ya'll make it sound so incredibly complicated to keep an aquarium up and running....worried about nitrates, and filter types, and matching fish, and water changes, and on and on....i dont think i ever did a water change in the entire 7 years that i had my aquarium...of course i was only 15 and had no idea what i was doing...but still i dont recall losing that many fish...i guess maybe a few did come and go....but i remember having some that seemed to last for years....the last year or so im embarressed to say now that i didnt even feed the fish....and yet somehow they kinda just hung on and never died....ok i wasnt a good fish parent!.........now i hope to improve on that....but after reading some here, im worried that ill never be able to keep up with all the things that seem to need to be done...please tell me that its not as hard as ya'll seem to make it out to be?...i just want a PRETTY aquarium with nice decor but not something thats gonna keep me up at nights worrying about the nitrite levels...changing 50% water weekly sounds like a chore!...thats alot of water to be taking out and in each week....grrr...hoping for shortcuts?...i need help!...i want some EASY fish! and not plastic ones! lol....Michele im counting on you to come up with a miracle for me!...ok i think i just wrote a novel...sorry...oh and the coral, some i bought from street vendoors in Progress Mexico...others i just found on the beach in barbados,cozumel, etc....always on the beach though and never taken live from the ocean...Thanks so much!..i know ive given you a tall order robby
