Tropical fish

[Borisbbadd]

I spent a good portion of the morning cleaning my fish tank, and got to wondering how many people here keep tropical fish. If so, what kind?

Just an odd-ball thought, if you do, have you ever wondered what your tank would look like filled with beer.........

 

[Kittyfeet]

I had two 55 gallon fish tanks set up at the last place I lived. One was a nice little community of fishies with lots of live plants. They were the usual community fish; tetras, barbs, rasboras(sp?). Sometimes I put some ghost shrimp in so they would eat the nasties on the bottom, but they always got eaten before they could do any real work. Freaking slacker ghost shrimp.

The other tank had two goldfish.
Man, I loved those goldfish. I got them at Walmart for $.26 each and they were an inch long. Two years later, they were gigantic 10" beasts. You couldn't fit your hands around them they were so huge.

When we moved I gave the goldfish to a guy with an outdoor pond (a big one). He already had some koi in there, and he said they were pretty big, but when we put the goldfish in the pond, they just dwarfed the koi. It was like putting fishie-godzilla's in the pond; all the koi went running away from the giants.

Dam I miss those guys...

An additional odd ball thought - if you had fish that could live and grow in a tank filled with beer, and if you ate the fish, would it be like eating beer-marinated fish?
Would the fish always be druk? Would they swim sideways or upside down? What does a dizzy drunk fish look like?
Do you think the beer would the beer turn skunky after a while?

 

[dataz722]

I used to have a 90 gallon salt water setup. I took it down when we moved a few years ago. I really want to get it up again but it is just so damn expensive.

 

[Borisbbadd]

I'm kinda thinking that they would eventually get used to the beer and then only act drunk when you put them in water.

I think you are on to something with the beer-marinated fish idea.

 

[bad coffee]

I've had a tank most of my life. Now it's a 58 gallon reef tank. There will always be a box of water in my house.

B

 

[beerthirty]

I have a 110 fresh water setup that I used to breed and display Discus in. I built an automatic water change system that watered the yard and designed a way of keeping the tank bottom clear of food and fecal matter while providing still water for the Discus. Even with all that it began to take up to much of my time and I sold off the fish.

 

[Gremlyn]

I used to have tropical fish. I had a 20 gal African cichlid tank, a 10 gal that eventually became a guppy breeding tank and a small 5 gal on my desk that had a random assortment of smaller fish like tetras and danios.

 

[FullDraw]

I sold off and gave away most of my tanks. I'm down to a single 55 gallon with African Cichlids in it. I'm finishing my basement and am building it into the wall. It'll be sweet.

And I had a tank at my college house. I'll tell you that fish in beer don't mix.

 

[Yooper]

I love tropical fish, but no longer want to spend the time and money on them. I now keep goldfish- outdoors in my little pond in the summer and indoors in tanks in the winter.

I put my goldfish outside about 3 weeks ago. They're cold, but surviving just fine. I'll keep them outside until the end of October, and then drain the pond and bring them back in. I have 16 of them, all two years old now.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

A 55 gallon tank with 6 live crawdads & a few goldfish is better entertainment than Wild Kingdom. Drop in a live nightcrawler & wait for the battle royale to commence!

 

[Gremlyn]

I love tropical fish, but no longer want to spend the time and money on them. I now keep goldfish- outdoors in my little pond in the summer and indoors in tanks in the winter.

I put my goldfish outside about 3 weeks ago. They're cold, but surviving just fine. I'll keep them outside until the end of October, and then drain the pond and bring them back in. I have 16 of them, all two years old now.

Got to deepen that pond, then you can just leave them out there

 

[Bobby_M]

I've had fish my whole life. I had a 55 gallon reef tank in my last house that I sold off just before moving. 7 years later and I got my 4yo daughter a 20 gallon freshwater tank for her birthday. It's just filled with community tropical fish like Platy and Mollies. I want to get myself a 125g reef setup but it's one of those investments that can go south fast and lose you about 2 grand overnight. Eh, I guess it's no worse than the stock market. I just wish my source for cheap live rock/sand didn't dry up on me. I used to pay $1 a pound!!!

 

[Bernie Brewer]

You people keep sea kittens in glass cages????????? GASP!!!! I'm telling PETA on you.......

 

[jgln]

I've had fish my whole life. I had a 55 gallon reef tank in my last house that I sold off just before moving. 7 years later and I got my 4yo daughter a 20 gallon freshwater tank for her birthday. It's just filled with community tropical fish like Platy and Mollies. I want to get myself a 125g reef setup but it's one of those investments that can go south fast and lose you about 2 grand overnight. Eh, I guess it's no worse than the stock market. I just wish my source for cheap live rock/sand didn't dry up on me. I used to pay $1 a pound!!!

I do have a 125g reef tank connected to a 30g sump/refugium that I set up two years ago when we moved. It is from what was a 40g reef in the apartment. Problem is shortly after we moved into the house things with our jobs got very shaky so I held off getting it set up like I want so it is kind of on life support so to say. I have a Naso and yellow tang, archeye hawkfish and two small clownfish and some assorted soft corals and the usual invertebrates. It is doing ok but I want to beef up my filtration and keep SPS but job is still iffy.

 

[Bopper]

I had a 45g angelfish plant tank for years. Broke it down a few years ago and miss it.

 

[pizzaman]

Have 30 or so fish in my 800 gallon pond, no tropies though. I spent $1 on a dozen feeder fish three years ago and they've replicated like nuts. Still have seven big ones from the original batch. I would love a pond full of beer...

 

[Ceedubya]

You people keep sea kittens in glass cages????????? GASP!!!! I'm telling PETA on you.......

tattletale


Heck with the sea kittens, I used to have a sea wolf! I had a wolf fish for a few years. Just after I got my 45 gallon tank and was looking for fish I found him in the local pet store. Someone had dropped him off because they were moving, and didn't want to deal with him. They are a nasty looking fish. on the way home, he jumped out of the bucket!

I used to feed him pinkie mice and goldfish.

They are jumpers, and so I had to keep the lid weighted down to keep him in the tank. One day, I came into the office where I kept my tank and he was dead on the floor. He had knocked the tank heater off and managed to jump out of that little hole.

After him I had an Oscar named Oscar (how original) and a HUGE Placostomous named Louie. They laste several years, but are both dead now.

I decided to take the tank down because I just didnt' have time for it. I donated it to my daughters class this year so they can keep some goldfish in the classroom.

 

[Laurel]

I had a couple lightly planted african cichlid setups, a 75 gallon Malawi Mbuna tank, and a 29 gallon tanganyika shell/rock dweller cube. I sold them both before moving when we bought our first house.

 

[Borisbbadd]

Nice pictures !!!

Right now I have a 30 gallon comunity tank.

2 Angels
7 Harliquins
1 Betta
2 Peppered Cories
1 Zebra
and a Clown Pleco

I want to get a 50 gallon tank and do some Cichlids, but that will have to wait till later this fall, after we are back from Germany.

Again, very nice pictures.

 

[dataz722]

I've had fish my whole life. I had a 55 gallon reef tank in my last house that I sold off just before moving. 7 years later and I got my 4yo daughter a 20 gallon freshwater tank for her birthday. It's just filled with community tropical fish like Platy and Mollies. I want to get myself a 125g reef setup but it's one of those investments that can go south fast and lose you about 2 grand overnight. Eh, I guess it's no worse than the stock market. I just wish my source for cheap live rock/sand didn't dry up on me. I used to pay $1 a pound!!!

$1 a pound?????????? Thats nuts. I wish I could get something like that. All though I wouldnt pay for the live sand that is amazing for the rock. I have 90 pounds of semi-live rock in my basement. I wish I had the mone to get everything going again.

 

[histo320]

I have a 20 gal freshwater tank. I have 4 Peppered Corys, 2 Zebra Cory's, 3 Gold Tetras I used as starter fish that just don't want to die, and 4 Platys with 4 Platy fry.

I know it is overstocked but I haven't lost a fish in 4 months, add fresh water weekly, and siphon bi-weekly.

 

[BlackDogBrewing]

I currently have a 20-gallon tank with guppies that I've been breeding. In the past, I also had a 40-gallon and 29 gallon tanks, with cory catfish and other community freshwater fish.

 

[Bobby_M]

$1 a pound?????????? Thats nuts. I wish I could get something like that. All though I wouldnt pay for the live sand that is amazing for the rock. I have 90 pounds of semi-live rock in my basement. I wish I had the mone to get everything going again.

Yup, a friend of mine was managing a shop that was mostly salt water product and he'd call me whenever they got a fresh shipment. I'd go down and hand pick out the most amazing pieces and paid cost. Something about my water chemistry also made pumping Xenia grow and spread at very fast rates. I sold enough of that stuff off to pay for the tank and contents 10x over. I could never afford to do it again since I'm no longer friends with that guy and most shops around here get $4-7 for rock.

On the live sand thing, I only used it for seeding the other 80% dead stuff (play sand).

 

[dataz722]

On the live sand thing, I only used it for seeding the other 80% dead stuff (play sand).

Thats exactly what I did. Some people just try and buy 150 pounds of live sand. Pointless! There are companies online that you can get it for around 2/lb..... atleast a few years ago there was.

 

[Hammy71]

Have a 220 gallon saltwater with live rock down stairs with a 75 gallon sump behind the wall. Been up and running for about 4 years so I can't remember how much rock I have but I know it cost about a grand. The tank is a beast but surprisingly low maintenance. Upstairs I have my 'tacky' tank. It's a 75 gallon tank with 4 fancy goldfish (Orlanda's etc...) and a bunch of bubbling junk that the kids love (diver, clam etc...). Out front in the yard is my pond I've had going on 15 years with the same fish and plants. Even less maintenance than anything else I've got. It's in the shade most of the day...(no algae), I clean the filter maybe twice a month.... and I hardly feed the fish during the summer. Don't need to....they each so much natural food they are rarely interested in what I'm throwing in. Usually have an odd assortment of wildlife moving in also....Massive bullfrogs that'll scare the crap out of you on a summer night.... I can't remember I time I didn't have a tank in my room as a kid....Guess I'll always have some kind of water in a box in the house....

 

[bkov]

i have a 180g freshwater tank, a 55g, and a 30g. i want to start a saltwater tank but dont have the startup costs to spare right now(live rock, skimmer, lights,etc.)

here are a couple pics but there not the best, i took them quick before the camera battery died and focused mainly on 1 fish to get an id on it

 

[friarjohn]

Has anyone seen the movie seven pounds? I want the tank will smith has. I dont neccessarly need the box jelly fish cause im to damn clumsy and would end up like he did in the movie.

 

[Rick500]

I used to keep and breed African cichlids, and used to write for TFH and FAMA occasionally.

Unfortunately, I haven't kept fish for several years. I don't have the kind of time I used to, to take care of them.

 

[chefmike]

I have one beta in a tank under a water lily. I'll edit with a pic later. Simple setup, but I enjoy seeing the fish every day. I had tanks when I was a kid. Had a great racket breeeding guppies for a local pet store in exchange for other fish.

But I love Betas.

 

[passedpawn]

I am a reefer. 90g, sumps, metal halides, skimmers, etc. Lots of work, and the corals will throw in the towel faster Leonard Duran if you don't keep on top of the lighting and water chemistry. But saltwater fish are pretty easy to keep.

 

[PsicloneRN]

55 gallon reef with 29 gallon sump/refuge.

 

[dataz722]

Why do you have to go and post those picutures????

I have an empty 90 gal in the basement that used to be a reef. But I don't have the space or money to set it back up again and I want to soooooo bad.

 

[M@!]

I have a 24 Gallon nano-reef at home that is just recovering from some neglect and sad case of red slime. I hate that stuff! Right now it just has some zoas and a couple of BW Ocellaris. I also have a small mantis in a 6 gallon at my work. I have to say he is the most interesting inhabitant I have ever had, so active building his cave moving all kinds of rocks, sand and empty shells. Here is a nice little vid of his dinner today. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT1hxjl5y7w]YouTube - Stomatopod vs Goldfish[/ame]

 

[dataz722]

I always wanted a mantis in a small tank.

 

[friarjohn]

i want one of them....thats awesome!!!

 

[passedpawn]

I always wanted a mantis in a small tank.

Get live rock from Live Rock - Tampa Bay Saltwater Aquacultured Live Rock and you are guaranteed one. Really.

 

[amercuric]

my old 20H freshie. it's too bad i didn't get pics of it in it's prime. this is about two weeks after i knew i'd have to dismantle it soon.

]It's getting set up again and going right next to my compact kegerator. It's going to be friggin awesome.

 

[Rick500]

Dammit, I miss having fish. You guys are gonna make me get back into it...

 

[amercuric]

Part of the reason to rebuild my aquarium is for the presentation of the living room. A really awesome aquarium takes the vibe from "raging alcoholic with the beer taps in his house" to "pretty cool artsy guy that makes good beer".

 

[Borisbbadd]

Part of the reason to rebuild my aquarium is for the presentation of the living room. A really awesome aquarium takes the vibe from "raging alcoholic with the beer taps in his house" to "pretty cool artsy guy that makes good beer".

I wonder if I can get the wife to buy that one.......................