^^^ My house is like 69-70 in the winter though. Still no heater?

9/29/2014 9:50:07 PM

It looks like the best deal is the 20 gallon starter set. I'll probably buy it sometime soon since it is on sale. I might not set it up for a while though.

9/29/2014 9:50:45 PM

Quote :

"Your Cory is lonely "

I'd get him a friend and another communal swimmer, but I don't think there's room

Any suggestions on what else to add to the tank? What do bettas not hate?

What about shrimps?

9/29/2014 9:59:28 PM

^As was already stated on the other page by someone else, a snail. The people at petsmart told me the same thing when I asked about maybe getting a betta.

9/29/2014 10:08:02 PM

Why a snail? I was hoping for something that swims around...

9/29/2014 10:25:18 PM

You could try some neons maybe

9/29/2014 11:14:45 PM

Only problem with tetras is they're schoolers...I can't get multiple fish at this point.

9/29/2014 11:31:26 PM

^You can't really put much with a betta except for a snail because the betta will attack all of the other fish. When I was younger my parents got me and my sisters a fish bowl. We put 3 goldfish and a betta in there. The betta bit off parts of the fins of the goldfish. They pretty much have to be kept alone and definitely not with other colorful fish because they will think it is another male and attack them.

9/30/2014 11:35:25 PM

Quote :

"You can't really put much with a betta except for a snail because the betta will attack all of the other fish. "

Incorrect. I went to a pet store yesterday that had a betta in at least half of their tanks, mixed in with all kinds of other fish.

Quote :

"a fish bowl. We put 3 goldfish and a betta in there. The betta bit off parts of the fins of the goldfish."

Sure, because it was a bowl. If you put them in a proper tank with plants and places for the fish to hang out in their own space you'll have less issues.

10/1/2014 8:58:26 AM

were they male or female bettas in the communal tank?


and i'm not so sure about the no-heater advice with regards to a betta. Everything I read when I set up my last tank pointed to how crucial a heater was for bettas as they thrive in water >76 degrees.

Mine also thrived with live plants instead of artificial. I began with bulbs and they really took off. The live plants began to take over the aquarium and i tried to keep them pruned but it didn't work out so well. I tried going to the pre-grown route for my next live plants but they never quite grew the way the bulbs did.

For those of you with live plants, do you just let them grow wild and pull out the dead ends as they come or do you try and maintain them?

[Edited on October 1, 2014 at 10:05 AM. Reason : add]

10/1/2014 10:02:50 AM

Quote :

"were they male or female bettas in the communal tank?"

Males. If you all wanna see it for yourself check out Pet Supermarket on Falls. I think the idea is not to put them in with other fish with large or brightly colored fins, and especially not in small environments...obviously not with other male bettas too

As far as plants go, I just put in some Amazon something or other plants, and some moss. We'll see how it goes. I'm not expecting much as the current lighting setup is like 10 white LEDs during the day and 1 blue LED at night.

10/1/2014 10:13:41 AM

Male Bettas are fine with other fish. Just not other bettas, male or female. Having enough places for fish to hide and feel secure is key in any tank set up. Any fish will be stressed without a hiding place.

I just like snails. 4 gallons just isn't a lot of water for more than a couple fishies. I don't know the actual rule for Bettas but I have kept them for multiple years with no heater. Those things live in rice paddies and dirty puddles and storm drains.

[Edited on October 1, 2014 at 2:52 PM. Reason : .]

10/1/2014 2:51:03 PM

Oh and Justin is right. Cories do like friends. I have 3. Cory Haim. Cory Feldman. Cory Hart.

10/1/2014 2:56:40 PM

how often do yall change the filter media? My filter is a hanging 3-stage with the ammonia/carbon/sponge. I always kept the filter on the lowest flow setting and it still seemed like I had to change the media more than normal and the walls to the tank would get funky if i didn't.

would a snail help cut down on the need to clean the tank walls?

10/1/2014 3:03:12 PM

Yep. And I cheat there too. I take the filter cartridge and rinse it monthly and buy a new one every 3 months.

10/1/2014 3:06:07 PM

DO NOT get a snail that is prone to being an asexual reproducer

I have a smallish tank and it got overrun by one snail that was apparently in the stores tank...came in and I bet i had over 200 in my tank within a few weeks.

10/1/2014 3:49:40 PM

Petsmart claims to have non asexual snails. I think...

10/1/2014 3:55:19 PM

Quote :

"Just not other bettas, male or female."

Why not female? I thought that was ok, as long as the tank is big enough and the female has hiding places etc..

Quote :

"Cories do like friends. I have 3. Cory Haim. Cory Feldman. Cory Hart."

Do they interact or something? I like the names too

Quote :

"I have a smallish tank and it got overrun by one snail that was apparently in the stores tank...came in and I bet i had over 200 in my tank within a few weeks."

I saw a snail called an Assassin Snail that is supposed to clean up situations like that...

10/1/2014 4:35:38 PM

Males may kill the female after breeding. Plus you could get 500 babies from one breeding session. And my cories are almost always together in my 60 gallon.

10/1/2014 4:40:09 PM

I bought this Top Fin 20 gallon starter set last night since it was on sale through 10-5-2014, but I probably won't set it up for a few week and may even wait till after Thanksgiving.

http://www.petsmart.com/fish/aquariums-stands/top-fin-20-gallon-aquarium-starter-kit-zid36-17601/cat-36-catid-300013?_t=pfm%3Dcategory%26pfmvalue%3Dfaceted

10/1/2014 9:28:47 PM

I'm no fish tank expert, but if it doesn't have an under substrate filter, I ain't interested.

10/1/2014 9:52:58 PM

<3 under gravel filter. I hate that I didn't put one in mine when I moved. Next time it gets moved we will have one.

10/1/2014 10:32:49 PM

haha i am exactly the opposite. i have no use for undergravel filters. of course i always go way overboard on my filtration anyways. i have an aquaclear 110 for my 45. it's the best thing ever.

Quote :

"Do they interact or something?"

cories love being in schools. they are much more active in groups.

10/2/2014 11:51:59 AM

^ OK I'll get him a buddy. Does it need to be the same exact kind?

10/2/2014 12:53:35 PM

I don't think all my cories are the same...but I'm not sure.

Justin my last freshwater had both an under gravel and one that hangs off the back. I'm all for anything that makes my life easier.

[Edited on October 2, 2014 at 8:38 PM. Reason : .]

10/2/2014 8:36:36 PM

Quick question, how big of a deal is it if I go over by two inches when adding fish? I was told at the store that a good rule of thumb is one inch of fish for every gallon of water. If I buy everything I want that has been suggested then I might end up with 22 inches of fish in a 20 gallon tank.

10/3/2014 12:26:46 AM

Less is better for the long term health of the colony...you'll do ok with a lot of them but the maintenance and all that will be muchhhh more difficult.

10/3/2014 4:12:02 AM

If they are schooling fish that helps too.

10/3/2014 9:37:13 AM

Do I really need 3 Cory catfish like the lady at the store said?

10/3/2014 3:28:23 PM

Are you reading the rest of the thread?

10/3/2014 8:44:58 PM

Quote :

"I was told at the store that a good rule of thumb is one inch of fish for every gallon of water"

one, that rule is kind of simplistic. it works fine on smaller community fish, but once you start getting fish that are 4"-5"+, that rule can get thrown out the window. it doesn't apply to goldfish either.

it really depends on what fish you are getting. and the more fish you have, the more work it will be to take care of them (more fish = more frequent routine maintenance).

also, don't buy all your fish at one time.

10/4/2014 1:13:25 PM

^I'm planning on buying two cory catfish to start and then eventually buy some other breeds too.

10/4/2014 7:20:40 PM

I'm going to be setting up a 55 gallon freshwater tank soon. Questions:

1 - I'm planning on going tropical since it offers a wide range of fishes and they're fairly hardy. Would any of you do more of a South American or African setup? Why?

2 - For filtration is there anything wrong with something like this? http://tinyurl.com/lcgf5mv . I was talking to the guy at the Fish Room and he said the undergravel setups have fell out of style as all kinds of crap can get trapped down there and cause problems. He recommended a canister type filter that sits on the floor...but that thing looked like $texas. Are they that much better than the ones that hang off the back? Or if they're not better, are they cheaper to maintain (can cut own mechanical filtration media...don't have to buy expensive replacements?)

3 - I noticed their larger tanks had pumps in the water to create a current...I assume I should do the same?

4 - What are your favorite websites for aquarium supplies?

10/7/2014 3:02:19 PM

I'm going to be setting up a 55 gallon freshwater tank soon. Questions:

1 - I'm planning on going tropical since it offers a wide range of fishes and they're fairly hardy. Would any of you do more of a South American or African setup? Why?

2 - For filtration is there anything wrong with something like this? http://tinyurl.com/lcgf5mv . I was talking to the guy at the Fish Room and he said the undergravel setups have fell out of style as all kinds of crap can get trapped down there and cause problems. He recommended a canister type filter that sits on the floor...but that thing looked like $texas. Are they that much better than the ones that hang off the back? Or if they're not better, are they cheaper to maintain (can cut own mechanical filtration media...don't have to buy expensive replacements?)

3 - I noticed their larger tanks had pumps in the water to create a current...I assume I should do the same?

4 - What are your favorite websites for aquarium supplies?

10/7/2014 3:04:35 PM

1. It depends on what type of fish you want.

2. That's fine. I personally prefer AquaClear hang on back filters.

3. If you only have one filter in a 55 or something long like that, yeah powerheads would help. but again it depends on the fish. some like strong currents and others don't.

4. I don't know, I haven't bought aquarium stuff in a while. I guess I just used amazon.

10/7/2014 4:40:06 PM

The only time I had a power head was in my salt water. Same for the under tank canister filter.

My current tank has a top fin whisper filter that hangs on the back (it is a 60 gallon but my filter is for a 75 gallon I think) and a big air pump with several different bubblers.

10/7/2014 6:22:23 PM

Quick question...

Last night my filter was being annoying as hell because about an inch, or less of water had evaporated and it started making a dripping noise and wouldn't quit. When I topped off my tank I probably put in about the same amount of water that you can fit in one of those plastic cups that you get to pour your soda in at NC State sporting events. Do I need to put more water conditioner in there even though I added a pint, or less? If so then how much? The only instructions on the bottle are 10 ml for 10 gallons.

[Edited on October 7, 2014 at 11:21 PM. Reason : .]

10/7/2014 10:58:37 PM

So I got a quiet canister filter now and here is my aquarium...



I bought an Albino Cory Catfish and a Peppered Cory Catfish to start





Anyone else have photos of your aquarium and fish?

[Edited on October 10, 2014 at 11:20 PM. Reason : .]

10/10/2014 11:15:10 PM

I'm assuming you have city water. I would put a drop in there.

10/10/2014 11:52:46 PM

well water

10/11/2014 12:24:43 AM

You need more hiding places.

10/11/2014 9:38:44 AM

^ ... Get some live plants in there!

10/11/2014 10:29:18 AM

^^That log actually takes up a lot of space and you aren't supposed to put decorations next to the heater. What would you recommend, rocks, plants, wood?

10/12/2014 10:25:27 AM

Yes yes yes.


Anything.

You will have anxious and stressed fish with that tiny amount of cover.

10/12/2014 12:47:37 PM

What do I need to do? My peppered fish keeps floating to the top and when I reach in there thinking he is dead then he swims around a little bit and then goes to the bottom and doesn't move much.

10/17/2014 1:38:00 PM

What do you feed him?

10/17/2014 1:53:23 PM

flush him and give up

10/17/2014 2:03:20 PM

^^the sinking pellets for those types of fish. The other one is doing fine.

10/17/2014 3:09:59 PM

Quote :

"well water"

if your well isn't treated with chlorine or anything, i wouldn't even bother with water conditioners TBH


Does the fish look bloated or anything? Is it floating upside down? It sounds like something is wrong with its swim bladder.

Change some of the water in the aquarium (not just top off what's evaporated. I'd recommend 5 gallons or so). Feed them less.

10/17/2014 4:16:05 PM

have you cleaned the gravel out?

10/17/2014 4:37:40 PM